As mentioned last week in another thread, I have bought another bike. There are many reasons, some health issues, a bit of age creeping in perhaps, but mainly because I look back on my early biking days as a time of great fun on compact, light, really revvy, flickable bikes. I probably should have bought an Elsie. I looked at a few and they really are gorgeous. I also looked at RD400s and then dreamt of an RG500 £25K -err nope... But, I have been there done that in a way with my 2 stroke TS185er, and finding the parts, buggering about with the carbs is not something that I want to get into right now. I also am still slowly meddling with my VFR400 NC30 so I kinda have that covered -4 carbs! So I looked again at what is available. Low weight. Compact. Electric start. Easy to get all parts. Cheap to maintain. Simple to fix (probably). Cheap to buy -this could be a pipe dream that doesn't turn out well. Well known for good simple reliability. Firstly I thought of the RC390, but like @perry I didn't find it that too comfortable and looking into the future I doubt that will improve with age. Idly glancing around in the KTM showroom I saw the little sister bike, a 390 Duke. And I sat on it out of curiosity more than anything. I mean its orange. Its almost ugly. Odd styling. Not enough power really. But it felt a good fit! I went for ride on the demo bike to find that it was quite fun. A buzzy engine and brilliant handling. Honestly I was surprised to be even considering one of these. Anyhow I left the dealership (sorry) and thought it over. Theoretically it hit all the criteria I set. Scrolling through reviews I found many from happy old git owners, mostly long term riders, who all mentioned the fun aspect of the bike, and most of the other things I wanted too. Just then, social media hooked me up to a guy with one that needed some TLC, was available now and cheap as chips. Its mostly white & black with not much orange. So I get to reading the KTM going broke thread. And @Kevin Tallant says "I wonder what a 390 would be like with some mods... So enough waffle. I drove up to the far North, paid the man and slung it in a hire van. Today I ordered the bits that I need to get the thing up and running. I'm in danger of buying silly toys that will probably give it another 10bhp LOL! Then I wiped it down with an oily rag, in the sun. Game on.
Congratulations on your new bike! Red wheels are looking lovely, a bugger to keep clean but look the part
One of the apprentices at work had one, he loved it, pretty good tool on the B roads, had a loud pipe on it, sounded like a moto3 bike
I should think that an open airbox with a decent air filter combined with an exhaust and remap would get you close to 10 bhp. Just off to YouTube to see what I can find........
Well done, I think like the Elise, lightweight is where the real fun is to be had. Most fun motorcycle I've ever owned was a rgv250, with around 160kg and 60bhp. Let us know how you get on with it . Rumours BMW are doing a gs450 adventure bike next year.
BMW & a brand new 450? I'm more of a "cheap thrills" kinda guy! I have looked into a few fabled bikes of my youth to try and get an idea of what I need to get out of my KTM to make it on a par with my memories as seen through rosy red tinted glasses. Of course each bikes torque curve will also make a difference, but here's a comparison: KTM 390 @ 147kg / power 42hp = 0.286 X7 250 @ 160 / power 30hp = 0.188 RGV 250 @ 160kg / power 60hp = 0.375 LC 350 @ 149kg / power 47hp = 0.315 RD400 @ 171kg / power 44hp = 0.257 If I mod the air box, exhaust & fueling, and if I gain 10hp (doable for £400) my little Duke would be at 0.354. So right in the ball park. Obviously its not just about the numbers, but this will be a fun project. LOL BTW. The real deal of course is a Ducati Pani V4 which is @ 180kg / power 214 =1.19!!! Amazing...
