QUICKSPIN I 2024 KTM 390 Duke
P108
the third- and fourth-gear torque
pull you from corner to corner.
But if you want to get rowdy, kick
it into the higher revs, and there's
performance some twin-cylinder
bikes could only dream of.
The 390 has a drastically
changed chassis compared to
2023. The name of the game here
is increased stiffness, which KTM
achieved with the new steel trellis
main frame and new banana-style
swingarm that has the shock
mounted on the right side rather
than the center.
The reason for this is three-
fold: the first is to make room
for the larger airbox of the higher
capacity motor, the second is to
help lower the seat height 10mm
to 820mm/32.2 inches, and the
third is to concentrate all the
main aesthetic parts of the 390
to the right-hand side. The brakes
were moved to the right side pure
-
ly for this reason—now the right
looks like a tough featherweight
UFC fighter. The left side looks a
bit weak and spindly by compari
-
son, with nothing of note aside
from the chain and sprocket.
The new chassis is matched
to a wheel and a Michelin Power
6 tire set that weighs a claimed
8.8 pounds less than in 2023.
That's 8.8 pounds of weight
taken off right where you want it
in unsprung mass. The 390 was
already a nimble and agile bike,
but it took another step in 2024.
Big man, little
bike. You'll
want to be a few
inches shorter
than Rennie's
6'1" frame to fit
comfortably on
the 390.
