VOL. 51 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 P109
cantilever shock is 10-way adjust-
able for spring preload, to allow
for a passenger or luggage.
The good-looking Chinese-
made Jingfi wheels carry a single
300mm ByBre steel disc up front
that's now common to all Indian-
made KTMs, gripped by a radial-
ly-mounted four-piston bolted-up
two-piece caliper (so, not Mono-
bloc), with a single-piston rear
gripping the 230mm rear disc.
Those wheels are shod with
German-made Metzeler Sportec
M5 tires - a 110/70ZR17 front and
150/60ZR17 rear.
ABS is fitted as standard on
the RC390, in preparation for
January 2016 when it will
be compulsory on all bikes
over 250cc sold in Eu-
rope. KTM/Bajaj plan to
add it to the smaller bikes
as well, but not just yet. On
the RC390 this adds an
extra 4.4 pounds in weight
and operates on both
front and rear wheels via a
switchable Bosch 9M two-
channel system.
Dry weight of the RC390
is 324 pounds (vs. 306
pounds for the unfaired
390 Duke, against 304
pounds for the RC200),
or 339 pounds com-
plete with a full 2.6-gallon
load of fuel in the steel
tank covered by a plastic
shroud, with 54/46 per-
cent static weight distribu-
tion, or 49/51 percent with
a 165-pound rider aboard.
KTM's edgy, aggressive
Moto 3-derived Kiska De-
sign styling gives all models in
the RC range real presence and
that goes for the RC390 as well.
It's easily distinguishable from its
RC200 sibling by having a white
detachable side panel to the
bodywork, which is interchange-
able with the RC200's black one
(the belly pan can't be swapped
because of subtly different en-
gine architecture between the
two motors, says KTM).
There are compact twin pro-
jector headlights, while the run-
ning, rear, brake, license plate
and indicator lights are all LEDs.
Plus, the front indicators have
been neatly integrated into the
mirror housings, while the taillight
and the brake light are housed in
the rear end of the seat. A clever
feature, which KTM says is a first
on any motorcycle, is the fact that
what looks like a race-replica sin-
gle seat isn't really because what
appears to be a matt black seat
cowl behind the rider is in fact a
cleverly-conceived and surpris-
ingly well padded foam and plas-
tic passenger seat made in India.
With grab handles hidden below
it. Very cool.
The rider's seat is pretty hard
(there's an optional 'ergo seat' in
KTM's extensive list of options for
the bike) and also narrow, so that
at 32.2 inches in height, putting
both feet flat on the ground at
stoplights is easy for an average-
height rider. There's also a stor-
age compartment beneath that's
big enough for a disc lock.
In spite of its mid-sized engine
capacity, the RC390 is a full-size
motorcycle, with a pretty natural
sporting stance that's comfort-
able even for a six-footer. That's
because the riding position is ac-
tually a bit more upright than the
RC390's aggressive styling might
suggest, since the clip-ons aren't
really clip-ons at all. Instead, they
bolt onto the upper triple clamp
rather than being mounted on the
fork legs, which also helps give
the RC390 a more generous
steering lock than other sport-
bikes. This proves invaluable in
tight places like city streets, or
three pointing in a narrow road for
a quick, easy 180-degree turn.
