KTM 390 DUKE
FIRST RIDE
P50
does tend to trail off once
you get really high up the
rev range. You can also
short shift between third
and fourth gear under
acceleration, keeping
the motor singing in the
5-7000rpm range. The
gearbox action is pretty
nice, not the smoothest
I've ever encountered,
but if you preload the 'box
slightly you'll get a better
shift than if you just bang
up the gearbox like you
would a single-cylinder
dirtbike. The cable-
operated clutch is super
light and has plenty of
feel which is great for new
riders – if you disconnect
the ABS you can play
around with the clutch
and rear wheel by backing
the Duke into corners, but
that's not recommended.
Pretty fun, though.
The steel trellis chassis
of the Duke is beautifully
matched to the charac-
ter of the engine in that
it just does what you
want, when you want it.
The bike only weighs a
In this test, Rennie wears:
AGV Sport Canyon
Perforated Leather Jacket
http://tinyurl.com/q293crv
AGV Sport Excursion
Khaki Cargo Pants
http://tinyurl.com/
o6mux6m
