VOL. 52 ISSUE 18 MAY 5, 2015 P47
K
TM's 390 Duke
is aimed purely
at new riders,
right? I mean, it's only
got a tiny 373cc single-
cylinder engine, a small
chassis and brakes from
a company no one has
ever heard of, so it's
probably best we just
give it to people who
don't know any better
while we ride hulking V-
twins and four-cylinder
monsters, laughing our
asses off and forgetting
we were once green as
grass like them.
Then they pass us
around the outside,
squeezing every last
one of the 43hp out of
the little bike that could
– because they can –
and disappear into the
distance. Suddenly the
thought dawns – maybe
that little orange bike
might be worth trying.
All of a sudden you
realize what many have
always known, and feel
like a bit of an idiot. That
little bikes are stupid,
stupid amounts of fun.
I love little bikes.
Some are better than
others, granted, but I
get a perverse pleasure
from rounding up big
bikes and making them
look silly on back roads
– not straights, I'm not
that daft. Still my favorite
bike I've ever owned
was my 1998 Suzuki
RGV250 two-smoker;
you could get away with
murder on that thing
and properly embarrass
those who believe the
best way to going faster
is to have more dis-
placement. Maybe they
were just compensating
for something.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM BOOTH
A junior bike with attitude!
The little Duke's got angry
curves in spades, just like
its bigger brothers.
