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Well now, this new 390 Duke seems nice. It’s a sporty and energetic little motorcycle, with good handling and not too much weight. Plus, KTM added an amazingly sophisticated suite of electronics, and more mechanical adjustability than most bikes this size. So, then, why don’t I like it?
Maybe there’s something wrong with me. It’s taken a lot of riding and even more thinking about this heavily updated 390 Duke to try to understand what’s working and what is not. I’m not even sure I have it figured out, so you’ll have to pardon the unprofessionalism as I work through this in real time.
A mostly new Duke
The updates to the 390 Duke for 2024 are sweeping and impressive. It gets a new, two-piece frame which contributes to a lower seat height and revised airbox, as well as lighter wheels, a new dash, more stroke in the engine, LED lighting, and of course refreshed styling. Through the updates and upgrades, it remains a tidy, unfaired naked bike with a simple, single-cylinder engine.
Despite being small, there’s plenty of complexity in the 390 Duke’s book of electronic features. There are three ride modes, plus lean-angle-sensitive traction control, supermoto ABS, launch control, a speed limiter, self-canceling blinkers, and Bluetooth connectivity. You can even add a quickshifter, if you like.
On top of the E-suite, the fork offers tweakable compression and rebound damping and the shock can be adjusted for spring preload and rebound damping. The brake and clutch levers adjust in and out, too, in order to fit different hand sizes. If any or all of this sounds familiar, perhaps you already read Dustin’s outline of the changes when the bike was announced last year.
Overall, KTM says the 390 is 90% new compared to the outgoing version, so a pretty comprehensive overhaul. Many of the updates offer slight changes and adjustments in ways that are hard to perceive. It has a color dash and so did the last 390 Duke. The new version has a seat that’s about half an inch shorter, which is in the noise considering the last version of the 390 Duke I rode was years ago.
I might argue that how it compares to the outgoing 390 Duke on paper isn’t what matters anyway. How the new machine feels on its own is what most of us ought to care about, and KTM fans will be happy to know that a lot of the characteristics that have made the 390 Duke a popular machine are still intact.
The Duke in motion
Mostly what I noticed was how incredibly small and light the 390 Duke seems. With a full tank (nearly four gallons, incidentally) it weighed in at 355 pounds on the RevZilla West scales. That’s nearly 30 pounds lighter than a Kawasaki Ninja 500 SE and a few pounds heavier than the dirt-bikey Ducati Hypermotard 698.
It’s narrow between the knees and short from front to back — the wheelbase is around 53 inches — and the rider triangle has clearly been designed to be ultra-compact. Any smaller and it might start to feel kind of toy-like. At six feet, two inches tall, I found it reasonably comfortable but I bet riders six inches shorter will be happier.
Almost no matter what size the rider is, it’ll convey just about all of the sophistication and agility that you’d expect when you tackle your favorite twisty road or navigate a tight intersection. The 390 Duke is responsive in the way it should be considering the equipment involved. It’s controlled well, too — in an age when most fuel-injected motorcycles suffer from some herk ‘n' jerk while getting on and off the throttle, the 390 has a nice, gentle pickup.
Even if the suspension weren't adjustable — something most machines in the category can't claim — the 390 Duke would probably still be a treat on a twisty road. The new frame is allegedly a lot more flexible than the previous model's, which might contribute to the ultra-responsive handling.
To be extra clear, it is ridiculously light and narrow, plus it has a short wheelbase and aggressive steering geometry. All of that means it traces an easy line through just about any corner with not much effort. The 390 Duke doesn’t have to fool the rider into thinking it’s light to the touch. It’s actually just carrying less weight around, and that’s worth a lot.
There’s a lot to like about this machine, no doubt. It fixes a lot of the problems that plague many motorcycles, especially small ones, in this era. That said, there’s plenty that I don’t like, too. I never really came around to the gearbox, for one — it never betrayed me with dramatic false neutrals, but it felt a little too vague and uncompromising to carry the KTM badge. Also, does the quickshifter work to downshift, actually? I still don’t know.
There's a whiff of cheapness about it, even with all of the high-end features applied. For example, sometimes when I started our test bike it would randomly stall within 10 seconds, hot or cold. Another odd quirk I found was that despite the throttle pickup being amazingly smooth and gentle, there's an odd hitch in the 390 Duke's giddy up once you're on the gas. A heavy twist of the grip in the bottom third of the rev band reveals a bobble in the 390's fueling, almost as though the bike isn't sure how much gas to give the engine even though the throttle is nearly (or all the way) open.
Another thing that really baffles me is how much of the front of the bike I can see while I’m riding. My line of sight hit the front tire (same as it did on the 1390 Super Duke) and also the top of the headlight. It can be a really good thing to have the rider’s torso over the front end. It often makes for a feeling of control and stability. But part of the headlight beam hits me in the eyes at night, and I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.
As a part of that same problem, the large and colorful dash unit is mounted on top of the handlebar, what seems to me pretty far up and back toward the rider. I always felt like I had to look down more than I wanted to, which was especially frustrating because if the display was mounted in front of the handlebar it would block my view of the headlight; or rather, the headlight’s view of my eyes.
Some of this is subjective, for sure, and might be solved with a different body type or outlook on the machine in general. Still, I can’t help but think that I’d rather have a sweet transmission, smooth mirrors, and shade from the headlight than have all of the fancy features that the new 390 Duke boasts.
This little adolescent streetfighter is a hoot to ride, and even though I didn’t take it to a race track I bet it would be a blast there, too. It’s just premium and feisty enough to be stable and confidence-inspiring as a learning tool. And that has everything to do with the foundational aspects of the bike, not the whiz bangs or doo dads.
Does it need launch control? Surely not. Does it need Bluetooth connectivity, or different ride modes? I don’t think so. I can totally appreciate that traction control can help keep a rider safe on a dirty or wet road, or in some other circumstance where grip vanishes dangerously. I just can’t get on board with clamoring for all of these features on a bike that is so small and reasonable in the first place.
In other words, at its core the 390 Duke is still a spunky, fun, capable little bike. Better than it has ever been, as far as I can tell. My problem with the bike isn’t really the bike at all, but that the focus of what it's best at was lost somewhere along the way. For me, part of the charm of small-bore sport bikes like this is that they are simple, and that makes them engaging in a way that larger, more complex machines can’t match. But when those basics, like smooth low-range fueling or the dash being mounted in an odd place, aren't bang on the money I'm frustrated. I start to question whether or not the motorcycle is a good representative for this class, potent as it is.
Many of the features and luxuries draped over the new 390 Duke, that are supposed to make it cooler, feel out of place. Almost like the machine isn't ready for them yet. Maybe it is cooler, and I’m the problem. As usual, you'll decide what matters.
| 2024 KTM 390 Duke | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $5,899 | |
| Engine | 398.7 cc, liquid-cooled, four-valve single | |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Six-speed, chain | |
| Claimed horsepower | 45 hp @ 8,500 rpm | |
| Claimed Torque | 28.8 lb-ft @ 7,000 rpm | |
| Frame | Tubular steel | |
| Front suspension | WP APEX 43 mm fork, adjustable for compression and rebound damping; 5.9 inches of travel | |
| Rear suspension | WP APEX shock, adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping; 5.9 inches of travel | |
| Front brake | ByBre four-piston caliper, 320 mm disc with ABS | |
| Rear brake | ByBre two-piston caliper, 240 mm disc with ABS | |
| Rake, trail | 24 degrees, 3.7 inches | |
| Wheelbase | 53.4 inches | |
| Seat height | 32.2 inches | |
| Fuel capacity | 3.9 gallons | |
| Tires | Michelin Road 5 | |
| Measured weight | 355 pounds | |
| Available | Now | |
| Warranty | 24 months | |
| More info | KTM.com | |
