KTM RC 390: Review

The KTM RC 390 has to be among the most highly anticipated motorcycles to be launched in 2014. It isn’t as if it has a major performance advantage over the 390 Duke which amazed the Indian two-wheeler aficionados’ with its power output and aggressive pricing. Yet for most Indian two-wheeler consumers a performance bike has to have a full fairing. Not surprisingly, when the KTM RC 390 was unveiled at the 2013 EICMA motor show in Italy last year it generated lot of curiosity in our country as well. 

And after a wait of almost a year, the KTM RC 390 has headed our shores but KTM boffins insist that the changes made to the RC 390 haven’t been restricted to the cosmetic front but also in the performance department. Well we are the Chakan test track of Bajaj Auto and we couldn’t have asked for a better location to verify this claim. 

Design, Features and Build Quality:

Let’s start with design as it is the biggest talking point for the KTM RC 390. The RC 390 gets draped in a full-faired body which is akin to any supersport motorcycle and it almost looks like a 600cc machine in flesh. The front has a raked out windscreen below which the two projector lamps sit with twin DRL whiskers. In profile, the aggressive styling is apparent with the chiselled fuel tank (a litre down in capacity), exposed trellis frame finished in a bright shade of orange and the sharp body panels. The exhaust has been beautifully integrated into the fairing similar to the Ducati 1199 Panigale and the KTM RC 390 features mirror mounted turn indicators, which is a segment first. 

The rear also carries forward the edgy design language with a petite LED tail lamp nestled below the tail section. My favourite design detail on the KTM RC 390 is its rear seat. The textured finish on it make it appear like a cowl from distance creating an illusion that it’s a single-seat offering. The all-digital instrument cluster is similar to the one found on the KTM 390 Duke and holds a plethora of information. But unlike the wide handle bar of its naked sibling, the KTM RC 390 employs a triple clamp mounted clip-on bars to better suit its supersport dynamics.

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Switch gear and build quality is decent and Bajaj influence was clearly visible. However the fit and finish isn’t that great as a few exposed wires was visible which doesn’t suit a premium offering like the KTM RC 390.  Nevertheless in terms of visual appeal the KTM RC 390 scores highly owing to its sharp and edgy design language that will be specially appreciated by youngsters. 

Engine, Performance and Ergonomics:

Underneath the bodywork of the KTM RC 390 sits the same 373cc, single-cylinder motor as seen on its naked sibling, the KTM 390 Duke. The liquid-cooled mill churns out 43PS of peak power at 9,000rpm and 35Nm of maximum torque at 7,000rpm. Open the throttle and the KTM RC 390 lunges forward without any effort. The acceleration is brisk and the motor just loves to be revved hard and is eager to play. This nature of the KTM RC 390’s powerplant was extremely rewarding at the track as even if one goofs up in terms of cornering speed, a slight twist in the throttle was all that required to rectify the error. The KTM RC 390 picks up momentum at a ferocious pace and I saw the speedometer indicating 170kmph on the straight which is mighty impressive with a hefty rider on the saddle. The 6-speed gearbox offers crisp and precise shifts and at no instance did I encounter a false neutral or any other errors.  But I must add that the motor did feel a bit viby on idle but once you set in motion it irons out with a raspy exhaust note in the background. 

We didn’t get an opportunity to test how tractable the KTM RC 390’s motor will be in real world conditions as we rode it just on the track but it did hold on to slow speeds in higher gears without much effort. One of the biggest concerns with the KTM 390 Duke was its heating issues and KTM engineers say they have tried to rectify this problem. According to them, the air flow from the fans has been directed towards the ground on the KTM RC 390alongwith an additional exhaust fan for better cooling. It seemed to work on the track but the actual test of this claim would be on the traffic infested city streets when we would ride the RC 390 in real world conditions.

The clip-on bars and rear-set footpegs mean riding posture on the KTM RC 390 is very aggressive. This committed riding position is of great benefit on the test track but can be uncomfortable in real world conditions to some. Also the thinly padded and hard seats don’t help the cause either. Even the saddle height has been hiked with respect to the KTM 390 Duke by 20mm to 820mm.

Ride, Handling & Braking:

KTM has increased the steering rake angle on the RC 390 from 65° to 66.5° and reduced the wheelbase by 25mm. This revision has also hiked the ground clearance of the RC 390 to 178.mm. According to KTM boffins the changes were made to better suit the supersport dynamics of the RC390. The KTM RC 390 attacked corners with aplomb as it tipped from one corner to another without any effort and it does feel light on its feet. The chassis is very communicative and I was able to increase my cornering speeds with every passing lap and the KTM RC 390 scores highly in the handling department. A special mention of the sticky Metzeler tyres has to be made as they also play a vital role in improving the handling dynamics of the KTM RC 390. 

In the pursuit for handling excellence, the suspension of the KTM RC 390 has been stiffened as the suspension travel of the WP sourced USD front forks has been reduced by 25mm. On the smooth tarmac of the test track we couldn’t figure the difference in ride quality between the RC 390 and its naked sibling but we are sure it wouldn’t offer as supple a ride over broken roads.

Given the speeds that the RC 390 is potent enough to achieve braking is of utmost importance. Anchorage is provided by disc brakes at front and rear while ABS is standard. The Bybre sourced disc brakes provide great feedback and bite; it showed no sign of fade despite the numerous hard braking. ABS also worked perfectly as it helped me on the few occasions (I misjudged my braking) and although they can be turned off, I wouldn’t personally advice to do so. 

Fuel Efficiency, Pricing & Verdict:

KTM doesn’t quote any mileage figures for the RC 390 and as we rode the bike on the test track we couldn’t evaluate its fuel efficiency either. But we expect it to be around the same 25-30kmpl figure that the KTM 390 Duke offers. The KTM RC 390 has been priced at Rs 2.05 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and for its price it’s a mouth watering offering when you compare with its rivals the Honda CBR250R ABS (Rs 2 lakh) and Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Rs 3.5 lakh).

Also the new sharp styling, impressive performance and a sweet handling package make the KTM RC 390 an even more appealing proposition. Yes it has its downsides, like the aggressive riding posture, stiff suspension and it wouldn’t be an ideal motorcycle for long distance touring. But a full-faired, purposeful performance motorcycle is what you crave without shelling out a fortune then look no further.