KTM RC vs Kawasaki Ninja  vs KTM Duke

KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs Duke 390: Three Sunrises

KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs KTM Duke 390 (90)

You don’t have to travel too far back in time to remember, how we wished someone built a proper quarter litre motorcycle and presented it to us on a two wheeled platter. That time arrived, people were happy, soon got over their quarter life crisis and then the hunger games for more power took flight. It was the terrific trio of Bajaj, KTM and Kawasaki who acted as the wind beneath our wings and gave us machines like the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and the Duke twins. The latter being the harbingers of a new dawn for motorcyclists across the nation.

KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs KTM Duke 390 (40)

For an exhaustive review of the KTM RC390, click here

It was one of those mornings yesterday, when you wake up before the alarm clock. A morning you look forward to, for the spirit of the rising sun to lift you up, hold you there and never let you fall. A dawn which made us witness three sunrises in a single day. We had the opportunity to stack the KTM RC390, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and the KTM Duke 390 together and spend a sunny Sunday morning sampling out two of the best performance motorcycles made in India along with a Japanese twin cylinder machine. Needless to say, we made the most of it. We never realised that our experience with the three motorcyles which started at the crack of dawn would linger all afternoon and leave us wrapped in their aura well past midnight and maybe for a long time to come.

KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs KTM Duke 390 (118)

The purpose of this comparo is not to tell you which one is the best machine, as all the three motorcycles here are like method actors. They are born to perform with the sole intent of delighting the riders, elevate their senses and enamour them with their charm. These are the kind of machines which would make you ignore the entry to your apartment as you return after a long ride, and push on for another one.

KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs KTM Duke 390 (44)

Let’s break it down and talk some more about these machines then, which should make it easier to identify which one fits the bill for you.

>>Next page for Riding Position>>

1 thought on “KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs Duke 390: Three Sunrises”

  1. I agree that the Duke has the initial pull, or its atleast equal from what I could make out at the BIC trackday, Noida.

    However, I did ride the Duke 390 (road+track, I own one) and Ninja 250 (on the road), and I believe that an important point is that the Ninja has a wider powerband.

    That means if you get distracted or have a corner ahead, and over rev the Ninja beyond its max power point, there’s still a long way before rev limiter…. So, no problems here.

    But should the Duke miss the Max power gearshift, its rev limiter right away. And you go back by 3-4 bike lengths normally….

    For racing, more cylinders are always better. On road, I believe its Vice Versa, seeing the SuperDuke 1290 and the Duke 390 too.

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