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

Performance

KTM RC390

The first machine one would compare to the RC 390 with is its naked cousin, the Duke 390. When they launched the RC, even we thought it must be similar to the Duke 390, performance wise. It turned out; we weren’t exactly wrong, but we were, in many ways. The RC 390 will give you the feeling of being in control of something special, something which has loads of character. It gets to the point where if you ride the Duke 390 post a ride on the RC, the naked motorcycle feels very every day, which it definitely isn’t.

Accelerating down the straights side by side, the  Duke takes a marginal lead initially, lesser weight at play perhaps, but then the RC catches up post the ton and starts to build up a lead. Both our test KTM’s were new motorcycles and had the limiter moderate our excitement. However, from standstill, the RC 390 takes off in a manner, no other made in India motorcycle would. As you build up the revs, dump the clutch, the front wheel gives up believing in gravity, while the forward biased riding position lets you decide when to stop unicycling. Even at triple digit speeds, the chassis remains composed and in similar fashion to the Duke 390, the RC will poke you in your guts if it finds you going slower. However, the comfort of hot air after a peak traffic ride on the Duke 390 is absent on the RC, thanks to better heat dissipation from a cooling mechanism that sounds like a jet turbine once it kicks in and attracts a lot of attention at red lights.

Kawasaki Ninja 300

Where both the KTM’s instil a sense of urgency within the rider, the Ninja 300 is more sage-like. It will make you believe that the world is at ease if you aren’t noticing the happenings on the speedometer. The butter smooth parallel twin engine is a master at masking its momentum and doesn’t let you know about the hardships its endures inside that motor while propelling you at fast speeds. In comparison, both the RC 390 and the Duke 390 will keep you on your toes; they are more theatrical and don’t intend to insulate you from the manic happenings underneath the chassis .

The Ninja 300 is not the machine for you if you have a penchant for drama, however, if you are on the lookout for a machine which will carry you at silly speeds, rev till 13,000 clicks on the rpm counter and make you believe the world has come to a standstill without a sweat, the Ninja is that assassin you need to pay to. However, at almost double the asking price of the KTM RC 390, it is priced on the higher side. For that price though, you get a slipper clutch, exemplary engineering, quality cycle parts and better build quality. What you gravely miss, is ABS brakes.

Duke 390

The RC 390 might just turn out to be the biggest nemesis for what was until now, the Duke of Powerburgh, the Duke 390. It’s not that this naked 400 cc monster has suddenly lost its hooliganism, but the RC 390 now provides an experience which although based on similar mechanicals, feels a part of a different atmosphere altogether. In urban environs though, it will be the Duke which will thrill you and if you aren’t paying enough attention, will kill you too. The way it shoots off once the revs start reaching the upper climes of the rev band makes it a tool which needs to be handled with all your attention.  On the Duke 390, the power delivery takes a 90 degree flight, akin to a rocket launch, post the 7000 rpm mark, where things seem more in control on the RC. The power curve on the faired KTM climbs fast too, but the power delivery is slightly, and only slightly more linear in comparison to its naked cousin.

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