KTM 390 Duke: Old Vs New - What Has Changed?

When people speak of the ideal performance motorcycle, the KTM 390 Duke is often mentioned. Having been around since 2013, there have been three generations of the 390 Duke. As of now, the 390 Duke is the biggest one on sale in India, and with the 2024 update, things have gotten even madder.

Before taking a look at how the 390 Duke has evolved, make sure to join the 91wheels WhatsApp Community for all the latest dope in the automotive world.

KTM 390 Duke Design And Brief History

The first-gen 390 Duke arrived on the scene in 2013, and it proved to be a perfect upgrade for people who had been riding something like an Apache or a Pulsar until now. I am certain some people even hailed it as the true successor to the RD350, but that's a story for another day.

The first-gen 390 was compact and muscular, while also bearing a tipped-forward stance. Orange rims, an orange frame, dual-tone paint schemes; it was nothing like we'd ever seen before. Packed with that monster of a engine, it was freakishly impossible to ride it slow, and its dimensions only made it that much easier to slice in and out of traffic.

The second-gen 390 Duke was launched in 2017, and it bore a chiseled, sharper design, while retaining the same powertrain underneath the modern looks. This model was sold to us till 2023, and it continued to receive tweaks here and there, including a major BS6 update in 2020 which brought along a quickshifter.

The current, third-gen 390 Duke now looks closer to the Super Duke 1390 sold internationally. The tank extensions are longer than before, while the the headlamp and tail-lamp sections have gone through a complete redesign as well. It also got new wheels which are lighter than before, and look similar to the ones on the RC 390.

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KTM 390 Duke Powertrains and Hardware

The first-gen 390 Duke made headlines with a 373cc liquid-cooled powertrain, producing 42.9bhp at 9500rpm and 35.3Nm of torque at 7000rpm, paired to a 6-speed transmission. Built on a steel trellis frame, the 390 Duke made use of 43mm WP USD forks upfront and a WP monoshock at the rear.

The high-strung nature of this engine took some time getting used to, and it resulted in moments of embarrassing stalling, but given its success, buyers did get the hang of it eventually. It was also infamous for heating issues, which resulted in the engine cutting off. However, the 390 Duke's real charm was visible once you took it out of the city and over a section filled with tight corners.

The second-gen 390 Duke shared the same 373cc powertrain, but it benefited from a bigger airbox for better breathing, along with an increase of 10kg in kerb weight. It also got a larger 13-litre steel fuel tank, as opposed to the 11-litre fibre unit from the earlier model.

In terms of hardware, the second-gen 390 larger disc brakes, a revamped WP suspension setup with an open-cartridge front fork, a 10-step adjustable monoshock, ride-by-wire, ABS and a new bolt-on rear subframe. This model also brought along a quickshifter in its BS6 upgrade.

The current-gen 390 Duke took things further up a notch with a new 399cc LC4c liquid-cooled engine, producing 45.3bhp at 8500rpm, and 38.2Nm of torque at 6500rpm. Given the numbers, this should be just a touch slightly easier to live with in daily conditions. This engine also features a bigger airbox, a quickshifter as standard, and a slipper clutch to work the 6-speed transmission.

It also sits on a completely new trellis frame with an aluminium rear sub-frame, suspended on 43mm open-cartridge USD forks, which get five-click compression and rebound adjustability. At the rear is an offset monoshock with five-click rebound and ten-click pre-load adjustability. While the front disc remains a 320mm unit with a radially-mounted four-piston calliper, the rear got a slightly larger 240mm disc with a floating calliper.

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KTM 390 Duke Features and Equipment

The first-gen 390 was known to pack features such as a digital cluster with two trip meters, rider data, single-channel ABS, LED tail-lights and turn indicators, and a backlit switchgear.

The second-gen 390 added switchable dual-channel ABS with three modes, a new colour TFT display with bluetooth connectivity, music streaming, call/SMS alerts, an optional quickshifter, and a LED headlamp.

As for the current-gen 390, it brought along launch control, cornering ABS, a 'Supermoto' mode, track mode, traction control, three riding modes, a standard bi-directional quickshifter, ride-by-wire, a C-type USB port, and an optional 820mm seat among other things.