long term Review of a KTM RC390

I’ve had this bike for several years now and it’s either getting better as it gets older, or I’m just getting used to it.

Much like Ducati’s in the old days, KTM have gained a reputation for unreliability, but what are flaws to some, others just call it ‘character’.

I’ve found the bike to be reliable & predictable once you work out what it doesn’t like.

The first thing it objects to, is been ridden when it’s dead cold.
If you do this, it will cut out on you on a downshift at an intersection and then it will be hard to start.
If it also hasn’t been used for a while, the battery will struggle to turn it over, which will result in an error message on the LCD display and then it loses its memory, which means you have to reset the time.

The solution to this is start the bike, then put your helmet & gloves on to give it time to warm up.

The second thing it hates is commuting in traffic.
It’s hard to ride it smoothly as it doesn’t run well at low RPM with a light throttle. It’s also hard on your wrists leaning forward all the time and then just to make your day the radiator fan blows hot air at you, if your going too slow.

The solution is just don’t get caught in traffic…

The Third thing it hates is sitting around for too long. If it sits idle for more than a few weeks it’s going to behave as it does when it’s dead cold (as written above)

The solution is to ride it more often….

The things it does like..

Corners

This bike handles very well once setup.
The back suspension is on a middle setting. If it’s too soft, it wallows on fast corners, If its too hard, it bounces you out of the saddle.
It’s light on tyres as you would expect. the front lasted 15,000k, and I changed the back at 10,000k as it developed a square profile which affected the bikes handling.

Touring..

It actually tours quite nicely, it can do around 250 k’s on a tank (300k in thoery, I’m just not game to try it).
The seat gets to you eventually, but a coffee stop fixes this. I usually just bungee tie a small backpack onto the rear seat/ducktail for luggage.

Modifications..


The only bits I have done is put wing mirrors on, to get rid of the original mirrors that just give you a good view of your shoulders
(This meant moving the indicators onto the fairings)
I fitted Aftermarket brake pads for better stopping power and the motor is now running ice coolant to get it to run cooler.

Helping the poor in Africa & India

I read the following allegory on a blog in the UK recently. it’s meant to reflect on the issue of mass immigration into the UK and the local populations percieved reaction to this.


“Eight people in a lifeboat, awaiting rescue. All comfortable and warm. Each checked their ration packs. All had ample rations, even luxuries of wine, chocolate and biscuits to keep them going. A person glanced out of the porthole to sea. A person in the distance was drowning. One asked should we not go and rescue them? Each glanced at their ample rations. Some muttered about having to share their wine and biscuits, some ignored the talk and ate. Some had already tucked into them. They didn’t turn back. The lifeboat is the West and the drowning person is the third world.”


The quote is designed to guilt trip people into thinking that they are “well off” while others struggle and that they are selfish people if they don’t help or feel guilty about their “good fortune”.

The reality is a lot more complex.

Two Trillion American dollars have been donated to Africa in the last 50 years to fix these problems for no discernible gain, except that some Westerners get to feel good about themselves and possibly get a power trip by having power over others.
The issue is complicated by Westerners paternalistic and/or patronising attitude to other cultures.


The situation is explained in depth in the following link. It is a speech by a former volunteer for an Italian NGO (non Government organisation) and his experiences of working for an NGO in Africa, and how everything they did turned to custard.