Need some advice from people who've ridden both.

In Bangalore, the on-road price is roughly:

Duke 250: ₹2.84L

Duke 350: ₹3.50L

Which one should I go for—the Duke 250 or the Duke 350?

My usage is a 55 km daily commute in Bangalore with occasional weekend highway rides.

Is the Duke 350 worth the extra ₹65k? Also, how much higher are the real-world ownership costs (fuel, servicing, tyres, brake pads, etc.) compared to the Duke 250?

Would love to hear from actual owners.

Well, I'm planning to get the Duke 350 so called Duke 390.

I turned into a huge KTM fan once I rode my friend's Duke 250. It's so smooth and felt like butter while riding. Yeah, I know it vibrates a bit, but it's fun to ride.

And on the other hand, I rode my friend's NS400Z (43 bhp). I felt like something was missing. And yeah, riding it was a bit hard. I don't know if that's because I had a huge gap since riding a bigger category bike. But it didn't feel as smooth as gen 3 duke. Yeah, it's a good value-for-money bike, and it's worth every penny. But the service is shit, tbh.

And I'm not a huge fan of REs and Triumph.

Don't know much about the TVS RR 310 and RTR 310.

So if you guys have any suggestions, let me know. It will help me a lot. And I'll be starting my journey of owning a bike..

Bought the 390 Adventure S 5 days ago, pre-delivery inspection went well too. Had no issues during that. From the third day onwards, I kept getting side stand down errors on the bike, couldn't start it, even when the stand was fully up. Created a workaround for it, I'd put up the stand gently like 5 times or more, only then would the warning go away. Sometimes after taking bumps it would pop up and the engine would cut off (almost crashed once because the wheel locked up).

Visited the service center yesterday, they said it was a common issue on the S and the R variant. They did some work, free of charge. It was gone only for a few hours literally. Any one else having this issue? How did you get it fixed? I'll visit the service center again this coming Monday.

I am not sure if the title makes sense, I have duke 250 gen3 and yesterday after service my bike runs automatically at 23-26kmph even till 4th gear without using eccelator I am not sure if this has always been there but I have never tried it until yesterday. And I don't have cruise control. Is this normal?? Sorry I don't know how to explain it better. Thank you.

Hello people,

I'm considering a 2024 duke 390 pre owned I'll attach the details below, need some tips and tricks and the things i shall look out for

No of owners :1

Kilometres ridden : 17,000

Price 1.90L INR

The owner says the documents are clear and has 2 keys of that bike

I'm still yet to check it, let me know what shall i lookout for and on what basis shall i judge the condition on

Hey everyone!
Thank you all for the previous suggestions on the colour of the duke 250.

After a lot of research, test rides, and way too much overthinking, I finally booked the KTM Duke 250 in Ebony Black through Amazon. I’ll also be getting a BH (Bharat) registration, which works perfectly for my job.

Now I’m looking for a good full-face helmet under ₹6,000.

My priorities are:
Safety first (preferably ECE 22.06 certified)
Comfortable for city rides and occasional highway trips
Good ventilation
Low wind noise (as much as possible in this budget)
Decent visor quality and availability of spare parts

I’m also confused about the helmet color. Since the bike is Ebony Black, what would look the best?
I’m considering:
Matte Black
Black with Orange graphics
Black/Gunmetal Grey
White & Black
If you own a Duke 250 or a black KTM, I’d love to know:
Which helmet are you using?
How has your experience been?
Any helmetss I should avoid in this budget?
If stretching the budget by ₹500–₹1,000 gets me something significantly better, I’m open to that as well.
Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks!

I booked a new KTM 390 Adventure (349cc) around 20 days ago and paid the booking amount. Today, the dealer informed me that the ex-showroom price has increased and wants me to pay the revised amount.
Is this normal? Has anyone managed to get KTM or the dealer to honor the booking price after a price hike?
I also noticed Amazon has around ₹20k discount with the Amazon Pay ICICI Card, but I don’t have one.
What would you do in my situation? Any advice is appreciated.

I've been comparing these two for some time and finally tried to put some numbers behind the decision instead of just saying "KTM is better" or "RTX is VFM."

I know the value estimates are subjective, but I wanted to see how close I could get.

https://preview.redd.it/uu39fke2qyah1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=92549ad459674beb835cad7a16abe3661ea7f408

My takeaway

• Actual effective premium: ~₹65k
• My perceived value of KTM's additional capabilities: ~₹45–50k

So, for me, the KTM is effectively asking for another ~₹15–20k beyond what I feel its tangible advantages justify.

That doesn't mean it's overpriced—just that this is how I value the trade-off.

The KTM is objectively the more capable motorcycle:

• Better engine
• Better chassis
• Better suspension
• Better electronics
• Better off-road capability
• Much shorter wait

The RTX 300 (Top) counters with:

• Significantly better pillion comfort
• Better touring comfort out of the box
• Lower effective ownership cost

Question to the community

If you were making this decision today, how much would you value the KTM's better performance, dynamics and immediate availability?

Would you happily pay the extra ₹65k, or do you think the RTX 300 (Top) offers the better overall value?

First the vibrations

Foot pegs handlebars and tank. That's all the touch points of the rider. Footpegs ones reduced after removing the rubber from footpegs. Handlebars are usable after finding the right amount of tilt in the position. The tank will be silent when it's full.

The oil leak

Oil started leaking from the valve cover, oil pressure sensor. It took 3 visits and 6 odd months to fix it. Now the valve cover is opened 3 times already (before hitting 7k kms). They didn't even clean the outside of the engine before opening it🫪. They overfilled the oil in second service that might be another reason for the leak.

The brake pads

Both front and rear are worn off in 5k kms. Seems odd considering I am pro engine braking. My apache 160 had them replaced after 20k kms.

The strange noises

Rattle noise from the air intake, starts exactly at 4.5k rpm and stays till redline. (Sounds like plastic hitting each other). There are a plethora of noises from the engine, some metal pings, tappet noises, camshaft chain noise that don't have a particular pattern. Cone set noise over potholes and speed breakers that were never resolved.

Missing fasteners

The motorcycle was in the service centre for 6 times Total and every time had missing fasteners. Now has 4 less body fasteners than it had from the factory. Also the mechanics used wrong fasteners that damaged both orange panels (There are shoulder bolts of different shoulder heights, used wrongly will damage mounting holes).

Torn seat rexin

Rear of the seat rexin has come off and the beading is torn. Service manager reluctant to consider it under warranty. Has given some other customer's seat as replacement till he gets it fixed from the local shop.

Service commitment

Of the 6 times motorcycle was in service centre only twice it was given on time. Generally it will be 3days late than the commitment and I had to get the things done myself in service centre. Latest one being 5 days late.

FYI: I still enjoy the great chassis and composure of the motorcycle. It opened up a new world of experiences, and truly shows what this generation of adventures capable of. All service centre visits are with Popular motors Whitefield.

Hey everyone,

My KTM Duke 250 is about to hit 5,000 km, and I'm planning to get its third service done soon.

I wanted to ask what all I should specifically get checked or replaced during this service to keep the bike in the best possible condition. Apart from the regular service, are there any preventive maintenance tips you recommend?

Also, I've noticed a weird sound coming from the front disc/brake area. It isn't always there, but it's noticeable sometimes. Has anyone experienced this before? Could it be the brake pads, rotor, or something else? Is it something I should be worried about?

I'd really appreciate any advice from experienced Duke 250 owners on keeping the bike healthy for the long run.

Thanks in advance!