Car & Bike KTM duke/RC 390, CBR250R ABS or should i wait for more options?

[bmwfanboy]

I am using a 3.5 years old FZ16 and clocked 14,000KM til date. Its excellent for daily use in city traffic but on open roads, or when overtaking another vehicle, it feels severly underpowered

I am 5 ft 10 with around 90KG +/-5KG weight. I haven't ridden any other motorcycle except my current FZ.

What i need

1. Long service interval (in terms of days). I am tired of FZ's 70 days service interval.
2. ABS is preferred
3. MUST be highly reliable and niggle free. I hate to visit SVCs.
4. Should have enough power to quickly accelerate from 30 to 60 and 60-100 (on highways)
5. Spare parts availability. (i will use it for next 8 years, might upgrade to a bigger bike for weekend use later on but this bike will still be used as a daily commuter)

What i don't care
Comfort and fuel efficiency, i ride solo so pillion comfort isn't required.

Usage:
80% sub urban areas (40-70kph speed), 20% city (under 40kph with 1-2 traffic lights)
short (under 100km) Highway rides once or twice per month.
500-700KM rides twice a year

Total usage = around 5000 km per year.


What i'm eyeing for:

1. KTM Duke 390

pros:
1. Mad power,
2. VFM,
3. Seems like a proper upgrade

cons:
1. Probably most unreliable bike on sale today with people reporting oil leak, coolant leak, fork seal busting, poor build quality, fuel pump failure, over heating issues etc. ,
2. Only 2 years warranty, once the warranty is over. I will have to pay for all the parts that seem to constantly fail in this bike. (This can be a deal breaker)



2. KTM RC390

pros: same as above, plus good looks and projector lamps

cons: same as above



3. CBR 250R (current gen) ABS repsol edition

Pros:
1. Reliable,
2. Long service interval of 6000km/6 months
3. Optional 5 years warranty
4. Loved the repsol paint scheme.

Cons:
1. Rusting issues are still there
2. Spare parts are difficult to find and Repsol fairing, almost impossible,
3. 25bhp doesn’t feel like a proper upgrade specially considering its 30KG heavier than my FZ


4. Wait for New CBR250R/300R ABS

Pros: Same as above.

Cons: Looks too slim, Will be priced on par with R25/R3 according to automotive magazines/blogs. (2.7-3L)


5. Used ninja 250R

Pros:
1. Parallel twin engine
2. Reliable and long service interval

cons:
1. Lacks ABS
2. Might be too expensive for me to maintain


R25/R3 fills all my requirements but its out of my budget.

I am not in a hurry since my current bike is still serving me good. I can wait till oct-nov if required. Till then most of the issues i mentioned above on duke/rc 390 will be rectified i suppose?


ps: I am not interested in HX250 or Bajaj pulsar 200/400SS/CS or mahindra mojo.

 

[AMG]

I am using a 3.5 years old FZ16 and clocked 14,000KM til date. Its excellent for daily use in city traffic but on open roads, or when overtaking another vehicle, it feels severly underpowered

I am 5 ft 10 with around 90KG +/-5KG weight. I haven't ridden any other motorcycle except my current FZ.

What i need

1. Long service interval (in terms of days). I am tired of FZ's 70 days service interval. Forget the KTMs then. The KTMs are arguably the only bikes on the road which demand MORE visits to the service centre than Bajaj and TVS.
2. ABS is preferred CBR/
3. MUST be highly reliable and niggle free. I hate to visit SVCs. CBR
4. Should have enough power to quickly accelerate from 30 to 60 and 60-100 (on highways) CBR does a decent job.
5. Spare parts availability. (i will use it for next 8 years, might upgrade to a bigger bike for weekend use later on but this bike will still be used as a daily commuter) CBR, again.

What i don't care
Comfort and fuel efficiency, i ride solo so pillion comfort isn't required.

Usage:
80% sub urban areas (40-70kph speed), 20% city (under 40kph with 1-2 traffic lights)
short (under 100km) Highway rides once or twice per month.
500-700KM rides twice a year

Total usage = around 5000 km per year.


What i'm eyeing for:

1. KTM Duke 390

pros:
1. Mad power,
2. VFM,
3. Seems like a proper upgrade

cons:
1. Probably most unreliable bike on sale today with people reporting oil leak, coolant leak, fork seal busting, poor build quality, fuel pump failure, over heating issues etc. ,
2. Only 2 years warranty, once the warranty is over. I will have to pay for all the parts that seem to constantly fail in this bike. (This can be a deal breaker)



2. KTM RC390

pros: same as above, plus good looks and projector lamps

cons: same as above



3. CBR 250R (current gen) ABS repsol edition

Pros:
1. Reliable,
2. Long service interval of 6000km/6 months
3. Optional 5 years warranty
4. Loved the repsol paint scheme.

Cons:
1. Rusting issues are still there
2. Spare parts are difficult to find and Repsol fairing, almost impossible,
3. 25bhp doesn’t feel like a proper upgrade specially considering its 30KG heavier than my FZ


4. Wait for New CBR250R/300R ABS

Pros: Same as above.

Cons: Looks too slim, Will be priced on par with R25/R3 according to automotive magazines/blogs. (2.7-3L)


5. Used ninja 250R

Pros:
1. Parallel twin engine
2. Reliable and long service interval

cons:
1. Lacks ABS
2. Might be too expensive for me to maintain


R25/R3 fills all my requirements but its out of my budget.

I am not in a hurry since my current bike is still serving me good. I can wait till oct-nov if required. Till then most of the issues i mentioned above on duke/rc 390 will be rectified i suppose?


ps: I am not interested in HX250 or Bajaj pulsar 200/400SS/CS or mahindra mojo.

 

[bmwfanboy]

Forget the KTMs then. The KTMs are arguably the only bikes on the road which demand MORE visits to the service centre than Bajaj and TVS.

KTMs have 140 or 150 days service interval. That i can manage. Do you mean service centre visits due to issues like oil/coolant leak, fork leaks, heating issues etc.? Is there any chance of these issues getting rectified on new batches by oct-nov?

Only thing that got me worried about honda is unavailability of spare parts. Attaching one example here (This guy crashed his 250. Repsol limited edition fairing were not available, so he had to install HRC tricolor fairing)
I am currently waiting for honda to announce the price of new CBR250/300R. Will the spares of Old VFRish CBR250's get difficult to procure once new model is launched?

 

[AMG]

KTMs have 140 or 150 days service interval. That i can manage. Do you mean service centre visits due to issues like oil/coolant leak, fork leaks, heating issues etc.? Is there any chance of these issues getting rectified on new batches by oct-nov?

Only thing that got me worried about honda is unavailability of spare parts. Attaching one example here (This guy crashed his 250. Repsol limited edition fairing were not available, so he had to install HRC tricolor fairing)
I am currently waiting for honda to announce the price of new CBR250/300R. Will the spares of Old VFRish CBR250's get difficult to procure once new model is launched?

The KTM's service interval is not the issue. Its just that a few niggles keep coming up every now or then.

And fairing is a cosmetic part. You crash, and then you have to wait for parts, because the company doesnt expect you to crash. And its a rare colour. It will take time to procure. Spares generally mean consumables, which will be easily available. And if you expect KTMs to have the fairing for RCs in stock, you're kidding yourself.

Ninja owners have waited a lot.

 

[abhifusion]

CBR 250R reliable ? Its not even worthy to be called Honda! Do check out the user reviews...

KTM initial lot had some niggles (2013-early2014). Newer lot is much better... I own a Duke 390 & over the past year and half of the ownership I had been to service center for only 5 times; 4 of them for regular servicing & 1ce for Coolant leak which was barely a half hour job. KTM spares are cheap compared to Kawasaki & Honda.

 

[Sobirvs]

I have been riding FZS for my last 5 years or so. It has served me really really well. So I can relate to you. My usage is exactly like you aswell.

But you know what will be worse if u shift to any other bike ? the thing u don't care about... being comfortable. I am looking for an upgrade too but FZ series is the most comfortable bike there is.

So me and my brother were lukin' for an upgrade and called up KTM to come to our place to give us a test ride of KTM RC 390 and guess what? it kicked ass! It was awesome to ride, and as it isn't my daily bike, so I don't know it's con for now, but one I found was being comfortable.

We were ready to give 30k as advance payment to book the bike but then the representative was kinda giving us a negative vibes, so we didn't. I wll prolly buy RC390 in december

 

[mach9]

Im personally holding out for newer launches to move on from my 2007 P200. Specifically Honda's. The current CBR250 is on its last legs anyway. A few more bigger launches should be due from the other Japs as well.

 

[AMG]

CBR 250R reliable ? Its not even worthy to be called Honda! Do check out the user reviews...

KTM initial lot had some niggles (2013-early2014). Newer lot is much better... I own a Duke 390 & over the past year and half of the ownership I had been to service center for only 5 times; 4 of them for regular servicing & 1ce for Coolant leak which was barely a half hour job. KTM spares are cheap compared to Kawasaki & Honda.

I dont what you've been reading, but it is one of the most reliable rides around.

 

[Onemufc]

Yamaha Y250 or the 250CC model is coming this year. I would suggest you wait for that .

 

[wingrider767]

CBR250R is currently not on sale, in BLR at least.

I was in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago and after looking at everything from FZ v2.0 to Pulsar 200NS/220F to the Ninja, I settled for a 2015 Duke 200. I'm not thoroughly convinced with my choice, but given the options currently available in the market, I felt this is the best bet. I'm aware of the reliability concerns, if 2 years down the line, I find the bike to be terribly unreliable, I'll sell it off for a better bike.

Any new bike released this year will take a year for the production lines to settle down. There will be some design issues in the first few batches be it a Honda or Suzuki or TVS or Bajaj.

The way I see it, the high capacity bike scene is still maturing here in India and choices are fairly limited at the moment. Hopefully things will change for the better in the near future.

I'd be glad if Honda launches the CB300R in India. That's a perfect high cc commuter bike.

 

[bmwfanboy]

CBR 250R reliable ? Its not even worthy to be called Honda! Do check out the user reviews...

KTM initial lot had some niggles (2013-early2014). Newer lot is much better... I own a Duke 390 & over the past year and half of the ownership I had been to service center for only 5 times; 4 of them for regular servicing & 1ce for Coolant leak which was barely a half hour job. KTM spares are cheap compared to Kawasaki & Honda.

I am aware of issues in early batches of CBR250R. One guy from fb cbr250r group (2011 purchase) had his engine gasket replaced 7 times in 9 months and cone set replaced twice. And CBR250R was the only bike that seized its engine during xbhp's grand indian roadtrip. Duke 200 survived that trip without any issues. But newer batches of CBR (post 2012) seem to have much better reliability compared to KTMs which still suffer from issues like engine oil leak, coolant leak, overheating issues, fan failure etc. Ownership threads are filled with members reporting such issues. That's what i am concerned about.

Yamaha Y250 or the 250CC model is coming this year. I would suggest you wait for that .

It will be priced above 3L AFAIK which is above my budget of 2.5L (max)

CBR250R is currently not on sale, in BLR at least.

I was in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago and after looking at everything from FZ v2.0 to Pulsar 200NS/220F to the Ninja, I settled for a 2015 Duke 200. I'm not thoroughly convinced with my choice, but given the options currently available in the market, I felt this is the best bet. I'm aware of the reliability concerns, if 2 years down the line, I find the bike to be terribly unreliable, I'll sell it off for a better bike.

Any new bike released this year will take a year for the production lines to settle down. There will be some design issues in the first few batches be it a Honda or Suzuki or TVS or Bajaj.

The way I see it, the high capacity bike scene is still maturing here in India and choices are fairly limited at the moment. Hopefully things will change for the better in the near future.

I'd be glad if Honda launches the CB300R in India. That's a perfect high cc commuter bike.

I don't want to buy a bike and sell it off due to emotional attachment and memories. That's why i am planning to use it for next 8 years or more.

I guess it'll be better for me to wait for new CBR. Hopefully KTM's will have their current reliability issues sorted by then.

 

[raj_pol]

Can you find out when the Benelli 300 would be released. release dates should be close and looks like a yummy proposition

 

[AMG]

^The Autocar Review of it is great too.

 

[AK3D]

CBR 250R reliable ? Its not even worthy to be called Honda! Do check out the user reviews...

KTM initial lot had some niggles (2013-early2014). Newer lot is much better... I own a Duke 390 & over the past year and half of the ownership I had been to service center for only 5 times; 4 of them for regular servicing & 1ce for Coolant leak which was barely a half hour job. KTM spares are cheap compared to Kawasaki & Honda.

User reviews are very good. This is one of the most reliable bikes in the market.
One person I know has done 1lac + kms on the CBR250R
Another friend has clocked 78,000+ kms http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/103729-honda-cbr-250r-review-31.html
Please also look at this long-term review by Sheel - no issues in 3 years of ownership http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/109784-honda-cbr-250r-3-years-up-10.html .
I can go on giving examples, but this is a reliable tourer (and also gives good mileage on the highway if driven sanely) - you can get 38kmpl at 70-80ish easily, people have reported more.

 

[rdst_1]

Have you taken a look at the Suzuki Inazuma.

 

[AK3D]

^ Suzuki has stopped sales of the Inazuma.

 

[AMG]

User reviews are very good. This is one of the most reliable bikes in the market.
One person I know has done 1lac + kms on the CBR250R
Another friend has clocked 78,000+ kms http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/103729-honda-cbr-250r-review-31.html
Please also look at this long-term review by Sheel - no issues in 3 years of ownership http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/109784-honda-cbr-250r-3-years-up-10.html .
I can go on giving examples, but this is a reliable tourer (and also gives good mileage on the highway if driven sanely) - you can get 38kmpl at 70-80ish easily, people have reported more.

No use banging your head against who is so biased.

Also @ OP
Just read xBhp

 

[abhifusion]

User reviews are very good. This is one of the most reliable bikes in the market.
One person I know has done 1lac + kms on the CBR250R
Another friend has clocked 78,000+ kms http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/103729-honda-cbr-250r-review-31.html
Please also look at this long-term review by Sheel - no issues in 3 years of ownership http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/109784-honda-cbr-250r-3-years-up-10.html .
I can go on giving examples, but this is a reliable tourer (and also gives good mileage on the highway if driven sanely) - you can get 38kmpl at 70-80ish easily, people have reported more.

CBR250R is a great tourer, I have to agree on that. I had done 90k+ on my first gen Pulsar 220 Fi without any major issues, so doing 1L+ on the modern automobiles is not a big thing.

Some of my friends CBR ownership experience was not very good. They have dealt with shim issues which would take weeks for honda to arrange a spare part, engine seizure despite regular servicing to name a few.
One guy was getting mileage 25 at best. This was 2 years ago, now they have moved on to better bikes ...

No use banging your head against who is so biased.

I shared what my friends have experienced with the ownership of the CBR. Calling me biased won't increase reliability of your beloved bike. Anyway lets agree to disagree without calling names !

 

[AMG]

I wonder why you call it beloved, because I dont have the bike, and neither do I have the desire of owning one.
And you started calling names. All the people I know in xBhp are extremely happy with their CBRs.
And the CBR will be more reliable than the KTMs any given day of the week. Period.

 

[booo]

I had done 90k+ on my first gen Pulsar 220 Fi without any major issues

OMG!! really? your bike should be in a museum. I am not kidding.

btw, from our collective experience with the bajajs that we used few years back... bajaj service was shitty. I mean absolutely shitty. When I got rid of my p200. I got an r15 and used it for 4 years. (I never kept a bike for 4 years before except for hh passion which was the first.)

So... from my experience I would simply exclude KTM owing to the quality of ASS bajaj provides. Bike "maybe" good but bajaj's ASS sucks.