The easiest solution was a brake pad upgrade.
The stock KTM brakes are perfectly upto the job but I found myself looking for more. These pads generate a sharper bite but only hard riders will appreciate the improvement You can pick these up from any Yamaha authorised service centre. It's not a problem but I'd have preferred the R15's. The FZ's are cheaper but are slightly curved outwards, making the heel stick out a bit. Unfortunately, they weren't in stock when I needed them so I had to settle for a set from the FZ v1.
Shumi's solution was to pick up a pair of of the R15's heel plates from a Yamaha showroom and bolt them on.
The reasoning behind this mod is the same as using the Stomp Grips - better grip on the bike with the lower body. The Duke has tiny heel plates that you can't really hold onto with your boots. Yamaha v1 heel plates bolted onto the stock heel plate improve the rider's grip on the bike I've found a cheaper Rs 860 (in America) option but I have no idea how well this would work. Every motorcycle I own henceforth will be stomp-gripped the moment they get out of the showroom. They're expensive but very worth it in my mind. You get them in pre-cut shapes for the RC 390 at performanceracing.in but I had to buy a square sheet and cut them to size for the Duke. The bumps, or volcano dots as Stomp Grip calls them are soft and designed to wear down with time but I have noticed that your pants will wear out at a slightly faster rate at the points of contact. I found these hugely helpful at the track but also in everyday traffic. They are designed to help you grip the bike better with your thighs, reducing strain on the arms which helps you ride better. Stomp Grips are a simple rubberised pad with small bumps that stick to the side of your tank. Stomp Grips help you hold the bike with your thighs better, which improves control Drop Dhaval a message on Facebook to purchase a set I've enjoyed using it for a year now without hiccup. It doesn't affect the rideability in stop and go traffic but makes simply makes the bike feel more urgent and reactive. Dhaval's quick throttle reduces travel by about 20 per cent and is an easy fit. An engineer by trade, Dhaval has built quite a few nifty solutions for the KTMs like a side stand by-pass switch and more. Since mine was a 2014 bike I looked for options and found one made by a gentleman named Dhaval Mahidharia. I found the the turning action on the 390's throttle was too long, something KTM addressed with the 2015 model.
The 390 Duke is designed for entry level riders overseas and has a throttle to match.
Small mods combine to turn the 390 Duke into a sharper toolĪ reduced throttle action makes the bike feel alert and more reactive. None of these add power or increase the top speed but each one has undoubtedly helped me go faster, be it on the track or the street. So I set about looking for simple but efficient ways to sharpen my Duke and extract a bit more performance without affecting the warranty. However past experience with these on my R15 left the engine feeling rough, even after I returned to the stock ECU.
The logical upgrade is to install a reflashed or piggyback ECU. The Ktm 390 Duke is an excitingly fast motorcycle as it stands but there is scope for more.