HELP: Ninja 300 vs Duke 390 vs Ninja 250

ashishvarkey · April 9th, 2013, 11:10 AM

Advice needed:

I want a bike that is fun to ride ,will serve as a daily commuter (indian roads&traffic) , as well as for weekend trips .

I am finding it difficult to decide between the Duke 390 , ninja 250 R & Ninja 300R. Yea i understand they are different bikes (& vary in pricing quite a bit), i will NOT be riding on a track. Only on Indian City roads(bad roads + lot of traffic) most of the time , plan to do some medium-long distance trips whenever i can.

I would greatly appreciate any inputs

Jiggles · April 9th, 2013, 11:12 AM

Considering that I already have a ninja 250 and ninja 300, you should get a duke 390

Alex · April 9th, 2013, 11:22 AM

aeroblade · April 9th, 2013, 11:37 AM

I'd strongly advice you to take a test ride first, once you do you will KNOW which one you want. Considering the traffic conditions I can say the 390 makes more sense since its basically the 200 with a bigger engine which we all (from India at least ) know to be extremely good for city riding.

old3 · April 10th, 2013, 07:44 AM

I'm hoping the Duke will have traditional KTM quality, in that case it is an easy choice. The 300 is a low quality scooter. Cheapness and shortcuts abound.

I'm a long time KTM owner/racer. If it had been offered here I'd have really poured over the Duke. I've owned a few 640 Dukes and 950s too. The question is who ultimately designed the bike and chose materials, KTM or Bajaj

csmith12 · April 10th, 2013, 07:58 AM

Welcome Ashish! Wish I had your problem in bike choice. Good luck with whatever you choose.

psych0hans · April 10th, 2013, 08:00 AM

I'm sure ktm did all the designing, either way, it depends on your preference. I can't see myself on a street fighter anytime soon, so I'm choosing the 300. If you prefer that style, buy the 390...

SMman · April 10th, 2013, 08:28 PM

My vote would be for the 390. It should handle the rougher roads better than the Ninja 250 or 300 and the more upright seating position will be better in traffic. I'm considering one myslef if it comes to Canada for 2014 and KTM doesn't go crazy with the pricing.

Jono · April 10th, 2013, 08:40 PM

KTM, duh. It's going to destroy the competition.

Link to original page on YouTube.

lgk · April 12th, 2013, 07:13 PM

Ktm

April 9th, 2013, 11:10 AM	#1
ashishvarkey ninjette.org newbie Name: ashish Location: Gurgaon,India Join Date: Apr 2013 Motorcycle(s): KTM Duke 200 Posts: 1	HELP: Ninja 300 vs Duke 390 vs Ninja 250 Advice needed: I want a bike that is fun to ride ,will serve as a daily commuter (indian roads&traffic) , as well as for weekend trips . I am finding it difficult to decide between the Duke 390 , ninja 250 R & Ninja 300R. Yea i understand they are different bikes (& vary in pricing quite a bit), i will NOT be riding on a track. Only on Indian City roads(bad roads + lot of traffic) most of the time , plan to do some medium-long distance trips whenever i can. I would greatly appreciate any inputs

April 9th, 2013, 11:12 AM	#2
Jiggles Jigglin' your Jiglets Name: Sean Location: San Jose, Ca Join Date: Jun 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 K1300S, 2013 Ninja 300, 2011 Ninja 250R, Faster than Unregistered's ninjette Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 1 MOTM - Apr '13	Considering that I already have a ninja 250 and ninja 300, you should get a duke 390 __________________________________________________ If the Ninja 250 doesn't have enough power for you, then you don't know how to ride it. AFM #676 Supersports are for n00bs

April 9th, 2013, 11:22 AM	#3
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	__________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

April 9th, 2013, 11:37 AM	#4
aeroblade Doh! Name: Matt Location: Locating GPS... Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250r Posts: 286	I'd strongly advice you to take a test ride first, once you do you will KNOW which one you want. Considering the traffic conditions I can say the 390 makes more sense since its basically the 200 with a bigger engine which we all (from India at least ) know to be extremely good for city riding. __________________________________________________

April 10th, 2013, 07:58 AM	#6
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Welcome Ashish! Wish I had your problem in bike choice. Good luck with whatever you choose. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

April 10th, 2013, 07:44 AM	#5
old3 ninjette.org sage Name: Jim Location: NJ Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 300, KTM EXC610SMR Posts: 913	I'm hoping the Duke will have traditional KTM quality, in that case it is an easy choice. The 300 is a low quality scooter. Cheapness and shortcuts abound. I'm a long time KTM owner/racer. If it had been offered here I'd have really poured over the Duke. I've owned a few 640 Dukes and 950s too. The question is who ultimately designed the bike and chose materials, KTM or Bajaj

April 10th, 2013, 08:00 AM	#7
psych0hans ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Hansveer Location: Bombay, India Join Date: Jan 2012 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250r - Track whore, Ninja 300 - SOLD, KTM RC390 - Orange Hulk, Ducati 899 Panigale - Red Devil. Posts: A lot.	I'm sure ktm did all the designing, either way, it depends on your preference. I can't see myself on a street fighter anytime soon, so I'm choosing the 300. If you prefer that style, buy the 390... __________________________________________________ GETTING BACK INTO RIDING? Read this.

April 10th, 2013, 08:28 PM	#8
SMman ninjette.org guru Name: Danger Location: Canada Join Date: Jan 2011 Motorcycle(s): 15 CBR300R, 14 BWS50, 09 FZ1, 09 Ninja 250, 06 CRF450R Motard, 03 ZX-6R Posts: 422	My vote would be for the 390. It should handle the rougher roads better than the Ninja 250 or 300 and the more upright seating position will be better in traffic. I'm considering one myslef if it comes to Canada for 2014 and KTM doesn't go crazy with the pricing. __________________________________________________ 15 CBR300R, 14 BWS50, 09 FZ1, 09 Ninja 250, 06 CRF450R Motard, 03 ZX-6R 636

April 10th, 2013, 08:40 PM	#9
Jono ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jono Location: Memphis, TN Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Triumph Street Triple, 2009 KLX250SF, 2003 Suzuki SV650S (Sold), 2006 Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: A lot.	KTM, duh. It's going to destroy the competition. Link to original page on YouTube.

April 12th, 2013, 07:13 PM	#10
lgk ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jason Location: Norfolk, VA Join Date: Dec 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2012 EX250, 2014 EX300 Posts: A lot.	Ktm __________________________________________________ Ethioknight Memorial Fund- Sticker sale http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=111700

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
PowerDrift Underground Ep2: KTM 390 Duke vs Ninja 300	ninja250r81	2013 - 2017 Ninja 300 General Discussion	15	April 13th, 2015 08:56 AM
[visordown.com] - Updates for KTM Duke 390	Ninjette Newsbot	Motorcycling News	0	March 9th, 2015 02:51 AM
KTM 390 Duke	Boom King	General Motorcycling Discussion	84	April 21st, 2014 07:38 AM
[topix.net] - For $6,500, 390 Duke, Ninja 650 or a used 600?	Ninjette Newsbot	Motorcycling News	0	November 27th, 2012 02:50 AM
[hell for leather] - For $6,500, 390 Duke, Ninja 650 or a used 600?	Ninjette Newsbot	Motorcycling News	0	November 26th, 2012 08:40 PM