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31K views 56 replies 13 participants last post by  deelip 
#1 ·
 
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#3 ·
Nice photos, Deelip, thanks! Welcome to the forum!

It looks like you use your Duke regularly for off-road riding. This is something that has been discussed on this forum, but to date you seem to be the first member to actually outfit your bike for this role. Could you give us some details about the adaptations you have made: ie. What tires? Where did you source (or fabricate) the under-engine bash plate? What are the lights mounted to your forks? Other dual sport mods?

Ride safe.
 
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#4 ·
#7 ·
That's some killer scenery. Nice pics man
 
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#11 ·
Deelip, Let me say first of all that your documentation - complete with videos and photos - of the 390 Adventure Project is tremendous! Congratulations, very well done! I have really enjoyed reading your account of the transformation and watching the videos of some of your rides. The video of your friend on his Metzeler-shod Duke, trying to ride up the wet and slippery trail in utter futility was a great illustration of the value of the Pirelli MT 60's!

Whenever the topic of a 390 Adventure variant has been discussed on this forum, it is always immediately observed that the Duke's fragile alloy wheels are quite unsuitable for off-road use and would soon fracture - only wire-spoked wheels will hold up to the stress, many say. However, your videos seem to contradict this conventional wisdom, as your modified Duke appears to negotiate some quite rugged (but not TOO extreme) terrain quite well with its OE wheels. The larger-than-stock Pirellis clearly offer some useful rim protection to the alloy wheels.

Deelip, what are your thoughts on the suitability of the Duke's OE wheels for off-road use? Have you had any problems? Are you planning to switch eventually to spoked wheels? We are interested in your insights. Regards and kudos.
 
#12 ·
Diploman,

I won't claim to be an expert on tyres and rims, but common sense tells me that a rim may crack or get damaged only if it comes in contact with an obstruction, say a sharp edge of a rock. I mean, compressed air alone isn't enough to crack a rim. So going by that logic, the wheel should be travelling at a high speed when it hits the obstruction.

If you see my videos you will notice that I ride trails at 10 to 20 kmph, which is why I don't believe that my rims will ever make direct contact with the rock and get cracked or damaged. I have no plans on switching to spoked rims.

However, if I give my Duke to someone like Mark Coma or Chris Birch, they will wreck my rims in less than a minute because they will ride the crap out of my bike and do justice to the terrain.

So there is really no clear yes and no answer to this. It really depends on how you on ride your motorcycle off-road.

Just my $0.02
 
#13 ·
Hello deelip. I have read your blog. Nice work with your duke.

I bought mine last month. My duke also has ducati scrambler wheels and tinytail mod. However it washes my back with lots of mud. I really like your rear mud/splash guards. What model are they? Anybody know how i can buy these. I cannot find it in your blog.
Thanks.
 
#14 ·
Hi Deelip. I really like the way you've gone about your modifications and your approach to personalising your bike. :)

I too have other bikes other than my 390, so it means that like yourself I can make my bike be more suited to the purpose I need it for. My 390 has been adapted to be more comfortable in the areas I need, which I can appreciate is not every 390 owners ideal. The addition of hand guards, a bigger screen, a top box with power for brake light, a powered satnav mount, a power USB cable for mobile phone, an ergo seat, all made a recent 700 mile round trip over a weekend a joy instead of a pain. There's soon to be a Power Commander fitted to sort out the crap fuelling enforced by OEM emission compliance ECU mapping and I'm presently on a hunt for aftermarket front fork internals to match the aftermarket shock, again for comfort and for handling.

You can check out my bike thread here.
 
#17 ·
Hedskatoom, what brand and model are your handguards? Very nice - looks like they mount on a sturdy metal bar.
 
#20 ·
Deelip, apologies for highjacking your thread, which is far more interesting than handguards!

I really think you have created the prototype for a kind of light-duty dual sport conversion which could work for many riders who want to do local offroad treks rather than touring the world offroad. There is definitely a niche for such a machine. KTM is not filling that niche at present. Well-deserved kudos.
 
#22 ·
Diploman, not a problem.

You are right about KTM ignoring the need for a small and light adventure style motorcycle. That's why I decided to make my own.

Here in India I see many Duke owners take their 390's to the Himalayas. IMHO, the Duke is idea for the terrain, bad roads, water crossings. I hope KTM realizes this soon.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Deelip, you've done a great job on the modifications.

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a 390 Duke. I want to use it as an all round touring and back country road bike. It looks like you've accomplished your goal.

I live in the Southwestern United States and have many opportunities for exploring on and off road. I love the thought of a light weight motorcycle that would allow me to do these things. Since I'm short, the size of the 390 is perfect!!

Thanks for all of the detailed information!!!

Deborah

PS- Amazing photographs!
 
#29 ·
Deborah,

Indeed, the Duke 390 is well suited for touring and light to medium off-roading. IMHO, the big and tall adventure bikes of today are just way to huge and heavy to be taken off-road, unless you are quite experienced, know what you are doing and exactly how to do it. The amazing power-to-weight ratio of the Duke 390 makes me feel like I'm riding a 2 stroke motorcycle.

However, due to the stiff front suspension of the Duke, things can get a little uncomfortable when you take the bike off road. I'm planning to remove the the fork spacers and handlebar risers I added and replace the stock suspension by a longer one (say of the KTM 690 Enduro). That way I hope to maintain the upright seating position that I achieved as well as get softer suspension with more travel. If and when I do this, I'll make sure to update my blog. :)
 
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