The engine does feel far more tractable than the Gen 1 which I’ve ridden a decent bit in city. I’m yet to stall this vehicle.
BHPian shyamg28 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I took out the little Duke for a small run today. Windblast is a thing (grateful to the tallboy ADVs)! I forgot my ear plugs too
So far, I have enjoyed the experience on it.
- City runs are far easier. The ergos are friendly. Didn’t take me too much time to adjust over an ADV’s ergos to be honest.
- Seat is small for sure acting as a constant reminder to work out.
- Mirrors are usable. Feel adequate as of now.
- Radiator fan seems to keep the temperature in check within 94C it feels like. Although it’s pleasant weather in Bangalore right now, my Himalayan definitely felt more hotter than this. Don’t care to be honest.
- The engine does feel far more tractable than the Gen 1 which I’ve ridden a decent bit in city. I’m yet to stall this vehicle. Even with an un-KTM like, obnoxiously low ~20kph in 3rd gear, the bike seemed to take it in its stride. Early days? Probably. Not that I’m going to test that out again though.
- Lights are…there. That’s all I can say about it right now.
- Brakes are good. Confidence inspiring. Would’ve liked a little more bite, coming in a bit more precisely though. The lever felt a bit vague to me. Will adjust more and see.
- It’s a dust magnet. And because of the panels and therefore the panel gaps, there’s quite a bit of dust settling in there too. Going to be a task to keep it looking showroom shiny.
- The screen is readable even with sun directly on top.
- Rain mode vs Street mode, is quite noticeable throttle response wise.
- Speed control is a nice feature, but how useful, I don’t know yet. Haven’t found real world usability as it stands today. Would probably be helpful to be able to lock the speed in when giving it to a younger one at home.
Two features that I’m using with great joy –
- Quickshifter – works well to be honest. On a non-QS motorcycle, I generally preload a bit on the lever when shifting up. Which is a no-no with a Quickshifter. It chops the throttle thinking a shift is on way.
- Auto cancelling indicators – didn’t know we paid for this too
From the website –
- Automatic reset after 10 s and a distance travelled of 150 m
- The counter is halted while the vehicle is at a standstill
