BHPian susegadtraveler recently shared this with other enthusiasts:KTM 390 Duke to Honda NX500After owning a 2017 KTM Duke 390 for 8 years, I finally sold it and upgraded to the Honda NX500. I have done only about 385 kms on it so far (16 days since delivery) so my experience shared below are more of my first thoughts. I will surely post a long term review post once I clock more kms on it. There is no pomp or flare associated with the delivery of the NX500. The key doesn’t come in a fancy box, no fancy key cards or paraphernalia like keychains or caps or anything. The showroom guys do their best with the unveiling video and photos etc. But then those seeking that gratification will only find it when you turn on the key and you hear the twins purring! Here are some of the photos from the last ride: I got the following accessories installed by Honda service at time of delivery: Charger socket (OEM) Main Stand (OEM) Crash Guard (Moto Torque) Engine Guard (Moto Torque) Bash Plate (Moto Torque) Radiator Guard (Moto Torque) Fog Lights (MadDog ScoutX) I am questioning the decision to install the lower crash (engine) guard. It’s a bit oddly placed. While it does not interfere with gear shifting (even with riding boots), it’s too close to the shift leaver for comfort. I might remove it in the future and install sliders. The upper crash guard fits snuggly to the flaring and also doubles up for mounting the fog lights and the number plate. Riding ExperienceMy riding experience after 8 years on the Duke is that the NX500 is so peaceful compared to the KTM. No aggressive acceleration or gear shifting. Great sitting posture (I am 5’8″) with no weight/pressure on the wrists. Amazing weight distribution and it feels lighter than my Duke (even though it’s about 40-55kgs more weight) both while riding as well as when handled during parking. The biggest difference I felt was the vibration. NX500 is smooth. You can’t feel a thing on the handle bars or the foot pegs. 100km run to Mulshi the day after delivery and I had the most relaxed ride since 8 years. Don’t take me wrong, I used to love the power and aggression of the Duke, but over time (and age) I found it to be tiring during long rides with wrist pains and back pains. And this was the primary reason why I upgraded to the NX500. I do notice a bit of that rebound that @7000plusrpm mentioned, especially on our highways that have those annoying undulations. I assumed that it would get resolved with change in the pre-load settings which I am planning to get done during first service, but now – I am not so sure about it. One very useful thing on my Duke that I sorely miss, is the range indicator. Manual says that when the last segment of the fuel indicator starts blinking there is 2.5L of fuel in the tank. When I filled petrol at that point – the auto stop filled about 11.28L. with the total capacity of 17.5L, that’s still about 3.5L short. My guess is that the light starts blinking at 3L of reserve and the auto stop on fueling stops about 3L short of full capacity. I have also observed that a lot of dirt and mud gets kicked up into the engine and the exhaust pipes. I saw pictures of other NX500 with an extended mud flap and I think that is a must and will probably get it fitted during first service. The NX500 only accepts E5 and E10 officially. The showroom said E20 is ok, but official documentation warns that higher than 10% ethanol will result in damage to the fuel tank and fuel lines and will lead to “poor drivability”. I fill Shell V-Power here in Pune. But given the confusion out there and lack of transparency I have no idea of the ethanol % in it. Fifteen days (and 24 days from invoicing) into delivery and I am getting calls from the service center to bring in the bike for its first servicing. I checked the manual and it only mentions 1000 km as first service and there is no mention of 1 month. I wonder if others have the same experience and if there is any clarity about time limit for first service interval? Anyways I have now convinced the service center to do the first service in 32 days. I will post a detailed review of the service experience in the future.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
