2024 KTM 390 Duke review | KTM’s popular A2 naked is tougher, better-equipped and more fun than ever

KTM’s 390 Duke naked A2 has always impressed us. A former MCN award winner, it’s been around since 2013, but in 2017 it came of age and took a giant leap forward in quality and refinement.

From then the Indian-built single has had the beating heart of a mini super naked with punchy performance, aggressive styling, sporty handling and an unashamed appetite for fun. New for 2024 KTM have given it another major upgrade and while it still looks every inch a Duke, they claim it’s 90% new.

It has the same no-nonsense attitude you’ll find in its big capacity stablemates. It’s fast, sharp handling and has superb brakes, but it’s friendly and never intimidating for newer riders. It’s also packed with goodies you wouldn’t have found on an A2 licence machine just a few years ago, including adjustable suspension, a Bluetooth-enabled colour dash and a cornering traction control and ABS system that you can set to keep you safe or smiling.

With its upgrades its evolved to have a big bike feel and is unquestionably the most fun focussed of its A2 naked rivals, which won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, but it sits nicely in the mix when it comes to price. With such a hard perch the KTM is a machine for shorter journeys and although there’s plenty of legroom the seat is cramped, so taller riders need not apply.

The new 390 Duke has a slimmer, more rigid steel trellis frame, a new cast ali subframe and ‘banana’ swingarm with the shock now mounted on the right side, to clear space for a bigger airbox and lower seat height. New WP forks have neat five-way rebound and compression hand adjuster, with the shock getting rebound damping and preload adjustment.

Compared to its naked competition it has an unashamed racy feel. Handing is impressively sharp and accurate, steering is light and brakes reassuringly strong and powerful. Slippery roads during our test at the 390’s launch in Spain stop the lighter new Michelin Power 6 tyres (which along with the new wheels save 4.3kg of upsprung weight) digging in, but there’s plenty of feedback for what’s going on beneath you.

Longer new side panels and LED headlight give a more aggressive look. KTM have even moved the front brake disc and caliper to the right side, so it’s on display along with the side-mounted shock and new underslung exhaust when it’s on its side stand. A new metal fuel tank grows 1.5 litres to a handy 15 litres and seat height reduced 10mm to 820mm, despite thicker seat foam.

Pegs and bars are roomy, but the 390 is cramped. Tall riders will need to push back from the bars to stop sliding forward into the back of the tank and sit close to the pillion seat to have enough room. After a couple of hours, the seat itself is agony.

For ’24 the LC4c single cylinder engine is lighter, more powerful and physically smaller. Capacity increases from 373cc to 399cc, thanks to a 4mm longer stroke (up to 64mm), but the bore stays at 89mm.

Power climbs from 42bhp to 44bhp. It has a new cylinder head, bigger airbox, new underslung exhaust and gearshift drum for smoother changes. Valve check services and oil services have been extended and KTM claims 83mpg.

For a newer rider the power delivery is still a piece of cake to manage and the throttle response is friendly. Outright performance isn’t too different to before, but the rumbling KTM is smoother and nicely feisty with third gear wheelies a mere flick of the clutch away.

MCN’s online Owners’ Reviews for the previous KTM 390 Duke are generally positive with 4.5 stars out of five. Although the occasional electrical fault or corrosion problem is reported that makes the Indian-made 390 Duke more dependable than the Austrian firm’s bigger bikes.

Costing £5699 the 390 Duke is probably the best value of KTM’s Duke and Super Duke range. For that you get lean sensitive rider aids, quality brakes, tyres, suspension, a colour dash, backlit switches, self-cancelling indicators and full LEDs.

That makes it one of the best equipped A2 licence machines in its class, but it’s the most hardcore, so if you don’t want your naked to have the heart of a rabid supermoto, you might want to look at its rivals, which are all softer.

The KTM is cheaper than the £6105 Yamaha MT-03 and on par with Kawasaki’s new £5699 Kawasaki Z500, but pricier than the £5190 BMW G310R, £4999 CF Moto 450NK and new £4995 Triumph Speed 400.

One look at the 390’s rider aids package shows it means business for ‘just’ an A2 licence-friendly bike. Standard equipment includes a new Super Duke-esque 5in colour TFT screen that’ll Bluetooth to your phone to allow turn-by-turn navigation, call answering and music control via the KTMconnect app.

You also get Street and Rain riding modes and a new Track mode with a racier display and functions for a lap time. It also gets a launch control system that limits revs to 7000rpm in first gear for the perfect traffic light getaway. Cornering ABS and traction control are useful safety aids but can be switched off on the move for skids and wheelies. Its up/down shifter is crisp and accurate, but costs extra.