Our long-term KTM 790 Duke gets some much deserved high-end suspension. Here's why this expensive upgrade could be the most satisfying modification you could make to a motorcycle.
But the stock suspension always felt like the weak link, especially on Mumbai’s miserable roads. The bike struggled to deal with bumps and imperfections, with the rear end feeling wallowy under power and painfully crashy over bigger hits. The front, meanwhile, couldn’t be trusted while accelerating aggressively (something this bike lives to do) over rough/ rippled surfaces.
After one massive, near pants- wetting tank slapper, I had the stock 5w oil in the steering damper swapped for much heavier 20w oil, which put a bandage on the problem, but certainly didn’t fix it. It was clear that this bike deserved better suspension and my search led me to British specialist, K-Tech. We’ll talk more about why K-Tech a little later, but for now let’s elaborate on what high-end suspension is all about.
You’ll often hear how tyres are so important because they’re your only point of connection with the road. While that’s absolutely true, what doesn’t get considered as much is the fact that the suspension is what keeps your tires connected to the tarmac. A side from proper performance oriented achines, suspension often ends up being overshadowed on most motorcycles, which get basic components that get the job done. You’ll find this across almost all budget motorcycles and it’s a similar story on cruisers, modern classics and many naked bikes as well, with the 790 Duke being a great example.
Budget suspension usually doesn’t give you any control over the settings and the way it is set-up is almost always a compromise. The manufacturer has to set it up to work across a huge range of scenarios, including riders of different weights, as well as to account for a pillion, luggage, poor roads, aggressive cornering and so on. What you usually get is a set-up that works, but never excels for your particular requirement. For some riders, ‘okay’ is just fine, but for others like myself, that just isn’t an option.
KTM RC 390 vs TVS Apache RR310 comparison video
Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment.
The new Maruti Alto K10 price overlaps with the Alto 800 and S-Presso; which would you buy?
Alto 800 - still the ultimate budget car
S-Presso - spacious with an SUV vibe
Alto K10 - newest and best of both worlds
Get all the latest updates from the automobile universe