KTM 390 DUKE PROVES SIZE ISN’T EVERYTHING IN MOTORCYCLING
You can’t help but admire KTM. The Austrian motorcycle manufacturer has had its fair share of ups and downs during its 65-plus years of motorcycle manufacture, but today the “Orange” brand is definitely one of the big European bike producers… and it’s easy to see why.
For much of its existence, KTM has delivered more off-road competition weapons and on-road adventure-style bikes than most, but when the KTM Duke series appeared we motorcyclists were treated to bikes with a perfect blend of sports bike handling and engine performance in a naked, upright chassis. The 390 Duke is no different even though it’s powered by single-cylinder 373cc engine and not a 750cc-plus tarmac ripper.
As an A2 learner legal machine it’s one of the best looking out there and for this reason it’s no wonder KTM’s “mini-Duke” is so popular – and also the reason why so many 390 Duke owners contacted us here at Evotech Performance to see what was available in terms of protection. And before you say Evotech only makes products for “big stuff”, you have to remember that buying any motorcycle today is a huge investment and those owners want to cherish and protect their motorcycle with the best available products.
Evotech Performance motorcycle accessories, from EP tail tidies to radiator guards and equally choice bits in between, such as crash protectors, are all designed and manufactured to the same exacting standards – regardless of the machine’s capacity, make or genre – to provide the best protection with added design flair.
Ok, so a 390 Duke doesn’t produce 100+bhp or cost over £10k to buy but, even so, pound sterling for kilo it’s a stunning machine that the majority of us here would have it figure in our Top Five garage bikes. It’s true; just ask our fellow worker Damian Hickerman, who went one step further than looking at pictures of a 390 Duke and bought one.
It goes without saying the first EP product we set about creating was a guard for the radiator, using the same design tools of 3D scanning and much computer power – we’re getting a bit thin in the thatch department so these modern engineering tools are much needed to save scratching or pulling out our remaining follicles. At the same time we scanned the tail section, the side areas around the KTM single-cylinder engine and other areas that we believe benefit from Evotech Performance protection and styling, plus rider aids.
The results of the electronic design process, many years’ experience of wielding precise tolerance measurement tools and tea-break chats were computer programmes for our CNC machinery, plus engineering schematics for the occasional human touch that help things along. The preproduction units were then tried, tested, measured and repeated until we were happy – we are motorcyclists too, so only the best will suffice.
The end result of all our labours and drinking several gallons of tea is a comprehensive list of quality accessories for the KTM 390 Duke, all topped off where necessary with our factory applied powder coat. Here’s the bulk of the Evotech Performance accessories now available and in stock:
- EP Tail Tidy
- EP Radiator Guard
- EP Rectifier Guard
- EP Crash Protectors
- EP Front Spindle Bobbins
- EP Exhaust Hanger
- EP Paddock Stand Bobbins
- EP Toe Guard
To see all of the above and more in glorious detail, check out the relevant product page here. Oh, must be time for a brew…