KIWI RIDER 12 2018 VOL.2 | Page 108

It’s a quick-steering machine at the front end compared to the 21-inch wheel dirt bikes of my past LEARNER FRIENDLY This bike is fitted with KTM's aftermarket Rekluse clutch. Not heard of it? It's basically a clutch kit that turns the bike into a semi automatic, while still giving you a clutch lever and the option to ride normally. You can either pull the clutch in to put the bike into gear, or you can just put the bike into gear – the clutch isn't needed. From there just open the throttle and it'll pull away. Come to a halt and you don't need to pull the clutch in, just rev it again to pull away (although you'll need the clutch to take the load off the engine when selecting neutral). On that note it did take a little getting used to. If the motor was at low revs and laboured, you could feel it kicking in a little, the same as if you wanted to pull away. It feels just like the auto clutch on a scooter up to about 4500rpm, but if you want to use the clutch you wouldn't even know it was fitted. This could be a great option for a learner who's never ridden or driven a geared machine and needs some help getting used to a clutch. It's also handy in traffic where stopping and starting means lots of clutch slipping – so useful to city traffic 108 KIWI RIDER commuters too. The Rekluse clutch costs $999 and takes about two hours of labour to fit. After getting my licence back I ventured further afield to take in some local country roads. Fairly narrow and winding with a speed limit of 80km/h, they were perfect for getting my eye in again and finding out more about the 390. Wow, with its low centre of gravity and lithe handling it just begs to be stuffed into the corners – I was the one who was lagging behind rather than the Duke. One thing I noticed was the tendency for it to want to turn-in by itself when slow speed cornering, it felt like over steer at first but after a short while it felt instinctive – it's a quick-steering machine at the front end compared to the 21- inch wheel dirt bikes of my past. On the motorway there was a certain amount of wind hitting me in the chest and my peaked adventure helmet was catching some as you would expect but cruising at 100km/h was effortless otherwise. This bike has a 2.4 litre larger tank than before, so there’s a decent range from the 13-odd litre capacity.