Got lucky in PA

[warlok9]

Trust me, in not knocking the RC! I actually have a confession of sorts. I'll update you all soon! Let's just say this thread is far from dead...

 

[Treachery]

Accessing security cameras at PA KTM dealers...

 

[warlok9]

OTD price was $6586 USD. Destination fee was $499 plus Tax, title and plates. I passed on it. The bike is absolutely beautiful looking, but the price is high for what you are getting. They had Yamaha R3's on the floor with a sticker price of $4799. Add tax and title (they usually dump the destination fee on Japanese big brands)/and you come in about $1000 less. Add in the unproven reliability factor, it makes it a tough choice. I'm still kicking myself for passing on it half the time, but the other half I feel relieved.
I'm also 6'1" tall, 185lbs and someone with me said the bike looked a bit small under me, which bummed me out. Maybe its time to look at that 2007 Kawasaki ZZR600 at the shop down the road.

Well, my story comes to an end here... I had achange of heart and put another deposit on an RC for $6586 otd. Been waiting for over a month for it to arrive. Dealer just says "any day now" every time I call. I was initially told "days, but that turned to weeks, and now it's May. In the meantime I've passed on quite a few nice bike at great prices.

The good thing to come of waiting for the RC is that I've been very critical when looking at other bikes and their pricing. I've looked at so many great bikes at great prices and passed on them all waiting for the RC. Well long story short I just put a new Red YZF-R3 in the garage. The price was just too amazing to ignore; $4991 otd. This dealer ( a bit out in the sticks) is selling R3's for $4479. + ttp. Color was right, price was right, so I pulled the trigger.

I still love the RC and we may still meet at some point in the future. But for now I can't see paying a 10-15% markup on the RC. Having seen and sat on both bikes in person, it's my opinion the R3 & RC are equally impressive looking. The RC looks smaller due to the wheelbase I believe, even though the seat height is significantly higher. It looks meaner too and the orange looks radical. The R3 just looks like a slightly sized down R1, which is not a bad thing. It just has a sophisticated style and looks like a true supersport even though it's a 320cc machine. It's a lot more comfortable to sit on for me. In the end it came down to this... I fell in love with both bikes, but was one truly worth $1600 more than the other? In my mind, I couldn't justify it. I guess at 48 years of age I'm a little more budget conscious than I once was. I don't feel like I've "settled" for the R3 either. I think dollar for dollar at the current otd prices, the Yamaha is just a better offering for me. The thing just looks amazing in the showroom sitting next to bikes double and triple its cost. I think that is the thing that finally pushed me over to the other side.

I hope to see you people out there on your RC's! Enjoy your bikes and God bless. Photo attached.

 

[ray]

I think those complaints are mainly from India, particularly this thread

[Ownership Thread]: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience - Page 141

But I have heard reports of KTM using cheaper parts on the Indian models, so I would take it with a grain of salt, I've had my RC 390 for a little over 3 months now and have done about 3500 kms on it, and I've never had any over heating issues, the fan does come on when stopped at a set of traffic lights for about 30 seconds, but some fan noise when stationary doesn't bother me, the bikes never stalled on me, the battery cover did vibrate a little at a certain RPM, but a little piece of rubber stuck to the top tab of the battery cover stopped that from happening.

I don't have any complaints, all in all it's a great bike, out of all the bikes I've owned, it's my new favorite, it's a blast to ride, it's light, it goes well, it handles like it's on rails, it looks cool, it's cheap to run, and there's just something really satisfying about riding the wheels off a smaller bike.

Well, as someone who has used most of the motorcycles from this segment in India, I can assure you that in terms of built quality and issues, the DUKE/RC 200/390 score very low. They are susceptible to oil leaks , poor refinement and over heating. In fact from my understanding, the leaks are due to the gaskets giving up since they constantly run on high temperatures. Agreed that the traffic is bad here and most of them here use them as a daily ride but the HONDAs and Yamahas don't have any such issues.

 

[Treachery]

Well, my story comes to an end here...
I hope to see you people out there on your RC's! Enjoy your bikes and God bless.

Congrats on the new bike. Pity that your KTM dealer couldn't deliver for you, but always happy for someone getting a new scoot. Be safe!