There's been a lot of speculation on the RC390 and I have my hands on one in the US (I imported it for race purposes). It was supposed to be here in November, but due to some problems finding a shipper... well, it's here now.
I have yet to actually ride it as it has been snowing & cold in Denver, however, I have partially torn it down to prep it for racing.
Overall quality is a bit of hit and miss.
The good:
The bad:
It seems that I have more complaints than good, however it is much better than a Ninja 250.
I have other parts coming - solo seat, race fairing, rear set and Akra exhaust. I'll update when I get them installed.
B
I have yet to actually ride it as it has been snowing & cold in Denver, however, I have partially torn it down to prep it for racing.
Overall quality is a bit of hit and miss.
The good:
- Overall the bike is pretty light (compared to Ninja 250) but not as light as (and can be expected) as a 450mx. I easily unloaded it from my full size truck by myself (after a day of skiing and in freezing cold weather). I would not have done that with a 600 or even a 250.
- The fit and finish of the fairings, headlights, seat and controls are very good. Most of these will be sold off as they aren't needed.
- The R&G case covers (obviously an aftermarket product) fit perfectly and were easily installed.
The bad:
- The upper clip-on / triple clamps are junk. The bars are held in place by two very small hex bolts and the bar itself is proprietary and tapered at the end. It would have been just as easy to use a standard replacement bar. Regardless, I'll fit real clip-ons below the upper triples.
- The battery is located under a cover in front of the gas tank. There's a separate plastic cover that is released from under the seat. It's a pretty crappy design and will break easily.
- The stock rear sets, well, they're like most stock rear sets and aren't the best.
- The stock windscreen is way too low and wraps around the side of the bike.
- As it is low it will offer minimal wind protection.
- The wrap around design - why??? One tip over and the whole thing will shatter. Confusing.
- My biggest gripe - the bolts used on most of the bike are pretty sub-standard and are odd sized.
- The front brake caliper bolts are a 8mm x 1.0 pitch x 65mm long. Try and find a replacement for that.... (remember, it will be raced so I was drilling for safety wiring and generally have spares in case something happens).
- The pinch bolts for the front axle are a more normal 8mm x 1.25 pitch but the Allen bolt heads themselves are pretty soft. I think they sourced them from Ace Hardware.
- I haven't taken the rear sets off yet, as the adjustable KTM's are still on their way. However, the mounting bolts look pretty junky as well.
It seems that I have more complaints than good, however it is much better than a Ninja 250.
I have other parts coming - solo seat, race fairing, rear set and Akra exhaust. I'll update when I get them installed.
B