Taming the 390, slowly!

Two weeks in, 700+ km done, and I still can’t believe I actually bought a Duke 390.

It’s my first bike, not just a new bike, but my first ever. A few days before buying it, I barely knew how to ride a geared motorcycle. I practiced on a friend’s MT-15, and even then, I was just trying not to stall. Before that? I’d only ridden a TVS Jupiter. So yeah, jumping to something like the 390 felt a bit crazy.

But weirdly enough, it didn’t take long for it to start feeling right. The bike’s powerful, yes, but also smooth, and once I got the hang of throttle and clutch control (thank you, manual car experience), it became more fun than intimidating. Every ride makes me feel a little more connected, a little more in sync with the machine.

Massive credit to KTM for building a bike that feels this alive, yet so accessible even to someone like me just starting out.

Riding this bike feels special in more ways than one. There’s a quiet kind of pride in that. The kind that comes from doing something just for yourself, just because you’ve earned it.

What makes it even more personal is that no one, including me saw this coming. I’m a software engineer, someone who usually sticks to a computer screen or a game of basketball or badminton indoors. Getting a bike and actually riding regularly felt out of character. But I wanted to do this. Something that didn’t quite fit the script.

Now I find myself exploring the city late evenings, helmet on, roads quieter, tea stalls warmer. I don’t always have a destination. Sometimes I ride just to ride.

It’s still new, still a bit surreal, but it feels like something I’ll remember for a long time.

Okay this is a much shorter one than my usual but enough writing for now. Time to grab the helmet, gear up, and head out.