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-   -   The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/138082-ktm-duke-390-ownership-experience-thread-180.html)

Doc,

If you have not carried an oil can then you have never rode a bull over a long distance. Heck i have a 2L can at home and a 200ml can tugged under somewhere in the bull.

After reading your description had to give something for the bull.

Doc, you dont have to worry about broken rim on sudden patch of bad road :)

Did you try upgrading the front brakes to the new GT ones. They are fabulous. (Period).

Do you think the ktm fork angle is too straight. A slightly lower angle would make it easier for cornering?

My current home collection is 1 no. 3L can of Motul mineral, 3 nos. 1L cans of Motul Gold semi-synthetic, 1 no. MAK 20W50 can, 1 no. 500 ml bottle of castor oil, and 1 no. red pump oiling metal can with spout for misc. lubrication.

The 3L Motul can is now depleted post the Goa ride, so planing on getting one more.

I have a 500 ml can always kept topped up in my left tool box along with all the cables, GI wire, bike papers xerox set, spare spark plugs (x2), bulbs, and glass fuses. The right tool box has the tool kit, spare petrol pipe, spare carb manifold (needs replacement), spare chain link, both hand levers and yokes, and a oval plastic tiffin box filled with nuts and bolts and spare fork gutti, kick pawl and kick return spring. While on tour, in my luggage is a spare tube and the big 22 No. spanner for opening the rear wheel. Along with 2 1L Pepsi bottles filled with engine oil, that fit in the bottle pockets of the saddle bags (1 on each side).

All 3 of us are Bulleteers. Virat's younger brother was on a tour to Ladakh on his elder brother's 500 - his first long ride. He rode there with not a single spare, happily unaware, and came back safely without a single puncture. Such is the bliss of ignorance! We were joking that alll new first time Bulleteers start off with a small kt of essential spares, and as they go along their Bullet journey, with each ride throwing up a new challenge and a new spare requirement, that spare gets added to the list for the next ride, so that after 10+ years of touring on Bullets, you then have a typical list like the one I have outlined above. And you also become half a mechanic. clap:

Absolutely. I have always maintined that this is THE Achilles heel of the Dukes. That prevents them from being the perfect Indian touring machine. Hopefully the Adventure (IF it ever happens) will cure this. But the brittle and weak mags of the current Dukes are the ONLY source of stress to an otherwise completely stress free ownership and riding experience. But its a BIG stress. Because when out on tour, if something happens to either of your wheels, your bike is coming home on a truck/train, and you pillion to the nearest railway station/airport and ther onwards on the next train/flight home.

KTM and Bajaj have NOT solved this issue satisfactorily. Replacement is not a solution. Statistics for other bikes no explanation.

No. But I do have a brand new Pricol set lying with me for the past 5 odd years, which I have never gotten round to fitting on to Doppie. Maybe I will now.

I think the KTM is perfect except for the wheels. I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe 10-20 kmph more top end for both versions) except for the wheels.

Gotta second doc here. This thing is super flickable. My only gripe is the front end feel. It feels too light and wafty, no feedback. I'm guessing the clip one in the rc390 should help alleviate that

Ps - I think the spelling of your current location on your profile needs changing :)

Shades of the 200!
Why, when, and how?

Regards
Sutripta

Not always - it depends on the length/dia of the pipe and various other factors. In fact, you usually tend to lose some low end due to reduced backpressure and gain in the mid ranges with most pipes. If within a tolerable range, the ECU adjusts the fueling anyway; ofcourse a proper remap will take better advantage of the pipe. The one thing you can gain for sure is how you get to the top speed :)

Was the piped bike running stock everything else? Looks like it isn't making any additional torque over a stock bike at high revvs. Or isn't breathing in extra enough at that point. But looks like it was faster to get there though. Inspite of being the slower newer batch ;)

Seems so!
Don't know, start 2014, probably gearing (from what I've heard), though ECU map sounds more likely.

Cheers,
Doc

No. It's running a OE replacement K&N filter as well - right from when the exhaust was fitted. There's apparently a short phase of ECU "learning" that happens (around 200 kms) as it adjusts to the new flow characteristics. There was some delayed farting which has now disappeared. Yes, its definitely quicker than a stock 390. It revs out much more easily and much cleaner. Mainly and significantly even in 4, 5, and 6 - in which the stock 390 takes some effort and real estate. To the extent that the first time I rode it I though the bike was facing fuel starvation issues till I happened to glance at the tach and realized it was effortlessly redlining in each gear, all the way to top. I have a feeling Adil did not pull the bike properly on the impromptu drag (I think initially he was trying to chek if the pipe allowed him to catch the un-piped 390 with a rolling headstart without ducking - unsuccessfully). It was a pure top gear roll-on (or max they must have dipped to 5th) - seeing as were already at cruising speeds of 110-120 when we hit that broad open stretch. A standing drag to top would be more indicative. Maybe next time.

Fresh outta the oven - KTM will be organizing a track day at the Buddh by around the end of Sep / Beginning of Oct this year. Hope to see some of you there

PS - There also is an "Orange ride" planned for this Sunday, Delhi to Murthal @ Sukhdev dhaba

Now don't miss this one!! Plan your leave now itself or kill your manager! :D

Apologies to be the bearer of bad news, but I came across this about the KTM 390 ADV bike. I was seriously looking forward to this.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/kt...rs-85522.html#

Today i have visited KTM Service, Chennai for my 390 3rd service.
Heard from them that KTM 390 RC version will be launched on 09 Sep 2014 (not sure on dates though).
Some of the sales team has already attended the training and service team will attend it on Sep 1st week.
Awaiting RC. if it's good, i would sell my 390 and buy RC 390 or Z800 (Dream Bike) for sure :Shockked:

A friend's 390 is suffering a strange electrical problem. At low rpm the speedo reading stops and then after a while there's low battery warning. Everything works fine on high rpm runs as the battery will be charging at a higher rate . The charging rate is at 13.6 most of the time when normal value is 14 at idle. The SVC guys went through the entire circuit including alternator and brought back the charging rate to 14.

He reads frequently in rain and during our ride day before we experienced some pretty rains including waddling through pools at good speeds. The some issue again cropped, now with added grounding sound ( rubbing two electrical ends kind) which was quite scary to say the least in wet condition. The left turn signals blinks faster than normal. The bike is in SVC now and we trying to push for a complete wiring harness under warranty. Has anyone has experienced this problem ?

PS - have experienced the same on 200 as well but the entire MID would reset every few seconds, but in this case only speedo stops.

Folks, I need some help. I plan to go on a long ride on the ktm 390, north east side. Needed some help. My bike goes into first service tomorrow at 1100km.

Will be changing the oil to 300v from here on. Is there anything else that I need to get checked at the service centre?

Wanted opinion on a few things which I plan to order this week:

1. Gel seat modification from here - http://www.redlineplus.in/product-li...t-modification

2. Plan to order the folk slider and swingarm slider from here - http://motofusion.in/shop/

3. Plan to order the grill from here - http://motofusion.in/shop/

jc moto stuff looks too expensive.

Are all the above three products worth the price?

I need help in

1. sourcing chain spray and lube, there are way too many brands online. Can someone point me to a couple ?

2. Philips extreme vision H4 bulb http://www.philips.co.in/c/car-lamps...12342xvb1/prd/ - seeing mixed reviews all over the forum. Any actual user reviews? Does this void warranty ?

3. Handle grip - can someone help me source good comfortable handle grips? the stock ones suck. I'll be using gloves yes, but might as well change this.

4. Engine ice coolant reviews? Good to use this regularly once I finish first service?

Thanks!

Cheers

1. Motul chain cleaner and spray lube. Both do their jobs well. I've heard good stuff about muc-off lube although I haven't tried it.

2. Xtreme vision bulbs are also 60/55W hence they don't void warranty. But they don't make any significant difference in lighting either. If you'll be riding extensively at night, I suggest going for extra lighting. It might trouble warranty though!

3. I use grips from apache RTR. Bought them at around 200 bucks and the KTM guys fitted them for me. They are much much better than stock grips. No palm ache even without gloves now.

4. You don't have to worry about engine heat when you're not riding in city traffic. But do carry extra coolant as our bikes are infamous for mysterious coolant level drop once in a while! Has happened to me once. I use stock coolant and don't face any heating issues.
Hope this helps you!

Engine Ice is basically a Propylene Glycol anti-freeze with a high price attached to it (when compared with other Propylene Glycol anti-freezes). :eek:

I may be misreading or misinterpreting the information but the Dow Chemical Company shows the heat transfer of water is .582 watts/meter kelvin (W/mK).
Ethylene Glycol (the green anti-freeze) heat transfer is .501 W/mK.
Propylene Glycol (the pink anti-freeze) heat transfer is .484 W/mK.

http://www.dow.com/heattrans/pdfs/Di...ngTheMyths.pdf (You need Adobe to open it)

This basically means that water is the best fluid for transferring heat.
Adding anti-freeze to water reduces its heat transferring ability but the protection from freezing and the added lubricants and corrosion inhibitors make its use well worth while.

Should someone use Engine Ice in their engines? It won't damage anything and it will protect the engine from freezing temperatures. I'm not sure its heat transferring abilities puts it at the top of the list though.
I'm also not sure how much corrosion inhibitor or water pump lubrication is in it.

Oh. It is also less toxic than Ethylene Glycol but I wouldn't drink any of it, even on a bet.

Cool. I'll pick up the Motul cleaner and lube from any local store here. Will check with the service guys which on they use.

Will skip the philips bulb for now then.

Grips - I saw someone buy something off amazon - can't seem to find it now.

So, I'm assuming you mean to say using what comes from the company folks is the best? :D