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Old 15th November 2014, 18:03   #3406
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by maddy42 View Post
My doubt was if the indian models and export one is similar? Does
The indian model have a water cooled engine?

Maddy
Yes the Indian bike has liquid cooled engine and the export version is the same in that respect .

And you raise a good point here , the correct terminology as I understand should be liquid cooled as coolant is used and not water so are they using 'water cooled' as a figure of speech or actually implying water is circulated within the system ? Now my guess is it is just a figure of speech but the KTM website( indian ) itself describes the 390 bros as "water cooled" .
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Old 15th November 2014, 18:24   #3407
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`Water cooled' may be a figure of speech of the Americans started from the time when engines actually started to be water cooled before coolant was invented. They are a little quirky that way.
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Old 15th November 2014, 19:50   #3408
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Guys a query of mine -
When pushing the bike around in neutral (both astride or standing next to the bike) , I feel a definite resistance that seems a bit too heavy from my limited experience (for example my 10/20kg heavier enfield feels noticeably lighter when I manually back out of the garage ). There is also a sound which a previous check(around 50/100km into ownership) was pinpointed to the disc setup(or maybe the axle , basically that area) , the sound can be either explained as a disc brake very lightly scrapping against the pad or maybe coming from the chain/sprocket - there is a distinct rotational feel to the sound , that much I am sure about (doesn't sounds abnormal , even my enfield chain makes such noise but all the same mentioned it ) .
I have observed this since day 1 , I initially asked here about the same after the SVC offered me the explanation that new disc pads are rough and take 100/200km use to become smooth but bike is 650km old and even today the noise is just as distinct .

There is free play present in both front and rear brake , chain is slack(and dry) as per manual recommendation but nothing extreme either . Any ideas regarding what can be the cause of this or is this normal characteristic (the heavy feeling doesn't bother me but at the same time i am concerned if something is not quite as it should be )? It feels like I am pushing the bike through loose soil even on smooth tarmac/concrete . Tire pressure right at recommended mark , actually this heavy feeling in light of my recent puncture fiasco has made me check my rear half a dozen time now for a flat in the past week , the feeling is that distinct/heavy.


And any suggestions regarding after market(or from some other bike which looks and feels nice and fits easily ) grips ? I wish to change the grips and the levers , found a couple of options for levers but didn't find them appealing . Any suggestions towards grips though ? Budget within 2k .

Last edited by basuroy : 15th November 2014 at 20:01.
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Old 15th November 2014, 20:19   #3409
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by basuroy View Post

Thanks for the heads up , when you say 'thrice' , do you mean the same wound required 3 attempts before it was fixed or 3 separate times you have attempted this gamble and failed/succeeded ?

Good tires shops are a rarity here , SVC themselves over phone suggested what is basically a roadside shanty . I will contact them again and ask them to actively assist me though my hopes are not high .

When a tubeless is taken off the rim , what are the key areas that one can mess up and as such I need to be careful about ? My assumptions are-
1. whether the tire will be sealed properly once the job is done , are there different grades of glue for starter ?
2. wheel alignment and disc brake setup - are these difficult or can be rectified with trial and error ?

3 times in 3 different places. 2 On bike and one on car tyre. Thats why i am wary of plugging in the leaking puncture the second time.

Now i follow this - First time use the glue stick . If it starts leaking again then put a mushroom patch


Now you say that there are no tyre place which is skilled or trained. In that case i suggest you go to a place which does it. It is very irritating to have a leaking tyre requiring top up ever alternate day. Also remember if you plug in the second time and it still leaks then there is a very good chance that you cant put in the mushroom patch, because the hole would have widened .
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Old 15th November 2014, 20:45   #3410
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by sagarpadaki View Post
3 times in 3 different places. 2 On bike and one on car tyre. Thats why i am wary of plugging in the leaking puncture the second time.

Now i follow this - First time use the glue stick . If it starts leaking again then put a mushroom patch


Now you say that there are no tyre place which is skilled or trained. In that case i suggest you go to a place which does it. It is very irritating to have a leaking tyre requiring top up ever alternate day. Also remember if you plug in the second time and it still leaks then there is a very good chance that you cant put in the mushroom patch, because the hole would have widened .

Ruled out a re plug completely , thank you for the heads up as your experience proved very helpful .

Mushroom plug sounds good , plan to visit a yokohoma and mrf showroom here tomorrow , big affair both of them and hope they cater to 3rd party need . Rest i am left to pick and choose from road side shanties with plugs as the only fix and brute force as the technique of choice to remove tires from rims .

If all else fails , I will ride all the way to delhi and get tire protector filled in the bike , from reviews it seems that product offers one complete peace of mind . No dealer here sadly .
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Old 15th November 2014, 22:56   #3411
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by basuroy View Post
Guys a query of mine -
When pushing the bike around in neutral (both astride or standing next to the bike) , I feel a definite resistance that seems a bit too heavy from my limited experience (for example my 10/20kg heavier enfield feels noticeably lighter when I manually back out of the garage ).
The contact patch of your KTM is larger than that of your Bullet (assuming that it has 19" 1.25 Tyre). The larger the contact patch, the greater the friction. So even if the Bullet is heavier, the KTM may be difficult to push around. Having said this, the possibility of dragging brakes as well a tight drive chain should also be ruled out. The drive chain shouldn't be dry as well as it will gradually lead to stiff links.
regards adrian
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Old 16th November 2014, 18:13   #3412
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Finally sorted the rear brake pedal/lever position for good today.

As we know, the rear brake lever is adjustable - but only marginally. inspite of keeping it at lowest possible position, i was not happy with the set-up as the brake lever use to interfere with natural ankle position. I use to always keep my ankle slightly bent upwards so as not to press the lever. I even tried keeping the foot away from the pedal, and bring it over the lever in need of braking, but was not comfortable doing this.

Today, i removed the brake pedal assembly and reduced the length of the pin which pushed the piston by about 7-8mm. This was done by simple grinding the pin on a grinder, then slightly tapering it, and smoothing the end like a ball. fixed the assembly back, and now i have great scope to play around with the rear brake pedal position. As of now, i have kept it at a much lower position and it feels so much better.

All who are bothered by the brake pedal position must give it a try.
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Old 16th November 2014, 20:02   #3413
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by nasirkaka View Post
Finally sorted the rear brake pedal/lever position for good today.

. This was done by simple grinding the pin on a grinder, then slightly tapering it, and smoothing the end like a ball. fixed the assembly back, and now i have great scope to play around with the rear brake pedal position. As of now, i have kept it at a much lower position and it feels so much better.

All who are bothered by the brake pedal position must give it a try.
Hi could you post some pics please.. I'm 6'1'' and this is one thing that bugs me when I'm riding. Has it affected your lean in?

On another note has anyone heard of or used SPARK Exhausts on their Duke? Its an Italian company
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Old 16th November 2014, 20:05   #3414
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by nasirkaka View Post
Finally sorted the rear brake pedal/lever position for good today.
Could you post some pictures please ?
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Old 17th November 2014, 11:09   #3415
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Could you post some pictures please ?
I wanted to take pic of the pin, but forgot in the process as it was getting dark.

Here is a pic of the brake pedal after modification. It has scope to be lowered further. For reference, i have taken a stock pic from the net.

Quote:
Hi could you post some pics please.. I'm 6'1'' and this is one thing that bugs me when I'm riding. Has it affected your lean in?
Just made the changes last night, so no idea on affecting lean-in. personally, i am not that skilled with lean-ins, and more on the sedate side. Experts would be able to comment on the safe pedal position.


I am planning to ride to Munnar from Bangalore on this coming Thursday. Planning to take the 390 this time instead of the usual tour horse- C5. A bit skeptical but want to try the touring capability of the 390, main concern being the stiff suspension and hard seat. Planning to make a sheet metal carrier which can be mounted at by removing the grab rail. The carrier plate will come over the pillion seat, extending backward, almost inline with the tail lamp. It will have provision for bungee hooking etc. want to placen my bag on this, and secure it with bungee. Also plan to have provision on the carrier plate, where i can mount the plastic plate which is used as a base to lock-in the givi hard box replica. The carrier plate will also help in better mounting of cramster stallion. Will share pics if the contraption works out fine.

HELP: bikes chain is developed uneven slack. quite uneven. Can i just replace the chain without going for the entire set replacement? the front sprocket is anyways the new and improved one. The rear sprocket looks like in decent shape. How much approx the entire set costs?
Attached Thumbnails
The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread-brake-pedal-mod_01.jpg  


Last edited by nasirkaka : 17th November 2014 at 11:28.
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Old 17th November 2014, 11:41   #3416
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That mod looks good. Looking forward to hearing how it performs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nasirkaka View Post

HELP: bikes chain is developed uneven slack. quite uneven. Can i just replace the chain without going for the entire set replacement? the front sprocket is anyways the new and improved one. The rear sprocket looks like in decent shape. How much approx the entire set costs?
Not recommended. The set doesn't cost much in comparison to just the chain so replace it completely. By the way, anyone know if there's a better alternative (in terms of durability) to the stock chain-sprocket set. Set is around 3200 Rs.

Last edited by Samurai : 17th November 2014 at 11:56. Reason: merged
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Old 17th November 2014, 12:09   #3417
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by nasirkaka View Post
Just made the changes last night, so no idea on affecting lean-in. personally, i am not that skilled with lean-ins, and more on the sedate side. Experts would be able to comment on the safe pedal position.
Nice mod nasirkaka, I want to do this too! And I have the gear lever already in a much lower position and has not fouled or scraped the tarmac while hard left hand cornering (Even while the footpeg bottomed out).

Quote:
I am planning to ride to Munnar from Bangalore on this coming Thursday. Planning to take the 390 this time instead of the usual tour horse- C5. A bit skeptical but want to try the touring capability of the 390, main concern being the stiff suspension and hard seat.
I just did a Bangalore-Wayanad-Bangalore the previous Saturday which is around 700kms in a day. I have done the same streach multiple times on my ex-TBTS too. But my observation was that I was far less tired on reaching back on the 390 compared to the TBTS! And my bottom, IIRC, had the more or less same soreness as on my TBTS.

Quote:
HELP: bikes chain is developed uneven slack. quite uneven. Can i just replace the chain without going for the entire set replacement? the front sprocket is anyways the new and improved one. The rear sprocket looks like in decent shape. How much approx the entire set costs?
I have the same problem. But I guess (as Doc suggested) if you adjust the slackness based on the tightest section, it wouldnt be a problem. The new chain sprockets set costs around Rs.3200 or so as per SVC.

Quote:
Originally Posted by man_of_steel View Post
Also noticed a small free play between the rear wheel and sprocket. Is this normal or does this point to a damaged cush drive?
Quote:
Originally Posted by man_of_steel View Post
Thanks Doc. Its not side to side. Its a rotational play.
UPDATE: That was indeed the rubber damper of the cush drive. Got it replaced and now everything is fine. As expected, power delivery is smoother now.
This is the part replaced.
The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread-img_20141117_095638885.jpg
Mine is a Nov 2013 model and the damper is a single piece unit as shown above. The new replaced dampers come as 6 seperate pieces.

Last edited by man_of_steel : 17th November 2014 at 12:11.
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Old 17th November 2014, 12:23   #3418
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

I must reiterate here - the 390 is an absolute dog in slow moving chaotic Pune Camp traffic. Waves of heat toasting your lower legs all the way to your upper thigh and groin area. Khatak khatak clunky upshifts (when you decide at 30-40 that 1st gear needs to be swapped for the second). Then promptly finding 2nd is too tall and the bike is galloping into the fat tortoise hogging the lane in front. And shifting down to 1st again. And the cycle repeats.

The fan comes on and goes off while the bike is on the move. But stays on once it comes on when coming to a stop in the parking. And something new I discovered. It stays on for a few seconds even after you put the ignition off.n as in on, not coasting to a stop. She absolutely needs to be caned for the gears to fall nicely without those khataks. Which she is everytime I get an opening in the traffic. Then I'm gone. Till the next syrup-thick trickle of slow moving humanity .....

So I have absolutely no doubt in my mind to recommend a 200 to anyone who is going to be using his bike as a working bike, to commute, for city, in city, with wekkend highway rides and some tours thrown in. The 200 is a slick shifting point and shoot nimble maniacal goat. And most riders I know agree that it sounds so much better (that hollow metallic sound). These two bikes are just so so different in their character. They just look the same.

Coming back to my 390, KTM Baner owned by my good friend Varad More had organized a 2 day free service-checkup camp. Since I've not had time on the week days due to work to take my bike to Sai Service in Kothrud (where I always went for my 200) and since Sai is soon no longer going to be servicing Kawasakis and KTMs (some dispute with Bajaj), I decided to ride down to this new service center and get a few things done and check out their setup, personnel.

The checkup was pretty thorough and worth the distance and the wait (huge number of 390s and 200s already there). The air filter was thoroughly cleaned. The throttle body was sprayed with a cleaner. Both rear and front disc pads were removed, sanded, reinstalled, and brake cleaner sprayed on the pads and the rotors. The engine oil quality and level was checked. Level was ok, but those with low levels were topped up free. Rear brake fluid was topped up. Front was ok. Coolant level was ok as well. Spark plug was cleane, gap was ok. Chain cleaner spray was sprayed all over the chain. It was then cleaned. Slack was adjusted (it still makes a noise though - it's a Duke trait, live with it!). Rear tyre hugger and rear fender reflector still hit and make a noise (its a Duke trait, live with it, or take off the hugger! For the moment the hugger and saree guard is staying though the saree guard makes it really difficult to clean the rim on that side properly).

Clutch and throttle play were checked and found to bhe levers were lubed, as were all the foot pegs and foot lever pivot points. Top clamp main nut was torqued slightly. Air pressure in both tyres was really low (20 in front and 22 in the rear) so they were inflated to 25 and 30 respectively (the technician was recommending 28 and 32 for my weight, but I asked him to keep it to company specs). The left mirror position was adjusted so that I could see more of what was behind and to the side of me, rather than my elbows. The right side crash guard was replaced (it had been straighted after a fall by the previous owner).

Must mention here that the new crash guard has been modified compared to the older ones. Probably in response to feedback by multiple Duke owners who have lowsided and either broken or ripped off or badly bent the top mount of the crash guard (the lower one rarely gets displaced or damaged), the new top mounts now have metal plate cross struts welded for aditional rigidity and strength. I have also heard that the old engine mount brackets (the silver things where the crash guards are bolted) were weak and used to break, and the new ones are much stronger. Ditto the new foot levers and wheel rims. For example this bike in its fall to the right side has a part of the shift foot knob of the rear brake lever ground away and the lever was slightly bent in (was straightened back into position in Kolhapur itself before I started off). The old foot lever would have simply broken in a similar fall.

Another thing I learned is that the new hand levers in the 2014 (MY14) bikes are longer and are angled differently. My bike is a 2013 (MY13) bike, and has shorter levers. Also the end of the clutch lever is angled a bit more compared to the brake lever (the distance betwen the hand grip to the lver end knob is more on the clutch side than the brake side). Technician says its normal and is there on all the bikes. Could someone confirm please?

Coming back, the battery was load tested and found to be ok. Terminals were tightened, cleaned, vaseline applied (the terminal breakages are due to the terminals not being positioned and tightened properly in many cases). Error codes were checked and everything found ok. Also got to see the engine running in kms (2802 - my odo is 2877 now). My tool kit did not have the rubber bands, and the temporary rubber bands put in Kolhapur had broken (one broken one was found INSIDE my air filter box - scary). Need to get new ones. Any suggestions? The rear monoshock is at position 5 - leaving it there for now. Most guys at BIC, even the ones lighter than me, have moved the preload to the top position #10.

All in all, a good job by KTM Baner, very professionally done. The only thing missing there (besides the fact that the service bay is a bit small, as is the one at SNK Bajaj in Wakdewadi), is that they do not have an in-house bike washing area and have to get it done outside. I enjoy that bit of my visits to Sai, as my 200 used to get a nice pressure wash and scrub everytime I used to go there (good to get off all the muck which at-home bucket and cloth washing cannot). Bike felt a lot better, responsive and tighter on the ride back home.

Saw a couple of test RCs there. One had been crashed (lowsided on the left). The other one I sat on - too forward leaning the riding position is for me. Also, the rider seat is way smaller than the one on the Duke. With no proper flare and contouring. Its a committed riding and seating position suitable for younger backs and smaller backsides. Definitely not for me (not that I have a problem back or a large backside, thankfully .....). I was thinking of trying to get the integrated full cover rear monoshock mudflap attacked to my 390, but saw the test RC's white spring and surrounding areas covered with mud splatters, so did not find any advantage from trying to fit that big piee if extra plastic on to the bike. The hand grips of the RC though are very nice. Much less poky, and more comfortable to hold with your bare hands, than the ones on the Dukes.

Last edited by ebonho : 17th November 2014 at 12:25.
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Old 17th November 2014, 14:25   #3419
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Guys, got a mail from KTM Adayr for Track Day on 30th November 2013. Missed the last one, but will be completing this time.
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Old 17th November 2014, 14:45   #3420
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Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by rajess_in View Post
Guys, got a mail from KTM Adayr for Track Day on 30th November 2013. Missed the last one, but will be completing this time.
only if you know how to go back into the past ; I guess you meant 2014.
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