[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by Siddy

Hi Dukers,

Riding has taken a hit since monsoon started.
Primary reason? The duke gets really really dirty after a wet ride! The amount of dirt thrown below the radiator area is scary & cleaning the bike is not easy. It has so many inaccessible corners around the engine/radiator area!

Pressure washed the bike and the tyre pressure indicating sticker is gone .. There is a small area under the starter motor where water accumulates after washing & is difficult to remove!..Been checking the radiator and I can see a few disfigured fins due to flying debris. The OE radiator protection still works well. I think flying debris is inevitable. Cleaning the bike in rains is such a pain, the chain goes dry after a wet ride. There was dirt stuck in between the rear foot pegs and made noise when I tried to close them, cleaned with running water and sprayed WD40.

Any advice/tips regarding monsoon maintenance?
TIA!

Anytime a new product is designed, the first thing done is to define a minimum design criteria - things like power range, cylinder size etc etc. For Duke the number 1 criteria for KTM was dirtyability - the bike (and the rider) should become extremely dirty at the slightest hint of rain and water on road.

My monsoon maintenance if the bike is used daily is:
1. Wash the bike only once every two weeks
2. Chain cleaning and oil once every two weeks
3. Wear raincoat and rain pant at all times
4. Not bother too much about riding a muddy/dirty bike

This has served me well for two monsoons.

[VW2010]

Any advice/tips regarding monsoon maintenance?
TIA!

Just ride as much as you can. Take few minutes after your ride to simply wash it with water. It takes like 5-8 minutes to spray normal water(not pressurized).

There is no way monsoon is stopping me from riding and in fact its rain that makes the ride so much more fun Lastly get creative to see how you can reduce the splash including custom spray protection etc.

I usually apply a layer of oil over the bike during monsoon and i know though dust can accumulate more it atleast protects the bike from rusting. I am talking about the bullet. But for 390 i usually abuse and just wash it after a ride.

[barcalad]

I am someone who loves riding in the monsoons. Riding in the rain has always given me fond memories.

Here are some of my tips :

1. Get your brake pads cleaned after every long ride done.
2. Clean the suspension area, particularly near the oil seals thoroughly, if not the whole bike.
3. Maintain steady tyre pressure. Metzelers aren't that great on wet surfaces, hence decrease the pressures a notch to be on the safe side.
4. Ride with headlamps on, even if it's drizzling. It's a saver, trust me.
5. Clean your chain with kerosene/chain lube/brush and religiously lube it every 300-400 kms.
6. Last but not the least, don't worry about splashes and dirty clothes. It's all part of the game. I personally believe that if you are riding in the monsoons and come back home with clean clothes, you haven't ridden at all.

Don't hide under bus stops and trees. Just ride.

[Siddy]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

4. Not bother too much about riding a muddy/dirty bike

perfect solution! thanks for the tips!

Originally Posted by barcalad

Don't hide under bus stops and trees. Just ride.

Thanks for the tips! For now, I've decided to wash the bike every 2 weeks and ignore all dirt in the meantime, clean & lube chain at the same interval. Maybe pressure wash once monsoons are over!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by barcalad

....Metzelers aren't that great on wet surfaces.....

Finally!! Someone said it. Totally agree with you - Metz are crap in the rain; although they are touted by all and sundry to be super sticky even when wet

I found the Michelin Pilot Street to be 10 times better in the wet than the Metz. One look at the sipes and its not hard to see why

[VW2010]

I've decided to wash the bike every 2 weeks and ignore all dirt in the meantime, clean & lube chain at the same interval. Maybe pressure wash once monsoons are over!

Just wash it immediately after a ride before the dirts get dry and sticky on the bike body. When wet just washing with water makes it easier to get the nasty dirt and mud away. YOu can anyway give a nice good wash every 2 weeks and even avoid pressure wash.

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

although they are touted by all and sundry to be super sticky even when wet

Probably they mistake the road mirages for road puddles.

Mich over Metz for wet surfaces any day for me as well. Have had a lot of by-the-skin-of-the-teeth moments on rainy days with Metz equipped.

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Just wash it immediately after a ride before the dirts get dry and sticky on the bike body. When wet just washing with water makes it easier to get the nasty dirt and mud away. YOu can anyway give a nice good wash every 2 weeks and even avoid pressure wash.

Its not always possible to wash after each ride. I use my Duke for my daily office commute and after 15km it is very dirty. But not possible to wash it.

[VW2010]

Its not always possible to wash after each ride

If possible please do wash. I have a water source and pipes available for both car and bike wash and i clean it every time after a nasty dirty ride. Specially on muddy roads. On normal roads in rains, i dont spend much time. You be the judge of what kind of dirt the bike went through that day and see if its possible to wash before it rests.

And i do it everyday if its going through nasty dirt simply to avoid the time required to wet and clean without a pressure wash when the dirt has dried down. Like you said, if possible its easier to manage this.

I found the Michelin Pilot Street to be 10 times better in the wet than the Metz. One look at the sipes and its not hard to see why

Not sure if the Michelin is that different(like 10 times better) and better in wet compared to Metz. The Metz that is not worn out is plenty for riding the bike actually with confidence. The metz as Maveric46 put it has a compound meant for wet roads to get maximum grip (silica)

[MavericK46]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Finally!! Someone said it. Totally agree with you - Metz are crap in the rain; although they are touted by all and sundry to be super sticky even when wet

I found the Michelin Pilot Street to be 10 times better in the wet than the Metz. One look at the sipes and its not hard to see why

A worn out set of Metzelers would be crap..
But honestly, I completely disagree with your statement.
Would a 110 and a 150 section tyre aquaplane when there is a signifcant amount of standing water? - Definitely yes..
But short of a river crossing, the Metzelers are very planted even in pouring rain; which has nothing to do with the tread pattern but the percentage of silica in the tyre compound.

P.S: I haven't considered either reply to be sarcastic and hence please pardon my ignorance of the same

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[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Finally!! Someone said it. Totally agree with you - Metz are crap in the rain

Originally Posted by VW2010

The Metz that is not worn out is plenty for riding the bike actually with confidence

Not sure if I am qualified to make this observation, I ride well within the envelope of bike's capabilities, but I found Metz to be performing pretty well on wet tarmac.

To give a perspective, I rode from Mumbai to Daman couple of weeks back and rains did not subside for even a minute during the 160 kms journey to and fro. I was able to maintain good speeds and while I went through a few puddles on highway at around 80 kph, did not experience any aquaplaning.

I even found the braking to be confidence inspiring with RC always holding the line even when applying brakes hard.

P.S: The tyres are 10,000 kms old!!

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by Thar4x4

This carrier is designed by a Pune based KTM guy, I purchased the same for my last trip and it is 100% VFM.

Based on the reviews by a couple of Bhpians and a friend, went ahead and ordered from their website. Price quoted was 3000+375+300=3675 basic cost+ tax+ shipping in that order. Transferred the amount through the payumoney gateway. The only consolation is you can with hold the payment to the vendor till you have the item your hands. And you can report for the non receipt of the order which I have done today. The customer care executive called me back in 10 minutes and has assured to resolve.

It is now a week and the order status is still showing "processing". Shot a mail and there was no reply. To wake them up, posted a 1 star review on their website and today it is taken down. Mailed again yesterday asking them the status and also indicating I might cancel the order if I don't get an answer. Still there is no response.

So a word of caution to all here. Get double confirmation before treading into this vendors area. The most annoying thing is they have no contact number on their website. So it is only e mails for which they do not respond.

It may be a niche and VFM product no matter, but if the service sucks, you know you are in neck deep trouble.

[The Pain]

Hi. Can anyone share any inputs on whether changing of the clutch cover is required while doing the slipper clutch upgrade on a 2014 D390? I spoke to 2 svcs that seem to think it's not required and 1 that says it needs to be done. Thanks.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by The Pain

Hi. Can anyone share any inputs on whether changing of the clutch cover is required while doing the slipper clutch upgrade on a 2014 D390? I spoke to 2 svcs that seem to think it's not required and 1 that says it needs to be done. Thanks.

Confirmed this with a close friend of mine who has done this modification on his 2013 Duke and he said there is no need to replace the clutch cover. Only the internals are replaced.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

It is now a week and the order status is still showing "processing". Shot a mail and there was no reply. To wake them up, posted a 1 star review on their website and today it is taken down. Mailed again yesterday asking them the status and also indicating I might cancel the order if I don't get an answer. Still there is no response

Hi Uday - Thanks for the heads up. Any update on the situation?