[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

In the United States and much of Europe, we use a product called "STA-BIL" in the fuel tank when long periods of storage looks possible.

This product keeps gasoline (and alcohol if present) from breaking down.
It also minimizes the amount of moisture that can be absorbed by the fuel so corrosion such as your fuel pump shows is greatly reduced.

My searching indicates STA-BIL is difficult to get in India but I came across a similar product that is (or was) available there.

Stabil is available in Amazon - 2-4 business day delivery.

http://www.amazon.in/Sta-Bil-22264-P...eywords=stabil

My other question is, can this product be used as part of every day use of the bike? Because it does say it cleans up the engine blah blah. What is your suggestion?

[ArizonaJim]

I'm sure STA-BIL in the fuel causes no problem when the engine is running so, every day use is fine.
It is a petroleum based product so it will burn along with the petrol in the cylinder(s).

Here is what my bottle of STA-BIL says. (When reading this remember, it was written by their advertising department. That said, I'm sure there is at least a grain of truth in it.

Gasoline can go bad in as little as 30 days causing gum and varnish to form in the fuel system.
This breakdown of fuel can cause hard starting, stalling and poor engine performance.
Adding STA-BIL® keeps fuel fresh for 12 months-eliminating the need to drain fuel prior to storage plus it contains a fuel injector cleaner and carburetor cleaner to eliminate deposit build-up and maintin engine performance when used in every tankful. STA-BIL ® now contains more corrosion preventers to fight the damaging effects of ethanol in gasoline...

For storage up to 12 months use 1 ounce (30ml) in 2 1/2 gallons (9.5L)
For fuel system clean up and everyday protection use 1 ounce (30ml) in 5 gallons (19L). Over treatment is safe and will not harm engine.

...

(The gallon to liters amounts are based on a US gallon.)

As some of you will be using a product like this to protect your fuel related parts while still wanting to ride economically, I would suggest using a mixture ratio somewhere between the two values that STA-BIL ® suggested?

[CGB]

Today, spent sometime with the bike to remove all the hardened chain lube in the bike. And shocking to see the result. This is for 1.5 years of lubing

[gharika]

Originally Posted by CGB

Today, spent sometime with the bike to remove all the hardened chain lube in the bike. And shocking to see the result. This is for 1.5 years of lubing

Anybody trying this should be aware that the screws that you open to reach the sprocket are part of engine casing. DO NOT START THE ENGINE in this condition.

[ashwin1224]

Originally Posted by CGB

Today, spent sometime with the bike to remove all the hardened chain lube in the bike. And shocking to see the result. This is for 1.5 years of lubing

Was there any noticeable difference in riding afterwards? Also, does it make any difference whatsoever?


I have been struck by the speedo going bust randomly while riding bug. Many fellow owners who had this bug eventually developed problems in their stator coils which renders the bike immobile. So as a precaution and on the assumption that the stator coil is the culprit for the error in the speedo, I got it replaced preemptively. According to the mech at the SVC, it indeed had a few coils burnt.

However, the speedo problem still persists. Have I missed something regarding this? What is the standard solution?

[CGB]

Originally Posted by ashwin1224

Was there any noticeable difference in riding afterwards? Also, does it make any difference whatsoever?

No changes at all. Just a process of cleaning up all the hardened lube along with dust and sand. Gives me a peace of mind.

However, the speedo problem still persists. Have I missed something regarding this? What is the standard solution?

Do check the ABS sensor cable. If there is any loose connection, it might show erratic speeds.

[CGB]

Achieved 30000km milestone yesterday!
So far it has been smooth sailing without any major hiccups for past 1.8 yrs of ownership.

Things which have been changed so far:
1) Tyres changed from Metz to michelin.
2) air filter box replaced under warranty as it developed cracks.
3) seats changed to 2015 model for better comfort.
4) Drivechain changed twice at every 12000kms.
5) Changed brake pedal once as it broke.
6) Head gasket and alternator casing gasket has been changed due to oil seep.

I am happy, as she is pocket friendly and keeps me grinning from ear to ear when I ride.

[basuroy]

Hello folks , I am posting to narrate and solicit some explanation about a spooky incident I had earlier today . Let me describe it as best as I can -

I have a habit of shifting to a lower gear often to accelerate fast . Today I was doing around 55-60 kmph in 3rd gear when an opportunity to overtake presented itself , I shifted to 2nd gear to accelerate ( the motorcycle can do 80 in 2nd gear ) but instead it felt like the engine stopped for a second or two along with massive loss of speed ( I suspect severe engine braking ) to 25-30kmph - the speed dropped in a single second . What spooked me was an SUV almost rear ended me as apparent by his honking and then gesticulation .

The gear shift was perfect because when the engine "started" again , it accelerated smoothly . I also don't have an issue with my bike's transmission . I am sure I didn't let go of the accelerator either and even if I did , the motorcycle would never decelerate like that - it was indicative of severe engine braking .

I rode the bike for another 25 km and I tried that downshift/accelerate technique a few times with perfect response , in general it felt like there was nothing wrong with the bike . Just a single incident but with almost disastrous consequences .

As such my confusion is what can be explanation - momentary cut in fuel supply or something worse ? I have never experienced an engine freeze but is this what it feels like ? I am averse to service centre opening up engine and will only go ahead if some member here feels that is strongly warranted . Or should I for the time being ignore and continue as usual ?

Engine oil is about 9 months and 1500km old . I recall making sure it was the prescribed grade . Asides from a mild loss in power over 5300 km , I have not felt anything abnormal with the bike/engine so far.

[anilp]

Originally Posted by basuroy

.

As such my confusion is what can be explanation - momentary cut in fuel supply or something worse ? I have never experienced an engine freeze but is this what it feels like ? I am averse to service centre opening up engine and will only go ahead if some member here feels that is strongly warranted . Or should I for the time being ignore and continue as usual ?

Is your bike parked often in the rain? Or did you fill fuel from a possibly dodgy petrol pump? Stalling could be due to a clogged fuel filter or water in the fuel. See if a full tank filling solves the issue. If that doesn't work change the fuel filter. If it still persists, you might have to get the throttle body cleaned.

[basuroy]

Originally Posted by anilp

Is your bike parked often in the rain? Or did you fill fuel from a possibly dodgy petrol pump? Stalling could be due to a clogged fuel filter or water in the fuel. See if a full tank filling solves the issue. If that doesn't work change the fuel filter. If it still persists, you might have to get the throttle body cleaned.

Apologies for the late reply but such is work these days :/

No the bike is not parked in rain and neither do I suspect the fuel that went in contained impurities ( I ride short distances hence since day 1 , I have managed to maintain fuel quality by only filling at the reputed outlet in the city ,generally Indian oil ).

I will do as you suggested and fill up the tank and see if it returns. So far I have not faced the issue though I did suffer 3/4 incidents of the engine shutting down during deceleration(this is abnormal for my bike ) which as you diagnosed points strongly towards a fuel supply issue . Will get it checked. I was more worried what I experienced was an engine seize .

[nitninja]

My bike's coolant drops from maximum to minimum in 1000 kms. Service centre guys replaced the waterpump seals twice and still the problem persists. What could be the issue ? I asked them to check the head gasket but they are not willing to check it. Can someone put down the symptoms of blown gasket ? Will the bike not start if it is indeed the head gasket ? My bike has done almost 18k kms in 7 months and is still under warranty.

[ArizonaJim]

Yes, an engine can start if it has a blown head gasket. It may not start as easily as it should but not starting easily can be caused by a number of different things, none of them having to do with a blown head gasket.

One of most common symptoms of a blown head gasket is seeing coolant in the engine oil.

If the coolant mixes in with the oil, it often doesn't look like coolant. Rather, the oil has a thick, pasty appearance. It is often colored like the coolant. In a worst case, the oil will look much like mayonnaise.

If your oil looks and flows like regular engine oil, it doesn't have any coolant in it.

Another symptom of a blown head gasket that has more to do with the problem you mentioned is, when the engine is running, gasses from the combustion chamber can be blown into the cooling system.

When this happens, it often blows coolant out of the reservoir resulting in a low level in the tank.

This can be checked by filling the reservoir almost to the top and starting the engine.
Let the engine heat up to normal operating temperature and leave the filler neck open (uncapped) so you can see inside of it.

Revving the engine a bit, if the head gasket is leaking, you will see many bubbles form in the tank and rise to the top. This is often accompanied with a sudden rise in the level of the coolant in the tank.

You will be looking for a lot of bubbles every time you rev. the engine, not for a rise in the level of the fluid. (The coolant expands when it gets hot and this will cause the level in the tank to rise.)

If there is no evidence of coolant in the oil and you are not seeing a lot of bubbles form in the cooling tank it is highly unlikely that the head gasket is blown.

[GreaseMonk]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

This can be checked by filling the reservoir almost to the top and starting the engine.
Let the engine heat up to normal operating temperature and leave the filler neck open (uncapped) so you can see inside of it.

Revving the engine a bit, if the head gasket is leaking, you will see many bubbles form in the tank and rise to the top. This is often accompanied with a sudden rise in the level of the coolant in the tank.

You will be looking for a lot of bubbles every time you rev. the engine, not for a rise in the level of the fluid. (The coolant expands when it gets hot and this will cause the level in the tank to rise.)

Thanks for this Jim. I've recreated this on my bike (which goes from Max to Min in 500 KM) and it does indeed seem to be the case. Video below.

https://youtu.be/U9d77oCy9oA

I'd appreciate it if someone with a non-coolant-leaking 390 try and recreate this just to be certain the bubbles aren't being caused by engine vibrations.

Continuing with the head gasket theme, I decided to check for weeping along the head.

Finally, checking the engine oil through the sight glass (that's all I can do for now) the oil seems to be dark red with some bubbles\frothing on top, but nothing close to the milkshake colour\consistency I'm seeing others post online.

Generally, I change my oil well before the factory recommended 5k KM interval and the service guys have always said my oil looks fine. This time, I intend to only perform an oil change after 5k KM and constantly top up my coolant until that time to ensure that if there is a leak and its going into the oil, I'll give it the best chance of it showing up by saturating the oil as much as possible.

[MileCruncher]

I'm in the process of relocating from Bangalore to Mumbai and rather than giving the bike to the packers & movers, decided to ride down. While the original plan was to split the journey into 2 days with

• Day 1 : BLR - PNQ
• Day 2 : PNQ - BOM

However after getting the bike serviced on thursday, I decided to split the journey into 3 days and followed this itinerary

1. Friday :BLR - Goa / 680Kms
2. Saturday : Goa - Ganpatiphule / 250Kms
3. Sunday: Ganpatiphule - Mumbai / 375Kms

I started at 5:30am from Bangalore and had a good run till Hubli. Bike was doing good till the Goa branch off, my avg speed was 84KMPH as per bike computer.

Attachment 1570393





However the Hubli Goa Road had a lot of uneven patches and major construction inside Goa, got the overall speed down to 70KMPH for the entire ride. Headed to KTM Porvorim and got the chained cleaned and lubed as it had started squeaking due to the super dusty last 200kms.


I had bought a RYNOX GPS Mount to place the phone on the handle bar. The road between Hubli - Goa was so bad that my phone's rear camera is all shaky now.



As I had only 250Kms to cover on Day 2, I started at 10am and had cover about 135Kms thru extremely bad roads on the NH-17 Mumbai - Goa section, when the rear tyre suffered a blow out. On closer inspection, I found that the blow out had happened through the same spot which had a puncture repaired earlier. The tyre was running with puncture sealant but that didn't help either. Thankfully since I was close to a town, got a puncture repair guy to fix the tyre. But again the roads were so bad, that the repair lasted only 2kms. Realising that no puncture repair was going to hold on that bad stretch, got the bike on tempo and headed to the nearest KTM Dealer in Ratnagiri who thankfully had the 150/60 R17 Michelin PSR.

Attachment 1570388



Tyre fixed, I finally hit the hotel at Ganpatiphule at 8:30PM for some tasty malwani cuisine. And my avg speed till the puncture was 51kmph.



Two key takeaways from this incident:

1. My rear Metz lasted 17.5K whereas normally people mention 9-10k. May be because I don't do burnouts, sudden acceleration or braking.
2. KTM Service stations are almost at every District HQ. So you can take the bikes out without worry unlike other marque superbikes.

Day 3 was generally an easy ride over the ghats and bad roads. Started at 7:30AM, taking the first breakfast break at 10:30am. The last 100Kms to Vashi are extremely bad and doing a steady 90-100kmph is also a big ask. But thankfully I reached Inorbit Vashi at 2:30pm.

Total journey of about 1290Kms on a bike in a breeze. My longest ride so far and I loved it!

[Sheel]

Is there any sort of VIN for the D 390?

The speedo is connected to the front tire or the rear? Easy for SVC to remove and give it for test-rides?