[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

There are traces of oil from on the cylinder housing. The place of the oil stain/leak is just behind the region of the bend pipe where it is slightly dented for routing through the trellis. I noticed it after having a couple of hours of hard riding on the highway. Although oil is not dripping and level has not come down, it bothers me.

It could be oil leak from the gasket - please get it checked immediately.I have heard of another 390 facing this and apparently it took several attempts to fix it.

Originally Posted by VW2010

@Doc
Except wet tracks the MRF should hold good if not better.

No way Mate - the MRFs are not even in the same universe as the Metz. The Metz will hold better in wet,dry,snow,air,space - you name it
PS: I had the Duke200 with MRFs before and hence this observation

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

No way Mate - the MRFs are not even in the same universe as the Metz. The Metz will hold better in wet,dry,snow,air,space - you name it
PS: I had the Duke200 with MRFs before and hence this observation

Agreed. The Revz are really good tyres seen on their own though. Just not near good enough for the 390.

How would you rate the OE Revz of the Duke 200 in comparison to the previous benchmark Gold Standard for Indian rubber - the OE Revz on the R15?

[unk9ja]

Just back from the Orange tour conducted by the KTM and Motor chronicles. Some observations. There were 3 minor breakdowns involving the gear lever getting disengaged from the shifter. On all the occasions, one thing that was noticed was how quickly the lock nut getting loosened. Though it was a quick fix, the thread in the lever was quite badly damaged. So guys keep a watch on the linkages in this system. One of the rider commented the shift became smoother after the fix. So one more contributor to the lousy shift.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Just back from the Orange tour conducted by the KTM and Motor chronicles. Some observations. There were 3 minor breakdowns involving the gear lever getting disengaged from the shifter. On all the occasions, one thing that was noticed was how quickly the lock nut getting loosened. Though it was a quick fix, the thread in the lever was quite badly damaged. So guys keep a watch on the linkages in this system. One of the rider commented the shift became smoother after the fix. So one more contributor to the lousy shift.

For this reason I've got the brake and shift levers loctited. I remember the mechanic told me that this issue was noticed in duke 200 too.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

For this reason I've got the brake and shift levers loctited. I remember the mechanic told me that this issue was noticed in duke 200 too.

Did the SVC guys do it?

[unk9ja]

It is a DIY job. Just the right tools are necessary and right way. Unless you don't round off the heads of the bolts you are working on.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Did the SVC guys do it?

Yes upon my insistence. This was done when I got both the levers positioned to my comfort.

[ashkamath]

The slightly rear / sporty position of the gear shift and the brake lever are a constant source of pain to me at the ankles during long rides. I need to arch my ankle and then pain sets in. I am average height at 5'7". Guess this is accentuated with taller guys. The upright riding position with an arched ankle. One of the pain areas indeed in the riding stance..

[motorhead666]

This issue has been reported on the international duke 390 forum too. A rider reported that gear lever bolt came off during a ride. He was smart enough to remove the bolt from the brake lever and use it for the gear lever to get back home.
http://www.ktmduke390forum.com/forum...olt-issue.html

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Yes upon my insistence. This was done when I got both the levers positioned to my comfort.

Did you notice which grade of Loctite did they use? Or the colour. Blue/ red/ green?

[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

The slightly rear / sporty position of the gear shift and the brake lever are a constant source of pain to me at the ankles during long rides. I need to arch my ankle and then pain sets in. I am average height at 5'7". Guess this is accentuated with taller guys. The upright riding position with an arched ankle. One of the pain areas indeed in the riding stance..

I have a similar problem, except it is my knees that feel twisted unnaturally on longer rides. I wonder if raising the seat by putting a pad around 2-3 cm thick would ease the cramping of the legs (and also give our butts a break from the hard seat ). What do you all think?

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by Rollin' Thunda

I have a similar problem, except it is my knees that feel twisted unnaturally on longer rides. I wonder if raising the seat by putting a pad around 2-3 cm thick would ease the cramping of the legs (and also give our butts a break from the hard seat ). What do you all think?

Originally Posted by ashkamath

The slightly rear / sporty position of the gear shift and the brake lever are a constant source of pain to me at the ankles during long rides. I need to arch my ankle and then pain sets in. I am average height at 5'7". Guess this is accentuated with taller guys. The upright riding position with an arched ankle. One of the pain areas indeed in the riding stance..

I'm 6 feet tall and initially I used to experience discomfort in my knees and ankles but I found out that sitting a little further behind on the seat lets the legs be in a more comfortable position.(i.e the angle is less acute, enough to relieve some pressure)

When I went for my trip, occastionally I used to just stretch out my legs and keep them on top of the crash gaurd for 5 odd minutes or even sometimes use the tip of the feet on the footrests when cruising. All this with a full knee to shin Knox knee protector.

After the ride home, coming back however was much less painful. I guess once your body gets used to the angles of the bikes, it adapts. But something definately needs to be done about the seat. I have seen a mod where a gel sheet was inserted into the duke200 seat but I'm not sure if it will provide edge cover though :(

[ebonho]

The pain in the ankles especially on the right in trying to cover the rear brake is easily solved by having the position of the lever adjusted downwards. Did it very early (see my Baby Duke 222 thread early days pages) and never had a problem thereafter.

If anything after a few hours in the saddle the font of the thighs start aching and that is relieved by straightening and stretching out the legs (on the crash guard or just in the air to the sides) a few times/for some time, easing the bent knee joints and getting the blood circulating once again.

The butt pain is relieved as it is on any other bike - stand up and let the blood flow back (painfully). But as I have mentioned many times before, the Duke seat for me at least is superior to the standard Bullet seat in comfort.

The absolute WORST seat I have ever toured on, the all time undisputed still undefeated CHAMPION of butt sores, was that on my first lot Pulsar 180. Man, pulling over and just sitting on sharp road constrcution rocks was orgasmic in comparison (those day GQ was still being built, and there were these long stretches all over).

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Did you notice which grade of Loctite did they use? Or the colour. Blue/ red/ green?

It was green. Loctite 638. Along with the brake and shift levers, engine mounting bolts on both sides have also been loctited. FYR this is what is being used.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by ebonho

The pain in the ankles especially on the right in trying to cover the rear brake is easily solved by having the position of the lever adjusted downwards. Did it very early (see my Baby Duke 222 thread early days pages) and never had a problem thereafter.

I think I will get it done at SVC next time.

Originally Posted by ebonho

The absolute WORST seat I have ever toured on, the all time undisputed still undefeated CHAMPION of butt sores, was that on my first lot Pulsar 180. Man, pulling over and just sitting on sharp road construction rocks was orgasmic in comparison (those day GQ was still being built, and there were these long stretches all over).

That is surprising that you should say that Doc. Even my pulsar 180 was from the first lot in Karnataka (way back in Feb/March 2002) and you know I am all bones ( weighing at measly 63 Kgs that time and even now after a decade) but I never had any sore butt with my Pulsar. At least not as much as with the duke. I rate the duke seat to be hardest ( May be it feels more so with the hard suspension of duke compared to softer suspension of the pulsar or other bikes). But I also think your deduction comes from riding the GQ under construction with lot of jumping and throwing around and those days roads were nowhere as good as they are now.

That you should mention the old Pulsar 180 Doc, it brings nostalgic memories of those days. I remember the Pulsar was released in Pune during Oct / Nov 2001 and I rushed to Khivraj Motors, Bangalore and made a full down payment of Rs. 63,500/-and my waiting No was 5. from then on, through Dec 01, Jan and Feb 02, pestered Khivraj Motors every single day and then the first lot arrived in March 2002. I went to their godown at Residency road (opp Bangalore Club) and watched the first lot being unloaded frm the truck. Those days we were allowed to choose our bike. So the next day, I spent a good amount of time in checking out the lots (about 20-25) with 80% 150s and very few 180's. started the bikes, listened to the engine sound ( not that I could make any thing out of it,) and finally chose my Blue Streak . Got delivery on 29th March 2002 and so started my love affair with Pulsar. I think I can never ever love any bike as much as I loved my Pulsar