[ff1609]

Bends are worrying too because a bigger bend means sudden deflation and that can be very dangerous even at 60km/h.

Originally Posted by ebonho

I was not aware that the profile of the MRF Revz on the 200 were different to the Metzelers on the 390. I thought the dimension specs of the two tyres were identical. Can you please confirm?

You are right, I checked and found that specs are the same for both. That makes it even harder to figure out why only the 390's rims break/bend so easily. Could it be that the softer Metzellers transfer more impact to the rim? Just thinking out aloud! Has anyone replaced their Metzeller tires with another brand?

[ebonho]

As I said, its either the tyres or the rims, speed having been ruled out.

Another possibility is the differently sprung front and rear suspensions, absorbing impact forces from the wheels differently.

Less absorbing = more energy absorbed by the wheels and transmitted to rider.

[Sheel]

A rider with quite significant number of kilometers has penned this. Is the rider someone from Team BHP? Just curious..

Here - http://riderzone.in/negatives-of-duke-390/

[ff1609]

Originally Posted by ebonho

As I said, its either the tyres or the rims, speed having been ruled out.

Another possibility is the differently sprung front and rear suspensions, absorbing impact forces from the wheels differently.

Less absorbing = more energy absorbed by the wheels and transmitted to rider.

As you have pointed out before, simply replacing bent/broken rims with new ones does not solve the problem or reduce the risk - they have to be replaced by KTM with better quality rims or a better rim+tyre combination.

I am just thinking of routes we could take for KTM to address the problem. Do you think a collective complaint signed by all Duke 390 owners on the forum (and outside) would work?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ff1609

As you have pointed out before, simply replacing bent/broken rims with new ones does not solve the problem or reduce the risk - they have to be replaced by KTM with better quality rims or a better rim+tyre combination.

I am just thinking of routes we could take for KTM to address the problem. Do you think a collective complaint signed by all Duke 390 owners on the forum (and outside) would work?

I am really intrigued why the 200s are not having the same issue. The key of the entire thing lies in that question (and the answer).

[AkshayA]

Just for Info-

Was having a chat with KTM service engineer. Came to know that KTM is doing away with leniency in free service periods. Meaning, if you cross the no. of days limit even for 1 day, they wont service your bike as the service center wont be able to enter bike's VIN number in their portal.

This is being implemented in phases. Right now Punjab and Karnatka Phase 1 is going on.

Akshay

[Bluu]

Originally Posted by Sheel

A rider with quite significant number of kilometers has penned this. Is the rider someone from Team BHP? Just curious..

Here - http://riderzone.in/negatives-of-duke-390/

My thoughts:

1. Heavy Clutch - I disagree about the heavy clutch. I've done long and short rides on my Duke and the clutch is just fine. Maybe something's wrong with his bike's clutch or I'm used to a hard clutch.

2. Rough throttle - Agreed. Single cylinder to blame?

3. Short gears - Shifting gears is part of the fun of riding a bike. If you're in traffic, just stay in second and feather the clutch. A few gear changes shouldn't dampen the fun of riding a seriously quick bike. If the gears were made taller, people would complain that acceleration is not as good as it can be.

4. Bad wheel quality - This one seems to be the scariest one. Hopefully, someone from Bajaj/KTM is reading TBHP.

5. Engine oil problems - I've not faced this. In fact, no leakages of any sort apart from one or two occasions of coolant spray.

6. Abrupt stopping of engine - A lot of people complain about this but this also hasn't happened to me.

Overall, it's still a killer machine. Apart from the alloys being problematic and the puny sound, I don't think there are any serious issues with the bike.

[the VTEC guy]

Just some information-

One of my biker buddies got "Iron Butt" certified recently. He did the 1600 km in less than 24 hours on KTM Duke 390. Probably the first KTM390 to be Iron Butt certified.
Few stats-
When - Dec 2013
Total distance 1641 km
Total time - 21 hours 19 minutes 43 seconds
Route - Pune-Kolhapur-Hubli-Bangalore and back

[The Pain]

Originally Posted by Bluu

My thoughts:

1. Heavy Clutch - I disagree about the heavy clutch. I've done long and short rides on my Duke and the clutch is just fine. Maybe something's wrong with his bike's clutch or I'm used to a hard clutch.

I find the clutch hard too but its only painful when im with a pillion (because of the pillion leaning on me). Otherwise it feels just fine while riding solo.

[Cyrus_the_virus]

After close to 7 Months of Ownership and close to 8K on the Odo, I have the first major problem. The Fork oil is leaking which means the dreaded duke 200 issue is definitely carried over to the 390. The seals gave up for no apparent reason whatsoever as almost all my trip is on good city roads and are very careful with bumps/unevenness thanks to the fragile alloys.

No seal stock in Hyderabad service centers! Have to wait at least till Tuesday and this being my daily use vehicle, I'm and :-(

[hsub]

Originally Posted by Cyrus_the_virus

After close to 7 Months of Ownership and close to 8K on the Odo, I have the first major problem. The Fork oil is leaking which means the dreaded duke 200 issue is definitely carried over to the 390. The seals gave up for no apparent reason whatsoever as almost all my trip is on good city roads and are very careful with bumps/unevenness thanks to the fragile alloys.

No seal stock in Hyderabad service centers! Have to wait at least till Tuesday and this being my daily use vehicle, I'm and :-(

I had mine break couple of weeks ago(3k on odo). Service center did replace it promptly all under warranty. Hope this is not a recurring pattern though

[junaid12345678]

Originally Posted by Cyrus_the_virus

After close to 7 Months of Ownership and close to 8K on the Odo, I have the first major problem. The Fork oil is leaking which means the dreaded duke 200 issue is definitely carried over to the 390. The seals gave up for no apparent reason whatsoever as almost all my trip is on good city roads and are very careful with bumps/unevenness thanks to the fragile alloys.

No seal stock in Hyderabad service centers! Have to wait at least till Tuesday and this being my daily use vehicle, I'm and :-(

It looks like your bike might have got a defective seal and the vendor is to be blamed here, considering the fact that you haven't ridden over bad roads much. My odo shows 10.5k and have ridden through really bad roads, but the seals are good as of now. Fingers crossed.

[Freewheelin_KD]

According to this article from Autocar, KTM is supposed to be launching Factory approved engine maps soon

Two maps are supposedly being developed - one that optimizes city riding and one for performance. A good initiative I say since remapping your Duke's ecu with factory approved maps will not void its warranty. But, the cost is going to be the deciding factor here and will have to see whether KTM follows the power parts pricing principle .

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Freewheelin_KD

Two maps are supposedly being developed - one that optimizes city riding and one for performance.

Thank you for sharing the news with us.

The only thing I would want to change is the "jerkiness" observed on low throttle and smoother "on - off" transitions - that sudden surge is not very confidence inspiring when leaned over during a corner. I dont think the bike should have come from the factory like that. In a way; maybe its KTM acknowledging the issue. Now only if they can bring their attention to the brake lever "play", the rims & some sungry issues reported by many owners across many forums.

I am actually a bit scared of the "city" map. I am pretty sure it would introduce an element of dullness. Bumper to bumper is not where this bike should be any which ways; given the engine heat and more than anythiing else - the DNA of the bike. If thats your primary usage pattern; there are other (MUCH better) alternatives one can look at.

The pricing is obviously very important. Any idea what the desi "tuning houses" (Red rooster, Joel and the likes) usually charge for a remap? Should be a good base line to ascertain value proposition. I hope they do not go the powerparts way; and I dont think they would. Powerparts are all imported from Austria (the quality is top notch though). These maps would not have to deal with the Indian customs and hence should be competitively priced.

I for one am very happy with the performance this bike offers. Actually; its a LOT more than a novice like me can manage. Only if these maps come with a promise of smoother throttle transitions will I stand in a queue to get this done

[Surajit333]

Hello all,

Needed some gyan from the 390 gurus, got mine this month, finished the first service today, during the testride after service, I noticed that the rear brake was completely absent. Took it back to the SVC (Indiranagar, Bangalore), they said that this was due to diesel washing and polishing, and that it is a known issue during service (why they dont prevent this beats me completely), and that the rear brake will be fine after 5-10kms (and they expect me to ride brakeless for this period). I was getting late for a meeting so I left, hoping this will get resolved.

Any of the owners from Bangalore, getting their bike servived in Indiranagar faced a similar issue? Anything that I can do to fix this?