[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by Akhilash95

What are things to watch out for, before buying a used 390 other than usual suspects tyres, forks, handelbar, etc.

Originally Posted by basuroy

Odo reading and warranty period left ?

Odo readings are misleading. I have personally seen a couple of 200 that my friends wanted to purchase being tampered with. So go by the service records at the SVC. On request you can get the last service record which indicates the mileage.

Check the rims for any sign of repair as the earlier lots are known to have issues.

Oil leakage from the head/ side covers.

Also for any insurance claims for any accidental damage.

[Astonite]

Originally Posted by AMG_ang

The service center guys suspect it to be a problem with the Fuel pump not working properly and there isnt enough pressure delivered by it and hence will have to change the Fuel pump. The pump was out of stock and im waiting for the new pump to arrive and hope it resolves the problem.

Query: My bike is a tad over 13 months now. Will replacement of the pump be carried out under warranty?

I believe fuel pump is the issue. I had the same problem in my Duke 200 and they changed the fuel pump which fixed it. Before they change, ask them to drain the fuel and check if water is mixed. They didn't provide warranty as the fuel had water. It was some 4.5K I guess.

[Akhilash95]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Check the rims for any sign of repair as the earlier lots are known to have issues.

Oil leakage from the head/ side covers.

Also for any insurance claims for any accidental damage.

I have a friend working in KTM, is the bike registration enough to retrieve the service record ?
( do they have a centralised server) Can the same be done with insurance?

Most of them don't tell if the bike has undergone accidental damage, they lie. As of I know I am taking a fellow 390 owner to test drive them.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by Akhilash95

I have a friend working in KTM, is the bike registration enough to retrieve the service record ?
( do they have a centralised server) Can the same be done with insurance?

Most of them don't tell if the bike has undergone accidental damage, they lie. As of I know I am taking a fellow 390 owner to test drive them.

Yes the SVC can retrieve the bike details based on the registration details.

That is a sad part on the bike condition. Everyone claim it be mint/original and what not. A detailed history of the bike is therefore a valuable asset to the owner.

You can check out the premium paid and compare it with someone who has similar bike. NCB will give you an idea if the previous owner has claimed anything in the past. Also a change in insurance firm is another thing to look out for.

[barcalad]

Hello, folks.

Got my 2nd service done, a week back, and the odo on my black beauty reads 6500 kms. However, there were a few things which I brought to the attention of the SVC manager when I had given it for the servicing. I'm describing them below. Two of the three issues were corrected but mysteriously re-appeared within 2 days.

1. There is a consistent 'thak-thak' sound when I go over small depressions (not potholes) on the road. I thought it was the chain, like every other D390 owner. Got the chain tightened by the SVC and personally checked it's movement when I took delivery after the 2nd service. For 2 days, there was no noise, but then, it re-appeared and now has become a source of annoyance for the ears. Visited the SVC yesterday and they now say it's the number plate (Yes, I was bewildered after hearing this) and they tightened a few screws here and there. Problem still persists.
I have the suspicion that it's the grey chain cover which is banging against the frame or something. Not sure.

2. The front forks got loose on their own. Now, I'm a very casual rider and I never blitzkrieg over potholes fearing the infamous rim cracking syndrome. Got the forks tightened during the service, but now I observe that during hard/urgent braking, the front starts shivering/vibrating. This is making me nervous, as it sends tingles down my arm. What do I make of this? How can this be corrected?

3. The 'High' beam. As of now, with 6500 kms done, I have gone on numerous long rides, all starting before the sun is up. Every time I use the high beam, I end up reading the distance/location boards hanging right under the flyover or the over bridge. It's a bane as well, as oncoming vehicles quickly go on dipper.
Asked the SVC to lower the beam, as I couldn't do it on my own by reading the manual. They gave me another theory that if the high beam is lowered, the dipper beam will massively lower down giving me no proper visual on dippers. This left be seeing stars as well. This issue wasn't even corrected.

Kindly help me out with these issues, and your valuable inputs will be much appreciated.

[basuroy]

Originally Posted by barcalad

3. The 'High' beam. As of now, with 6500 kms done, I have gone on numerous long rides, all starting before the sun is up. Every time I use the high beam, I end up reading the distance/location boards hanging right under the flyover or the over bridge. It's a bane as well, as oncoming vehicles quickly go on dipper.
Asked the SVC to lower the beam, as I couldn't do it on my own by reading the manual. They gave me another theory that if the high beam is lowered, the dipper beam will massively lower down giving me no proper visual on dippers. This left be seeing stars as well. This issue wasn't even corrected.

Kindly help me out with these issues, and your valuable inputs will be much appreciated.

My high beam was exact same . I mean carbon copy of your bike.

During first service , I reported this but they didn't fix it so re visited again and got it adjusted . In my opinion , the dippdr beam is fine after the adjustment , previously it used to focus further away from the bike but there was no illumination in the immediate perimeter of the motorcycle . Now the high beam is aligned correctly .

After adjustment
low speed , poorly lit narrow road - dipper beam and good illumination not just on the road but either side of it as well to detect any dogs etc . My night riding is limited to city use so only ever use the dipped , no issues after adjustment .

higher speed , high beam illuminates the road as well as the perimeter nicely instead of trying to spot helicopters .

Get it fixed , it is a 5 minute job at best . If you don't like it , get it re adjusted again and tell them as much . They are spewing bs to avoid a 5 min work .

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Also a change in insurance firm is another thing to look out for.

Agree with all points except the above. If the NCB is intact and there is change of insurance firm, its acceptable as the policy might have been bought online from a firm providing better price/benefit/coverage.

Edit: If you meant within the first year then you might be right. Just re-read your post and felt you might have meant within the first year!

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by basuroy

My high beam was exact same . I mean carbon copy of your bike......Get it fixed , it is a 5 minute job at best . If you don't like it , get it re adjusted again and tell them as much . They are spewing bs to avoid a 5 min work .

I totally agree with the last part. Such lethargic approach is appalling by such a brand. I will get it forcefully rectified at the earliest. Also, by how much should I ask them to bring the high beam focus down? Any calibrations as such?

[basuroy]

Originally Posted by barcalad

I totally agree with the last part. Such lethargic approach is appalling by such a brand. I will get it forcefully rectified at the earliest. Also, by how much should I ask them to bring the high beam focus down? Any calibrations as such?

The mechanic at my SVC positioned the bike about 15 feet away from a wall and then removed the headlight assembly . After that by means of a screw or knob , he brought down the high beam focus parallel to the horizontal . Earlier even in the short distance , it was clearly pointing upwards . By parallel(post adjustment) , I mean just slightly downward slanted but very slight .

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by basuroy

The mechanic at my SVC positioned the bike about 15 feet away from a wall and then removed the headlight assembly . After that by means of a screw or knob , he brought down the high beam focus parallel to the horizontal . Earlier even in the short distance , it was clearly pointing upwards . By parallel(post adjustment) , I mean just slightly downward slanted but very slight .

Remember that the beam will tilt upwards once you are seated on the bike. More so with a pillion. The beam should be adjusted with you seated on the bike for more accurate adjustment.

[schakravarthy]

Is there any change, performance-wise, between a 2013 Duke 390 and a 2014 model? The reason that prompted this query is that, recently I had a chance to pit my 2014 manufactured bike against my buddy's 2013 model. My bike left his bike gasping! At first we thought it might be due to the disparity between the riders' weights and decided to swap the bikes. But, unexpectedly, the result turned out to be the same; my bike trounced his'. By quite a margin!
Also, on close observation, the low end response of my bike seems much better than his. Places that require 1st gear on his bike, my bike takes them in 2nd or even 3rd. The exhaust note of my bike is louder and bassier than his; quite audibly so! His bike seems very eager and aggressive, especially in the mid's but fades off very soon, whereas my bike has a more linear and balanced power delivery.
Any inputs?

Edit- my bike is a March 2014 model with 8.5k kms on the odo. My buddy's is a 2013 October model with close to 12k kms on the odo. Both the bikes are regularly serviced and are in good nick.

[basuroy]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

Is there any change, performance-wise, between a 2013 Duke 390 and a 2014 model? The reason that prompted this query is that, recently I had a chance to pit my 2014 manufactured bike against my buddy's 2013 model. My bike left his bike gasping! At first we thought it might be due to the disparity between the riders' weights and decided to swap the bikes. But, unexpectedly, the result turned out to be the same; my bike trounced his'. By quite a margin!
Also, on close observation, the low end response of my bike seems much better than his. Places that require 1st gear on his bike, my bike takes them in 2nd or even 3rd. The exhaust note of my bike is louder and bassier than his; quite audibly so! His bike seems very eager and aggressive, especially in the mid's but fades off very soon, whereas my bike has a more linear and balanced power delivery.
Any inputs?

Edit- my bike is a March 2014 model with 8.5k kms on the odo. My buddy's is a 2013 October model with close to 12k kms on the odo. Both the bikes are regularly serviced and are in good nick.

I was going to comment his engine condition is less than acceptable (Assuming it has run significantly more than yours ) but the mileage count of both bike aren't that different and 12k km is not much either .

Is there a marked cam chain sound in his bike compared to yours ? The bike requires a valve clearance check around 10k mark (As well as first service/1k mark - the procedures followed in foreign market for the same bike ) . I am not sure about the KTM but ducati bikes have a reputation of losing performance noticeably in 10k-20km spans if clearance is not checked and adjusted in short intervals .

ps: I went through entire ownership threads before my purchase 2 months back , i don't recall anyone expressing any noticeable difference between bikes from both years separated by more than 6 months .

pps: my own bike , just 1.6k old has mellowed down acceleration wise - noticeable around 5k rpm mark , new it used to respond immediately to WOT application but requires a second now to respond (feels like it is gasping for air and fuel , 7k rpm mark the response is still immediate and strong though ). A member here suggests replacing the fuel filter .

[schakravarthy]

I don't think the issue is bike specific, basuroy. If you take out my bike from the equation, his is still stunningly fast. His engine is healthy, no doubt about that. Also, his engine and exhaust sound quieter than mine.

Other differences I noticed are-

1) on his bike, rear wheel locks up when I engine brake by dropping a gear ( not too aggressively mind you!). Same riding style, my bike shows the expected reaction and slows down without locking up the rear.

2) throttle on his bike seems shorter. The twist required to fully open the throttle feels slightly longer in my bike.

3) his bike, occasionally, stalls for no reason. A quick search showed that this was a known issue. My bike, on the other hand, refuses to start when the engine is hot! A slight throttle input is necessary to fire it up.

4) my bike idles at a slightly higher rpm, around 2k. His idles at around 1.8k rpm.

My guess would be, either the exhaust or throttle or map, or a combination of them, are different.

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

Edit- my bike is a March 2014 model with 8.5k kms on the odo. My buddy's is a 2013 October model with close to 12k kms on the odo. Both the bikes are regularly serviced and are in good nick.

Bro, while vehicles as they get older will start losing bhp at the wheel due to a host of reasons, however bikes even with the same mileage on them can have completely different performance figures. It is all about the way the bike has been ridden and maintained that matters. It's all moving and mechanical parts and if the older bike had been ridden hard, then it is more than likely that there is more mechanical wear and tear on the older engine. it could also be the fuel. Taking 2 random bikes and running them against each other is not really how you do a test. You need to use the same fuel, have both the bikes serviced before the test etc even before you start comparing. However, the possibility that maps might be tweaked a little bit is not ruled out but then we would all have known by now if that was the case.

[anilp]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

are-

1) on his bike, rear wheel locks up when I engine brake by dropping a gear ( not too aggressively mind you!). Same riding style, my bike shows the expected reaction and slows down without locking up the rear.


3) his bike, occasionally, stalls for no reason. A quick search showed that this was a known issue. My bike, on the other hand, refuses to start when the engine is hot! A slight throttle input is necessary to fire it up.

4) my bike idles at a slightly higher rpm, around 2k. His idles at around 1.8k rpm.

(4) 2013 bikes idle around 1400 rpm.

(3) looks like both your bikes need an experienced technician to have a look.

(1) Are you sure your bike doesn't do this? Considering all components remain same, that's weird.