[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by VW2010

I used to use Motul. But i clean them every week. Habit i carried from bullet to clean the bike every week. I spray at night and actually let the dripping happen before i take the bike out. Its usually sitting for 2 days before its operational for the weekend is for the bullet to roam around nearby.

The rims are hardly clean anyday in chennai dust. And i clean up the rims everyday before work. Damn my habits.

I love the way Tribocor works. It is foam based. Visible difference in my experience after lubing with it. Check out ebay if you want to try these. Use a cleaner as well before lubing.

[mithunvvijayan]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Mithun nice to know you are finally happy with your bike. I hope you continue to be happy.

Btw, I would love to see photos of the piston and connecting if you managed to take them. Am sure the tehnicians would have checked the same since they had the engine off.

I dont know why they had the engine off though. Can't the shims and timing chain and valve lapping be done with the engine in situ?

Hi doc.So after 600 kms, I can say that the engine is quite smoother, and many other unidentified noises vanished. But it has not been all smooth sailing. I got stranded from a massive petrol bleed, hopefully from under the tank. Now on my way to the KTM service center, in an Auto with the bike. Also there has been some coolant loss, with some splatter of green liquid on the side of the crank case cover and also on the side of the radiator.

[Akhilash95]

My crash guard bolt sheared off and started rattling. I have not dropped the bike. May be someone dropped it in the parking lot, but there are no other pointers suggesting that such a thing happened. Even the crash guard itself hasn't bent. Is this easily fixable?

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by Akhilash95

My crash guard bolt sheared off and started rattling. I have not dropped the bike. May be someone dropped it in the parking lot, but there are no other pointers suggesting that such a thing happened. Even the crash guard itself hasn't bent. Is this easily fixable?

Whoa! No it's not because of a fall. These bolts are known to shear off due to high vibrations.

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by Akhilash95

My crash guard bolt sheared off and started rattling. I have not dropped the bike. May be someone dropped it in the parking lot, but there are no other pointers suggesting that such a thing happened. Even the crash guard itself hasn't bent. Is this easily fixable?

Akhilash, this is something which is more than a co-incidence.

The EXACT same thing happened with my ride when I was on NICE Road day before yesterday, after seeing of a friend who was heading for E-City. My right horn is attached to this, and I didn't realise anything until I felt a sudden weight on my right shoe. I was on 3 digit speeds, so couldn't look down. Slowed down gradually, only to see that my right horn had fallen from it's position and was laying on my shoe top, balancing itself on it's own without having fallen off in spite of such strong winds hitting it!

I thank the almighty for not letting that thing fall of my shoe and setting me back by 1000 bucks.

Coming to your point, it's absolutely fixable. A half an hour affair. Some sort of welding has to be done at the point of impact ONLY after removing the earthing from the battery. That's about it. 100 rupee affair.

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by barcalad

it's absolutely fixable. A half an hour affair. Some sort of welding has to be done at the point of impact ONLY after removing the earthing from the battery. That's about it. 100 rupee affair.

Rather than having someone remove it by welding, find someone who will drill through the stuck bolt and clean the threads using a tap. During welding, high current flowing through the chassis is a bad idea in modern bikes. Even with the battery disconnected.

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Rather than having someone remove it by welding, find someone who will drill through the stuck bolt and clean the threads using a tap. During welding, high current flowing through the chassis is a bad idea in modern bikes. Even with the battery disconnected.

Drilling was my first choice, too.

They tried 3-4 types of drill screws but none could penetrate. They then wanted to do something called 'hard drilling' and I flatly refused. Hence, the welding was done. I personally saw the entire process and checked the joint and it appears to be as good as new.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Akhilash95

My crash guard bolt sheared off and started rattling.

It need not be a fall, if someone in the parking lot was a little careless in parking his/her bike next to yours and something hit the crash guard, its enough to snap the bolt.

I noticed mine a little late. The bottom bolt has sheared off and that is the same bolt that screws on to one of the engine mounts. The upper bolt was loose so one evening while leaving from work, I noticed the left side crash guard swinging around on the loose upper bolt. Took the bike the service centre and it was not a fast fix. The entire bottom bolt had to be replaced cause it runs through one of the engine mounts (I think). Cheap fix though even it you take it to the service centre.

I did not experience any rattling. Had I not noticed it, the crash guard would have just fallen off.

[ebonho]

I am surprised Bajaj is not using tempered hardened bolts for this application. I have replaced a lot of the OE bolts on my Bullet with the gunmetal black tempered hardened "TVS" bolts, and shearing due to metal fatigue is a thing of the past.

[Akhilash95]

Originally Posted by barcalad

I thank the almighty for not letting that thing fall of my shoe and setting me back by 1000 bucks.

Coming to your point, it's absolutely fixable. A half an hour affair. Some sort of welding has to be done at the point of impact ONLY after removing the earthing from the battery. That's about it. 100 rupee affair.

Sir, please share the details of the shop from which you got the bolt removed. I visited KTM banshankari, who suggested that I leave the bike for a day and they ll get it done from somewhere else.
Can Unique Service Centre, banshankari do this job?

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by Akhilash95

Sir, please share the details of the shop from which you got the bolt removed. I visited KTM banshankari, who suggested that I leave the bike for a day and they ll get it done from somewhere else.
Can Unique Service Centre, banshankari do this job?

Please. I'm no 'Sir'.

Yes. I got it done there. PM me for details. You can give my reference.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Review - Sofarider gel seat

Recently got this for the Mrs who likes riding pillion iwth me on the 390, but the seating situation means she can bear no more than 10 minutes on the bike: http://shop.redlineplus.in/1-rider-c...rb_double_slab

I ordered the "Superb double slab" with the "fixed strap on" option. Cost me a shade under Rs. 4300 shipped. For a local pick up in Pune, should cost you Rs 4000

Mind you, I have ridden with the seat on for less than 50 kms, so take everything I say with a pinch of salt:
................. (cont.)

Me and the Mrs rode down to Lansdowne this past weekend on the Duke. It was a 550 km roundtrip. We used the strap on "Sofarider" gel seat to give the Mrs a more comfortable perch than the tiny wooden bench the 390 comes with for a pillion seat.

I can now say with utmost confidence, the gel seat is an excellent product. The Mrs did not complain of any numbness or soreness. In fact, on our way over to Lansdowne I stopped after riding non stop for around 130 kms; to drink some water, which includes the crappy pot holed roads enroute to Meerut. How potholded you ask? A Verna missed one of the craters, blew a tyre, bent a rim and suffered other misc. damage to the undercarriage.

The Mrs. said - "Kya hua? Why are we stopping? I dont need a break"



I had to tell her to stop showing off and let an ageing man drink some water in peace

The only issue was that the seat had moved slightly from its original position towards the last leg of the journey, but not by much

In general, I think the Duke is definitely an able motorcycle for 2 up touring with some helpful mods or accessorising such as this gel seat. It does need a back rest though, and a proper luggage carrier. This is next in line for sure. Will work on getting one made by a local welder / fabricator guy

And after nearly 10000 kms of ridingthe 390, I have made up my mind about the rider seat & I will be leaving it stock. No foam / gel add on or strap on seats for me. I think I am finally used to the seat and now use the available space without major discomfort. I too did not experience pain or numbness in my butt

However, I did have pain in my shoulder, lower back and especially my left forearm by the end of the journey. The shoulder & back pain I can definitely attribute to the fact that the Missus, despite her most honest intentions and efforts, would not always be able to keep her weight off me and I would have to sort of stiffen up my shoulders and squeeze real hard with my thighs to avoid going nuts first into the petrol tank

The left arm pain however could be either due to:

- The clutch
- Or most probably owing to the wife hanging on to the right side of the bike for the most part of the journey to "capture the scenery" on our cheap and cheerful mobius action cam. Left turns took a considerable amount of force to push the handlebars

I am leaning towards the 2nd option, as it gives me something that makes me look like the brave, "pain bearing and not say a word" HERO

But there is a chance that this was the relatively heavy clutch's doing coupled with the longish distance. Well, longer than I have ridden the Duke ever within 24 hours anyway

But fret not, this will be confirmed this coming weekend as I ride down to Nainital with some good people, a 600 odd KM round trip

[barcalad]

Got the ride back after the 3rd service at 11649 on the odo.

A pleasant experience, though. Was right on time to be number one on the queue. They immediately took it in and listed down my concerns. Was back home surprisingly early.

Was watching a movie at home, when I got the following text. Got this for the first time, so was taken aback.



Immediately headed to the SVC and the bike was gleaming as good as new. The manager explained that what parts need to be changed in the future, such as chain set and brake pads. My front brake calliper was fixed and now the braking is super strong. All my concerns were addressed, except the excess idling issue which comes up when the engine isn't heated up very much. I suspect it to be the sensor, and shall get it cleaned soon.

Riding back home, it felt very smooth and calm. Gearshift has become jovial (if that's the suitable word for it! ) and the braking has become very, very reliable. Changing both the pads tomorrow.

Forty five minutes after I was home, got a call from a gentleman from KTM who introduced himself as a Customer Service Executive. He asked me if everything was up to the mark, whether the staff behaviour was good, whether the manager had explained the bill to me and whether I was happy with the end product or not. Responded in positive, and that was it.

Now, this is a very good change. I'm very impressed by the drastic change that KTM has undertaken which was pretty much on show today. Hope this continues and they finally live up to their international repute.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by barcalad

..except the excess idling issue which comes up when the engine isn't heated up very much. I suspect it to be the sensor, and shall get it cleaned soon...

At what RPM is the bike hovering when its cold? There is an auto choke to keep the bike from dying until the engine is hot to sustain the idle. Usually for a couple of minutes.

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Me and the Mrs rode down to Lansdowne this past weekend on the Duke. It was a 550 km roundtrip. We used the strap on "Sofarider" gel seat to give the Mrs a more comfortable perch than the tiny wooden bench the 390 comes with for a pillion seat.

I can now say with utmost confidence, the gel seat is an excellent product.
=============
But fret not, this will be confirmed this coming weekend as I ride down to Nainital with some good people, a 600 odd KM round trip

Looks like you have found a med for the stiff seats !

Was the sofaseat double padded or single ?
Can you link me to exactly what you bought ?


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