[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by mp417

Overall it was a FLOP SHOW and left a bitter experience for me.

I avoid routes whenever such group rides get planned, forget about being part of it.

Problem 1: Water getting accumulated in the head lamp assembly and center console.

Please check if water gets evaporated in few days, but both indicate imperfect sealing.

Problem 2: Oil leakage from engine block.

Quite unheard of in KTM, this is generally RE trait. Please have it checked at service center.

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by mp417

Problem 2: Oil leakage from engine block.

A fellow rider pointed this issue to me during the ride. His Duke also had similar problem and told me to take the bike to service center.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Quite unheard of in KTM, this is generally RE trait. Please have it checked at service center.

This is the most happening on the Dukes after the rim bend/ cracks. Nothing to worry about. If you find a lot of leakage then you need to take it to SVC ASAP. There are some riders who I know personally and who have replaced the gasket more than a couple of times. Even I had to replace the same after 26k on the odo recently.

It is an hour job but better if the bike is not started overnight to allow the sealant to dry off completely. You can also plan this along with a service if you are in close range.

[mp417]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Quite unheard of in KTM, this is generally RE trait. Please have it checked at service center.

Originally Posted by unk9ja

This is the most happening on the Dukes after the rim bend/ cracks. Nothing to worry about. If you find a lot of leakage then you need to take it to SVC ASAP. There are some riders who I know personally and who have replaced the gasket more than a couple of times. Even I had to replace the same after 26k on the odo recently.

It is an hour job but better if the bike is not started overnight to allow the sealant to dry off completely. You can also plan this along with a service if you are in close range.

I posted the issue on Duke 390 thread and many members have confirmed about this known issue in Duke. I am glad the fix is already known.
Plan to take the bike to SVC this Friday to get it checked and fixed. I am not sure whether it will be possible not to start the bike after it's fixed since I wait at SVC till the bike is being serviced.

[mp417]

KTM - DO IT YOURSELF Session

Got the invitation from Sai Service to attend DIY session at Wakdewadi showroom on 27th August @ 4 pm.
Around 25 other KTM owners attended this session. Entire Sai Service KTM team was present as well. KTM's Service manager of Maharashtra Mr. Milind conducted the 45 minutes session. He used the KTM DIY slideshow. Posting the slideshow from ebonho's Duke 200 thread. The same details were used during this session.

KTM training DIY customer.pdf

Session ended with Q & A and it was interesting. KTM guys were able to answer most of the queries.

At the end of the session I showed the two problems to Mr. Milind and he asked to visit service center. He took photos and noted down my registration number.







Overall I liked the idea of conducting such sessions. This certainly helps in better brand building. Time worth spent

[mp417]

My Duke 200 ownership thread was laying unattended for multiple years (5+ ) primarily because of family and professional commitments.
So many things happened in the meantime. We have wasted two years in lockdowns, multiple waves and what not. The most important for me was purchasing another vehicle in my garage. Got Ertiga ZXi+ in September 2016. It's a perfect family car. Period. Have enjoyed multiple family road trips and the car continues to impress. Recently upgraded the car and spruced up lot of things. Will share the details in the Ertiga thread (planning to write a long-term review soon).

Ok, coming back to Duke 200 (Orange Arrow).
The bike was primarily used for city commutes with occasional short rides around Pune (exception was 500 km ride to Kokan). In last 5 years it has done only few kilometres and the odo is at 13900 as in January 2022. The bike remains hoot to ride and the moment I start the engine, it continue to put wide smile on my face.

Some quick updates:
1. In my earlier post, I had reported the oil leakage problem. The engine seal was changed under warranty, and the problem was fixed permanently.

2. Arrow continues to give good fuel efficiency (35 kmpl) in city.

3. Have not faced any other problem so far.

4. Changed the battery last year and got Exide battery installed. Bike was parked for most of the time due to Covid.

5. Arrow was serviced once a year regularly at authorized service center (tried Baner & Nal stop centers) with routine servicing and replacing few misc. parts (liquids, clutch cable, rear brake pads etc.)

6. Arrow is still looking like new

Some random pics.













Ready to Pounce!!


Recently I was thinking about all the rides I have done and how can I go back to it to get the much needed "me time". It was typical new year resolution time you know. Saw the news about new RC 200 launch and it created a lot of buzz in mind.

Should I upgrade or continue with Arrow was the dilemma. Heart was saying upgrade to RC 390 (no there bike or brand was even considered) and mind was telling me Not To. Went to showroom twice to check out the new RC to get a feel. I was extremely impressed with the new RC and almost made up my mind to book RC 390. Tentative launch date of 390 was around January end. Shared my dilemma with with wifey. And as always, wifey help me decide to first pick up my riding and then after 6 months take a call. Your better half would always give you good reasoning to help you arrive at decision

So yesterday dropped the plan of upgrade to RC 390 and now I'm focusing completely on my Orange Arrow.

The bike still rides well however ride quality has deteriorated. In the recent servicing, got the clutch cable changed which helped a bit. The MRF Revz-C Tyres have developed lot of cracks and rubber has become hard due to its age.

Now that I have saved some bucks, decided to make multiple upgrades to the Arrow and start riding again. Below is the initial list. Any suggestions are welcome.


Wear/Tear repairs, replacement

1. Rubber bushes
2. Cables
3. Brake pads
4. Replace spark plug

Performance Improvement

1. Gold/Brass chain, front sprocket, rear sprocket
2. K&N air filter
3. New tyres - Michelin/Metzeler/Apollo
4. LED Headlamp

Safety

1. Riding shoes
2. Gloves

Comfort & Convenience

1. Seat cushion and fabric change
2. Mobile holder

Aesthetics

1. Rim - New stickers
2. Front fork stickers

Cheers!!!

Stay safe and take care. Wave 3's onslaught has just begun.

[mp417]

As part of the overall upgrade plan, getting new tyres was on topmost priority.

Did some research and zeroed on Apollo Alpha H1. It's the first steel belted radial from an Indian manufacturer. It has silica compound and good tread pattern.

Called up few Apollo dealers in Pune and decided to visit a nearest tyre shop. Price quoted: 10,400/- including fitting.

Got the tyres swapped this morning.

Initial impression after riding the bike for 30 odd kms:
1. The bike feels much more planted
2. Handling has improved multi fold. Initially I thought there is something wrong with the installation as I was not used to this change in behavior
3. Lean angle has improved

Riding is even more fun now.
Cursed myself for not upgrading the tyres earlier

Got the latest batch. November 2021 manufactured.










Old MRF Tyre had developed cracks and become hard


Following video helped in deciding Apollo Alpha H1.

https://youtu.be/-XnHC2CUA2w

Cheers!!!

[mp417]

How does a petrolhead celebrate the birthday?


By spending quality time with your machine for some DIY

That's what I did. Spent 2.5 hours today to clean the Orange Arrow. Target was to clean (as much as possible) the oil and muck deposited around chain, chain cover, sprocket, bearings, side stand, rims, brakes etc. These are the most neglected areas. Did not click the "before" pics. It was really nasty at multiple places.

Used diesel and different brushes to clean the oil residue. The wheel roller came handy while cleaning. However would need another session to get rid of the oil residue completely. Will try kerosene next time.

Used car interior polish to rejuvenate the black plastic part. Overall happy with the results. Removed the tyre hugger. New Apollo looks really good.

[mp417]

Next upgrade was to get the seat cushions changed so that bums wont hurt on rides. The OE seats had become too hard and at times it was getting unbearable to drive for more than 30 minutes.

Enquired few seat cover shops and got different suggestion. So decided to go to one of the largest seat cover shop in Nana Peth.

Got the foam and cover completely replaced. Installed high density foam to get sufficient comfort.

Duke seat shape is a bit odd hence getting the seat cover stapled was tricky and time consuming process.

Overall happy with the result
The pillion seat now has raised height which is giving good lower back support for me while riding.

OE pillion seat - foam and seat covers are bonded together


pillion seat - stapling the cover


Rider seat foam installation






Final result

[mp417]

Got the next planned upgrade 'big' shipment delivered today

Planning to do some DIY in next couple of days.

Brass chain. Includes Rear and Front Sprocket - 3366/- (ordered from LRL Motors). This is 'X' Ring type chain which is supposed to be better than 'O' Ring type.


K&N Replacement filter - 4999/- (ordered from LRL Motors)


NGK Iridium spark plug - 435/- (ordered from LRL Motors)


6 step adjustable levers - Orange color - 1071/- (ordered from Amazon)

[mp417]

DIY - Air filter and Spark plug replacement. Instead of going to service center I wanted to do it myself and it was worth time spent. My 9 yrs old kiddo helped me in this DIY. He is super excited to see all the upgrades being done on the Duke. He just love this machine and asked me not to change/upgrade to anything else.

Changing the air filter was a straightforward affair.
1. Remove pillion seat and Rider seat
2. Remove the nuts of the air filter box
3. Take out the existing filter and put the new filter. Ensure the air filter box locks are properly placed. Once verified, put the nuts back

Fired up the engine for a quick check (5 seconds) if anything has changed.

After removing the seats


K&N filter Vs OE Filter. I had changed the air filter during the last servicing so it is fairly new.




Changing the spark plug was a bit tricky due to limited space available to use the tools. There is a longer process of removing the fuel tank and then getting direct access to spark plug however I used the quicker option.
1. Remove the spark plug connector - noticed that after the recent servicing, the rubber cover was not properly closed. This might have kept some open space thus dust might have entered.
2. Use the standard round spanner provided in the tool kit. There is a small rubber insert within this spanner. I had to remove it after failing to get the spanner into the spark plug
3. Unscrew the spark plug
4. Put the rubber insert back in the spanner so that the spark plug one end gets stuck in the rubber and you can pull it out. I had to try few times but finally was able to pull it out
5. Installed the new spark plug and put back the connector. This time I ensured that the connector rubber cover is properly secured

Look at the status of OE spark plug. Also notice the spark plug tip and gap of the iridium spark plug


Started the engine and immediately noticed that the exhaust note has become crisp.

Overall observations after using the bike for few city commutes:
1. The throttle response has become smooth and a bit more pick up in higher revs
2. Exhaust sound is more crisp
3. Marginally increased fuel efficiency (by 1 to 2 kmpl).
4. Noticed some vibration in 3rd gear while going sedately. Had never observed this earlier. Will monitor this further.

Let me know questions if any.

Cheers!!

[mp417]

Got super excited due to earlier DIYs so decided to change the Clutch and Brake levers.

Changing brake lever was straight forward. Just remove one screw and replace the lever and you are done.

Clutch lever was a bit tricky and you need to remove one more attachment. I'm not sure why is it used. There was a small notch which holds the lever in addition to the screws. I was not aware of the additional attachment and pulled the lever by applying some force. Big mistake
I ended up breaking a small notch which holds the lever. I still replaced the new lever anyway and the clutch is working fine. Planning to visit the service center to get this fixed. Don't want to ride the bike when I know something is broken.

The orange levers looks awesome and goes well with the Orange color of the bike. The levers are short in length by approx. 1.5 inch (as compared to stock levers) so need some time to get used to it.

[mp417]

Today visited the KTM Service center to complete following tasks:
1. Chain & Sprocket replacement
2. Fix the broken notch of clutch lever

The clutch lever notch is designed to check if clutch is pressed while starting the engine while in gear. So in my case I can start the engine in gear without engaging the clutch and it's dangerous. Decided to fix this later as I discovered another issue. The new adjustable clutch lever is not engaged fully due to it's shape. The stock lever has a curve (as per the LHS grip design) at one end. So while the new orange levers look cool it might cause some issue with the gear box in long run. Consulted the service advisor and decided to go back to stock levers.

Changing the chain and sprocket was a straight forward process (as long as you have the tools and aware of the right steps).

The mechanic advised not to lube the chain immediately and only do it after 100 odd kms so that the new chain sets in. The new chain already has some wax like lube applied to it.

Pics below for reference. The "brass" chain does look good

Will ride the bike for few days and see if there is any noticeable difference in the performance.

Cheers!!!







New rear sprocket - looks neat

[mp417]

Forgot to mention the cost of chain replacement.
Charges 550 + taxes (649/-) for the work which is very steep IMO. However I wanted to get it done only from ASS.

Today purchased Rynox Tornado Pro 3 hand gloves. Got it for 3250/- (no discount). The material is nice, having good grip and Knox protection at all the right places. These are semi gauntlet type and should be comfortable for long rides.

Currently I'm using the Rockrider cycling gloves for city commutes These are very comfortable and also you can tuck-in the pockets easily.