[rbp]

Finally my bike had to go like this to the service center.

The bike refused to crank even after charging the battery the whole night. After a lot of calls to KTM service, I managed to get it sent to the service center on a flatbed. The service center is going to check it tomorrow. Will update tomorrow.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by rbp

Finally my bike had to go like this to the service center.

The bike refused to crank even after charging the battery the whole night. After a lot of calls to KTM service, I managed to get it sent to the service center on a flatbed. The service center is going to check it tomorrow. Will update tomorrow.

That is one painful sight :(
Looks like the battery is turning out to be the Achilles heel of the new Duke. High time KTM starts paying attention to this issue and informing their service personnel.

[sriramv.iyer]

Originally Posted by rbp

And finally my less than 2 months old Duke 390 stalled all of a sudden in the middle of the road and refused to crank. The console, horn and indicators work fine, but when I press the start button, nothing happens, I just hear a tak sound thats it and nothing else

EXACTLY the same symptom as my bike's - So sorry to hear that.

People interested in buying the Duke390 stay away from it.

I thought mine was an isolated incident. But, was surprised to see another bike with identical problem in KTM Mekhri Circle. (Seems like a high probability issue). I would now advice people to wait for some sort of announcement from KTM before taking the plunge to the new D390

Originally Posted by Trust_In_Thrust

This looks like to be a case of faulty cell in battery .The symptoms are similar to what we see when we have a faulty cell in car battery . You can get the battery cells checked at most battery shops .It will eliminate battery as a problem so you can look elsewhere then .

KTM themselves say it is a battery problem - I now don't know if it is limited to a specific batch or something fundamentally broken.

Originally Posted by rbp

Attachment 1689124

Finally my bike had to go like this to the service center.

The bike refused to crank even after charging the battery the whole night. After a lot of calls to KTM service, I managed to get it sent to the service center on a flatbed. The service center is going to check it tomorrow. Will update tomorrow.

DAMN. Heart breaking to see that. (I had to tow my 2013 D390 and it was not a pretty sight) - Please do keep us posted.

Originally Posted by sammyboy

That is one painful sight :(
Looks like the battery is turning out to be the Achilles heel of the new Duke. High time KTM starts paying attention to this issue and informing their service personnel.

+1

And, funnily, I haven't got an update - It has been 3 weeks now! Thankfully, I am in the US for two weeks. Else, I'd have been supremely frustrated.

I should buy a battery myself or just sell the bike. I can't imagine a brand new bike staying the service center for 3 weeks for a simple issue like battery replacement under warranty.

I hope they get it ready in the next few days before I am back.

[abhishek46]

I wonder why KTM is not issuing an official recall for fixing the defects in these bikes.
They are well aware of the issue, and multiple people have reported this now.
What are they waiting for?

I hope they realize the pain, a customer goes through, on getting stranded in the middle of nowhere due to lame issues like this.

[aditya.bhardwaj]

Well i got my D390 on the 8th of Oct. Fortunately, no battery problems has occured( Touchwood*). Recently, due to work, i was not able to ride but after a gap of 5 days, she started on the first crank and even the voltage was constant.

Shall update in case an issue crops up.

@rbp and Sriram - Don't lose your faith on this fantastic motorcycle. I rode my 2013 D390 for 3.5 yrs and 30k kms. I do agree, there were some issues in the first lot. I am listing below what all was changed under warranty and in the first year on my previous D390.

1. Head Gasket ( Guess it was done for all first lot 390's )
2. Rear Caliper
3. Front Brake Pads
4. ECU
5. Complete wiring harness
6. Thermostat / temp sensor
7. Bank angle sensor
8. Instrument console - 5 times

I do understand, its very frustrating to get a new motorcycle and then visit the service centre again and again. Thankfully, the KTM service guys were extremely helpful and tried all they could. If things didn't work, they just replaced the same part under warranty on the same day without wasting any time.

I hope everything gets sorted soon for you guys.

Cheers

[VW2010]

This is frustrating to follow. KTM was not this bad when it came to attending to issues. This is the first time i am seeing KTM/Bajaj responding so badly to an issue that can impact their sales if it hits the buying population who currently are blind to online forums.

I think this needs to be highlighted in their FB page or twitter to let them know, there is a potential issue and the issue is not about bad battery but the inability of KTM to fix the battery back in time.

[Red Liner]

This is purely an issue with ktm mekhri circle. I would never visit that service center even if i had bought the bike from there.

Go to autoservice banashankari, or even ktm banashankari, you will be sorted.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by aditya.bhardwaj

Well i got my D390 on the 8th of Oct. Fortunately, no battery problems has occured( Touchwood*). Recently, due to work, i was not able to ride but after a gap of 5 days, she started on the first crank and even the voltage was constant.

Shall update in case an issue crops up.

@rbp and Sriram - Don't lose your faith on this fantastic motorcycle. I rode my 2013 D390 for 3.5 yrs and 30k kms. I do agree, there were some issues in the first lot. I am listing below what all was changed under warranty and in the first year on my previous D390.

1. Head Gasket ( Guess it was done for all first lot 390's )
2. Rear Caliper
3. Front Brake Pads
4. ECU
5. Complete wiring harness
6. Thermostat / temp sensor
7. Bank angle sensor
8. Instrument console - 5 times

I do understand, its very frustrating to get a new motorcycle and then visit the service centre again and again. Thankfully, the KTM service guys were extremely helpful and tried all they could. If things didn't work, they just replaced the same part under warranty on the same day without wasting any time.

I hope everything gets sorted soon for you guys.

Cheers

Wow that is so many things changed, i guess for some one who wants peace of mind, KTM is not exactly his cup of tea.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Wow that is so many things changed, i guess for some one who wants peace of mind, KTM is not exactly his cup of tea.

Some might choose to disagree with you and argue about that, but as an owner, I would 100% agree with what you have just said. Constant valve clearance adjustment among several other aspects that need checking, and constant care is needed. That said, it is the only machine with which I find myself sometimes waking up in the middle of the night, just to go ride. The aggressive yet poised character of the bike, the confidence inspiring nature, the raw unadulterated feel and connection, nothing else serves up such an intoxicating blend. It definitely is a LOVE IT/HATE IT relationship that I have with the bike

[rbp]

Originally Posted by aditya.bhardwaj

1. Head Gasket ( Guess it was done for all first lot 390's )
2. Rear Caliper
3. Front Brake Pads
4. ECU
5. Complete wiring harness
6. Thermostat / temp sensor
7. Bank angle sensor
8. Instrument console - 5 times

Wow, thats a big list, I am surprised you are still so positive.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

This is purely an issue with ktm mekhri circle. I would never visit that service center even if i had bought the bike from there.

Go to autoservice banashankari, or even ktm banashankari, you will be sorted.

AutoService have lost their Mojo to service the bikes ever since Kawasaki was forced out from the Bajaj alliance. I was informed that Bajaj & KTM have split the profit and loss accounts. So now Bajaj and KTM have separate codes and unfortunately AutoService has been marked as a Bajaj dealer and not KTM, due to this AutoService cannot order spares directly from KTM, they get KTM spares from other showrooms and service. Thats the reason you want find spares immediately at AutoService.

Update On the Bike :- The bike is back and it turns out to be loose socket connection below the rider seat , may be the Bangalore potholes had a hand in loosening the connection . I also got the firmware updated and now my phone is connecting to the console. I am still concerned abt the long term reliability of this vehicle, wires getting loose in just 1500 kms of riding is not a good sign.

[sriramv.iyer]

Update:

25 days and counting!

I called up Mekhri circle KTM for an update - I was traveling for 2 weeks, and I couldn't believe when they said they haven't received the batteries yet. And, they blame Exide for it.

I asked the if they think it is ok to keep a brand new bike with them for weeks together - They don't even apologise for the delays! (It is not our problem, it is Exide's!)

Sometimes, good things have to come to an end. They lost a loyal and a happy customer (I have owned 2013 D390, 2014 RC390 and 2017 D390!)

I think people should completely avoid Mekhri Circle KTM, if not KTM altogether.

PS:- Now the service manager doesn't even pick / return calls.

[sriramv.iyer]

Originally Posted by rbp

Wow, thats a big list, I am surprised you are still so positive.

+1

Update On the Bike :- The bike is back and it turns out to be loose socket connection below the rider seat may be the Bangalore potholes had a hand in loosening the connection .

Happy to know that the issue was root-caused and fixed. Scary to know the loosening connection issue

---

Update:
In a miraculous turn of events, I got a call from KTM Service Manager yesterday and he told me they got 'first set' of two batteries from Exide after 20+ days and they'll be fixing one on my bike. (I am worried about this issue, clearly because it doesn't seem to be one off. Looks like prevalent one. We'll never know till more people share their concerns online.

The bike feels awesome as usual and I hope nothing bad happens in near future. (This bike has exhausted all its lifelines now )

But, 26 days for a battery replacement under warranty is completely unacceptable for KTM under *ANY* standards

--
Btw, when it rains, it pours. I also got a call from Kawasaki that all paper-workm / registration is done, and I also got my Ninja 1000 delivered yesterday. So, pretty good day as a biker!

[The_Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

But, 26 days for a battery replacement under warranty is completely unacceptable for KTM under *ANY* standards

Mekhri Circle KTM is owned by a dealership network called Popular KTM/Bajaj. I have had an absolutely horrendous ordeal in dealing with their Mysore branch.

My 2013 390 went in to their workshop for a faulty instrument console (showing either 0, or speed reading in only small single-digit increments) in July. First, they told me the ABS/speedo cables needed changing, that did nothing. Then, they said the ABS module needs to be replaced (quoting a price of Rs. 20,000 with an unabashedly big grin on their smug faces). Then, they tell me that the ABS module is fine, and it needs a new ECU. Cut to about a week later, they tell me that the ECU's good but I need a new wiring harness. An arduous 2 and a half weeks later, they put in the new harness, and voila... nothing! They then had the audacity to blame the perfectly good front wheel, saying there is a bend in it. There was none! I could see that they were blindly grasping at strings at this point .

Finally, being completely fed up with their BS and sheer ineptitude, I took their ECU diagnostic tool (which they themselves couldn't operate properly), hooked it up and verified that both the ECU and ABS modules were correctly reading the speed from the front and back wheels. I checked the parts manual, found that they had previously incorrectly installed a 2015 MY instrument console in my first-year 2013 bike (the 2013s use a different console, the part numbers are not the same). After pointing that out, they finally ordered a new console, with the head mechanic trying to defer the blame for installing the wrong console in the first place, saying he wasn't there at the time (yeah, right!). After waiting another 3 weeks for the console, they installed it, but waited another week to give me my back because... I have no idea why, just lame excuses plus they "lost" my left crash-guard!

I finally got my bike back after 3.5 months and I've decided to avoid "Popular" showrooms for good. From now on, I'll take my bike to a more decent showroom in Bangalore (definitely not Mekhri Circle) for its regular services, mostly KTM Indiranagar where it was purchased.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

The bike feels awesome as usual and I hope nothing bad happens in near future. (This bike has exhausted all its lifelines now )

But, 26 days for a battery replacement under warranty is completely unacceptable for KTM under *ANY* standards

--
Btw, when it rains, it pours. I also got a call from Kawasaki that all paper-workm / registration is done, and I also got my Ninja 1000 delivered yesterday. So, pretty good day as a biker!

Wow, good news all around then. Congratulations on getting the duke back and a thousand congratulations on the ninja 😬 (I know a thread on it is in the works somewhere lol)
I hope the folks at KTM are keeping an eye on this thread and resolve the larger battery issue root cause quick.