Is KTM carrying out a non-publicized recall of the Duke 390?

KTM India could be carrying out a non-publicized recall on the recently launched Duke 390 motorcycle. Team-Bhpian SriramV.Iyer and one of the first owners of the KTM Duke 390 in Bangalore has been notified of a parts replacement exercise on his motorcycle by a local KTM dealer. 

The parts that will be replaced free of cost to the customer through this exercise are the fan assembly and rotor parts. While "fan assembly" refers to the cooling fan that is designed to work with the liquid cooled module of the 373 cc single cylinder engine, rotor parts could have to do with the disc brake assembly of the motorcycle. The "product replacement exercise" is said to take 2-3 hours. 

Notably, there have been reports that pre-production variants of the Duke 390 were heating up quite a bit in traffic crawl situations, a problem that is common to larger engined, liquid cooled motorcycles. In that light, it remains to be seen if the fan assembly recall/part replacement exercise is a move to allay this particular issue.

We're yet to receive official notification from Bajaj Auto/KTM India regarding the parts replacement exercise. In the past as well, Bajaj Auto, like many other Indian automobile manufacturers, had chosen to couch a product recall with a term as ambiguous as "quality improvement". Don't be surprised if a similar story pans out with the purported KTM Duke 390 recall as well. 

The KTM Duke 390, launched earlier this year, is the most powerful made-in-India motorcycle, with a 43 Bhp-35 Nm output from its 373 cc single cylinder petrol engine. The motorcycle is built at Bajaj Auto's Chakan factory, with heavy localization. Apart from selling the Duke 390 India, KTM exports the motorcycle to countries around the world. 

Therefore, the parts replacement exercise that KTM is carrying out might have global ramifications if exports have begun in a significant way. In India, KTM has just begun delivering the Duke 390. So, the recall exercise is expected to cover only a handful of motorcycles. The latest versions of the Duke 390 rolling out of Chakan are expected to already feature the improved parts.