Sorry to differ with you. I can never understand why some people calling themselves "Rider" always posts comments/pictures etc to proove that every other bike is crap and start a Brand war. The bikes in the pictures don't belong to the same "genre", so why posting pics that is intended to make every other bike dull. People choose bikes according to their need and use. Can you staisfy one hardcore chopper rider with a R1?? Or a hardcore offroader with a Cruiser bike?? I am also a Duke owner, but always praise other's Bikes. Sorry again if you feel my view is totally different from yours.

That's the same issue I posted earlier. The Bike DO NOT FEEL the same when it's very hot(less than 1 or 2 bars from cutoff/breakpoint). Pickup reduces drastically, roughness is much more than normal and the Bike feels like lugging/choking. I don't know whether the SVC will or can do something to it.

Duke is not from Mars! Just kidding. You can actually install HID in almost every new bike.

Answers in Bold and Color.

Is it the Coolant leakage or Coolant spillage? If it's a leakage it will leak everytime, right? Is that so? If that's a spillage then it would only occur when the engine is hot. What's your case?

Trust me, I haven't followed your way on my past bikes and it was still running fine with no engine issues. And me too having almost 12 years of biking experience(Earlier days it was my Dad's, Uncle's or friend's bike; from last 5 - 6 years its with my bikes). I used to change oil on recommended intervals and never crossed the recommended RPM during run-in. And I never had any engine seizure in my life. Only thing I followed is I mostly avoided sudden acceleration during runin and didn't ride hard while the engine is cold.

That's just a matte/rough finish type, Boss. But they are not inferior quality materials. They are designed that way. Also, I never felt any issue to clean them with clothes. Firstly clean them properly with water and then gently rub them with a moist cloth. They are not smooth shiny parts, that's why you're feeling they are difficult to clean.

Also, the front mudguard is not as solid as other parts, but they are not fragile. They won't break easily, so don't worry.

yesterday my temperature bar was below 2 cut off mark
and i thought to rip it so see how it performs now , and to my surprise it performed well as it performs when it is warm
so my issue with harsh/ rough/ sluggish engine during excessive heating is gone
.
ya the material used it of good quality but finish is rough thats it
il try cleaning that way
or else spray matte black and get it smoothened

I'd like to know more on HID.. Can you let me know of good brands available in India and also the prices?

It's very strange. Last Sunday i and my friend went on a trip to Panvel which was just 26kms one side from our start point. We took three bikes R15(Mine), CBR 250 (Friend 1) and Duke (Friend 2). We rode at a speed of 80kmph-100kmph. and we reached Panvel in just 50mins. I and my CBR FRND were shock to see Duke getting Heated at high level !!
Duke is serviced properly and when we asked him does this bike get heated so muh then he said yes it's natural.

Noe my Question is:

Our Bikes R15 and CBR250 din't heat at that level, why did Duke got heated ????

Even we rode at same speed. Our R15 and CBR never got ehated so much as compare to Duke.

Here i am not talking about bikes but the technology these bikes are using.

I hav ridden many non stop Shirdi trips and i never see my R15 getting heated so much. Not even CBR.


Won't heating cause some damage in future to bike performance.

Doesn't this open bike should get cooled quick or should not be heated upto some much ??? as it is a open bike ???

My extended experience with bikes and begs to differ.. I have tried to break-in a new engine in the way that the manuals have mentioned and in a way that I have come to learn and I beg to differ that the way the ol' manuals say has not always been benefiting..
well, each person's experience is different.

I would clearly suggest to anyone reading these threads to follow what's in the manual as the company guys are the ones who are going to provide us with the warranty.. Lol

there are many HID's available in the market starting from 800 Rs china one's
with no guarantee
and a decent one might cost about 3-4 K with one year warranty !

Coolant leakage or Coolant spillage?

This is coolant leakage. Everytime i start up the bike and the temp rises, the coolant leaks out. But i did not want to keep my sitting bike at home, so fixed the leak (DIY). Atleast i can ride the bike.

The black part becomes dirty due to dust, which can be cleaned using dashboard polish and wiping it with a cloth. Water wash will also clean it, but dashboard polish will bring back the dark grey color.

Hey! can anyone suggest some nice saddle bags for duke I am planning a photography tour next weekend to Kerala(chasing the monsoons)..

I went through some Cramster saddle bags but they seem a little big for the Duke..

I think your question will be answered better in the riding gear thread.



What is given in the manual is not always 100% accurate and true. I write aircraft manuals for a living and can assure you that its not always correct. For example we have the wrong tyre pressures given in the manual for our Duke.

My 2 cents on the run-in is simple. Ride it like how you would everyday normally. Not trashing it and not babying it. My belief is that you would not stretch out your leather gloves or shoes by asking someone else to wear them right? You wear so that it FITS YOU.Same for the bike. Wear out the gears and their meshing the way it would be used regularly.

Well put.

AHA! found the post!

wrong tire pressure in the manual?

The correct tyre pressure is printed on the swing arm on the left side of the motorcycle..

Whoa!! I had been filling air according to the manual figures. damn.29/29 and 29/32 with pillion. Damn.
What is the correct pressure btw?

PS : I heard quite pronounced sound when moving the bike(engine switched off) yesterday. The sound is coming from the front chain-sprocket most probably(as if the chain is being obstructed by something or as if the sprocket and chain are not in harmony. It goes like 'kat', kat, kat, kat as the bike is moved forward ). This may be due to the reason that the chain has not been cleaned and lubed till now(650+ km) or more probably due to the chain tightening DIY I did on the bike a week back, which it now seems must have been a botched DIY . I am worried the rear wheel is misaligned ever so sightly and hence the chain is not able to move freely as the sound started coming after that but has become louder now. I did not ride it yesterday and will surely go the SVC tomorrow.

500Km Report

It has been three weeks of Duke and have just about crossed 500Km mark. No issues at this point in time. Double tapping is not seen any more for the gears - probably it was just the riding style which caused the problem in the beginning. Still find it hard to find the Neutral - should be fixed in the first service. Time to get the chain cleaned & am looking for 3M cleaners / lubes.
When the tank is full, there is some kind of a wobble when the bike is standstill. could observe the same typically when I stop in signals, switch off engines and place both the legs on the ground. Probably because of the weight laden center? Do not see this effect when the tank is half or less.