it costed around 450 Rs for the foam and the seat cover
i changed the seat cover to normal one from anti skid due to too much dust , which is being difficult to wipe

@hunkofgals: thanks for the photos. It looks decent.

Has any one taken the duke to leh, any inputs will be welcome, as I am planning a trip to leh on my duke in July. Will the oem tyres be suitable for the trip or do I need to change them.

It's definitely not a problem if you cover only the Top layer. But if you observe there are gaps between the rider and pillion seats. Also there are gaps between both the seats and the body. So, I was just thinking, if you completely cover the area(i mean those gaps) then whether it will obstruct the air. Also from the pictures it seems that now the padding and the seat cover has filled all the gaps tightly. Again, it's just my thinking. I may be totally wrong. BTW I haven't checked the exact location of the air intake pipe.

It doesn't look bad, till it serves the purpose.

but i still have gaps left on the sides
but i dont think it will hamper the air flow
and
the air intake pipe is located on the right side of the air intake panel !
opened it twice to check it

I am not sure if anyone has taken it to Leh.
However I think you'll be better off changing the OEM tyres to some dual sport ones for better grip.

I saw a lot of KTMs in Ladakh. I crossed a WB registered KTM (possibly and xbhpian - saw a post by someone about this) near Namik La. Maybe that guy can give some inputs.

A friend of mine who works for Kesari Travels was in Kashmir for three months. Even he said a lot of people ride their Duke's to Kashmir...

So I guess it should be fine.

Went to the seewoods svc last saturday. Bike was washed and 2nd oil change was done. Stuck to the Motul 3100 4T 20W50 oil. It's SS I guess. I was looking for a motul mineral grade(Motul 3000 4T 20W50 to be precise), but it's pretty rare to find is what I was told by the dealer.

Got my footpegs and other chassis bolts tightened. The footpeg vibrations which had gotten pronounced are less now, but still there, esp in 1st and 2nd gears when. The engine revs more freely in 1st and 2nd though as compared to before but the you can feel the vibs in the 1st two gears.
Guess after 3000 kms when I switch to FS, the engine will be smoother.

Now the wheel alignment issue.

The head mech Rehman had gone to ghatkopar to tend to a stalled duke there and I waited till 8 pm for him to come back and get the alignment issue checked and rectified.I was really hopeful that he gets it done, as the last time around the junior mech had tried his hands on the bike but to no avail.
Instead, he came, checked the bike and said, this much misalignment is ok and is normally there in all the bikes, to which I countered that probably becuase during PDI wheel alignment is not checked diligently for any bikes.The service advisor Gopal however was supportive and himself noticed the misalignment.
One can clearly see from the exposed area of the chain cover, the chain not traversing a linear path. It should if the wheel is correctly aligned. This would wear the sprockets out, not to mention the chain.
Also I think the rear brake pads would also be expended soon as well due to a misaligned rear? I see very less space between the pads and the disc. Virtually none, as compared to the front brake setup.The disc would also be put to strain because it'd always be in a hot state? Am I right?
the service advisor has promised to call up KTM engineer and bring the problem to his notice. Let's see what transpires.
Btw is there a way the wheel alignment can be checked anywhere? The SVC does not have any tools for that. Probably a car servicing center or somewhere?

@Doga - How is the Vashi svc... The mech's at Ghatkopar svc were praising it a lot..

I think i'll get my bike serviced from there once to check out their work.

also fellow dukers from navi mumbai, i'd like to have your opinion too

Hey ,

The Vashi (seawoods) is excellent in terms of service u will notice the same and you will get a lot of help from Mr.Rehman Head mechanic, and Mr.Gopal for any service as well as technical details .

I'm sure this is the best KTM svc in Mumbai

BSEL Tech Park, Sector 30A, Opp Railway Station, Vashi, Navi Mumbai - 400 705

Is this the address?

Mate ,

That's the add for KTM Showroom the correct address is :-

Shop no.12/13 , plot no.87/87A,Vishnu Shreyas C.H.S Ltd,
Sector 50 E, Opp.Corporation Bank , Seawoods,
Off Palm Beach Road, Navi Mumbai 400706.

No, this is the showroom address. The svc is at seewoods. You'd have to take the palm beach road from Vashi to reach there

my duke got some beauty marks

Today after coming home,i have noted scratches on crash guard and clutch lever.must be happened in office parking space while i have gone for lunch.
Crash guard slightly bent,

Anyway today i visited local bajaj show room (hassan). Had a talk with the service manager he happily agreed when i requested help to change the engine oil. and mechanics there are crazy one guy asked "idenu forks ulta aakidharu" , and few people after looking at radiator asked whether its a diesel vehicle.

Now question time,
1.is it any better to change engine oil at only 500km?
2.which oil should go for Motul 7100 20w50 or Motul 300v 15w50 , later available at motoshop(online) ,
3.suggest me online stores for engine oil,coolants,chain lube/cleaner
4.how much the crash guard costs ?

first of all congrats on ur purchase and welcome to the duke family
.
change the oil at 1000kms that is the 1st service
.
go for motul 7100 that is recommneded by bajaj also
and it costs 725rs and u need 2x1lt bottles
but people have tried 300V also on dukes and it is fine but some SVC's dont allow it because it rating is different so they might void the warranty so it totally depends on ur SVC guys , if they have no problem u can go ahead with it
and its cost is some 950 or so per 1 lt bottle
.
regarding online stores
there are many online websites

but u better stick with stock coolant
and chain lube/cleaner , go for MOTUL
directly contact ur region dealer or contact the person directly by taking number from the motul wbsite
.
and regarding crash guard , i have zero idea so im sorry cant help u on that