Yeah true the points that you have mentioned can be the highly probable ones , am confused i followed the manual for the running procedure , twice or thrice i would have crossed the 7k rpm mark but not more than 8-8.5 k or can it be a PCV valve issue ?

personally am not happy that my 1500 km run engine will be ripped apart.

Yeah true even i appreciated their response time and the utmost care with which they came back , but still the real deal is left .

Lets see how quick and efficient are they in resolving the issue .

+1
Babu at Auto Service (banashankari) was really helpful about my minor niggles as well.

Let this be the case in point that being "gentle" doesn't guarantee you won't run into engine issues. I redlined my bike and did a hard 0-100 on the first launch from the showroom and have continued doing so till date and the engine has never seen any issues what so ever.

hi guys, i plan to take my bike back for the 4th time to auto service tomorrow following issues post the 1st service. if anyone could provide their comments on these issues it would be really helpful for me to explain it to the svc guys.

1. marked difference in the performance of the bike: it sounds way more flatter and runs out of breath at higher rpm. feel the need to open throttle way more than i used to before the 1st service, to get the same power output. going beyond 70-80 is a struggle in the 6th gear+8k rpm.
2. rear wheel alignment: after my complaints were turned down, I checked the manual and confirmed that the position of the chain adjuster relative to the swingarm is off by a cm when compared to the other side.
3. gradual rpm decrease: releasing the throttle doesn't decrease the rpm immediately (5-6th gear). i otherwise noticed immediate drop during the run in period.
4. increase in heating: I've changed to motul 7100 (not sure what was in there at the time of delivery) and the heating has gone up by 2-3 bars. not too worried abt this though.

thanks a lot!

#1 I don't know what is wrong, but that is not normal. I can cruise at 100 at under 8k rpm in 6th gear.
#2 and #3 no idea
#4 Same happened with me. 7100 seems to run a couple bars hotter. The bike comes pre-filled with Bajaj 10000 DTSi oil, afaik. I had filled up with 300V 2 services ago, that ran noticably cooler. Personally, i recommend you insist on 300V. People there will tell you that 300V is not a good for duke if they don't have it in stock, don't fall for it. They were the same people who recommended me 300V over 7100 to me, 2 services ago, saying that 300V is Bajaj's #1 recommendation.

1> not sure about running out of breath but the bike does sound a little muted after 1st service as compared to before. I am afraid, these types of issues won't be resolved by the technicians. I too used to complain a lot. The response would be "let's change your fuel filter" or "let's clean the air filter" and stuff. The engine internals/externals won't be touched and forget about tuning it with the help of Diagnostic tool error codes. They don't have time for this 'shit' and eventually you'll run out of it too

2> This can be brought to their notice and they'll fix it. The chain adjusters should be more or less at the same position on both sides or you'll have slightly misaligned wheel

3>Your throttle wire could be at fault here. get it checked. Also get the throttle sensor checked. Since this is a specific issue and not a general"my bike is sluggish" issue, the diagnostic tool can be used and it can be checked if a twist in the throttle is being sensed properly by the sensors(in degrees)

4>Not sure if changing to 300V will help. Have never used it. But the bike in general runs hotter than other bikes and this should not be a problem if it never touches the high temp region and the fan turns on when it gets too hot and is able to bring the temp down too after 5-10 mins(which sometimes doesn't happen in my case )

300V does help. Though my bike doesn't have an engine temperature bar graph, I can make out my bike's running cooler nowadays. The fan takes longer to turn on which means the engine hits that higher temperature a bit late.

Funny part is that, i've noticed that my Duke200 is still loud rash as it used to be( currently 4300kms). Some people noticed a change right after 1st service.Its got something to do with the Airbox or Airfilter.

About the engine temps, can i say that its summer season :P .You could try 300v, its jus 200rs more than 7100.

Is cone set a common issue in Duke?

Been having problem with the front disc for quiet sometime now. taking it to the SVC tomorrow(again)

KTM coming with a tie up with 3M

KTM stores in India are soon expected to be coming up with a tie up with 3M for giving visual treatment to their bikes to make them shine like new for longer.
So now whenever any KTM or a Ninja owner in India feels he wants a detailing treatment or shining treatment of 3M he can get it done from KTM service stores itself, without having to run anywhere else.
This news was told to me by Mr. R. Deshmukh, Head Services for PAN India KTM service outlets.

Not only this Mr. Deshmukh gave a free 3M detailing treatment to my bike which was due service and then clicked pics of it to see the results and decide further, And ME, i was overwhelmed to get my bike all new with Free 3M detailing and shining treatment.


And this is my first news post, so expect it to be all amateurish, I am just sharing it for the benefit of KTM owners.

Mods please give it the right thread ( i couldn't figure it out if i should post it in Ownership Thread or News Thread)

dishayu, Doga, Evander, aditya - thanks for your comments.
the best way I can describe the decrease in performance is that there seems to be a constrained output when compared to the free flowing nature of the bike before service. like something is holding it back. does the oil have any impact on this?
i read in earlier posts that sticking to mineral oil for 5000km, provided its drained at shorter intervals, is better for the engine. should i consider changing it back to bajaj dtsi 10000?

waited at the svc for 2 hrs and came back because the "right" ppl weren't around. will go sometime over next week.

thanks again guys. much appreciated!

Semi-synthetic should do. Of course, dtsi-10000 is semi synthetic, only it's crap. It was too early for you to change to 7100 at first service. If money's no hurdle, change from 7100 to 5100. Use that oil till you hit ~6000 kms on the odo and then go for 300V. That should ensure a good run-in. Anyway, I don't think the engine oil has a say in the supposedly lower power you're experiencing.

Many duke owners had posted that the ecu was flashed at the 1st service and the engine felt not-so-dukish after that. Not sure if it's still being done. Dukers can confirm.

What cone set issue? ....i had an issue with it too. My handlebar is too stiff and needs adjustments. Its sad to say that these KTM guys here dont know how much torque is needed to tighten bolts :\

<3




Its gonna be almost a year
still that new bike feel doesn't go no matter how much i ride on my duke

The Duke jus brings a smile on my face every morning. Btw are those sanded-down levers :P or new ones?