Re: KTM 200 Duke


Alright lets visit Motozone at Colaba for coolant replacement. You can PM me your name and number and then we can co-ordinate. I am Chinmaya, and I am from Koperkhairne, Navi Mumbai

Re: KTM 200 Duke

bro...can you please share more details about this EZI engine additive...

Re: KTM 200 Duke

It's an engine additive that is mixed with the oil which mainly reduces friction and therefore cutting down the heat build up.
I used it and felt the difference, specially with throttle response and the gear shifter.
You can find more info at www.themotoshop.in

Re: KTM 200 Duke

So guys an update from my side, breaking the stranglehold of splus, shv18 and chinmayakar on this thread :

As suggested by shv18, I tried system G. My 2nd tankful is over today, and I don't see any mentionable difference in engine performance. If anything I can still hear the engine knocking at low revs. No drop in engine running temperatures too, in fact last sunday I happened to ride to colaba and I saw the dreaded "high coolant temperature" warning 4-5 times. The fan still runs for ages after coming on, fighting a loosing battle with the rising temperature.I am sure I'd feel right at home atop a superbike, atleast my thighs will
I happened to call the KTM engineer up and he told me that knocking may be due to less fuel being injected(this would cause a lean mixture) due to a faulty fuel pump, but this won't cause the engine running hot surely. He advised me to goto the svc and get the fuel pressure checked. The fuel pump did in fact pumped fuel with the recommended pressure of 2.7(don't ask me the units pls ) and that meant everything was fine as per them. Right now he thinks that a change of coolant would help, but I think coolant is not the problem. Though engine ice would help, but the underlying problem is not in the coolant system.
Oh and btw did I mentioned that the mechanic while checking the pressure managed to rupture the petrol pipes which carry fuel from the fuel filter to the injector. Pathetic really. I had petrol gushing out and wetting the engine while riding, scary really.Had to get it fixed later at the ghatkopar svc. I have had a similar experience when I got my fork seal replaced last monsoon and the mech managed to get the front axle fitting wrong, resulting in it getting worn and damaged leading to a replacement(They didn't charge me for the replacement)
A search on google would however tell you that a lean mixture would indeed result in increased detonation and hence increased temp.
There are though a lot of other factors which might contribute to it other than lean air mixture, but all of them would present the symptom of engine knocking on lower revs.
One of them being advanced/delayed spark introduction. This can be due to a faulty, damaged, snooty spark plug. And I now realize that I haven't had my spark plug changed since the purchase, courtesy the svc, which always insisted that "spark plug change karne ki jarurat nai hai sir, bohot din chalta hai".
I have my 5th service coming up this weekend and will surely get my spark plug changed.
In the midst of all this I realize that I have been raising this issue of overheating for quite some time now(close to 7-8 months, may be longer), only to be stonewalled by the callous attitude of the seawoods svc and their usual ridiculous argument that "all is well when the fan turns on" as if that fan is run by some divine power which will be able to cool even nuclear fusion level temperatures. Now if(or rather when?) this hot running bike has its piston rings/packing damaged, will this delay/refusal to accept/diagnose the problem on the svc's part be considered or will I have to foot the bill for a new engine/piston kit ?
Very unsatisfied !!!

Re: KTM 200 Duke

If u all dont mind i would also lyk to join u all for the coolant change, btw i am from vashi

Re: KTM 200 Duke

Hi Sanjana, I suggest a coolant change should not be done at the regular KTM svcs. They will only screw it up resulting in coolant pipes getting rust.
I suggest this be done at Tardeo where you have a host of Superbike servicing auto shops. I am sure they'll do a nicer job of it, might charge a lot but would be worth it

Re: KTM 200 Duke

[MENTION=48967]Doga[/MENTION] Even i had that problem of engine knocking at lower revs, 3 weeks back i used a fuel additive as advised by other members, it did smoothen the engine a bit but the proble of knocking did arise, then during service (last week) i changed the spark plug and now the problem seems to be solved. It rarely knocks now.

On the other side of things, i think my cone-set needs replacement. I've heard too many horror stories of people losing the old feel of the handlebar after changing the cone-set. So im not really sure whether to change or no. For now the mech just tightened it, but it still feels a bit hard in some areas. Overall the bike is fine, had a recent long ride, I hit the rev-limiter a couple of times, yes its harsh but damn this bike corners soo amazingly, lot of confidence.

Re: KTM 200 Duke

I am not trying to sabotage the thread mate just hope that some inputs from my end help all riders here and also i get to learn something in this process. Out of all the information about stock spark plug being not changed was not shared on the thread so without checking the vehicle it is nion impossible for anyone to gauge what is wrong with your vehicle.

Since, fuel pump pressure is OK then the issue is not with the fuel system. I suggest you should also ensure that the last remap which was installed by the SVC has been written correctly on the ECU. We have found one weird issue on of the CBRs where the ECU internals had fried and resulted in the fan constantly coming on no matter what was done. Again just suggesting one more possible troubleshooting remedy..

Please check out the Yamaha FZ thread once, i remember one gentlemen had a spark plug which had some oil deposits, FE went down, engine was overheating and the top end was suffering. The ride had not replaced the spark plug as per the service manual. After the spark plug was replaced with a new one, all the issues vanished. If you have come to deduce that the spark plug is the most probable culprit, it would be a good idea to replace that which merely costs 150 - 200 bucks!! Stick to stock and don't experiment with iridium tip and other nonsense..

The biggest issue with all the SVCs are that they don't use torque wrenches and torque specifications to tighten the nuts and bolts correctly.. as a result either a lot of times the bolts are overtorqued or undertorqued which over a period of time seriously hampers the longevity and the performance of the parts. If anyone of you gentlemen have read the workshop manual, it clearly states what torque ranges are required for the nuts and bolts to be tightened properly of various parts in the bike. How many times have you seen an SVC plonk out a torque wrench to get the work done? I am sure the answer in NONE!!!

One of the possible reasons why the feel of the handling goes for a toss is because the holding nut again had been tightened too much than the specified torque required and as a result the steering feels very heavy and in less than 5 - 10k kms the coneset and the bearings get eaten up. I have noticed a dwindling in quality of service from all good Yamaha SVCs in Mumbai as well.. all the torque wrenches have slowly vanished from the workshop area replaced by local wrenches and i can see the effect on my bike immediately.

I requested Motozone guys to help me correctly torque each and every bolt on my bike and wallah!! the handling improved, chain getting eaten away in less than 15k kms has also reduced considerably over the earlier two sets and a lot of difference in the feel of the bike as much as to the extent when i first picked her up from the showroom...

Following torque nos. are important gentlemen!!


Cheers,

Re: KTM 200 Duke

The seawoods service manager sucks big time.....he is a big time pain, i seriously feel u should visit the ghatkopar service center. I feel they r definitely much better in every way compared to the seawoods center maybe they can help u out. I stay in vashi but still for each n every work on my bike i go to ghatkopar service center n as u work in powai i thnk its quite close to ur office

Re: KTM 200 Duke

I've been buried with lots of work last days, so can't really say anything about top speeds, all kinds of limiters (name it, we have it!) or sprockets...
So yeah, let's change the topic!

@Doga and others whose engine has been gradually getting hotter and hotter - it looks to me we have a similar issue...

We wrote about it some time ago, if it was a fuel pump or something else. Well, I changed the fuel pump, which was very dirty, and the bike felt crispier.
But the engine was still heating up more than it used some months ago.
BTW, my heating problems started when I left the bike with half tank of petrol for 2 months. After that it was getting hotter than before.

Over the last months I've changed the engine oil, then cleaned the tank, replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter, was filling it with good petrol, and the bike is still getting hotter than before.
And now it also takes longer time for the fan to turn off than before. In fact, it takes longer to turn off than in April!

And then, after a service couple of weeks ago the engine started to get even hotter than before. So much so, that at a trip that I had a week ago my fan was turning on constantly on a highway at speeds of 100-120 kmh! That's just crazy to have a fan turning on at such speeds!
(Btw, if anyone thinks riding at those speeds is heating the engine more - that's not the case. Higher the speed the better the cooling with LC engines. Some time last year I was riding even at redline at around 130 kmh for an hour and the temperature was constantly at 2 bars below the lower top, fan never turned on at a 12 hour ride.)

So, I'm slowly realizing something is wrong here. It's happening gradually over the last months, but it is definitely getting worse...
I actually don't think the engine is getting hotter than before - I believe the cooling is getting weaker and slower.

I am not sure if my spark plug has ever been changed, but I think I saw it once on a bill for one of the services. I don't have any engine knocking, btw.
The engine performance is good, it all feels good.

All that makes me believe the problem is somewhere in the cooling system.
Could the problem be with the radiator itself or the cooling system internals?
Or that the coolant needs to be completely re-flushed and changed? Can coolant "age" with time and be less efficient??

The thing is that this looks to be a problem that is getting worse over the time. Gradually.

Re: KTM 200 Duke

I used to just so love my duke before but after my recent accident the bike seems to have changed a lot. My first impression after the bike was repaired was that the service guys have done a good job but nope i was so wrong. I basically have 2 main problems the front part{handle-forks} feel abnormally light now, it feels lyk there is almost nothing in the front portion of my bike and also the front suspension has started to suck more than before. Now my front part feels light-shakes-jerks-vibrates even on good roads, i get a feel of anything n everything thats on the road. Now the ride feels harsh-shaky-light n so not confidence inspiring. I seriously have started to hate my duke and many times feel i made a big mistake going for this bike bcoz i see guys whos bike costs one-third the price of duke litreally gliding over bad roads and i am struggling n suffering like crazy. I need ur help guys on this as i am seriously super depressed bcoz of my bike. Please i need a solution for this.

Re: KTM 200 Duke

To members facing heating problem in KTM200 and others too.....please check if your Spark Plug is Champion..if so blindly change it to suitable NGK ..Champion plugs are notorious for failure...the resistance inside the plug will become higher value after some time and will show open circuit..ie., no conductivity ..this will reduce ignition spark energy and timing too...similarly the spark plug cap needs to be checked...if you have resistance in both Plug Cap and Spark Plug, then use a Resistor less Plug Cap...you need resistance in one place only...

Re: KTM 200 Duke

Hi Sanjana!! Why not. Please tag along. We are planning a visit to Motozone on 4th week of september. You can pm me your name and no.

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Hi Sanjana!! Lets meet up. You ride my bike and let me ride yours. Lets see if theres any difference. Mine is a 4 month old bike, but the front I have always felt is little light. If you accelerate very hard you can feel handle wobble very slightly but I love that feel.

Re: KTM 200 Duke

hello guys just googling and i got a nice blog sharing it with u guys....i dont have a duke but hope it helps for people who want to tour because i really liked the person's carrier...
Check it out....
becoz the fun's in the journey not the destination...: Iris explores the West..

I dont know whther this guy is on Xbhp....

Re: KTM 200 Duke

Yes, spark plug would surely be changed as I mentioned in my post. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Hey that comment about breaking the stranglehold on this thread was made in jest. Hope it was not taken as a serious comment. A bit of raillery doesn't hurt after prolonged discussions on speed limits and ecu remaps eh ?

And yeah the spark plug has to go for newer one. It was supposed to be changed in first service itself, but as the svc guys suggested to keep it I did. Was never changed in later services. Made a mistake probably. Btw how many members around here have seen the svc guys following the service manual at least 50% of it ?
A service for them is changing oil filter, air filter(this too according to them doesn't need changing that often, just pressurized air cleaning) and engine oil and if you are lucky a wash. They do tend to other minor issues if reported but most of the times it the same old 'meh' attitude. They won't check the battery terminals for voltage readings saying battery won't go wrong this early or apply that anti rust solution(blue colour) on the terminals.
And torque wrench ? Whaat iiis thaaat? Oh wait, I have seen it a couple times may be at the svc, used sparingly but not often. Atleast not for fitting a majority of nuts, as if the mechs had bought it from their own money

Sanjana, I have begun to observe this. Can't really comment on the technical capabilities of the ghatkopar guys but they do tend to listen to your issues better. A lot courteous than the Seawoods guys. The svc manager is a lot better. The Seawood guy would try his best not to take in your bike or find reasons not to admit something is wrong with the bike.
The seawoods svc is better accessible to me, has better infra and the head mech Rehman is good. Only saving grace I'll say.

The problem can be in the cooling system correct. See if the thermostat is working correctly. It was changed for me few months back but the heating issue persisted.
If you can get hold of a infra red heat gun(very unlikely)or someother device then the temp of the coolant coming into the raditor/ and going out can be checked. The cooling efficiency can then be compared with say a healthy duke. This would let you know if the cooling system is problem, say if the flow of liquid is not adequate or may be the coolant has lost it's heat sucking properties.
I would surely switch over to engine ice , but only after I know what is causing it. Whe that is remedied, the ice would keep the engine even cooler.

Were your forks bent in the accident you met ? They were straightened by a lathe ?
If yes then you might encounter this. I think either the fork oil poured at the svc is of higher density than what comes as stock(Not sure this would have to be checked) leading to stiff forks or that the more than the recommended amount is poured. Besides do check you rear suspension setting. Set it to 5 and then check. Will be a bit better(but not much)

psr ji, How do we check id spark plug is Champion or NGK ? And what do they mean? I'll google it anyway but thought you'd still know better.
And pls explain the resistance part a bit better if you can please.

Are you guys getting some kind of group discount on the coolant ? And may be discount in replacement charges from motozone? How are these guys btw? You sure they won't botch it ?