Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Hehehe Point taken bro. Am yet to lay my hands on the orange winged hooligan, so going through the ownership thread. I have booked it though, come November, I will be the new gunslinger painting the town orange

Sent from my SM-G7102 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Dude, 28/32 is the best option i am telling you.. anything more than tat will make your rare tyre do fish tailing on hard acceleration and these are metz tires so they heat up a lot.. more heat = more tyre pressure... so u are already at 38 so, think after u travel some distance and the tyre heats up so the pressure goes up which may cross the max limit of the tyre.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


No it doesn't mean over inflation. Most petrol bunk guys fill 35/40 for the same tyres if not told otherwise and the tyre becomes over inflated. 32/36 is normal.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


I have done speeds of upto 140kms at a go. And I have done distances of upto 750kms as well. Honestly I am not seeing the fish tailing thing bro. Plus vehicle feels sluggish while riding with a pillion if pressure is kept lower than this. Plus I actually have to tell the bunk guys to fill 32/38. If I don't they fill 35/40. And I am also not seeing abnormal tyre wear and contact patch is in normal range as per manual.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Different people do different tyre pressures. But 38 seems like a bit of a stretch.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Well, that's a disease with the guys at the petrol bunk..they short change you on fuel and compensate it with air !
But again, most roadside punture wala's or petrol bunks they all overfill. And 38 on the rear is very high. If you are comfortable with it, that's ok.. but ideally you shouldn't be filling up more than 2-3psi than recommended. And this is cold tire pressure.. if you fill up 32 and ride even a cpl of km, the reading could be as high as 38.
And specific to the 390, over inflation might make the alloys more prone to damage. Fishtailing i do not think so.. due to its awsome abs !

btw, did you get the 'orange assist' road side assistance package ? Today when i enquired, i was told that this package hasn't yet been launched in hyderabad and will come 'soon'.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

its not bout the speed buddy...
important thing: first check the sidewalls of the tyre.. it will have the max pressure it can take.
also the tyre pressure mentioned is cold tyre pressure. now if you refill air during daytime else after riding a few km's you can safely put in 2-3 psi more than recommended.
it will be equal to cold tyre pressure.

i would not budge beyond 36 in any case. first and foremost it will made the ride hard. and make the suspension work more than often
second . even small bumps etc will be felt
third. you are running it under stress. it will fail before it should
fourth. more prone to punctures
fifth . the tyre becomes more rounded. hence lesser grip and bouncy.
sixth. the center will show more wear than rest of the tyre hene ce uneven handling and even wobble.

take your call but these issues will definitely creep up sooner or later....

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


It does if your riding the bike alone most of the time. But riding with a pillion is diffrent as pressure on the tyre is higher but I see your point.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

if you ride with a pillion. assume you are adding another 50-70kg weight extra on already pressurized tyre.. think of it...

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences



I always fill air in the tyre when it seems low i.e when vehicle feels sluggish, when tyre looks low on pressure with rider and/or pillion sits on it. Basically i fill air by instinct. And as i said earlier the tyre's contact patch is within normal range.

Also i fill air for rider+pillion as I ride with my friend a lot and as with chain slack, tyre pressure also has to be optimized as per number of people riding the bike. I see your point as from your perspective my tyre pressure seems high but i did suggest 32/36 for singles riding only, right?.

As for rim damage. I maintained a tyre pressure of 34/36 on my Honda unicorn and accidentally rode into a pothole and broke the rear rim and was told by the Honda svc that the rim broke due to low tyre pressure. Of course that tyre was a ceat low speed tyre and this is a soft compound one but lets just call it being cautious. Also I maintain that ktm showroom guys give delivery of the duke with 32/36 tyre pressures. So I figured this is the right pressure. And the tyre pressure must be set low on hot days and little higher on cold days to prevent tyre damage. So 30/34 in summer and 32/36 in winter. Its just my experience with this stuff.
I in fact did not get the orange assist. I'll ask the showroom guys about it. This bike was a big investment and I didn't want additional charges then but now it seems necessary

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences



While you are right about the tyre pressure. Its actually also true that the tyre pressure in the manual and the tyres are both Germany optimized. I got it straight from the ktm chief engineer of Hyderabad. The ideal riding conditions in India are diffrent. And as I said before the tyre's contact patch i.e the size of the tyre surface touching the ground is within normal range (I check it every day as I don't have the funds to change the tyres as frequently). According to ideal German conditions riding temperature of the road is much lower and roads are also much smoother and pot hole free but it isn't so in India. So maintaining slightly higher than recomended pressure is mandatory to prevent drag and rim damage. As such 32/36 is only 2-3 psi more than recommended which is fine. But i see your point bro and will check the tyre condition again tomorrow. But as such ride is smooth for me at this tyre pressure without feling the bumps and causing fish tailing. And I have had one puncture so far but its due to the fact that there is construction going on next to my house and there was a bent 4 inch nail stuck in the tyre half way. There is no wobble and tyre wear is within normal range also. 😊

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


Actually more than 90 kgs of extra weight (both of us are heavy set) but if I don't have slightly higher pressure there is drag and bike feels like it strains. As I said I don't follow set guidlines on tyre inflation but instead follow my instincts. But you have a point so let me do some research on this and see what I learn. Cheers

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

some more info : http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...e.jsp?techid=1

Disadvantages of Underinflation
An underinflated tire can't maintain its shape and becomes flatter than intended while in contact with the road. If a vehicle’s tires are underinflated by only 6 psi it could lead to tire failure. Additionally, the tire’s tread life could be reduced by as much as 25%. Lower inflation pressure will allow the tire to deflect (bend) more as it rolls. This will build up internal heat, increase rolling resistance and cause a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%. You would experience a significant loss of steering precision and cornering stability. While 6 psi doesn’t seem excessively low, remember, it usually represents about 20% of the tire’s recommended pressure.



Disadvantages of Overinflation

An overinflated tire is stiff and unyielding and the size of its footprint in contact with the road is reduced. If a vehicle's tires are overinflated by 6 psi, they could be damaged more easily when running over potholes or debris in the road. Higher inflated tires cannot isolate road irregularities well, causing them to ride harsher. However, higher inflation pressures usually provide an improvement in steering response and cornering stability up to a point. This is why participants who use street tires in autocrosses, track events and road races run higher than normal inflation pressures. The pressure must be checked with a quality air gauge as the inflation pressure cannot be accurately estimated through visual inspection.

now that your are running Metz and they are expensive.. don't loose them before their life.. ride safe.. cheers.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

oh.. i understand.. i was under the same situation.. even after buying i was thinking till couple of days if made the right decision.. but.. the bike is worth every single rupee. u just hv to wait till 1st service.. after which u get to know the true nature of the bike..for me..this bike has almost everything i could dream of in my bike should have had.. im very happy with it..

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


Well researched bro.............. Cheers😊