Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

I tried last week, they said they no longer sell over the counter. Don't know about the target part.

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

That may well be the case in my city too, then. If we cannot get the filter, is it advisable/worth to only change the oil (before 1st service)? And change the filter in 1st service?

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread


Chinmay, I understand the problem of running a bike at higher gear & lowerspeed. what I meant here is .. when you are riding at 25Kmph @ 3rd gear & approached a speed breaker. you slowd down to 10kmph @ 2nd gear, in this situation, you can release the clutch with little acclerator & can move easily. but if you dont use the clutch, you have to move to 1st gear or bike will be stopped with a big Knock. I dont prefer using 1st gear whn bike is at 10-12kmph..

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

I'd respectfully disagree with [MENTION=63586]DukeDey[/MENTION] about the mineral vs synthetic oils during the run in (in fact, only the first 100-200 km are really important).
Maybe it's not a huge difference if you use synthetic over the mineral in initial phase, but it still matters. Mineral oil is more coarse and will aid the setting of piston rings against the cylinder walls. Synthetic oil (especially very fine ones like 300v) are too fine, too slippery for a good alignment between piston rings and cylinder walls to happen. An engine is a mechanical thing, however modern and advanced materials it has.
But at the end of the day - it's not a big deal. How you ride in your initial 100-200 km is more important.

I changed the oil upon delivery of my D200 (told the SC guys to take out the factory oil and put my mineral Motul 3000) and changed the oil filter as well. BTW, you should always change the filter when you change the oil because it gets dirty and also filled up with fine metal particles in first 1000 km.
I bought 2 more oil filters from SC, you just say you live far away, or do some nice talk to persuade them.
I changed the oil again after 150 km, and then again after 500 km. I'm pretty picky how I break in my bikes, but for most people changing it only once before the first service at around 200-300 km should be enough. Don't wait for 1000 km to change it.
My run in was finished in 200 km. Something like a softer Motoman way. I pushed it to redline 5 km out of the showroom and up to 7-8k rpm many times. And all my bikes have had a same treatment and very good performance and great pickup.

About a riding style in initial 100-500 km - if you baby your bike then engine won't break in properly. Piston rings need to set against the cylinder walls, and that can happen ONLY if there's a strong pressure, which basically means higher rpms. Simple as that.
So, it's better to go up to 7500 rpm even straight out of the showroom. You can freely redline it as well, but do it in low gears and be very vary of traffic around you, safety first.
However, few points to remember:
Rev it in higher rpms only when there's a load, never do it in neutral.
Don't rev it in higher rpms if the engine isn't fully warm, best at normal operating temps.
Don't rev it in higher rpms for more than few seconds.
Better not to open the throttle fully.
DO NOT lug your engine. That's the worst thing you can do, much worse than redline it (which is actually a good thing for a new engine).
DO NOT overheat your engine, like riding it in higher rpms for longer time. If you need to ride that way then make breaks.
Vary the speed and gears.
Forget about mileage in first 500 km - it's much more important to break in your engine the best way.
If the break in is done perfectly then there won't be any oil leakage, you'll have a better performing engine, a long engine life and a better mileage. Win-win.

BTW, I'd suggest all the new 390 owners to look up for info in D200 thread. There's loads of info there, and all the issues are same or very similar because it's practically the same bike.
Most probably all the issues you might have have been answered and dealt with by D200 owners...

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I'd suggest to go very much in first gear at those speeds during the run in. Let the engine properly break in. It won't happen if you lug it.
After 1000 km you can go even in 4th gear at 10 kmh if you want...

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

I'd suggest to go very much in first gear at those speeds during the run in. Let the engine properly break in. It won't happen if you lug it.
After 1000 km you can go even in 4th gear at 10 kmh if you want... [/QUOTE]

Thank you splus, I will not ride in this way till the Break -in completes. What was I thinking was, 1st gear puts more pressuer on engine.. so not a good idea to go to first gear every time...

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

Contrary to popular belief - it actually is a good idea during the run in. The engine needs stress during run in. It's the lugging and riding it only below 5k rpm that will make it not break in properly, and then you end up with worse mileage, weak performance and pick up and shorter lived engine with oil leak because of tiny gaps between piston rings and cylinder which didn't set in fully against each other because of lack of pressure.

Don't worry man, it's a KTM engine. It's both designed and built to be revved hard, even straight out of showroom.

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

Hi [MENTION=18379]splus[/MENTION], how does one know the run-in is finished (apart from smoother running engine and perhaps reduction in engine heat?)?

I don't understand the part where you changed the oil and filter as soon as it was delivered. I'm guessing it would have run about 1-3 kms in that period at best? So was the filter change really necessary? - Now I know that a filter is a cheap part, just seems unnecessary - after 100kms, sure

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

KTM Service centers sell the oil filter over the counter...atleast in B'lore they do [all service centers]....One senior KTM service engineer told me that I can get pulsar 200 NS oil filter and it is the same for duke 200 and 390 as well....

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KTM Service centers sell the oil filter over the counter...atleast in B'lore they do [all service centers]....One senior KTM service engineer told me that I can get pulsar 200 NS oil filter and it is the same for duke 200 and 390 as well....

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

Hehe, well, you can't. But considering I did a fast mode run in, with few 10.5k rpm redlining and lots of 7-8k rpm bursts in first 100 km, and then 9-10k rpm bursts in next 100 km, I'd say it was all done by 200 km. I rode it totally normally after it, redlining it whenever I felt so. That's why I changed the oil twice before the first service, there was a lot to flush out. If you ride it easier than that then one oil change at some 300 km is more than enough.

And 14 months later the bike still has perfect performance. In fact, it just got better with remapped ECU.
Hopefully Kiirus will very soon come up with its ECU remap for D390 for several more horses and improved bottom end, and Race Dynamics piggyback ECU should probably already run on D390, provided you give it a good ECU map. You guys will be able to pop power wheelies easily with remapped ECU...

Oh, and I changed the factory oil in the showroom before delivery itself, gave the SC guys the Motul 3000 mineral oil and asked them to flush the factory one out. Yeah, the oil filter change probably wasn't needed, but the new one was very cheap, and the "old" one was soaked with the factory oil, so I took it out as well.

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

Thanks for this piece of info. The stupidity with KTM Bundgarden Pune showroom is that it only sells bikes, there is no service centre attached to it. For service, need to go to a different location.

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

So you saw the debris in the oil?

This is awesome news and should silence views that newer engines (since they are engineered better) never need a run-in apart from the ring seating properly.

Thanks a bunch, man!

I don't think using the same ECU mapping for 2 very different engine configurations would make sense. Seeing how a 375cc would need more fuel injected than a 200, it might end up running on too lean a mixture.... possibly the same piggy-back hardware, just with mapping changes would be more in order - I guess this is what you meant.... but seeing how this is the internet, people like me can't seem to help ourselves

- correction. you did indeed say that mapping is in order.... looks like I skipped that part. My apologies

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

Talking about remapping ECU, I remember people discussing "down sprocketing" using D200's sprocket which has one tooth lesser than the D390 one. Did any one try it? Was there a reasonable improvement in low end performance?

Impact on mileage?

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

If I'm not mistaken D390's front sprocket is 15T, and D200's front is 14T.
D200's is short geared and would be better off with 15T, and D390 is tall geared and would be better off with 14T (especially the bottom end, should power wheelie).

I suggest a collective D200 <-> D390 front sprocket swap and everyone's happy!!!

Mileage? If you don't make gearing too short mileage should be good. The best mileage should be with optimum gearing, not too short, not too tall. I'd say that D390 has taller than optimum gearing, so it would probably even have better mileage with slightly shorter gearing...

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread

Today Is the Day............If God is willing and the stars are aligned correctly I should get delivery today. 87 days after booking, I should count myself lucky If I do indeed get it.

Re: KTM 390 - The original Hooligan - Ownership Thread


Ok, but that would be riding the clutch right, along with lugging the engine. On D390 at those speeds it is better to move down to 1st, and then shift to 2nd at 20-25. Anyways, that's your riding style, I try not to lug the engine and/or ride the clutch.