Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

do check the quantity of drained oil, that will give you the exact number. Even I was worried with my RC390 initially, but it turns out ok, cheers!

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Approx prices:
Service labor: Rs.900
Engine oil: 1200
oil+air+fuel filter (called periodic service kit): 520
fork overhaul labor: 400
fork oil (480ml x 2 bottles) - capacity per fork is 450ml so some oil will be left over (don't overfill, i'd say rather put in 440ml) : Rs.450
fork oil seal kit x2 : 700
brake pads (fr & rr): Rs.500
brake fluid: Rs.80 (1 bottle sufficient for both fr & rr drain and refill)
coolant: Rs.200

No idea about painting/wrapping costs.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

So got the bike service done and wrapping will be done today.

Here's what all was done

Chain Sprocket Replaced
Front brake pad replaced
fork oil seal and fork oil replaced (both forks)
oil filter and 2 other oil stainers replaced
coolant drained and replaced
brake fluid drained and replaced
throttle body was jammed so cleaned and lubricated
battery belt installed
rear disk pad cleaned up
engine oil replaced
y shaped engine mount the silver one replaced for RH side

Cost Involved : 6000 for spare parts and 2000 labor
work done at my mechanic and not the svc center

The bike will be wrapped today and the same will cost 5k

Now I have a handling issue with the bike. I softened the rear suspension to 2points softer compared to stock
now the bike refuses to lean easily and feels like its slightly pulling to the left
There could be various reasons this could happen
1) Cone set too tight
2) The rear tyre is a new michelling pilot street and the front one is a old metz with hardly any life left on it
3) 450ml oil was put in the forks which has hardened them and then I have softened the rear suspension

Need your comments on what could the issue be for handling problems and the above mentioned cost is ok?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Front tyre with no life left may be the issue.
Front end will felt heavy in worn-out tyres usually.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

That's why i said put in 440ml, sometimes the entire oil doesn't come out and i think 430-440ml would be safer.
work the forks a bit to get the oil flowing thru them. hold the front brake down and start humping it or take go out early morning on an empty stretch of road and at slow speeds hit the front brake so the bike dives.. repeat a few times.

hopefully the front end is properly aligned after the fork service (Check the workshop manual on how to align it correctly, too lengthy for me to type it out.) basically you don't fully torque the fork bolts & axle, you do it after pushing the front end down a couple of times so that it levels out and then finally tighten them bolts.
ditto for rear, since you got the chain kit replaced.

coming to the rear suspension, first bump it back to stock position i.e. 3. any lower is really not recommend imo. Playing with the rear suspension will impact handling.

check the tire pressure.. ideally between 28-32 at rear and 26-28 at front. nothing more.
if you feel tightness or the bike resists your handlebar input, you could try to loosen the adjuster at the steering stem a wee bit and check. do it in small increments.


Appreciate if you could post the price of spares/photo of the bill.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences


450 ML is the right quantity and that's what's recommended in the manual. 440 ML would mean the front end is more pliant and comfortable over undulations and it won't cause a significant difference in handling especially w.r.t to handlebar weave. Secondly, if your coneset is either loose or tight you would definitely have handle bar oscillations at certain speeds for some it's above 60 to 80 and for some at speeds above 50 and below 70 kmph, check if your bike has any oscillations when you take your hands off the bars at certain speed. If the bike only weaves to the left, a worn tire and improper tire pressure are high on the hit list as these cause stiff steering motion and weave and a twitchy front when taking a corner.

Bottomline: Start off with a new front tire, with the right tire PSI, your problem should be solved, since the coneset is replaced and front end overhauled. As I said, a won tire will impact the handling negatively.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Thank you very much for the inputs. Got the bike wrapped and will get the front tyre soon. Meanwhile i ll ride it for a few days loosen the cone set and get the rear suspension back to stock and hope that ll solve the handling issue.

A little background on the bike. This is one of the 3 first ever 390s that were displayed at ktm showrooms and probably the first ever manufactured for india infact when I got the bike the rc book said duke 200 instead of 390 as at the time of registration the 390 was not homologated in india and hence sai svc got it registered as duke 200 instead.

The bike spent 4 years of its initial life as a test drive vehicle and hence when i bought it, it was a mess except for the engine.

I got it for 70k and spent close to 40k restoring it and now this is how she looks. Coming from pulsar flagships and having ridden most sbks i knew what to expect out of this beast.

When I got the bike the abs never worked and after checking i was informed that the abs motor is dead and costs 25k. Thanks to some awesome guys in this thread itself someone suggested a fix for the motor and that fixed the abs. But today suddenly the abs stopped working. I am guessing its a bad connection or sensor becausw sometimes it works and i can feel the feedback but now almost always it doesnt work.

Am really happy with the bike and love it to the core. Except for the electronics and slipper clutch I would always choose the old variant over the 2017 one.

Nonetheless things to do now
Fix the handling issue
Get the abs fixed
Install a new front tyre
Fog lamps and HID to be installed
New horn

Shes almost ready and I guess I can safely start moto vlogging now.

Do check the pics and share your thoughts

Cheers guys[emoji4]

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Tysm for the inputs mate request you to check my previous post and share your thoughts.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Refilled it. Drained oil was about 1.5l. I filled it again with 1.5l and it shows the same oil level. I wont bother now, it seems this is how it is. I couldn't unscrew the smaller oil screen, bolt was way too tight hopefully it drained all the oil from the main drain bolt. Though I asked the KTM service guy as well he said 2nd bolt is not mandatory to drain the oil. Thanks for your response.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

yeah, thats the way it is in KTMs. I did check it every time though to be safe, but no worries, touchwood.

Enjoy your ride and ride safe.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Guys need the rear view mirror for my 390. Checked everywhere in Mumbai just can't find it. Please help

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

You should definitely be able to get the mirror at a reputed SVC in Mumbai. After all, Pune is just 3 hours from the place where the bike itself is manufactured. Just Google your nearest KTM dealeer and call them and place an order. Mirrors should be readily available at most SVCs are they are the normal run of the mill items that usually gets replaced most often.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Rear view mirrors were extremely hard to find in Bengaluru. I ran around the city to all the dealers but couldn't find a set.

Apparently March isn't a good time for spares (according to the people there).

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

The older versions are getting in more demand right now, and the spares aren't that rowdy to get these days. It's surprising to see such run of the mill items not being stocked at the SVC. Well then, where is a May there is a Way.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Is it possible to retro fit the duke 250 headlight on the old d390? As am getting one for real cheap and i guess it ll look good too. What are the challenges ?