Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Thanks guys for the encouragement. The initial idea was to just clean the throttle body and change the stator coil. But on seeing the carbon deposits on the valves I thought it best to clean them as well. Thought of taking it to the service centre but they're totally swamped with work as there's only one service centre here. But it's been fun and I hope that when I'm finished there are no leaks or other issues.
[MENTION=16602]s1d[/MENTION]
Once the valves are fixed I'll do a leak test just on the valves. Once the head is fixed I'll do a compression test to be absolutely sure. I'm in the process of getting the compression tester. Can I just hook the 12 volt battery to the starter motor and give it a few cranks? I've seen one guy do it on youtube. Is it safe? I guess engine oil also has to be filled to required levels? I'd rather do the compression test before I fix the engine to the frame.

I've always used Motul 7100 10w50 every 5000 km. I'll be switching over to Motul 300v² 10w50 . I'll try to measure the exact wear on the cams so that things are more clear. I'll check those additives out when I refill. Here's the cam journal pic. It's smooth to the touch.

Cam journals

[MENTION=42309]zestbiker[/MENTION]
Hmm, didn't think of that. I've got new valve stem seals so I hope they'll stop the leaks, if any. The only thing is that there's no smoke from the exhaust at all. There's never been any smoke whatsoever. And the oil level has never gone down either. If there's any leak it's probably a minor one, just enough to trickle onto the valves and get cooked. I'll be keeping a close eye on those valves from now on. Once done I'll post the review.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Excellent follow-up, Raju. Right, it's good that you replaced your intake valves for good, reason being the seat on both the head and the valves are EXTREMELY CRITICAL in maintaining proper surface contact which helps transfer heat and create proper seal. Using improperly glazed valve or improperly glazed head and you create a taper which would mean a microscopic gap present in between the seat of the valves and the head seats and escaping pressure/gas which is a no-no. Don't you worry about your jugaad method for lapping the valves, you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done, as most mechanics in reputed service centers use vacuum assisted props to lap valves and head.

The black goop that you see fresh is always the result of unburnt carbons depositing and forming a gummy residue, as I've mentioned earlier. It's great that you've cleaned the head thoroughly, and make sure the additives are clean fuel is used post installation.

Coming to piston rings, as long as you see the cross-hatch pattern and no glazing marks on the cylinder, you're all set to go. Your piston rings can be changed be checking the ring gap of each piston ring including the wiper rings' gap and not the expander. Measuring the distance between each ring gap, this will give you an idea as to whether it should be replaced or not, specs are mentioned in the service manual. Top it all up with a MUST compression check, after new rings installation. I'd strongly recommend rings replacement.

The journals look okay, but do check your cam lobes as you've posted earlier, it can be scored significantly where it could have formed ridges, you can feel this when touched upon.

Excellent work. Keep your observations jotted, raju.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

i would still advice you get this checked at a professional machine shop (usually a local lathe shop) to see if the valves are sealing properly.. and get the new valve seals put in.. i suspect they might be the cause of the excessive deposits due to minor oil seepage.
stick to the 7100.. the 300v was developed for use in race applications (where more frequent oil changes are the norm), don't fall for the fancy marketing and 'reviews'. the 300v is also notorious for leaks on the 390... in fact ktm themselves had instructed their service centers to stop using the 300v a couple of years ago.

i am not very sure about the compression test values.. there was some discussion on this earlier and there was some discrepancy in the values obtained by just screwing in the compression gauge and checking it vs with the engine out (as per the youtube video)... it probably has got to do with the intake wide open, no fuel , decompression disabled etc.. when the engine is out on the bench.
iirc the user reported 5.5 bar after an full engine rebuild with the engine all connected up and on the bike.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Hey guys, am new here. Although I joined xbhp way back in 2011 when I had my first bike Pulsar 180 ug4(had to sell it off in 2016 to my friend after letting him to use it for his daily commute[emoji58][emoji58][emoji58])
I always followed xbhp for the technical details shared and disccussed whenever I had doubts or problems the with my bikes.

Currently using Duke 390 as my daily driver as well as a gateway bike for the short n long rides since 2014.

Off late I have started facing issues with ABS. The warning light always stays for most part of the time I ride the bike and have keenly observed that the ABS doesn't works during this time. But on certain occasions the warning light is off and ABS works at those rare instances.
I believe I have almost read all the posts/discussions regarding the ABS issue discussed on this forum.
Also got it checked at 2 different KTM ASC but got the same reply that it's the ABS pump/motor that's damaged and need to change it.

We all know almost all KTM ASC guys just work on the part replacement strategy to save their time and thus am really not convinced with the solution that they have provided. Also it costs a bomb to go ahead with their way.

Also my hopes of getting the ABS issue fixed without requiring a replacement of the pump/motor were increased after going through the issue faced by our fellow xbhpian hypergamer whose issue was a bit different but was fixed with a proper cleaning of the ABS motor/pump and a few hits with a hammer.


Hope to get started with you all with your suggestions on this one before I go ahead and share my other concerns to which I believe i have almost found the answers.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Could that be as simple as a dying battery?
Check the wiring too. It could be the culprit since the bike is almost 5 years old.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

I use a Amaron Pro battery and it's in all good shape n function.
But as you mentioned about checking the wiring I would love to go ahead with it.
As apart from the ABS issue another issue I face is my speedometer jumps between the actual speeds and '0'kmph.
It happens all the time like am doing 40-50-60 or any speed and suddenly the speedometer will show a '0' for few seconds and will jump back to displaying the actual speed are which I am and again to '0' for few seconds.

I have also discussed this with the KTM ASC but all they said is it's because of the ABS pump/motor and suggested to get it replaced.
I hugely doubt this but not sure of what could be the problem.

Would like to know how can I go ahead with checking the entire wiring myself and also am thinking to clean and refit the ABS motor/pump all on my own.

Any suggestions/guidance on how to go further with this?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

You may need to scroll back a few pages and this issue has been duly noted and a resolution is also given.
Changing ABS motor and all those things are not required I believe.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Hello Nikesh. The reason your ABS is working intermittently can be due to the following reasons. A faulty ABS sensor. The Duke uses two sensors front and back, a faulty sensor would mean calibration thrown off and hence the irrational reading. One interesting point of note is "Speedo Reading 0", now this issue, taken your prior question in tandem, could mean we have a faulty FRONT WHEEL SENSOR that's throwing up wrong readings. This front wheel sensor is the sensor that measures front wheel speed speed for both the speedo display and the ABS unit, start off by checking the sensors for nicks, loose connection considering the age of your motorcycle.

Secondly, the "0 Reading" on your odo can also mean, we have a faulty stator coil that isn't charging the battery well. If this coil is kaput or is in the process of, the speed would show ZERO even when riding at a good clip. Get your stator checked and check your charging voltage at the battery terminal. With the engine running at 5000 RPM, the voltage at the battery should read between 13.5 to 15 volts. Too high a up or down fluctuation means we have a bust stator coil.

Start off with inspecting your stator coil/charging then proceed to the wheel sensor. Keep your observations posted.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Was going through this thread from around page no.1030 and currently on page no.1039 and reading the discussion and especially your comments/replies and I had almost figured out the same that its something to do with the front sensor.
Will try to check it on my own.

Apart from this few months back I had battery failure with the error code JG_1.7.4
due to the ignorant/improper service that was done the 2times I had my bike serviced at KTM E-CITY ASC.
Have also posted a google review about it. https://www.google.com/search?q=ecit...:KTM%2520ECITY
Luckily my battery was in warranty sogot it replaced for free but still had to run around alot for it. During this time the local garage guy also changed the relay and one another relay like thing as they both were kaput.

As about the stator coil I guess I can get it checked at a local battery shop or even at a garage if they do have the multimeter to check the voltage right?

Will keep you guys posted step by step as I proceed. [emoji56]

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

You can check the voltage at the terminal with the said procedure followed, and this can be done using a multimeter, with the probes attached to the battery (polarity checked) and this should give you a starting point and take it on from there with respect to the next set of checks.

Keep your observations posted.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

+1
The Bosch 9.1 ABS modules used in the 390 series are built like a gun, they have a very very low failure rate. It'll probably outlast the lifetime of the bike. Until now from all failed parts list that I've heard since 2013 on the 390 series, ABS module comes somewhere dead last.

Issue has to be with one of the ABS supporting components either the kaput wiring, faulty senor, damage or dust on to the ABS ring, low supply voltage to the module, faulty AUX relay etc etc.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

the ktm svc should be having a diag tool.. have them connect that and check to see if it catches some diag info/error codes. this is a good start vs making assumptions.
as for the battery/charging circuit.. again this can be determined using a multimeter, something as basic as checking the voltage of just the battery, and voltage at 5000rpm. next comes further checking the stator coil by measuring resistances/continuity. ktm has provided svc with literature to correctly diagnose these issues (it gives clear pics and explanations on how/where/what to measure and appropriate values) -- i'll try to click some pics of these electrical manuals and share it in a few days.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Ridges are present on the cam lobes but they're very very faint. I'll check them every 5000 km just to be sure.
I've fixed new piston rings. Was waiting for a new head gasket but there's no stock. It's been almost a month now. They have a newer version but they're not clear if it can be used in MY13 Dukes. The latest ones have a different no. too. There are 2 extra holes on the gasket. Can someone please confirm if the latest gasket can be used on older dukes? The Mfg date for this gasket is April 18. Similar issue with the stator coil. They had trouble sourcing the older model and tried to convince me to use the newer one by changing the rotor. Got the MY13 stator coil after 2 weeks.

Latest Gasket on the left. Old version on the right.


I've fixed all the valves with new seals after lapping with fine compound. Did a basic leak test by pouring petrol down both the ports and found no visible leaks. I'll show it to a professional if time permits. I guess I fell for the marketing bs as I already bought two cans of 300v² a month ago. No option but to use it. Will switch over to 7100 later. Last thing I want is an oil leak now. I've read that the decompression lever on the exhaust cam affects the values. I'll run a leak down test on the bench first then a compression test on the bike.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

the head-gasket part nos. are as you mentioned.. i checked the spares catalogue. they might be interchangeable, but why the risk when clear information isn't available. better get hold of the correct part for the my13-my16 (these use the same gasket).

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

I went through the parts catalouge of 2017 D390 (MY17-present) and all other Duke/RC 390 parts list, and all of them have the exact same head gasket part number as from the 2013 D390(MY13-MY16)/2017 RC390(MY15-present) i.e. JY511070 which is on the right side of your attached pic, not sure where you found the new part number, can you please verify the source?



Adding better quality pics


Attached parts catalouge link for 2017 D390 -> https://www.eskayautomotive.com/pdf/...0-SPC-MY17.pdf
On Page 17