Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

yes, you are right. i got it mixed up/over looked it.

here are the links to the parts catalogue:
duke 390 (my13-my16)


duke 390 and duke 250 my17


not sure if anything has changed in MY18. bajaj is know to improve/add/modify parts every year so i wont be surprised if the part no. is different for MY18 or MY19.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Need some opinion i currently own a suzuki gixxer and am planning to upgrade. I have the budget for the duke 390 but coming from a 155cc bike will it be too much to handle? My usage will be like 70% daily commute and 30% touring. Is this bike good for that and how is the pillion comfort?.
I am not worried about mileage/ownership cost etc.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Not too much to handle if you know where to twist your wrist and where not to. D390 can be used for commutes but you have to bear with the heat initially in B2B traffic and isn't really mileage friendly. Pillion comfort isn't that great but again if it irks you at a longer interval, get an aftermarket gel seat or get some extra cushioning added to your existing seat. Since you're not worried about mileage/ownership cost, it should be a good upgrade. But ride responsibly, it will throw you surprises, especially when one is upgrading from a 150cc'ish kinda bikes. But in time, you'll get used to it.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Hi Raju.

The stator coil for the 2015 and the newer 2017-2018 are different and so are a few nitty gritty components inside the engine. KTM, being a Bajaj over time, does keep on improvising parts and components et al. The two holes on the gasket can be for oil galleries. I'd suggest you stick to the preferred gasket for your model. As the hole in the newer gasket where it's not meant for the older Dukes can in fact ruin the gasket and cause coolant leak and worse blown gasket which can kill compression. Changing the stator to the newer 2018 one can be done by changing the rotor as you rightly said, and also the magneto cover is required to be changed if IIRC.

Yes, the decompression valves will reduce the compression, and that's the compression to be taken into account. Unfortunately, the exact PSI isn't mentioned in the manual. The petrol leak down test is an excellent test to check for leaky valves, if they stay put, the valves are absolutely fine. Keep your observations posted.

To add to what members have mentioned, pillion comfort isn't that great, and okay-ish for the most part. If you're mainly going to use it for city commutes, look for a cheaper alternate such as the D200 or the Apaches and FZ250s, they are cheap, have enough juice and comparatively frugal.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

It's been almost a month now and they're not able to source the MY13 gasket. They've got a bunch of the new ones. Hence I wondered if the new ones could be used or not.

The guy at the service center checked the parts manual and confirmed that the part no. is different for MY18 and the other dukes . Here's the pic of the part no. on the cover.



Yes, looks like they've changed something in the engine head(extra coolant slots?), hence the new gasket. I've not been able to find any engine disassembly video for MY18 Dukes yet. I'll stick to the recommended gasket. Can I reuse the old gasket. It's still in good shape. No visible damage.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Don't use the old gasket Raju. Though a gasket can seem fine on the outside, structurally it could have taken a beating, right from the thickness of the coating on the leaves. I'd strongly recommend you replace the gasket. Make sure you use Loctite wherever necessary.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Hello every one
Could any help me?
What the correct position of oil/coolant seals in water pump?
In picture
1) Left side: coolant---{{---oil = seals are duplicated ( --- the motor shaft , { - the seals position)
2) Center: coolant ---{}--- oil = they look at each other
3) Right coolant---}{---oil = they stand open side inside protected cavities

I think in left side the coolant gets into the oil. But what the correct - 2 or 3?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Thanks for the heads up VJ. I'll wait for the new gasket. The manual doesn't state any sealant for the head gasket and when I opened the engine there was no sealant residue on the head gasket either. The service manual recommends loctite 5910 for other gaskets but it's not available anywhere. So I've used Anabond 666T Max RTV silicone gasket maker on the paper gaskets.

Hi. I just checked the service manual and it says to install the seals with the open side facing inward. So from what I can see, you put one seal ring(3) from back and the other seal ring(2) from front. So your second diagram/point is the correct one as per the manual. Experts, please correct me if I'm wrong. Here's the manual pic.



Here's an interesting video about the water pump seals: https://youtu.be/1El7Ww2wSFs

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

NEVER use any sealant on a head gasket.
Loctite is a company that specializes in adhesives, sealants etc.. and folks here when referring to loctite generally refer to the thread locker compound that is used on the bolt threads (so they don't get loose due to vibrations).. you might have noticed some bolts having a blue or red coating on them (this is the thread locker stuff).
you are ok using a bit of rtv sealant on the paper gaskets like for the engine cases and also a bit on the valve cover gasket (especially at the area of the gasket that has the round rubber part --O--O-- .. but never apply any sort of stuff on the head gasket.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Hi Raju. Right, Loctite or sealants are used when installing head gaskets. Reason? They can clog the coolant passage ports or worse clog the oil jets. Unless recommended by a manufacturer, sealants aren't applied on lower head gaskets. Loctite on the other hand can be used for bolts and stuff, because they dry up once the bolt is torqued in this prevents vibration induced loosening of the bolts, that's the reason the Duke manual almost liberally recommends to use Loctite, because they knew things will eventually undo itself.

Jokes apart, sealants can be used on paper gaskets such as clutch cover, magneto cover, valve cover gasket O rings, most of them go well with sealants if the right quantity is applied. But "NEVER" ON A METAL GASKET.

With respect to oil seals, the direction where the punch marks and numbers are printed on the oil seal, that direction is always, always up.



The oil seal direction is very simple. When you take an oil seal, you have IDs/number stamped on the diameter of the oil seal, this side where the punch marks and IDs present SIDE IS ALWAYS UP, w.r.t to the hole that it's being pressed into. The spring on the seal should always be backside of the of the hole that it's being pressed into. Check this image. Here you can see it clearly. Part number 12




Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Guys, whats the price of the LED indicators per unit?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

It's ₹514 per unit inclusive of GST and other taxes if any.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Message received loud and clear guys - NO sealant on metal gaskets. Called the service center today for update on the head gasket and the guy told me that they've stopped manufacturing the old gasket (JY511070) and the new ones (JY511139) are compatible with the older dukes. Can someone please enquire with their nearest service center and confirm this? Or should I write to KTM ? Will they answer these kinds of questions? Just want to be absolutely sure.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Confirmed with my mechanic here. They are a direct fit. One word of caution he mentioned is to check and get the right gasket, as the 250 and 390 have almost similar gaskets, and it's easy to get confused. The part number you mentioned for the new gasket is right for the D390 and it's a direct fit for the older models i.e. 2015-2018/19.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Last few posts were great! Made me hook to the thread.

Bike at 19,000Kms, Recently started noticing a sound which comes while revving hard. Something like a metal clanking sound below engine bay, only when I revv instantly, clanks couple of times. During smooth acceleration, it seems to be absent. Service representative told there is no tapet noise as well which means no need to check valve seating and such minor clanking sound is normal.

Other than this sound, no other issues or any signs of other faults. Everything seems normal, compression test couple of thousand Kms ago seemed good. What should I be checking for identifying the source of the noise or is this really normal?