Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

What is the cost of original Ktm sprocket set (Not the current set that comes factory fitted) for D390???. Coz an original Ktm chain is orange in colour and so are its sprockets. Not sure if they are used for racing but would like to know more. You will see what I am talking about if you have come across a D200 overbored to 230cc by Joel of RC.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


That would be the one of the last things I will do. Braking using front brake on gravel .
I am yet to see the ABS kicking in while using the front brake.


This totally depends on the roads you ply. If they are dusty then the cleaning and lubing interval will be earlier.

Best thing is to look at the chain regualarly. if you see dirt or debris struck to chain and the inners are sparkling shiny then its the time to clean and lube.

I simply use soft pressure water to clean the chain throughly and then dry clean it with some soft cloth. Then use the chain lube ( I highly reccomend Cyclo's chain lube. Available at Shell petrol bunks off the shelf). I am doing it every 250-300kms considering the road conditions of hyderabad.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Hello All,

This thread contains many user reviews and i think almost every part has been covered.. But still i would like to add my share of the review for my duke 390

I got the bike last week (14.11.2013) and have only completed like 150 odd Kms, but i think i have had enough time to understand its behavior...

My Riding background
Have only ridden RX100 and have experience of around 1500 kms...

1. About the duke 390
- Well it does everything perfectly and the build quality is decent if not great...
- For the money i paid, loose wiring tapes, flimsy muduard and those pulsar stuff dont matter, as a package everything holds together quite well and am totally satisfied

2. About its road behavior
- Handles like charm at any speed
- Tyres are good
- ABS does its job well
- Gearbox is good and works flawlessly
- Rear brake is extremely sensitive and requires very light footed operation
- The bike handles every day road bumps very well, even better than my RX
- The bike does heat up in traffic but the heat is bearable
- Clutch is springy and a few minutes of disengaging it will leave your hand numb...
- RPM build up is progressive and not frantic like the 200...

3. For the probable new buyers (newbies) having question whether they would be able to ride the beast or not...
- Go ahead and take a test ride, the bike is not at all scary, its purely controlled chaos, in short everything is always under your control
- The bike does require your complete dedication while riding, as the bike closes in on objects/vehicles at double the speed compared to other bikes and the bikes needs to be ridden in the
proper gear, else engine lugging would happen which is bad during RUN IN

4. 5th and 6th Gear
- The character of the bike/engine changes after engaging these gears
- You need to be at good speeds (50+ for 5th and 65+ for 6th) for using these and hence they would remain pretty much untouched in the city...
- The engine load is very less in these gears and the engine is happiest when these are engaged, BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT THE THROTTLE BECOMES VERY SENSITIVE here...

5. Gearbox
- The gearbox is smooth
- Finding neutral is easy
- No false shifts or false neutral problem, sometimes at standstill it might happen that your bike was in gear and you put it in neutral but with half hearted shift, and it might show neutral on the ODO and as soon as you let go the clutch, the bike would jump forward and engine would stop... MAKE SURE YOU SHIFT CORRECTLY AT STANDSTILL (i.e. from 2 or 1st to Neutral)
The feedback from the lever would tell you if bike is in neutral...
This is not a problem but a user error and it would happen on any other bike...

6. PDI
- Check for the levels of all the fluids as well as for leaks..
- The bike is supplied with very high tyre pressure, so straight away head to the nearest pump and do a tank ful and check the tyre pressure
- Check for mudflap, from fork boots and the wiring circuit completion of the radiator fan...

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Read this in economics times:

KTM to roll out Husqvarna bikes from Bajaj's plant in 2 yrs - The Economic Times

Important points:
- Rajiv Bajaj siad that RC series by next year end(2014)
- 5-6 new model in 2014
- May be KTM 690 in 2015

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

good news indeed thou was hoping for the original rumour of 11k price.anyways how would pirelli products hold up with the 390? PSD for eg.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Do you have a paddock stand? how do you manage to get the wheel of the ground?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

I use car jack posted a picture in one of my posts earlier.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Managed to google this pic! Are you resting the bike on the swingarm? Just a bit concerned about damaging it. I have two car jacks and can potentially save ~4k but a bit apprehensive.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Yes, one side of the bike is on Side stand and another side is on Car jack. I am also planning to use on two car jacks (one comes at as cheap as Rs 500).

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Do post a pic with both sides lifted from a car jack as and when you clean it by this method. More importantly please let me know if you notice any damage because of using car jack.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences


I had seen a method the Cochin PBK guys used, they had removed the front end of the duke 200 completely, so no front forks or handles, so the bike cannot be rested on the rear paddock alone. The thing they used was, 2 car jacks with the rotating rod has been been made into a single long rod which goes inside through both jacks, so essentially you can raise both the jacks at the same height at the same time by just applying torque at one end. It was a simple and ingenious idea.


Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

That defeats the purpose of simple home based DIY. The chain would need cleaning every 300kms which is once in two weeks for me. Going to SVC every two weeks is impractical but shelling out 4k for a wheel stand is expensive! Not sure what to do as of now. Some internet links talked of a small wheel stand that Bajaj was going to introduce for 1-1.5k. God knows what happened to that.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Lol.. I think i was not sufficiently clear. The forks were removed for repairs, so the bike had to be kept upright na. So the solution was this.

So ideally..if you have 2 jacks (Rs500+Rs500) and replace the rods in them with a single long rod with same dia. Then you essentially have a paddock stand. This method is anyday a very good DIY proposition than going for a expensive paddock just for the chain lubing purpose.
A pic would really explain it, but sadly it never struck me to take a pic.

EDIT :

I worked out a pic in PS and this is the setup that they used.





Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

Guys need your help ASAP. My D390 is due for it first service. What is the cost of Free Service???. I am going tomorrow to Indiranagar SVC, Bangalore to get it done. Further to this, is it recommended to buy the Engine oil from else where or the showroom?. Its Motul 10W50 FS oil right?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences

about 1500odd bucks.+-200inr.