Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Same here bro. Ive also crossed 4k kms, the only "issue" per se is the side stand becoming loose. Though this in this service, i had them remove the entire assembly, clean it, and assemble back with loctite. Hopefully it wont become loose again.
Also, you will grind either footpegs or the belly before you reach that lean angle.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

I fill either at HP or IOCL. By regular i meant the unleaded tagged, whereas i try to use Extra Premium (around 70 per litre in Delhi).

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Dont know or guess what may come ahead. However would stick to my learning curve and see where it takes me. I guess grinding peg would be least damaging (to my heart), as compared to belly coming in first.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Hello everybody,
I am going abroad by the end of next month. Any ideas as to how to store my RC390 away for 6 months to a year. Would the tires get affected due to non usage? I have a paddock stand for the rear, but I don't want to park the bike on the paddock stand as I find it unstable on the stand. Any suggestions please.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

You can find the storage instructions in your manual. Main things are- you empty the fuel and put fresh engine oil and disconnect the battery and put a decent cover to protect from dust.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

I admit with you, shell regular is better than HP n IOC. I don't have any problem when I use Shell but as soon as I use other I get jerks in 2-4k rpms.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Sure. Thanks Buddy. I will read the manual. You say "empty the fuel". Even I thought the same, but I read that by keeping the fuel tank empty would cause the tank to rust.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Hello Everyone,

So I ended up selling my KTM Duke 200 after it hit close to 90k kms on the odo, it was pending a valve train replacement and I did not have the heart to see the engine opened and taken apart so my only other option was to sell.

I was eyeing the Benelli BN600i and the price point made it seem like a very tempting upgrade, I went for the test ride, it felt a little lazy but I the note of the engine did make everything just okay. A few days before I was to pay the booking amount, the local KTM dealer in Hyderabad called me and asked if I would like to participate in the 390 Track day, I was told I would be given a bike as a favor since I was one of their first customers. So I arrived for the track day all geared up and as promised there was a Duke 390 and a RC 390 lined up for me. I picked the Duke for the first few sessions since I was already familiar with the handling characteristics and for the next session I shifted to a RC390 and let's just say I was impressed. The next few days were spent in deep thought, contemplating if the 600i would be the right choice for me.

In the end I decided to go against all logic and buy myself the RC390, it has been a little over a month and I have done about 3000 odd kms, with a majority of those miles covered on a track. I bought the RC to trash around the track and it has not disappointed except for a few pretty glaring flaws which I will list out later.

Within the first few 100kms the exhaust turned a bright blue and I went back to the SVC because I was pretty sure that the air fuel mixture was too rich since that is usually what causes the exhausts to blue. I was assured that the air fuel mixture is stoichiometric, after draining the engine oil twice and ensuring there were no more engine shavings I shifted to Motul 300V.

The RC390 for most part has been a satisfactory purchase but it is in no way as refined as the Duke 200 in terms of fueling and engine vibrations. I know I am picking at things most people would not even bother about but it does get irritating

- The Fancy mirrors take a while getting used to but are pretty useless for the most part, they do have quite a range of adjustment which surprised me but in normal riding, I can't see anything other than my forearms( I can a little more if I don't wear my riding jacket) unless and until I'm in a semi crouched position, at anything above 7.5k rpm, they vibrate violently and you most probably will just see blurred images of things behind you.

- The front bubble is pretty useless as well, it vibrates when you idle, it vibrates when you rev and it vibrates when you brake. I have tried multiple things uncludung fabricating silicone bracket washers to keep it from moving about but I guss that is something I have to live with

- The side stand keeps coming loose and needs to be tightened every week or so

- The fairing scrapes when you lean the bike over

- the front suspension is too soft and usually ends up compressing way too much under hard braking

- The ABS is a pain the butt, I usually end up switching it off while riding

- The riders seat is super delicate, I ended up breaking one of the clamp holders in the first week of having the bike.

- The rear is over tyred. I have no chicken strips on the front but have about a 10mm chicken strip on the back

Other issues like engine heat, hot starts and random fuel meter readings are minor niggles that don't bother me since this was bought to run on a track for a majority of the time.

Odo reading - 3192kms

Upgrades
- Changed front fork oil to increase dampening

Planned upgrades
- K&N 1211
- Powertronics Piggyback
- Pirelli Diablo Rosso ii
- CNC Levers
- Custom fabricated Rearsets
- Custom race fairing (Mukul from Autologue is working on something special)

I love the bike, and it has taken a few crashes as well but that is what i bought it for so I think that's okay.

Parts are cheap and I have never had spares cost me over 600 rupees per crash, which works out brilliantly for me. It works very well as a track bike, takes about 5 minutes to strip the rear foot pegs and mirrors, the rear number plate holder though is another story.

Will keep you guys posted on the upgrades, waiting for a few more parts that are being shipped.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Very well written I was planning to take one but still waiting Honda to launch 650f. I did test ride if RC390 I was impressed the only reason I'm holding is because I talked many guys who use Dukes and RC's they all have bad rep about KTM svc. Some of them are going to third party's to get their bikes serviced. Honda is also OK in chennai not sure how they will handle 650.


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Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Very well written.
Good to hear you are doing well at track. Its an amazing track machine.

Ill try to write up reaview when I have some free time. crossed 17000kms on my RC390 includes track riding and touring. Proved all myths about RC when it comes to touring(I believe so :-p) and dont know how to writeup my experience while riding at track. Its amazing.

I'm in complete love with my bike.



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Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Nice!!! . Just some suggestions keeping in mind your planned upgrades.

1. Would suggest that you consider Pipercross instead of K&N. A much better filter which is suited for our conditions.
2. Do consider a ECU remap instead of a piggy back.
3. Also suggest a rear shock change to Ohlins S46DR1 rear shock. It will transform the way the rear behaves on and off the track.
4. You can also consider custom made fork emulator valves to revise the dampening rate of the front fork. Motozone of Pune makes them based on ones custom requirement. Here is a example of the same.

Did a 1400 km ride on the RC over 2.5 days from Hyderabad to Bangalore to around Bangalore (Banyan Tree!) and back. It was one hell of a comfortable ride!

Some observations about the bike:
1. Faced strong side winds all through my journey to Bangalore (windmills on the hills were turning at high speeds!). But to the credit of the awesome chassis of the RC, the bike was firmly planted at the speeds of 120-130 kmph. Only pain was the pathetic SOL helmet. The wind noise was killing me and felt like the helmet would be blown off at few places!
2. The bike did 130 kmph all day at 7-7.5K RPM. No sweat at all. Have been using 300v since first service. There was no vibrations felt (!!) at high speeds. With the wind, I could not hear the engine as well.
3. Top speed : 172 kmph in a fully crouched position. Could have done more but in the interest of the road and myself, let off the throttle. I do not remember vibey footpegs/handlebars at 150+ speeds but damn those were the last things on my mind at those speeds.
4. The range is pathetic! No surprises there. Three tank fulls got me into Bangalore city with some left to spare. The distance is 600 kms one way for me. Safe to assume a 28-30kmpl mileage. Have no complains. The refilling were a welcome break for my rear! Once I was back in the city - put in Adon P, redlined a few times to remove any muck from highway petrol.
5. Comfort - am 6.2 and I find the bike very comfortable. No backaches, arm aches or any aches after the 2.5 days. Only bottom ache which will happen on even a bus ride this long.
6. Braking - I felt the brakes were wooden with no feedback. ABS + Metz saved me when out of nowhere a herd of goats came sprawling across the road. But the brakes had no feedback at all.
7. Respect on the highway - Surprisingly people in small cars/sedans gave way to the RC on the highway maybe as a sign of respect or a sign of awe (I do not know!). In sutta brakes at small tea joints, a crowd of 5 people would gather to search for the exhaust and examine the rear seat!

Finally, it is one hell of a bike to ride on highways. Special mention of the roads from Hyderabad to Bangalore - butter smooth. Was happy to see my road tax doing some work.

Mods planned:
1. Pirelli Diablo Rosso II
2. Better brake pads - Nissin maybe (will get from Motozone)
3. HEL brake lines (Red ones) - for the looks and performance

Next trip would be probably to Pune and a visit to the geniuses at Motozone. Pics in the next post!

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Could you help me with the following:
- Advantage of the Pipercross over the K&N, I have used BMC, UNI and K&N but never Pipercross. The reason i decided to use the K&N was because I used the same on my 200 and it performed without any issues. Also where can I source pipercross from, I don't think we have any dealers in Hyderabad
- I did consider an ECU remap, in fact I did run one of the initial KIIRUS remaps on the 200 before I switched back to the stock map and decided on mechanical upgrades instead. Long story. I think I spoke about it in one of my previous posts. Other that KIIRUS and the piggy back do you know of anyone else who can build a custom map for me
- Ohlins S46DR1- what would be the investment required? I was planning to get progressive dampner springs for the front and rear instead of changing the unit. What would you suggest?
- Contact for Motozone, if possible and would they be able to make an adjustable valve for me?

Thanks in advance.
-

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I think any ASC is pretty much the same, you need to build a relationship with the technicians so that they treat your bike the way you would want it to be treated. The RC390 is my second KTM and I don't have anything negative to say about the After Sales Service.

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Looking forward to your review, do mention how you deal with the limited tank range and how the wear of the tires are affected while touring

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Ya I think the same relationship with SVC matters I just follow RC390 group to see what and all problems guys are facing and how they are getting fixed its kind of research at this point.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience


Hey Mustang,

Looks like you had one hell of a ride.

I agree that the brakes have zero feedback with the ABS switched on, the reason I usually switch it off,

I am more curious to know about the tire wear. Did you end up with a flat spot?

I am planning a similar trip and your inputs would be helpful.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Have to try with abs off then!
My tires were relatively new at 4500 kms when I started the trip. Had filled Nitrogen with 28 at front and 32 at rear. Checked the pressure on reaching Bangalore and the tires were still at 28/32. Did the same at Hyderabad and there was a 1-2 psi drop but that was not surprising.

All in all, no tire problems at all. Maybe Nitrogen made the difference.