Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Ownership Update:
ODO: 10850kms

Last week, I landed up at the service centre with all the issues to be fixed:

1. Side Stand Loose
2. Spark Plug Clean/Check/Replace
3. Air Filter Clean/Check/Replace
4. Fine Fuel Filter
5. Oil Filter
6. Engine Head Leak Check
7. Engine Oil Change
8. Handelbar Greasing - Ball Racer
9. Suspension Dust Cap Clean
10. Fuel Tank Check - if there is any water in the tank
11. Coolant Check with Flow Lines
12. Number Plate Vibration/Washers
13. Chain Adjustment, No Lubing Necessary
14. Wheel Bearing Check/Replace
15. Scan with Diagnostic Tool for Errors if any

I was given a paid service with an estimate of Rs.800 as all the labour for the above work would be included in this.
I had a hunch that the head gasket was leaking a bit but wasn't sure if it was mud or engine oil leak. Hence I got it checked and sure thing, the gasket needed replacement. Price of gasket was Rs.305 incl GST. Just to let you all know, coolant needed to be drained and radiator opened to access the engine head. Old coolant was refilled with same coolant. Got the coolant lines checked, as some rats pay a visit to my parking area sometimes.
Fuel tank didn't contain any water, only the fine fuel filter needed replacement. I had carried Motul 300v Engine Oil with me and they were happy to fill the same.
Changed the spark plug to NGK LKAR8AI9 Iridium Spark Plug. Throttle has become a bit more crisp as per my observation. Spark Plug was not the issue, although I had though that was the main culprit. I am using Premium Petrol as the standard one really chokes the Throttle Body and the filter.
Air filter and oil filter were also changed.
I was also carrying a can of WD40 spray which the service guy was happily spraying everywhere to keep rust at bay. Damn, I love WD40.
The knocking problem seems to be gone as of now.
Brake pads are still making a bit of squeaky noise after a wash, but manageable. I plan to change those soon though.
All in all, the bill came to Rs. 1725 including paid service cost, gasket price and periodic service kit.
Service experience was good, only a nut was kept loose on the fairing. Definitely he forgot, I tightened it yesterday.
Time taken for all the work : 10.30AM to 4PM.

Special thanks to [MENTION=16602]s1d[/MENTION] [MENTION=59090]kiran2508[/MENTION] and everyone who helped me through.
ODO is now 11000kms.


Future Plans/Mods:
Brake Pads Replacement with stock pads
Front Number Plate removal (vibrates like anything)
LED Bulbs (any info on this?)

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

I liked the part where the "mechanic was happily spraying WD 40" just biker things. Front number plate vibrations can be reduced using nylon/rubber washers under and above the screws and using a slightly lengthier screws instead of stock, this way it helps keep the vibes curbed. Secondly, for brake pads you can use the latest semi-sintered pads as they're a direct swap to all the Duke series if you're using an older bike.

LED bulbs can be used as they consume less power and have better lumens.

The low beam is H11 socket and high beam is H9 socket. You can get the respective LED bulbs by searching for the right socket configuration.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Nice to see that bike has has no issues with the ignition coil or anything which you predicted.

But, for what usage are you using the 300V is it the 300V2 or V1? That oil is known to cause head gasket blown issues from the beginning of Duke 390/RC 390 days and the same issue is seen in your bike which you have pointed out, it is best recommended only for track use, where the engine is re-built after 4-5 trackdays/races and engine life is not a main consideration. Not recommended for city or everyday usage, better stick to 7100.

Brake Pads Replacement with stock pads
Brake pads if you can afford, switch to EBC sintered pads instead of stock

Front Number Plate removal (vibrates like anything)
Riding without one is illegal, I don't see any front plate vibration issues with any other RC's, you could use couple of double sided sticky tape

LED Bulbs (any info on this?)
RC already has brightest headlight which blinds on-coming traffic enough, LEDs will only make it worse blinding the opposite traffic completly even in low beam. You can replace stock H11 bulbs with Osram Night breaker or Philps Xtreme vision bulbs which give better spread and intensity without blinding the traffic. Better to avoid LED headlights

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

head gasket was leaking but u did not have any oil + coolant mixing ?
u sure if it was the head gasket if not was it the head cover/valve cover gasket or base gasket.
fine fuel filter ? are you referring to the sock type filter located inside the petrol tank attached to the fuel pump ? Or the fuel filter located outside and under the tank ?

LED bulbs, can be a hit or a miss.. too many factors to get it right. the stock lighting is good on the rc. are you looking to blind oncoming traffic or compete with them ? you could experiment with some commonly available budget offerings from aliexpress sellers like the nighteye etc..
some things to keep in mind when using such bulbs is to remember that factors such as reflector design, bulb position (i.e. position of the led when you insert the bulb), in your case projector lens etc.. can play a part in either making it better or worse.
i am yet to see someone show me how an led or a more powerful bulb can help with combating the brightness of oncoming lights and providing a clearer view ahead.
on a dark road yeh, it might light it up better.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

I am using the old 300V, not the new V2. I am absolutely in love with the 300V ever since I used it while doing an interstate ride. It was so damn smooth that you don't want to return to the 7100 which makes the bike slightly heavier. The thing about 300V is, the oil eats into the gasket, thereby causing a leak, apparently. Generally I do city riding, but I plan to go out on a longish ride very very soon. Enough of bumper to bumper traffic with the RC. I will return to 7100 after this flush definitely.

Regarding the LEDs, the only reason I want to shift is due to lower power consumption. The RC is totally dependent on the battery, hence I want to give it lesser load. But I am not sure if LEDs would screw up the beam pattern and light throw afterall.
@s1d: No, thankfully I had minimal amount of head gasket leak, which anyone might mistake for dirt on the engine. Rather, I had to point out to the service guy to check carefully with a torch that head gasket was leaking. No coolant got mixed with engine oil thankfully.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Can you share a pic of the repair bill ?
if you are using the bike normally, you shouldn't worry about the battery.. it should easily last you 2-3 yrs at-least.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Regarding LEDs, they consume very less power and their beam pattern and intensity is what makes them an excellent cheap mod. Secondly, you're right about RC being depending on the battery, right from fan to what not, so keeping the HL draw less would mean, the lesser the load on battery, in turn on the generator and RR which would mean extended life of these components.

Now, to your query on screwing up the pattern; nopes, you ain't gonna screw your pattern or blind oncoming drivers, you can adjust the beam accordingly as per your old setup and still enjoy the throw. I'd strongly recommend an LED.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

if the bike is stock and with no additional accessories drawing power, there wont be any strain as such on the coil or rr, they are designed to handle the regular load. as long as the bike is running (i hope [MENTION=43594]SpeedyKol[/MENTION] you aren't flashing the bulbs without running the bike ! ), there will be no issues and irrespective of led/halogen the output from coil/rr will remain the same at a given engine speed.
the 390 has a 230W (238W post 2017 iirc) alternator.. which can easily handle the stock circuitry and electronics.


also if [MENTION=43594]SpeedyKol[/MENTION] if you decide on using an LED, keep in mind that in rainy or foggy conditions the most commonly available white light leds (6500k) will not be of much help. look for ones with a yellowish light (4500k or lower) .. and make sure you adjust the throw a little downward to prevent blinding oncoming folks.
what you could also maybe do is add aux leds but on the rc it is a challenge since it doesn't have a crash guard (which is the easiest place to mount these)

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Battery lasted exactly for 3 years, although it needed occassional charging once a year or so. Recently plonked a new battery.

Here are the snaps of the bill.

[MENTION=16602]s1d[/MENTION] Can you suggest some LEDs (preferably from Aliexpress) that has some good reviews and would those withstand rainy season?

I never switch on the indicators or the headlight without ignition.
By the way, anybody's clutch cable is brushing and eating into the right side fork? Mine is showing signs of that.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Acquired a 2016 RC390 which had run only 2.5k kms. This was for 'drag only' build.

The bike was taking over from our drag winning Duke 390 which had won in a few Indian open and some upto 550cc class races.

In current state of tune, the bike is making close to 50 horses at the crank (dyno tested). Some pics of the bike...





The previous owner had the bike in great nick and the engine needs a fair amount of running-in.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

LEDs as I've mentioned earlier, offer good lumens for a given wattage while consuming less power, that's one. Secondly, LEDs mostly have a heatsink and a fan behind them, which is there to help cool the LED chipset. Care should be taken when washing the bike, not to spray a direct jet or stream of water over the LED heatsink fan, though they are IP rated which is a standard for water resistance of a given electronic item, it can help prolong the life, brine water used for washing.

You can get good set of LED lamps even in India, but not all of them retail the right specification bulb, as most have H4s and not the other socket types. You can have good deal from Aliexpress. Night Eye, they have a fantastic reputation of offering good quality and best bang for the buck with almost excellent review backing it. Check it out.

Night Eye LED Lamps

Cheers!
VJ

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

if the bike is used regularly (say for eg 25 km every week), external battery charging shouldn't be required.

thanks for the bill.. it wasn't the head gasket, but the valve cover gasket that was replaced.. this happens on most ktm's and replacing the valve cover gasket along with a bit of gasket sealant fixes it, isn't a major issue (except that the oil stains might look ugly).. this is very different from a head gasket.

i haven't personally used leds for the headlight (but run a led on the parking bulb on my d200), but the nighteye or infitary brand seems a popular choice from the reviews. heck, they even seem to make a bulb with multiple color temps (colors) !


maybe someone who has really used them will give better suggestions.

clutch cable (and to an extent the wiring loom) rubbing into the frame is common (atleast on the dukes).. the initial models had too much wear on the clutch cable outer, but i guess bajaj improved the quality/thickness and isn't as prone to wear due to rubbing. I had added a layer of duct tape around the wiring loom and clutch cable at the area where it rubs the frame (around the area where the frame number is punched in), and so far haven't had any issues.. but yeh do keep an eye out at this area.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Yup, you filled in for me and my doubt.

I kept wondering how can the bill end up only of some ₹17xx for the job which included head gasket change and so many other stuff,
Valve cam cover leaky gasket can in noway cause coolant oil mixing issue, its the most harmless gasket leak per say.

Thanks.

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Thanks everyone for pointing it out. I was ignorant about the valve gasket and I supposed it to be head gasket since technically the engine head was opened. Hahaha. My bad!
Can you guys please show how you have put duct tape around the clutch cable? Would like to do the same on mine.
The main fear I have with the stock lights is the dip in fan speed when the high beam is switched on. So either the battery is taking the load or the radiator fan.
Anybody still using engine ice?

Re: KTM RC 390 Ownership Experience

Hi..need some help for blind spot mirror ,currently i am using flexible rectangle one which work great but they get out of right angle in 2-3 min of riding due to vibration and bumps .
Also which mirror is good between rectangular type or cicular ones.thanks