Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

one is the clutch plates could be slipping, another could be fueling issue.. fuel pump pressure related.
try to open the tank, then start the bike up, shut it down after 30 seconds, close the tank and again start the bike and ride it to check. if it still isn't ok, pls get the fuel pump pressure tested (it should read around 2.6 bar)
also if you haven't changed the fuel filter in a long time.. make sure it is changed and connected properly. also did you ride in the rain/get the bike washed recently ?? make sure there is no water in the fuel tank.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Guys anybody tried removing the oil from the front suspension to make it softer. What would be the cons of it if done.
Right now the bike is super flickable in traffic and I don't think any bike other than lower capacity dukes can come close to this.
But I have a back issue and this Bangalore roads are not doing any good either, so lowered the rear suspension by 3clicks now there's the balance of comfort and handling but I want to do the same for the front WP.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

You could remove up to 50ml, ive done this.. but not exactly removing the oil, but when i replaced the oil, i added around 40ml less than the recommended on my D200.
I was happy with the stock setting too, using less oil has made the fork dive a bit more but nothing bad and a bit more forgiving on bad speed bumps.

Just curious, the 390 i assume comes with the stock setting at 3 clicks (max being 10) did you bump it all the way down ? how tall and how much do you weigh ?

Also try using handle bar risers and/or adding 1 inch foam to the seat and see if they help with the ergonomics.
And start doing some back strengthening and extension/stretching exercises this helps in the long run!

you could try to remove the oil from the top side after removing the top nut using a syringe and a long catheter tube (or similar pipe like a fuel hose) attached to it or one of those fuel siphon tube contraptions, i've used a syringe + catheter tube in the past to remove excess engine oil out without creating a mess. remove approx same amount from both sides trying not to exceed 50ml.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Hmm will try removing the oil in couple of days and see. About a year back had reduced the height by 5 clicks and then increased it back to 5 I suppose now reduced it by 3 clicks its not as soft like the 5 clicks.
5clicks will make the bike look very low and not that inspiring.
I'm 5.9" used to weight 70 but now 75 from couple of months [emoji13].

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

i am sorry but i don't understand what you are saying.. increasing the no. of clicks makes the suspension stiffer not softer. on bad roads or light loads you want it to be down the range (it can be adjusted in 10 steps, higher the no. stiffer it is) and stiffer for good roads/heavier load (like carrying a pillion or being a heavy weight yourself).
for your height and weight the stock setting of 3 should suffice or maybe one step lower, or up one level if you carry a pillion frequently. don't go ballistic while adjusting the suspension settings.. it could unsettle the ride and cause more problems than doing you any good. make small changes, ride a couple of days and see how it handles.

pl check a brand new 390 and set your rear to that same position.. ride, make adjustments in steps of 1..ride and check.

i weigh around 90 and used to have the rear on my 200 set at 6 clicks (3 being stock), and then last yr reduced it to 4 clicks (i.e. one more than stock) since i don't carry a pillion and prefer a softer setting due to bad roads and a bad back.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

What I meant was previously i had reduced it by 5 clicks i.e from stock (3) to 8th step and then reverted it back to 3rd step as the bike felt very low for my height and bike looked short as well, now have lowered it by 3 clicks from 3rd to 6th step so now I feel it's the right balance between comfort and handling.
Now the bike won't hit my back on those uneven pathetic concrete or underpass roads.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

what you have actually done is increased the no. of clicks and not reduced. and as i said increasing it, stiffens it up and thus doesn't bottom out easily.
now bring it down to 4 and see how it fares. and make sure you are running the right tire pressure ! no more than 32 at rear and 28 at front.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Hi i recommended for the balancer shaft together with oils seals . They refused and said only oil seals will be replaced as without any defect to balancer shaft they will not replace it , i argued that many people had this issue and it was suggested to do both. Inspite of that they replaced both the seals and asked me to observe for a month. Asked them to check the oil as i doubt it could be contaminated and yes the oil filter was clogged and visible. This is just after the bike ran 1500kms of new engine oil.

Changed new oil coolant and changed chain sprocket as it was due to be replaced odo reading is 11800 kms.
I hope it will run for few thousand kms and again the same issue will reappear

This is serious design flaw of KTM and they have not rectified so far.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Using this thread to post my question. Since i saw liqui moly was mentioned.
I wanted to add 20 ml of liqui moly engine oil treatment / additive since i just changed engine oil. to see if it helps to keep engine run smoother or to increase engine life.

Did anybody tried this and your suggestions pls

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Liqui Moly LMOA Engine Oil Treatment (200 ml) https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01III7GSY/..._ut9yDbXH90F66

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

That's great. I wish I had said this earlier, but you could have mentioned that you'd replace the entire balancer shaft and the oil seals along next time in case, if it leaks again or coolant leak induced seizure. Now that you've replaced your coolant and chain sprocket. Do keep a keen eye on the coolant level for the upcoming week or two. Make sure the bike is put through its paces so that we get to observe coolant loss if any, will be zeroed in early.

Also, use Bardahl, they are cheap and decent additive. I haven't used LiquiMoly, so I can't comment on that. If you find your oil filter was clogged or murky oil, it's better to flush the engine, and then use fresh engine oil.

Good luck. Hope it helps!

Keep your observations posted.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences


Sorry forgot to mention that. I got the servicing done at almost 16250kms and the last oil change was at 10000kms. Will visit the service station and get the valves checked, as in general the bike's performance does seem to have mellowed down quite a bit. Coolant was reaplaced a year ago, they suggested to change it but since i had a bottle of MotoCool lyin in the house, thought will change it later on. how do i check the color of the coolant?

Also the spark was changed to NGK one(LKAR8AI9).

after all this was expacting a pretty good feedback, unfortunately the situation seems to have overturned. I'm glad there a place where i can express myself and people can help me with their knowledge.

Thanks a lot VJ. will have a visit and have a check on the mentioned things an provide an update.

Regards,
Kaushik

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Will try the fuel tank one at home. Where can i get the fuel pump pressure tested?? did ride in the rain sometime back, the problem was persistent even before that. Anyways will have a look.

Any idea how much clutch plates replacement would cost?


Thanks buddy.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

So, you've almost run 6250 odd kms on the same oil. It's extremely high time that you replace your engine oil on an ASAP basis. I would also strongly recommend you to use engine flush such as STP before changing the new oil so that the gunk or soot inside the engine is replaced along with the old engine oil. 6k is way too long an oil change interval especially for the Duke 390. A good ball park would be some 3k kms max for good engine life. Anything more than 3k means reduced lubricity and reduced engine oil capacity do its work, and engine roughness, performance loss and what not.

Replace your engine oil, that's very very important. Secondly, since you're replacing the engine oil, replace the coolant as well. Bring your old stock coolant to the showroom and they'll do it for you along with the engine oil replacement. And yes, get your valve clearances checked. Don't go for the clutch plate replacement now. Replace your fluids first, valve clearances checked and then see if there is any improvement in the engine performance. If it's back to normal, then your clutch plates are okay.

If even after replacing the fluids and still your bike is sluggish, then it's time to consider a clutch replacement. Clutch plate replacement would cost you approx 1500 to 1800 rupees, more or less.

The spark plug LKAR8AI9 is the NGK Iridium Plug for the KTM and I am using it too, the plugs are basically maintenance free and offer good cold start ability. Nothing wrong in using this plug.

Again, it's high time you replace your engine oil, and make sure your engine is flushed before using in the new oil, along with your valve clearances checked. Also make sure your plug cap and your ignition coil leads are all snug and tight.

Check the above points and keep your observations posted.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences


Looks like there seems to be some confusion. I said i had changed the oil. And issues were persistent before that as well. But i assumed changing the oil might resolve the problems, but unfortunately it didn't. Also i did use the Liqui Moly Engine flush before changing the engine oil and also the oil filter was changed. There was a small 20ml Additive provided with the Liqui Moly Power pack, which was also added along with the fresh engine oil.

Also if the oil is fully synthetic, is it required to do it every 3000kms?


I shall change the coolant immediately, and also have the valve clearance checked. Can i know what is ignition Coil leads, and how to locate and inspect them?

Regards,
Kaushik.

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U mean to remove and check the Throttle body? Radiator is running fine and also the coolant levels are at par with the recommended evels.

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That's actually very true. NO matter what you say the problem is. Their usual response to that is " i don't find any issues, it seems fine" . I guess the issue is they don't want to work towards resolving it, rather just play with our mind saying everything is fine and we start feeling better about it...

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Irrespective of Semi-Synthetic or Fully Synthetic, a drain interval of 3k is good for engine life. Dragging an engine oil too high and above will lead to poor engine performance, gum deposits inside the engine casing and what not. Ignition coil lead is the wire that goes over your spark plug with the help of a spark plug cap. It's the wire that you see over the spark plug. Make sure it's tight and the cap is securely fixed to the wire and not loose. Your mechanic can check it for you, and it's all a minute job.

Okay, so if you meant to say that you replaced the earlier batch of oil because you had the power loss issues and still facing the issue, it can and perhaps be a worn out clutch plate. It's better to get your clutch plates along with the valve clearances inspected.

Dragging oil to excessive KMS, can in fact burn the clutch plates as the used oil doesn't have the lubricity to cool them. Secondly, they don't filter the soot very well, all in the end leads to clutch plate wear, and poor engine performance and wear and tear of parts, prematurely.

Good luck. Keep your observations posted.

Cheers!
VJ