Re: 2017 Duke 250

Thanks B7ACKTHORN for the answer but,

1. how should I make the SVC rectify the issue because they feel the bike is handling the way it should ?
2. I prefer a bit tighter steering but how can I know it's tighter than it should be?

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Wobbling can happen due to many things, right from low to high tire pressure, a tire that's not seated in the right direction and too tight/loose a headbearing etc etc. An out of true rim too cannot be ruled out. These are the speculative part of it. If you haven't dropped your bike and still experiencing wobbling issues, don't overtighten the headbearings, if you overtighten, they will go kaput sooner than you think, and you'll have worse handling. But, it's good to tighten when we have a loose T stem, which is warranted.

1. I don't own a 250, but I do own a 390, so no, not a single wobble or weave at any speed to date.
2. No, a brake pad won't cause any oscillations over the bar or for that matter at any speed.
3. Definite yes! Torque it too tight and then bar becomes stiff and your balls will eat into the races, cause pitting and ruin your bearings sooner than you think, coupled with potholed roads, you can think of replacing the T stem bearings at or around 8k if it's too tightly torqued.


You can upgrade to the 2017 Duke 390 sintered brake pads, they offer excellent bite and feedback. The stock ones on the 250 aren't that great. Secondly, if you can, also get the adjustable clutch and brake lever from the Duke 390 which is a direct fit to the 250, though the front brake lever is a little expensive, but the adjustment they offer is pretty handy.

Yes, the Duke series does require frequent chain maintenance, depending on the way it's ridden and condition it's ridden in. The chain can and will get off slack pretty soon, so a constant watch on this helps eliminate loose chain induced slack and noise, and helps in smooth power delivery to the wheels.

The refinement thing is true, on a cold start and on a cold climate setting, the bike is butter smooth, and once the engine warms, it kinda sounds harsh. Nothing to worry, it's how it is. Almost all of the bikes fall in the same category. Make sure your engine oil level is always at the right level, and you're good to go.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Hey guys
Got my Duke 250 a month ago from KTM Gurgaon. Got it serviced and changed the brake pads to that of 390.Brake bite improved beyond my expectations.
But I am witnessing heavy wobbling in the handlebars.
It usually starts at around 125 kmph and increases exponentially with speed to such levels that I can't take it beyond 135.
Took it to SVC and they felt everything to be normal. After my continuous pestering they changed the front axle and tyre from another bike but i still felt the wobbling. So, they even made me ride a new duke 250 from the showroom and I felt wobbling even in that bike.
So, now they say that the can't do anything it might due to the short wheelbase of duke or the MRFs need a couple of thousand kms to settle.
Moreover, they tightened the steering head bearing a little to dampen it a bit although it doesn't work.
So my queries are -
1.Do you guys experience any wobbling at high speeds?
2.Can it be due to the sintered pads which are for 320mm rotors.
3.Will tightening of steering head bearing eo any damage to the bearing?
Thanks

Re: 2017 Duke 250

So I took the fall and went for the 250. Always wanted to own a KTM and now here is one sitting in my parking. Switching from Apache RTR 180 so most of comparisions below will be accordingly done.

Took delivery on 1st Aug 2019, Had sent out running late for office email in morning. Took delivery from KTM Indiranagar Bangalore. Overall booking and delivery experience was smooth. No hassels and nothing Fishy found in the process. Though 1000Rs of Handling charges got my eyes but i let it go. They also provided HS embossed number plate without any charge. Not sure if its norm now days but 4 years back they used to charge for it. Rode for it from showroom to office. It felt quite alive while commuting, always has power on blip of throttle to weave out of traffic. sitting position and comfort seemed adquate. Tank dosent provide enough grip to keep yourself at the center of seat. You tend to move forward constantly, need some tank grips to sort this out otherwise the leg position is perfect for me at 6.0 ft height.


Had increased my daily commute from 24Kms to 50-70Kms or 100 Kms many days as i tried to finish that 1000km mark as soon as possible. Bike really comes alive post 5K and its totally awesome post 7K. I did crossed 7.5K mark couple of times just to make engine run-in at all possible RPM's. Did managed to breach 1000Kms in 11 days and gave it for first service.


Post first service did a long ride from Blr-Valparai-Nelliampathy-blr covering almost 1300Kms. It felt fantastic on highways. I still feel commuting with 250 is an overkill its meant for highways.


Some observations so far:

• Engine has a sweet spot at around 84-86Kmph where its just butter smooth on 6th gear. That comes around 6K mark if i am not wrong, post that vibes creep in and are felt at footpegs and handle bars. I hope this wil iron itself out. The engine revs nicely if you take the hooligan approach.

• Heat is quite negotiable, i dont feel it should be anyone's concern to not to buy it.

• Brakes are adequate, feels bit spongy at times but havent encountered any close-calls where i could have expected it to be better.

• Sometimes the fromt brake lever feels hard to pull, while going over any undulations on road and braking at same time. Have felt it many times(some inputs on this how and why it might happen)

• Chain requires a regular maintainence, not having double stand is another drawback. I bought a jack from amazon which i use to lube the chain. But adjusting it is a pain and tedious task. Need to buy a paddock stand in future. Chain sound is another annoying aspect while going on bad roads.

• Bike is a dirt magnet. Gets dirty quite easily needs frequent wash.

• The refinement varies time to time, sometimes the engine feels smooth and other days it just runs harsh. Not sure why this happens. My usual daily ritual is to warm-up the bike before hitting the road for about a minute.

Thats all for now, will keep updating as i build up more miles....


Some pics from my ride...

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Try your luck with horn and high beam, it will meep with high beam and then beep with it turned off, just Duke things. There is nothing wrong with the system as such. The same thing goes for your fan also, turn on your HL, and you can see your fan speed getting less, turn of and it goes back to normal. Basically, it's just the load characteristics of the different components used. Some electronics draw instant and constant high amp, while some steadily pull the amps, and hence the difference. Nothing to worry. You have to worry about the fan only when it makes high pitched shrill and squeaking noises. Till then, you're good to go.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

This is normal, nothing to be worried about. Happens on the D200 too, especially when the headlight is on (mine is pre aho). Very few ppl notice this.
i wouldn't advice putting in an aftermarket fan on the 200 or 250.. their stock cooling system is sufficient and i think not worth the extra money spent for an aftermarket fan like the spal (some folks in the us/uk do this on their 390s)

Re: 2017 Duke 250

A funny thing I've noticed, when the radiator fan is on, and the signature sound is heard, with more throttle input there seems to be an increase in the fan's RPM as well... I've tried this when the bike is idle, with the same result. Checked the battery too, and it's putting out a healthy 12.3V while the bike is off and fluctuates between 13.8V ~ 14V when the bike is on.

I've faced a similar issue in the CBR, where the frame developed rust, leading to resistance and voltage drop at the Rectifier unit. But this was a 7 year old bike. Corrected it by using an alternate cable from the battery's negative terminal to the Rectifier's negative terminal. Electronics were behaving oddly with throttle input in this case too.

On the Duke 250, it is currently only the radiator fan behaving oddly, whereas the halogen bulb and everything else works normal (no apparent fluctuation), a bit puzzled as to why. Planning on changing the fan to the new 390's fan with a bigger impeller at 5K kms, but if it's an issue with the rectifier not being able to take that much output, will have to look at an aftermarket part again. Anyone else observed the same?

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Thank you dear. You're right, that's how it's supposed to be used. What I meant was the hook of the wrench itself, which sometimes gets flattened due to force involved.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

This is the proper way of preparing C tool for adjusting shockers

Re: 2017 Duke 250

The pointers JNP mentioned are true to the dot. The C spanner is a lousy one and not of good quality, they can slip and if they do, they strip like cheese. Just to add on the seat portion of it, yes, the seats are on the harder side, but nothing harder when compared to the old Dukes. They were rock solid, but they bed in after a long time, and they eventually soften up. The stock seats of the 250 in comparison the older Dukes is way softer, and will soften up over time after usage, so take it easy on the seat part for now, and let it weigh in. Since you've mentioned you have an overlarge butt, that can help the process accelerate faster.

Secondly, the rear suspension and the gear lever are adjustable. The instructions to these are provided in the owners' manual of the bike. The same goes for rear brake lever too, you can adjust both the rear brake and gear level feel points according to your specifications. Oh, you can throw in the Duke 390's adjustable levers, and you have an adjustable front clutch and brake lever. Though the clutch lever is cheap, the brake lever is costlier. I'd strongly recommend you consider that too.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

The tool supplied in the tool kit to adjust suspension will slip and damage the rotary adjustment. The SVC has a much bigger tool with them, better to get it adjusted there. I tried with the KTM tool, but it wasn't the most friendly, ended up using the C spanner from an R3 instead, worked well.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

1. I've added blind spot mirrors over the existing mirror, solved the issue.
2. Gear shift lever was set a bit high on my bike, set it low, 2 minute job
3. The seats are perfect for long hauls, it just takes a bit of time to get used to it.
4. I'm 110 kgs, and have set the suspension on the stiffer side, 5th notch iirc. But my need was no compromise on handling, I can take a beating on my overlarge butt anyday. Try and get the suspension adjusted at the SVC itself, the C spanner provided will slip as it's inadequate, and nick paint from the frame (happened on my 390).

Enjoy the bike man, and keep exploring!

Re: 2017 Duke 250

my comments in bold
pl download the owners manual and give it a read, easily available online from ktm itself. if you are more interested, the workshop/repair manual is also a good read.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Hello Guys,

I finally booked my Duke 250 ABS. Will be getting delivery of the bike in couple of days.
I was riding Apache RTR 180 (non ABS) from past 4 year and had a wonderful time trashing that machine for 80K+ Kms. That will be still part of my garage as wife also wants to start riding, Guess she is tired of being Pillion now . So after pondering over many options and multiple rejections by my wife, we could agree on to Duke 250. I was well inclined on to Duke 390 but considering my usage and practicality 250 was better fit in terms of everything that it has to offer. The original plan was to get a GS310r but well you all can guess the story behind not getting one. RE was a big no from my side as i like to rev the machine nicely. Will be updating the ownership review post 1st service.

Couple of things i would like to get inputs on:

1. I feel the stock mirrors are too small to have a clear vision behind and around. (i want to fit Apache's mirrors)
2. The gear shift lever is way too inclined downwards which forces you to push your leg down more and shift. I have a bigger foot and can get overboard while shifting down. Just afraid if this can cause any issue like hitting an un expected bump on the road(rocks and stuff). Hope this is adjustable and SVC guy can do that for me.
3. Need to modify the Seats, seems too hard for me. Will wait to get used to it.
4. Can someone help me with procedure to adjust preload on rear suspension.

Thanks

Re: 2017 Duke 250

You can fiddle with your seats, add a little cushion or convert it to gel seat and or adjust your rear shock settings to the softest.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Then how can i increase the comfort ?