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-   -   The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/138082-ktm-duke-390-ownership-experience-thread-156.html)

Hi All,

One more question, the EU Duke 390 manual downloadable from the website indicates 1.6l of Engine oil to be used. However, our Indian copies of the Duke 390 user manual has no mention of the quantity(unless ive missed it) There is a mention of 1.5l engine oil to be changed on the service slips of our manual though.

I wonder why there would be a difference in oil quantity recommended in the EU and Indian version of the exact same bike?

Can anyone throw some light on this.

Thanks.

That's interesting. I had 1.4 l of 300 V filled in on my first service.

I had posted earlier about a noise i keep hearing from the engine of my 390. It increased to the point i could clearly hear it with a helmet on and i took it to KTM Banjara.

Srikanth checked the bike and told me it was a known issue, to do with the clutch basket spring which needs replacing. My clutch felt looser and the gearshifts got really hard, i kept hitting neutral while moving to 2nd. Supposedly this is a trademark symptom and a whole batch of bikes delivered have this issue.

It's an hour's job and should deal with the issue effectively. Will update the group on Monday once i'm through with it.

1.4l would be less IMO. How does the oil level look on your bike?

Yes low pressure could be a factor But there are certain other things too. Its a relatively new bike and is not flying off the shelves like the commuter bikes but still there are several cases of rim breakage reported over the forums itself. In addition to this, think about the 390 owners who are not a part of any of the forums.

Speed could be another factor but what about lakhs of those motorcycles, running on low profile tubeless tyres, without any routine tyre pressure checks, at speeds of anything from 0-100 over potholes of varied shapes and sizes with their rims intact?

Agree that same rims do the duty worldwide, but here potholes are on duty 24/7. Is it that Bajaj/KTM expecting Indian roads to grow up overnight?

Totally agree, 1-2psi less or more can not be a reason for bent rims. You can not inflate tyres with that level of accuracy anyway - pressure gauge error, temperature too play a role. It is a problem that KTM must address by way of recall.


I know its meant to be 25 psi in front but I usually let the petrol pump attendant fill it to 26 as they do with all two wheelers. Some members here seem to advocate that a little higher pressure would keep their rims safe but I do not think that's the case. Even the service advisor at Khivraj motors KG road Bangalore advised that I keep 28 in front and 32psi in rear wheel (even for solo riding). I think higher pressure defeats the purpose of having tires with a nice grip. On the day of purchase, my bike came with 36psi on both tires and the ride felt extremely bumpy.

Speed is not an issue because mine and a few others' rims were bent at 40-50km/h. I think its the tires.

Lot of us ended up with bent rims even with a little higher than recommended pressure, so its not low pressure. All it takes is hitting one nasty pot hole at 50 km/h (very likely when driving behind a big vehicle). The issue will be isolated to India (or a few similar countries) obviously due to our lovely roads.

Not all the oil gets drained out during service, about 100ml or so still remains inside hence it takes only 1.5l during service even though total oil capacity is 1.6l.

I read a service notice in the parel service station in Mumbai about what to tell customers when they get bent rims. I will take a picture of it next time. What they were saying is that tire pressure isn't the main cause of bent rims but how your tire goes in the ditch. In case you try to avoid the ditch at the last minute but still end up going in it where a part of the side of your rim which will cause the bends. I have had one such incident with my car alloys when a ran over a rock and as these tires don't go over the rims like say the avenger rear tire this is possible here as well in which the speed won't matter. I felt this was relevant as I had faced it on my car back then hence posting. Tell me what you think.

My understanding is that there is no rev limit during run-in period. You are expected to limit the revs to 7,000. After the run-in, the limit increases to 10,500. However, there is nothing stopping you from hitting 10K even in the run-in period.

I think you're referring to the shift indicator lamp which can be programmed easily to light up at two different RPMs according to an individual's taste.

You cannot always control how and where you hit a pothole.

I agree however the fact that these cases are creeping a plenty is scary and that's the only point that I felt made sense which is causing the bends. The alloy should be more tensile to be able to withstand such impacts.

Its not the bends that are worrying me. After all, at worst that is a money thing. Around 4K a wheel (less than the tyre by some margin!).

What worries me is the wheels breaking. Clean off the spokes.

I would rather have spoked wheels in such a case. And live with the weight and tubed tyres.

Doc,
Is the alloy wheels of KTM such a concern? Would there not be any alternatives that will match the KTM? Am thinking if the FZ wheels can be looked into with some machining required and an adapter plate.

I think its a concern. And I think KTM and Bajaj need to address it, not the owners.

I wonder what KTMs attitude is in Europe. One accident, because of a known product problem, and they are going to loose their shirts (and pants) in liability costs.

Regards
Sutripta