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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-167.html)

I'd strongly suggest you to use the Banashankari KTM for the servicing. I was in awe of their accurate and flawless work. I finished my 500 day before yesterday, and in 10 minutes my chain was lubed, oil levels checked, tyre pressure checked and clutch lever adjusted. Hats off to them for this! Mekhri Circle KTM was a nightmare for me in terms of servicing. Even the sales experience was pretty much on the abysmal scale.
I asked them to send me the e-mail IDs of their Area Manager and Head of Customer Services to make them feel my 'buying experience with KTM Mekhri Circle'. This sent alarm bells ringing and the Showroom Manager called me up the next day, bombarding me with apologies.

Nevertheless, there are a few issues in the bike which I would get clarified with my fellow bhpians. They are as follows.

1. When the bike is on neutral, say while parking or on the traffic junction, and I shift to the 1st gear, a heavy clunk sound is heard (similar to the one in Bajaj RE ricks). This was weird, as no matter how gently I shift the gear, it's always audible, particularly during up-shifts (from 1st to 2nd and so on..). Met the service station manager who said it's because of the 'powerful engine'. However, I was not convinced and asked them to adjust my clutch after which the noise seems to have subsided a bit, even though it pops up at times.

2. There is this weird noise coming from the front suspension. It's audible when I hit a speed breaker downhill, and it's loud enough to embarrass me at times. Showed it to the service people guys and they promptly showed me a White 390 which was ready for delivery, and had the same noise in the front suspension as well. They're like, 'it comes from the factory like this. it'll fade away with time'. Anyone else having this issue? How can I resolve it?

3. Can anyone kindly suggest where can I get cheap and good looking tank pads here in Bangalore? Preferably in Banashankari or something? This was a must-must accessory at the time of purchase and I regret not having bought it. Faint marks on the tank is visible caused due to my belt.

4. Filled in Nitrogen yesterday in both tyres. Front at 29 and rear at 33. Is it normal enough?

Apart from all this, the bike is a wonder. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made to guy for this animal, and I hope I savor it for years to come.

Normal case with all 390-s. I will describe the daily scene from my life.. Due to its flashy orange color and partly because of my full gears, the 390 attracts a lot of attention from everybody around it at traffic signals! The moment when the signal turns green and I clunk to the 1st gear their expression changes from 'Man! The bike looks good' to 'The hell BRO?? My Honda Shine shifts smoother' look! :uncontrol

Can you describe what kind of noise it is? Is it a THUD/SCREECH/CLUNG..?

Good quality pads starts from 900 bucks or so. Have a look at Keiti's clear tank pad for 850 bucks. Other pads are priced in Planet DSG at INR 1200/-.

http://www.planetdsg.com/keiti-small...30c-p-895.html

Or else you can go for the powerparts one priced at 1800/- bucks or so. Or, the best of all, Go for a Carbon Fiber finish vinyl stickers! May hardly cost some 200 bucks. Easy on pocket, easy to remove and replace and will look good too!!

About right! But 33(R) is a bit high I guess. The recommended PSI figure with pillion is about 32.

I understand that tire pressure value can be a individual preference. Your numbers are quite high if the bike is going to be ridden solo for the most part. 29-33 will be a really hard ride.

I maintain 24-28.

Mr. Pierer couldn't have said it better. I try as stealthily as possible to shift gears especially in crowded junctions where attention is inevitable. This dude in an Alto asked me the price, told him and he said to his wife 'My car is the same price. Why didn't he buy a car? Ayyo, the kids of today!' As soon as the hallowed noise came when I shifted, his smirk and expression said it all. Still haunts me every night. :deadhorse

It's more of a screeching sound which is audible when the suspension goes up and down in downhill speed breakers. What's more alarming is that a ready for delivery 390 had the same noise!

Checked out the link. Pretty decent ones. Making up my mind and then'll order one.

I agree. But, yesterday, I went for a spin to NICE road to do the vary-the-rpm ritual. Before the ride, a friend showed me that the tyre had less air when I sat on it. As I weigh in 3 digits, I didn't take a chance and got it filled adequately. However, this morning too, there was a slight bulge on the rear tyre when I sat on it. Now, I am not THAT heavy. But still, it kind of worried me, hence I opted for the higher pressure. Kept 33 as I have a friend or someone as a pillion normally. I only ride solo while going and coming from my office. This tyre bulge thing is okay?

I do ride solo as well as pillion. But since I'm a tad bit on the heavier side, I prefer a higher tyre pressure to satisfy the same. However, there is this slight bulge on the rear tyre, when I'm on the saddle. Now, even though I'm not Giant Gonzales, this is worrying. Or maybe I'm being paranoid or something? Should I be comfortable to ride in high speeds in such a condition?

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You are the best judge for this. I have tried psi numbers close to what you have and the ride was harsh. Braking distance should also increase and you have a over worked ABS. I find rear brake feedback poor with the 24-28 setup. It can only be worse with a higher psi.

Try solo at 24-28 and report.

Hey man. Thanks a ton. I got the sprocket replaced today. No questions asked. The other day I lost my bike key at market. So had the lock replaced. 850 bucks. My place Vasco Da Gama has only 3 or 4 390s. So didn't take any chance.
Reg remapping keep the group informed and humoured. :)

I understand. Secondly, with regards to the map, it's still not official yet, but certain international forums have speculated that the mapping should be available. Fortunately, tomorrow I will be visiting the SVC for a small work, will ask the folks then, and see how it fares. :)

Cheers!
VJ :cool:

Enthusiasm is good. But if you check the owner's manual it is very clear.
Front 25 Rear 29 for solo
Front 25 Rear 32 with pillion or luggage
That is the recommended air pressure. Any more you may reduce the already short life of the soft compound metzeler.
Pardon me for saying this. We all wish the very best for our ride and out of our ride. Filling Nitrogen does not deviate much from normal air in any manner (stability, performance whatever). Trust me I have tried both and I am pushing 14K on my 390. So Keep it simple and have a great time with your bike man :)

A quest - Make the duke pillion friendly

Prologue - I hated riding along with pillions. Pillions are figdety and oftentimes disagree with your riding styles (correctly or not is debateable). When my wife expressed the desire to go riding with me; I was less than enthused. We agreed that the RE Thunderbird needs a comfy rear seat added to its single seater avatar. I added a sofa to it. KTM 390 was designated for me alone, with a few occassional 5 - 10 kms rides for the Mrs to experience the brutal and superfun acceleration.

A little over a month ago, me and the wife headed for an 800 odd KM roundtrip (Delhi - Shimla) on the Thunderbird. Shockingly, I had a great time. I enjoyed having my wife as a pillion. It was her 1st long trip on a motorcycle ever and she went through (almost) the entire journey without whining or complaining. On the contrary; she really enjoyed it.

The only thing missing from the equation - a capable motorcycle. The Royal Oilfield Thunderbird ....... is wingless. False shifts, wheezy performance, vibratory qualities (so much so that the clamp that holds the horn broke / cracked due to the vibrations), leaking fuel (weeping to be precise from the engine, that too despite having all the gaskets replaced a day prior to the trip). My mechanic would always tell me - "Dont ride over 60 please".

60???? Are you kidding me? What avg speed would 400 kms afford me if that max I could push it to was 60? How long would I have to spend in the saddle? How the hell would I even know I am doing 60 when I dont even have a speedo gauge on the bike :D ?

How taxing and uncomfortable would this be? The trip would be a torture, not pleasurable at all. Not sure of the new crop of bulls but I have ridden a couple and do not see a huge difference from my 10 year old 350. 80+ kmph would see the bike go to the vibrator mode.

Besides that; the handling is not sharp, the suspension (especially rear) is rock hard, the brakes are wooden and while scraping foot pegs was fun whilst riding on Delhi roads in the middle of the night; not so much when you are out of clearance and there's a bus waala that has decided to drive on your side of the road on a mountain.

I want to tour with my wife, but not on the Enfield.

Enter KTM:

It has everything going for it. A commanding and comfortable seating position, at 120 kph IIRC, the engine is ticking over at around 6 - 6.5 k RPM. No vibrations, heck ....... I actually like the stock seat as well. Couple of hours in the saddle at a stretch are not an issue.

But that pillion seat is a torture chamber. At best; I cannot imagine anyone go more than 40 kms on the stock seat. I mean one could; but you would not want anyone you love to go through that.

Requirements:

I am Ok with the suspension stiffness and everything else (Its better than Oilfield's). The issue is the rear seat. Not only is it tiny and hard, it kinda slopes fwd and makes the pillion constantly lean over you.

Suggestions required:

I have 2 options:

- Retain the current seat and create a full seat using a brand new seat pan (non split type), somewhat like this : https://www.google.co.in/search?q=mo...x%3B1024%3B768

- If the above is not possible, have the stock seat padded in a way that its bigger, fluffier and sits parallel to the ground (thick foam at the front that gets progressively thinner as it moves back). I could buy another rear seat if the new seat looks horrible for my solo rides

I also thought about the Air Hawk seat pads but do not want to experiment with it. Its a costly proposition and even if it may prove to be comfy, it does not address the issue of the rake of the rear seat which means my wife would be constantly leaning on my back

Questions:

- Which of the above 2 would you recommend (full seat vs just doing up the rear)? I am pretty sure they are both doable. I intend to employ Khajanchi's services for this (Dilli waalas would know)

- If I go for the full seat, would riding dynamics be compromised. I do not intend to get the rider seat heavily padded, maybe about half an inch of thickness over the stock seat

- Preferred cushion material (bearing in mind 500 kms a day in the saddle) : Gel, regular foam, memory foam

- Preferred seat cover material (priority - comfort and weather resistance): Neoprene, fabric (which one?), leather, plain old leatherite

- Luggage : Any saddlebags that have straps which go under the seat and not over the seat? Any reviews of the Dirstsack speedbags? Could not find any mounting videos / reviews for the same. If not; could you suggest hard bags that I can procure locally? Not the studds waalas please.

I look forward to everyone's comments. Thank you!

It's probably more than the textbook definition of 'enthusiasm', mate.
Nevertheless, I got 26 for the front and 30 for the rear done today. Difference could be felt as soon as I got out of the shop. It felt more composed, mature and the braking was perfect, just like I wanted it to be.
As far as choosing N2 over normal air, it's just that I wish to experience the ride on both N2 tyres and Normal Air tyres. And so far, I'm liking the ride I'm getting on my N2 Metzelers.

Refilled 26-30. You were right about the braking distance thing. The brakes now inspire more confidence. I'm sticking with these numbers for now, unless I'll be going for a long ride with a pillion, which might be sometime this weekend.

I am hoping for a solution out of this problem. The "lean" from the pillion can seriously get your arms stressed over a period, the best I'd stayed on was for an hour, after that it was no more fun.

Its not just the rear seat, its also the rider's posture which has a bit forward lean, which contributes to the pillion's auto-leaning on you. Something's gotta be done to that handle bar too.

After giving a fair thought a while ago, I felt Sridhar's Givi could be a hack, where the pillion actually could recline back, when she is bored of you.

Source:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3292718

Hey I didn't mean it in any demeaning way. I understand how it feels when you ride the bike those initial days:D and moreover I had my share of queries too. for me it has been 25F and 29R all along and with luggage it is 25F and 30R and it's been a pleasant ride for me. All that matters is that you feel good and composed with your ride. little personal variations / adjustments will always be there.

I used to fill Nitrogen earlier and then it became a bit difficult for me. the normal bunks here at Goa dont have nitrogen and the local tyre shoppe guy charged Rs. 20 ( Rs. 10 per tyre) for every refill/check. when riding out, many time I have just went around searching for Nitrogen refilling points not wanting to fill the normal air. then I just let it go easy and started filling in normal air. ride quality wise, personally I did not find much difference and Nitrogen vs air is a much debated matter on this forum already. Good that you are enjoying the N2 Metzelers. Have fun and ride safe.

Ah, relax, mate! Nothings demeaning here between us Dukers if we're sharing experiences and knowledge with each other. It's all cool! :thumbs up

Now, since you brought this up, I'll ask your opinion about this. While getting the N2 thing done today, I asked the Manager that if I'm on a road trip, and if I feel that I should increase/decrease the pressure, can I go for normal air if I don't find any N2 stations? He was like 'Yeah. You can do that. Not a problem'. However, I'm not quite convinced with this theory of mixing up N2 and Normal Air in tires as expensive as these. What would be your opinion on this?

IMHO no problem at all. Apparently normal air on earth contains about 78% of Nitrogen! I have filled normal air on top of Nitrogen. First time, accidentally then many times intentionally! rl:

Well, that's a relief. No more worries on long distance rides, then.