[aditya.bhardwaj]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Then its a no brainer. You have to change it.

Most experts in such cases (provided the wheel is not cracked, otherwise damaged, is running true, and holding air) recommend not to fiddle with the rim and leave it as it is. Yes, a wooden block and a sharp single blow of a hammer is the preferred "technique" by many tyre wallas and results depend on (1) Luck, and (2) Experience and skill of the tyre walla. But the danger in trying this is that a rim that is at least structurally sound, no wobbling, and is holding air, after the hammer whack, can sometimes get reconfigured in a way that the rim lip-tyre bead seal gets broken, and then you have a useless wheel which will not hold air. Remember, to get that sort of bend, you have to whack the wheel pretty hard and at the right angle. Its then a game of chance if you are going to again whack the exact same spot again. Don't know what the odds are, but they would be in the rider's favor.

That said, besides the cost of replacement, and the hassle, one big downside is that unlike your original set of wheels which are perfetly balanced with weights from the factory, these new rims are not, and I at least have not been able to find anyone in Pune who can balance a motorcycle wheel. Would be thrilled is someone knows of one.

Thanks doc. Very informative stuff. I have heard about a person here in delhi who balances motorcycle alloys. Will keep everyone updated.

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

SO, how did this happen? Pot hole?

Yup pothole. It has happened many times before but those times I accelerated so nothing happened. This time I braked as it was raining and then this happened. I guess the front shocks bottomed out and eventually the impact was taken by the alloy. And yes I do check the air pressure regularly

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by aditya.bhardwaj

It has happened many times before but those times I accelerated so nothing happened.

Yep, thats the key! Anyway, glad that nothing else happened. Change the rim bro. Its not worth the risk.

[akshayhonda]

Guys can anyone let me know about the availability of NGK Iridium plugs in India for Duke 390? Or any other better replacement spark plug for Duke 390?

According to the info I have from a dealer here in Goa NGK hasn't introduced Iridium plugs for Duke in India yet. But is available in UK and Indian conversion price comes to around 1500INR

[man_of_steel]

After breaking the left mirror due to a very minor fall I decided to replace the stock one with RTR mirror. I wanted to fix the whole mirror set and not the stem alone with the stock mirror. I was able to get only the RTR's LHS mirror (costed me 190 bucks) and has fixed it for testing along with the stock one on the RHS. And yes, it is a direct fit.

The sleeve from the stock mirror can be reused which is more or less a direct fit. The stock mirror's fastening nut is 17mm while the TVS is 14mm.









Initial observations:

• RTR mirror is quite heavier than the stock one, may be even by a good 100-200g
• The LHS handlebar grip seems to having slightly less vibrations than the RHS, may be due to the weight of the mirror and I dont think it is the Placebo effect
• The rearward visibility is superb now. The RTR one is higher and wider, I feel like looking at my ol' Thunderbird's mirror again
• Its not looking ugly either and the mirror width is not beyond the handlebar end
• The mirror itself is not vibrating too much. Visibility is good and is holding good till the 7-8k RPMs I tested

I will be getting the RHS one tomorrow. I would highly recommend this mod and the swap would take only 10 minutes tops.

[mithunvvijayan]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

[*]The LHS handlebar grip seems to having slightly less vibrations than the RHS, may be due to the weight of the mirror and I dont think it is the Placebo effect
The rearward visibility is superb now. The RTR one is higher and wider, I feel like looking at my ol' Thunderbird's mirror again
Its not looking ugly either and the mirror width is not beyond the handlebar end
The mirror itself is not vibrating too much. Visibility is good and is holding good till the 7-8k RPMs I tested

I will be getting the RHS one tomorrow. I would highly recommend this mod and the swap would take only 10 minutes tops.

From my experience, the vibration is not due to the low weight of the stock mirrors. It is because the mirror glass might have gotten loose and has started to rattle against the plastic casing. I had a similar problem with my activa mirror, which is why I found out. By tapping the mirror glass you can see that at some of the edges the mirror glass has gotten loose. I fixed it by applying feviquick along the sides as seen in the pic below.
But if the RtR mirror functions better than the stock, then it might be worth a try. Personally, from your pics, it doesnt look as good as the stock one. If you can manage to fit the RC mirrors, with the turn indicators, it will be a lot cooler.

Originally Posted by akshayhonda

Guys can anyone let me know about the availability of NGK Iridium plugs in India for Duke 390? Or any other better replacement spark plug for Duke 390?

According to the info I have from a dealer here in Goa NGK hasn't introduced Iridium plugs for Duke in India yet. But is available in UK and Indian conversion price comes to around 1500INR

I myself tried to get a upsized rear sprocket imported. But the SVC and the head of service asserted that I will lose thw warranty if I retrofit it.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by mithunvvijayan

From my experience, the vibration is not due to the low weight of the stock mirrors. It is because the mirror glass might have gotten loose and has started to rattle against the plastic casing.

No, my mirror was not loose and I was not mentioning about the rattling noise here, rather i was talking about the vibration feeling on the handlebar.

[mithunvvijayan]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

No, my mirror was not loose and I was not mentioning about the rattling noise here, rather i was talking about the vibration feeling on the handlebar.

Oh, Ok. But if you can try to get the RC mirrors, with the turn indicators, then the weight issue can be solved, I guess. With the indicator LED assembly, and the wires, the RC mirrors must be heavier than the stock Duke mirrors. I am sure there are couplers provided in the head unit to attach the turn indicators. It might be a lot costlier though.

If the RC mirrors cannot be fitted at all even with modifications, pls check out this ebay link also. The mirrors look really cool.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KTM-LED-10mm...5e90c0&vxp=mtr

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by mithunvvijayan

But if you can try to get the RC mirrors, with the turn indicators, then the weight issue can be solved, I guess. With the indicator LED assembly, and the wires, the RC mirrors must be heavier than the stock Duke mirrors. I am sure there are couplers provided in the head unit to attach the turn indicators. It might be a lot costlier though.

You got me wrong. That extra 100 or 200 grams of weight is not at all a bother for me. And regarding the RC's mirror:

1) The mirror stack mount is completely different
2) The range of adjustment is poorer than Duke's
3) No point in having another set of blinkers

[mithunvvijayan]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

You got me wrong. That extra 100 or 200 grams of weight is not at all a bother for me. And regarding the RC's mirror:

1) The mirror stack mount is completely different
2) The range of adjustment is poorer than Duke's
3) No point in having another set of blinkers

What I meant was that the additional weight of the RC mirrors will be helpful to solve the vibrations in your handle bar. Yes you are right, even by providing extra brackets, RC mirrors won't be a fit at all. I gave the e-bay link, in case you are into more bling

[nasirkaka]

!!missing coolant mystery!!

Was happily riding my390 for the last few thousand kms with any major issues, until last week. I keep an occasional eye on the coolant level and observed a definite drop in the level last week. hence was monitoring the level and found it to drop regularly. Almost like 4-5mm drop every 100 kms. Checked for any leaks, etc but could not find any traces. The engine oil also appears to be of same muddy blackish colour. I wonder where the coolant is vanishing.

I dont think i had any major drop in the coolant for the first 16000 kms of riding and last week or 10 days, its down below the MIN mark. I am a bit worried if its getting mixed with the engine oil? Where else could it go? anyone with any leads? Can i keep riding, as i am a bit tied up with work and may not be able to visit service center for a week or so. Anyone with any leads?

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

I dont think i had any major drop in the coolant for the first 16000 kms of riding and last week or 10 days, its down below the MIN mark. I am a bit worried if its getting mixed with the engine oil? Where else could it go? anyone with any leads? Can i keep riding, as i am a bit tied up with work and may not be able to visit service center for a week or so. Anyone with any leads?

Check the belly pan. It has happened with my bike once. The coolant level was dropping and I was not able to find the source. Once I went in for a water service and when they directed a jet of water to the bellypan all the coolant that was collected and solidified there came out. Its worth a check. The coolant once leaked will be in the noticeable green color only for a few hours. After which it accumulates dust and looks like mud splatter.

Also, buy some reserve coolant from SVC and keep it as backup after topping up the coolant. Its better not to ride the bike with coolant below MIN mark. The coolant is Motul Inugel Extreme. IIRC, 1 Litre costs about 180 bucks.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

!!missing coolant mystery!!

Welcome to the detective team!

The same thing has happened in my bike and before the bike found it's new owner, I could never find out whether it was leaking into the engine or leaking out! The bigger mystery is you cannot reproduce it. Top up the coolant now and voila it will not leak for the next 5000 km!

On a serious note, it might be from the head gasket (mixing with engine oil) or might be from the pump seals!

[nasirkaka]

Also, buy some reserve coolant from SVC and keep it as backup after topping up the coolant. Its better not to ride the bike with coolant below MIN mark. The coolant is Motul Inugel Extreme. IIRC, 1 Litre costs about 180 bucks.

Thanks! Will open the belly pan and check. There is not a single drop on the ground where i park the bike, either home or office. There is a KTM service place on my way to work on hosur road (never approached them for service) where i visit for some mundane jobs, like looking for a fallen off screw, etc. Got the coolant topped up there. Will buy some and stock as well.
For a couple of days, when i was riding with low coolant, the temp bar never went above the danger level, could be because i dont come across any major traffic during my daily commute.

Welcome to the detective team!

The same thing has happened in my bike and before the bike found it's new owner, I could never find out whether it was leaking into the engine or leaking out! The bigger mystery is you cannot reproduce it. Top up the coolant now and voila it will not leak for the next 5000 km!

On a serious note, it might be from the head gasket (mixing with engine oil) or might be from the pump seals!

Were you able to detect the source? did it start after any particular service? i suspect, in my case, it started after the last service (4th service). So far, there is no visible sign of leaks. if it continues, will leave the bike at Auroservice for a thorough diagnosis. I am hoping its not a engine oil mixup :(

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Were you able to detect the source? did it start after any particular service? i suspect, in my case, it started after the last service (4th service). So far, there is no visible sign of leaks. if it continues, will leave the bike at Auroservice for a thorough diagnosis. I am hoping its not a engine oil mixup :(

When I noticed the coolant, I went to Ravi (Kasturba) who topped up the coolant and marked the coolant level with a marker on the window. He asked me to monitor the level relative to that. He was the one who mentioned to me the possible sources of leakage.

After that the coolant level never dropped till the bike was with me, close to 2 months and ridden both on highways and city. Meanwhile I had a stator coil failure and a cut fuel hose (could smell fuel) for which the bike was at the service centre for 2 days. The coolant just never dropped again and I did not bother!

[mithunvvijayan]

I found out that the latest models boasts of a new puncture sealant as standard, as compared to the older versions. When I gave my bike for the 2nd service today, the service advisor offered to apply the sealant provided by KTM, in both the tyres. According to him the sealant is good for the whole life of the tyre. He gave an estimate of Rs 1500/- for applying the sealant in both tyres. According to him, KTM has offered the sealant in the latest versions as they wanted to avoid repeated punctures reported by many of its customers. I do not know the veracity of his claim, but anyways gave the go ahead.