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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-270.html)

The hot engine thingy is just blown out of proportion on the internet. Yes, the bike being a 375cc single, does get hot in crawling traffic. There have been multiple things done by KTM to improve this compared to the first lot - like radiator shroud, bidirectional fan etc that ensure the engine heat doesn't fry your legs. But yes, it does heat up more than any other bike in India. Initially, it'll bother you, but it's not a deal breaker. In fact the heavy clutch is a deal breaker IMO. But this will not be an issue any more as the 2015 version is shod with slipper clutch and some changes to make it light and bring it to the Honda league (apparently).

Having said that, I would buy the Duke200 if I wanted the bike for city commutes only. It's much more fun and easy to ride in city traffic.

Initially, it felt as if I was being tandoor-ed, but then I got used to it (or it faded away) and didn't cause any issues to me. I feel it depends on your riding habit, and how you manoeuvre around in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Very rarely has by temperature bar filled up and spewed out hot fumes, once or twice for me.

They have fixed this in the 2015 version, to an extent. The shroud behind the radiator fan and the spinning of the fan has been altered, thus causing less heat towards the rider. It might not be absent completely, but you'll feel less heat than the 2014 owners for sure.

Thanks for the quick response folks!

I'd have happily bought the Duke 200 if it had come with ABS. I probably do not need the extra power of the 390. But KTM doesn't think the 200 deserves an ABS. Am not even asking if the 200 needs ABS because every bike out there needs it.

Waiting for more opinions or responses. Especially from those who got rid of their 390 because of issues (if any)

I would rather enjoy my tea without attending to a puncture. Moreover the puncture guys here do not even come to the spot, if the bike doesn't have a center stand. And I have a 1500 km trip impending next week mostly along forest roads.



They do use PZF tyre sealant, but they use a whole 1 litre of it. The MRP is Rs 1299, and with taxes they have charged Rs 1499/-. I have personally seen them using the whole bottle. They even gave me the empty bottle. You can see the used 1 litre bottle, the MRP and the bill in the pics I have attached.

I have been using my bike for the regular commute to and from my office. The heat is not something you cant live with. Moreover the 2015 models come with a shroud around the radiator fan, which channels the hot air downwards, away from the riders legs.

After extensive checks by SVC, it was found that some miscreants has dumped sand and stones into my D 390 coolant tank:eek: during my last weekend ride. SVC attributed the coolant leakage to this mishap as it was blocking the coolant motion as well as air flow. Now they claim that the issue will be resolved. Can this be true?

I believe the new bikes have a plastic shroud behind the radiator cooling fan that redirects air.

Personally; I find the heat to be a problem. My bike sees a little bit of traffic every day. The heat from the engine, exhaust is quite a bit. It is a problem when you are moving slow, negotiating a lot of bumper to bumper traffic, traffic lights. Not otherwise. You won't feel a thing if you are touring. I keep the engine running even at long traffic lights so that there is some air flowing through the radiator. It is during these times the heat can really get to you. On rare instances, I have got off the bike to get some relief.

While the rains have given us some relief, the weather just before that, between 12pm - 3pm, it was burning hot even though it was just 34 degrees. I wonder how the Dukes and more important, the rider survives in cities where temperatures cross 40 degrees.

But thats where we were lucky to have so many mechanics able to solve our problem with good number of spare parts stores.

I think the heat is definitely there. I rode for 6 months in chennai heat but except once when i stopped for the bike to cool down(that was on a day when traffic was like moving 1cm/min) it wasnt actually bad. But overall it was hotter than my 500 but bearable.

I dont ride with my shorts on anytime and i dont advice that while riding in traffic.

Usually when you get space and let the bike ride slightly faster the air definitely cools the bike.

The bike is a high RPM single cylinder with no fairings to hide the heat. Its an open frame bike and its sure going to be hot.

The best way to manage this is to see how bad the traffic is and you know the time lost in sitting on the curb waiting for the stop traffic to move can be easilly caught up with this bike.

I usually stop, rest and let the traffic roll and catch the time up on free roads. Good that we are not against road side shops and unhygenic sodas and foods :)

Its hot but its not unbearable.

I don't know about PFZ Anti Puncture Liquid as I don't get any hits on the internet search I did but I think it is worth mentioning that Slime makes two different types of their sealants.

They make a Tubeless Tyre sealant that is not intended to be used inside an inner tube.
It is a non corrosive fluid that will not damage alloy rims.
They say will not seal inner tubes because of its sealing particle size but it will seal tubeless tyres..

They make a Tube sealant for inner tubes but it is not to be used in tubeless tyres mounted on alloy rims.
The reason for this is the inner tube sealant can attack the alloy rims, causing damage due to corrosion. :Shockked:
Of course, this corrosion will be on the inside of the rim so it can only be detected by removing the tyre.

Here's a link to some of their frequently asked questions

http://slime.com/faq/#bicycle

How effective the PFZ sealant is, I do not know but I sure hope it is compatible with the alloy rims on the Duke 390.
As we know, they already have problems of their own and they certainly don't need corrosion added to their problems.

On the bottle it is written clearly that it is for both tube and tubeless tyres. Pls check out this link also

http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/help-me/...yone-used.html

Having said that I dont know how it fairs on the corrosion part. Guess my alloys will have to be gunea pigs for testing PFZ's corrosion effect.

That was one determined miscreant. Vehicles being scratched and tyres being slashed are things you hear about though rarely. Anyways I am glad that the SVC was able to diagnose the issue and wish you many trouble free rides going forward.


The Yamaha logos on my old R15 were stolen in the parking lot of a church while I was attending mass. Sigh! Unfortunately in India, vandals and miscreants come in all shapes, sizes and in the most unexpected places. All we can do is put it down to - Bad luck. Bad timing. Bad karma.

Necessity is the mother of all human endeavor.

For Bullets, the best mechanics are out of authorzied service workshops.

For the KTMs, I would not trust anyone but an authorized workshop.

Getting Bullet parts is a bit like old fashioned Indian matchmaking. To get the right bride to the right groom, one needs to spread the word around and be ready for a lot of cajoling, social networking, and followup, before it happens. No time limits, no guarantees, and no promises of happily ever afters .....

But I digress.

Fact is you will get it or worst you will lathe it out if nothing works. My bike papers are in tatters and i am seaching for an engine to simply re-register my 500 as a different bike and forget about the old number. And thats possible with a bull :) not sure if you can with a KTM that easilly. May be yes but i know its not a big deal with my 500.

There is nothing that feels as good as stocking piston and barrel for your 500. I have three of them and still on original stock one.

I can digress and go on, but the bikes success is purely based on the spares available outside KTM.

Their ABS modules are something the local guy will have no clue about.

I feel you are looking at it as a Bullet guy. And so am I. Coz we are essentially Bullet guys who NOW ride KTMs. Our whole biking ethos is that of Bulleteers.

When was the last time (or any time) that you went to the service station for your KTM, your KTM needed a part, and the part was not available?

Bajaj has a very impressive dealer sales and service and spares network across the country. And coupled to that is the fact that their bikes do not need spares (or consumables) at the same rate as the Bullets and Royal Enfields do.

Net result is that the ownership experience, in spite of complicated machinery and technology and myriad third-party vendors and near total absence of an after-market, be it for mechanics or competent machinists, is a lot less stressful than with RE bikes.

And its no longer a valid argument that KTMs are new kids on the block. They've been around since 2012 now. Over 3 years. The earliest 200's are well over 50,000 kms now. Many 390s too.

We both know what a RE bike requires to make it to and past 50,000 kms in the real world .......

And on the same line, we have stopped carrying those spare cables, wires, pistons and oil can. Instead we are only worried about the fuel. This 390 with a modified bigger tank would make it the best bet for all those bulleteers. And we wont sell the bullet for we will make it a classic for our kids and grand kids hoping they dont sell.

In fact the bull is strictly a local inside the town rider to local shops and grounds. I have never been not motivated to take the 390 anywhere outside.Such an easy and a complete bike and costs peanuts compared to man other similar ones.

But Dr, i am sure you are looking into the details of the parts, for i every weekend take a specific part of the bike and explore. The most complex part is the ABS that is stuck under the tank. I havent had the time to explore that area, but if we do that we will be confident of what to attend to when we go on a ride.

After 200kms you simply switch of the engine, take your break, come back, wack it open and move on. In bull it was always that period of watching the heat and ensuring its not too hot many a times.

One thing that is bad is the head lights. they are absolutely useless.

I explored the tire sealant options here a few months back but only two different obscure brands are available (as in no website etc for those brands so hard to gauge their reputation ) . One was available at a tire shop that looked nice on appearance and the person in charge there suggested to avoid sealants as they lead to lack of balance once injected inside . I should mention I would have still gone ahead if a brand with online feedback was available but I am curious does the bike feels different after 1 liter worth of fluid in both tires ? I have never used a sealant before but based on the description , it is priority no.1 as soon as I can find a major brand .

Ps: pity you have been driven to posting actual content price shots to be believed or otherwise face open ridicule . Keep the post coming as I find valuable information in them .

@blue_pulsar
On the topic of heat , the bike never overheats if it is moving continuously or even in traffic where 30kmph+ speed is possible with stops limited to 30seconds . It will be a nuisance in crawling traffic and not just because of the heat but engine nature as well as clutch , however this bike is not really intended for such conditions so this is not a limitation of the bike (even though heat is a very a common criticism of this bike , as well as heavy clutch lol ) . Another thing that is frequently mentioned is the direction of air from radiator fan though that is hardly the major source of heat , the exhaust bend pipe on the left side is and if you are hugging the tank , you leg is uncomfortably close to the pipe . Also the seat from under gets really hot after a prolonged crawl so that is another thing you should consider. Again all this is only during notorious traffic situations , I avoid them like the plague and don't judge the bike during those periods either .