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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-273.html)

Exactly. That was one unhappy cop and sidekick rookie when we pulled away .....

Yup please keep me/us update buddy. I do not think they need to change the hardware now that the 2015 bikes have what I assume is a software patch fix for the issue. Techie geeks here may please confirm. :)

Funny that you mentioned this, but this is already the case in Kerala. Apparently they think jackets and gloves are worn by (Street)'racers' which is absolutely not the case!

WoW !!! Kerela of all places ! Where the traffic seems sane and almost all are educated.

Just don't see where we are heading towards. Boggles my mind to see us take step after step in the wrong way.

Not sure where you got this impression from! Cops, in other cities (especially Bangalore and all), respects fully geared riders. But definitely not Keralite cops! Me and my friend were stopped for wearing a pair of pro-biker gloves once. This was a couple of years ago but the situation still exists as per my knowledge.

I am an ATGATT rider, but if I have to move back to Kerala, I am not sure if I will be able to keep following this. Being stopped once or twice is fine by me, but its definitely not convenient on a daily basis.

I was not talking about the police but the state as a whole for which I have huge respect.

Not on a 2 wheels but when I visited there last time, I could hardly hear a honk, people following lanes and traffic rules. I thought, it is good in every way. Looks like not ! Maybe my tourist eyes made me see things.

So they are basically promoting fatal road accidents. Has anyone tweeted about this to Tharoor/Police Chief ? I find the man very sensible. Might just do something about it if it came to his attention.

I was talking specifically about the police and their attitude towards fully geared riders.

I see that you too are currently from Bangalore. So I can very well relate to your emotions. When I visit my home town after riding/driving around in Bangalore, it is Pure Heaven. Period.

Like you told, traffic is sparse, you can change your lane without being honked the crap out, people respect indicator signals and more over you will arrive home in peace and not hot headed. :) People are much more calmer than Bangalore roads where everything is a race where the triumphant is the one who arrives 5 seconds quicker than the person behind.

With you on this. I feel the only exception here would be the multicoloured buses, which I'm sure you'd agree on too! :D

A.K.A private operating buses. I don't want to talk about them! :D They take racing lines on every corner and every straight line is a drag strip! :D

My bike went in for the first paid service today. The service was actually due by February 17th, but due to problems at home I was unable to attend to it. I explained my predicament to the SA at Mysore KTM and he graciously accepted my bike for the service without even a hint of protest and made the necessary entry in the Owner's manual.

My bike had run just 1k kms from the previous service, but I still decided to proceed with the engine oil, fuel filter and oil filter change. The SA said it wasn't needed, but I insisted on it.
The complaints I made were: harsh engine note, hot start problem, clutch lever tightness, over-spongy front brake, uneven Chain tension. I suggested the SA to inspect the Valve clearances.

I got a call by 4 o'clock in the evening saying that my bike was ready and the bill amount was Rs.2835/-

The chain and clutch were adjusted properly; brake is still the same though. The SA told me that the valve clearance is correct and that it needed to wear a bit for the engine note to smoothen (my bike has run 10k kms). He said the hot start problem might be linked to that and asked me to give it a bit of time. I'm not too sure about it. The oil and the filters were replaced. Excess engine oil was returned.

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience dealing with the SA Karthik. He listens to the grouses patiently and tries his best to resolve them. Thumbs up to him!

PS- my only grouse with the service experience is the Rs.100/- I was charged for a filthy "hand polish" job! My bike was detailed quite recently by SunnyBoi and no polish was needed; especially not the kind the SVC apply!! I might have shrugged it off, but this isn't the first time I was charged for an unsolicited service by the Popular Motor Corporation. I was charged quite a tidy sum for an 'anti-rust additive' on my previous visit. What's the big deal you ask? Well, it was for a Bajaj Wave that has a plastic tank!! I suspect these are the miscellaneous 'services' that keep the cash registers ringing. :D

I seriously doubt if the guy hadn't mentioned the valve clearance check, just to make you comfortable. I have been studying the valve clearance issue for a while and it takes atleast a days job, if not more, what with the trial and error replacement of shims, requiring multiple use of feeler guages. My SVC has informed me clearly that Valve clearance adjustment is not possible, as the variation of the shim sizes available with them is 0.5mm. So I have taken barcalad's help to get the valve clearance adjusted at a private service center.

This past Sunday I was out on a short club ride and about 80 kms in I faced a strange issue. I was waiting for a humongous herd of cattle to cross the road and so I had switched off the bike. When I turned the bike on again, I hit the starter switch but in about half a crank the console showed some error for literally half a second and the bike died. The error read something like JG.. followed by some numbers. I turned the key to off, then turned it on again and the console came back to life but this time all the statistics had been reset. Thankfully the ODO was not reset. After waiting 30 seconds I pushed the starter again and everything worked well. I haven't encountered any other issues till now. Hopefully the SVC can use OBD tools to check the system log and sort out the issue.

Did it say JG.1.7.3 ?

It's an error regarding the wiring of the battery or something to do with it's terminals. Get it checked at the SVC soon though, and let us know what they say.

The intermittent blinking of the console display vanished today. Wherever I park my bike, I always try to find a shade. And the day when the console error started to show, I had kept the vehicle under scorching sun for an entire day. I haven't ridden the bike after that for a while, and when I took it today to office, the problem has gone, for now atleast. I have heard, that LCD/LEDs should not be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time. Since most of the modern bikes are expected to be parked under direct sun, I don't know how bike LEDs are robust enough to withstand such exposure.

This has been resolved under warranty cover. No labour charges too. I was wrong about the digital console failing. It was a damaged wire inside the headlamp assembly. The molex connector was fine. They have replaced it is what I have been told. I don't know if any section of a wiring harness can be replaced as they all look like a part of the loom. I was worried about a new digital console as I have read that you start off with zero with a new odometer.

What does strike a little odd is, I handed over the bike on the 10th evening so they were surely not going to take a look at it on the same evening. I was fine with that. I was given a commitment of delivery the next day which was very reassuring. Till around 230pm on the 11th, I was not updated so I called the service centre. I was told they are out of stock on 390 consoles which was alright. I was in no hurry. Two hours later they call and tell me the bike is ready. I went with the impression I will have a new console and a reset odometer. On reaching the service centre and taking a look at the bike before going to the bill counter, I noticed it was the same old digital console. Was relieved but I wonder why the investigation and solution to the problem changed in a matter of two hours. Anyway; I am happy that the bike is back and everything is okay.

There is a new gentleman handling customers at the Kasturba Road joint. His name is Antony De Silva. Sounds like a knowledgeable chap.

I had a very similar experience when I gave my bike for second service. I gave the bike on an evening, and was assured delivery on the next day evening 4 oclock. When I reached the service center, the bike was not even taken for the service. !!!

When I complained, they said they had unsual work load, and serviced my bike in an hours time, including puncture sealant treatment, sparkplug change, chain clean and lube, oil change, filters change, water service and test ride.