Team-BHP - The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by schakravarthy (Post 3719371)

The 'lock' on my bike works like this- turn off ignition, depress and hold the position, turn the key to lock.

Mine is Push-Rel.

Which reminds me of another such interesting thing. A friend's 2013 390 can be locked with the handle facing right. :confused::confused: Where as mine and many other bikes I have tried can be locked only when the handlebar is locked to the left.

Hows it on your bike?

Quote:

Originally Posted by barcalad (Post 3719346)

I'm in Delhi next, which is around 3-4 months away.

1. What effect, if any, will the non-use of 3-4 months have on the bike?

2. Can the nail be plugged out without expecting any loss in tyre dynamics?

A final question for NCR bikers. Others can give me their thoughts too.

a) How long can I ride a KA registered vehicle in NCR?

b) If I get busted by the moolah happy Delhi cops, can I tell them I'm just one of those Bangalore bikers eager to conquer Leh on my bike? :D

Hope to see you whenever you are in delhi next. Gimme a shout if you need help with something. As for your queries:

1) others have provided apt responses. Try doing a google search n you ll come up with a whole lot of results / videos that ll tell u what's what

2) I don't follow. Are you asking if you can get a puncture repair without any issues? Of course u can, why should it be a problem?

A) ride your bike for as long as you want. Just have your papers up to date (including the sham of a pollution cert)

B) pretty sure no such excuses need to be made. Delhi is a lot more tolerant towards out of state vehicles. I have been driving my mh14 reg linea for over 4 years now. No. Of times I've been stopped for being "out of state" = 0

Hope this helps. C ya!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 3719532)

2) I don't follow. Are you asking if you can get a puncture repair without any issues? Of course u can, why should it be a problem?

I think his question comes from the fact that the KTM owner's manual says you must junk the tyre if there is a "run in object" (I interpret this to mean a nail, for example) !!!! When I read it I thought it was simply atrocious, particularly in India. Many youngsters would believe it though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by barcalad (Post 3719346)

a) How long can I ride a KA registered vehicle in NCR? Is it fine with the authorities or will they whine like they did in Karnataka and Kerala?

After so much harassment in KA on this topic for last several years on my out of state registered vehicle, I was dreading the same when I moved to Delhi last year from Bangalore. To my surprise, I found the workings of the RTO in Delhi relatively more transparent, efficient and free of touts (well, mostly) than Bangalore.

The Delhi specific input to this query is that currently there is a supreme court ruling which prevents registrations of vehicles from other states in Delhi.

At least that's what the head of my nearest RTO told me when I went to get my KA registered C500 changed to a DL registration last year. No traffic cop in Delhi will ever book you for driving an out of state registration vehicle, so long as all your other papers are in order and you have a valid Delhi proof of residence, or till the judicial courts allow the RTO to start registration of out of state vehicles again in Delhi.

I'm not aware of the rules in Gurgaon & Noida and there could be a different interpretation of this law in those RTOs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schakravarthy (Post 3719371)

The 'lock' on my bike works like this- turn off ignition, depress and hold the position, turn the key to lock.
The manual has a 'push-rel' feature listed. The same procedure works on my friend's 2013 390 too, wherein the ignition is turned off, the key is pushed in and released immediately and then key is turned to 'lock'; the Bajaj 220 way.

How is it on your bikes?

Mine the same as yours, push and hold while turning the key to lock position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilp (Post 3719349)

If you disconnect the battery and change fluids as soon as you are back, bike should be fine. Raise both the Tyres using stands or some alternative mechanism so that Tyres don't get affected. Also keep the air pressure 5 points above normal when you put it on storage. Put some light grease or Vaseline on electric terminals to prevent corrosion. Drain fuel to bare minimum and replace it prior to starting when you return. Store battery separately if feasible. Bike will be fine, don't worry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schakravarthy (Post 3719371)

Well, the owner's manual has this to say..

Unfortunately, due to the melee surrounding shifting to a city, it completely slipped off my mind to unplug the battery wires. Keeping my finger crossed so that nothing happens. Damn.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 3719532)

Hope to see you whenever you are in delhi next. Gimme a shout if you need help with something. As for your queries:

1) others have provided apt responses. Try doing a google search n you ll c

But, of course! I was eagerly waiting for your reply as you're the face of the D390 from NCR in our forum. :D

Thanks for the responses. Will get in touch with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theexperthand (Post 3720959)

Yes, absolutely. I have done 4 patches till now (the usual Plug in patches, not the mushroom ones) and don't feel any difference due to this.

Thanks! That's a major relief.

If Bajaj guys are lurking in here ,its going to be great .

My 390 has done 10k and its been a bliss , the bike has amazed me and for the money I paid , never got anything more valuable than this in my whole life.
I observed and waited for the initial niggles etc and got a 2014 last bike which has not even missed a beat .
.
Coming to the service I had apprehensions about the quality of service since the place I live is a small town (Pathanamthitta).KL

The franchise don't even have a mechanic who is qualified , they summon the juniormost guys from their pulsar service department and get the job done .
The first three services are the only ones I was planning to do in Pathanamthitta .The third service nailed it for me , they didn't even have the fuel filter and spark plug available .
I had to just change the engine oil and air filter and later on ,go the rest done from another service center .

Quote:

Originally Posted by barcalad (Post 3721320)

But, of course! I was eagerly waiting for your reply as you're the face of the D390 from NCR in our forum. :D

Thanks, but that green smiley makes me think otherwise :uncontrol

Tyre update - At 12k kms, Rear Metz gave up the ghost with the steel belts peeking out. Gave it a proper send off with a nice burn out

:D

Got the Michelin Pilot Street, 150 section for Rs 5350. Will keep updating my experience here

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 3721357)

Seriously, man! Who could've answered my NCR queries better than you? Gotta meet soon!

Good choice with the Michelin. I'm sure that like me, you won't ever feel like switching back to Metz in the future. :)

My 390 was sitting un used for 10 days since i moved to Trivandrum for ADAM course.When i came back to bring the bike to tvm with me i found the engine oil seeping from the head gasket area. Asked the Trichur service center whether they can fix the problem in a day but the answer was no. So i rode 300 km to Tvm checking the oil level at regular intervals. To my surprise it remained largely constant. Approached Trivandrum KTM the next day and they were very busy and wanted to leave the bike there for some days. The state of the SVC was pathetic and they had no space to park the bike anywhere. Now i've decide to take the bike to a SVC that is 25km from here. Anyone has some idea about the cost involved in fixing the leak? They said i won't be getting the warranty because i'm the second owner. Also the bike developed another popular d390 issue that is stalling when downshifting. Should i get the throttle body cleaned as well?

Hey guys. I have been a Duke 390 owner since last 1.5 years. I picked up this bike for sole purpose of commuting to college. I have travel 100kms four days a week. Hence it has clocked 21k+ kms. This commute involves around 25kms of broken roads. So this happens. I park it securely at both the places (college and home), and don't think if somebody wanted to mess around they would take out a single nut. I mean I get it this is built by Bajaj but this is unacceptable. If this was one of the more important part I could have been stranded by side of the road. Thats the only gripe I have with the bike. Ownership review coming soon.:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperMane (Post 3726931)

I mean I get it this is built by Bajaj but this is unacceptable.

Buddy this is nothing unusual. No bike manufacturer in the world can guarantee that a nut or two won't drop with the kind of usage you describe.

Many people compare the usage of a bike to that of a car. Fact is that every bike requires a lot more periodic maintenance & visual checks etc than a car, regardless of its pedigree.

With your kind of usage, this should be a weekly activity. Cleaning, lubing the chain, checking tires & battery, brake pads, fluid levels - just to name a few. Then there are the monthly, quarterly & half yearly tasks one needs to perform.

My advise, take the DIY route, invest in a good set of tools including a torque wrench, consult the service manual and keep your Duke in prime shape yourself. Limit visits to the service centre only for the tasks you cannot do yourself.

That is half the fun of owning a super cool bike like the Duke anyway.

Don't forget to buy a bottle of Loctite 242 for all the 'mission critical' nuts in your bike.

Here's to many more km of safe & happy riding! :)