Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Motorbikes (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/)

-   -   The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/138082-ktm-duke-390-ownership-experience-thread-353.html)

I know the set up would have been done professionally. You also do a calculation of total watts used vs total watts available

You can use sites similar to the one below. But it will help you determine if the battery will be enough to manage this additional load for a long run

http://www.thesmallengineshop.net/excessWatts.php

Does anyone has specs on the total wattage output available from the KTM 390 alternator? I plan to run dual 18 watt LEd lamps in addition to the standard headlamp. Do we have that kind of wattage to spare?

I read somewhere the alternator produces around 296 based on the site below and the bike consumes around 150 watts giving some spare. Use a multi meter to get this actual output from alternator.

http://www.rc390-forum.com/forum/ele...dlights-3.html

http://nexgenbikes.com/site/2013/04/...rnator-dynamo/

Also use the below site which i followed to set up heated jacket line, glove line, heated grips and 12V output on my FZ6R.

http://www.motorcycle.com/how-to/tur...wer-motorcycle

http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php

I picked up the below for setting up the distribution

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o09_s00

and

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o08_s00

Hope this helps.

My 390 has completed 16k Kms last week. Done the third paid service (previous owner skipped one of the free services) and fixed the minor accident damage the bike had. Replaced front brake pads with EBC double H sintered pads.

After the delivery of bike after service i found out there was no front brake because the SVC guys didn't bleed the system properly after pad change. Rushed back and got it fixed ASAP. Got the chance to test the braking improvement in the ride back home and the initial signs were positive.

Did a small 200+ km ride today in very hot and humid conditions in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The bike felt great and the brakes were perfect. The bike used to squeal very loudly before on stock pads with not much stopping power. But i found the new EBC pads to have ample bite. The feel is still not there and the bite comes very late in the lever travel(2013 model). But it's certainly a big improvement and 1.8k well spent. And the ABS kicks in late unlike my old setup which activated ABS every time i braked hard.

On the return part of the ride i was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for 15 mins and the bike showed a high coolant temperature warning and stalled. After turning it back on i felt the fan was not as audible as before. In fact could barely notice it was on. Coolant level is below max and the oil level was perfect. After i got a move on the temp gauge refused to go back to the normal readings. It was stuck one bar below the max segment. And to add to my bad luck the speedo started going haywire showing 0 kmph and sometimes 20, 30 or whatever while doing 50 or 60. It's very weird for the bike to show two different symptoms at the same time. I wonder whether they are connected
I've had too much trouble with my 390 in the past 9 months i owned it (still i love it) and I'm scared that now I'll have to spend a lot more in the future to keep it running with no warranty being a second owner :banghead: . There are many horror stories in Kerala 390 owners group. My friend got back his 390 after a month for fixing the speedo error and even after replacing the whole wiring harness, speedo assembly etc the issue still persists

Can you share the cost of the brake pads and also the source of purchase? I've been planning to upgrade mine as well.

These are sold by Ultimate Auto Impex. You can contact them through facebook. But the pads are out of stock now i think. They are also selling through Ebay. Front pads cost 1850INR including shipping

peeps FYI - i installed the Apache RTR mirrors on my 2015 Duke 390. Cost me totally Rs 380 and has increased visibility to a great extent (the mirrors are slightly larger + squarish). Slightly better built then the KTM ones as well.

For anyone planning to do the same buy the mirror with the stalk from any TVS outlet (spare department) and just replace the KTM ones. From the KTM part you only need to use the rubber covering i.e. for the stalk of the mirror.

Will post pics as well a little later.

Hey bud. Glad the new pads are working out for you. But they are quite steep @ 1800 INR. OEM ones cost like 2-300 bucks I think

I personally find the braking to be adequate, the only challenge being the missing initial bite and lack of feel from the levers. The latter would hopefully be remedied once the 2016 models arrive with adjustable levers. A friend of mine has those cheapo shorty levers from ebay. Although rattly, he swears by them and says the feel and feedback has improved ten fold

Quick question on the underlined part in the quote. I am not at all technically inclined but the way I understand braking effectiveness is that sooner the bike's wheels achieve deceleration in the same given environment including ambient temperature, tyre condition, road surface, rider skill etc, including wheel lock up (that an ABS prevents); better the braking force

How would ABS sensor be re-caliberated on account of a brake pad change? And if it hasnt been re-claiberated, then the above comment would mean that the deceleration is slower on the new pads, not faster

Please let me know if I have misunderstood something

Well, even though it's quite steeply priced i don't mind spending 1.8k on improving brakes. Especially since i only managed 7k kms in 9 months. I don't need to change the pads for maybe another 8-9k. I'm looking for adjustable levers too. The RevZilla reviewer said the same thing about cheap levers on the 390 hampering the feedback.

About the ABS activation, i don't know how to explain it either. Earlier there was not much bite in the majority of lever travel and it used to bite only in the last few cms close to the fingers and then it would also activate ABS because the wheels are just about to lock up. More like an on/off switch. Now that the bite is more gradual, i don't have to apply the brakes with same amount of aggression to stop and it doesn't lock up like it used to. That's the only explanation i can give from my gut feel. These pads certainly are an improvement.

I'm still startled by the fact that 15 model year bikes have better brakes compared to 13. I'm pretty sure I'm not making this up. There are many friends complaining about lose of bite in their 2013 bikes.

I thought the 2016 models are already out? Am I missing something here?

They are expected to be made available for Customer delivery only close to April.
This is what was quoted to me by one of local KTM dealership's here in Bangalore
back in early January when we were inquiring for the Duke line-up.

So what further upgrades are we looking at in this version? Apart from the adjustable levers. I thought a bunch of stuff already came with the one which got released with the auto headlamp function. Could some one point me out at a list?

I read someone post about this on xbhp as well but dismissed it. Mentioned that these bikes are coming in through the middle of this year.

@ b16h22 - one note a caution - one good mechanic in Pune who services my bike mentioned that the EBC brake pads will wear out your disc faster as its more coarse. When i mentioned about the EBC brake pads, he suggested to wait for the new brake pads i.e. in the 2016 version as these are supposed to have been improved + the squealing issue has been eliminated.

Still awaiting the new part stocks to check this out in person though.

Off topic query @ebonho - doc any good place in camp for reflective + customized stickers. Looking to increase the visibility of my bike especially at the rear and sides, but without been too gawdy.

It is discussed here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...200-rc390.html