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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-464.html)

Tamhini night ride. Like riding in a videogame, with nearly the whole stretch newly tarred and lined with white lines and reflectors.









Good fun!

Cheers, Doc

My first attempt at proper cleaning and lubing the chain. WD40 and chindi just does not cut it. Literally (the inner link and O ring grease and grime).

Need a brush and diesel (kerosene would be ideal, but difficult to procure regularly, and diesel is what be available on tour anyways, so best to get the chain used to it).

90w gear oil of course (no sticky messy costly sprays anymore, thank you very much).









Cheers, Doc

There's nothing more satisfying than seeing your bike's sprocket and chain shining.
Here's my Dominar's rear sprocket and chain after I cleaned it with diesel+brush and some rags yesterday. Ofcourse I topped it with 90w gear oil and wiped off the excess. No more messy wheels.
Gear oil I can vouch for with my experience. My ealier bike, Unicorn had its first chain sprocket replacement happened exactly at 36525km and the second chain set was going strong at 72000+km when I finally passed my bike onto one of my friends.
Curious eyes can also spot the 90° valve on the wheel.

Haha! That was the first thing I noticed, hope they are Activas. BTW, a neat looking black rim and sprocket hub simply goes a long say, so is a silver hub and a black rim, it just brings out the lustre out of the rear end. lol: Neat!

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks, Vijay!
Yes the valve is made for scooters. The hole size is 11.3mm and is made by the same OEM of the straight rubber valve that came from the factory. Made by Triton-based out of Mysore.

The primary reason I changed to these is because it was near impossible for me to check the air pressure using my Michelin digital tyre pressure gauge due to the alloys design. Added advantage is the easier operation of the longer type air filling nozzles.

Now you've got me activated man. Next Sunday I'll go to town with brush and diesel and chindi and shampoo. Lovely!

But with the MotoJack I had to sit on the ground and work. Even a small collapsible canvas camping stool was too high.

Cheers, Doc

Doc, is your bike stock or have you done mods to it?

It is bone stock. Not even the headlight bulb or spark plug is different. The reason I love KTMs after 10 years with Bullet 500s.

Is that they are built fast out if the factory. Stay fast throughout a ride. And do the same the next day. With few visits to the workshop, shorter visits, and way less money spent.

My Bullets are a joy to ride too. But as I got older, with work and family, I simply no longer had the time to invest anymore.

So when the KTMs came, I was a happy and willing convert.

Cheers, Doc

No performance mods on my bike as well. But i have done some changes to help me grip the bike well. 390 has more performance than i can handle so i left it at thatlol:

But the 250 is docile and less eager, only note worthy change is the jugaad quick throttle arrangement that i made.

Doing D.I.Y maintenance on your own vehicles is another level of satisfaction for us gearheads. I spend around 1 hour or more doing the chain, before i used Motul and putoline chain cleaner and lube, now it is chain cleaner/degreaser and 140 grade gear oil, compared to chain spray 300 - 500km interval, the gear oil last a good 700 kms.

Now with gear oil I will see how much the chain sprocket lasts.

A shiny and clean chain sprocket area adds the extra attractiveness to the bike.


Cheers,
Dhruv Shetty.

Just had a look at the bike and found some oil on the head and found a small hole on the block, wondering if this hole is supposed to exist.




Cheers,
Dhruv Shetty.

That hole is the drain hole for spark plug pocket. Its given to drain water or fluid collected in the pocket.

That is called a weep hole for long reach spark plug cavities which prevents water ingress due to spark plug cap boot failure and prevent rusting of the spark plug which if rusted too bad can mean the spark plug can seize.
If you observe frequent oil leak from that hole, then you have an internal O ring leak which leaks down through the same hole.

Long story short, if you observe water which usually vaporizes well before one can observe it's normal. If there is blackish oil every now and then, then we have internal spark plug sleeve O ring leak which should be replaced for which the valve cover and the spark plug sleeve O ring (visible on top must be replaced)

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

Another tantrum has started with the Duke, since yesterday on my journey to Malkapur, left yesterday in the afternoon with my Uncle, riding in the heavy peak hour traffic of Mumbai till Kalamboli and outskirts Pune road in slow moving traffic in the 20 to 80 kmph speed, the low oil pressure warning comes on, once I touch the open stretch of road like the old Mumbai Pune highway and Pune - Satara highway while giving it the beans, it doesn't come back. And I comes on briefly on the canyon stretch of roads on a lean.

Can be two things, either I'm actually low on oil or the sensor is going Kaput.

When i stopped at a garage in Pune, they did not have 10w 50 grade, but had 15w 50, 20w 50 and 10w 40.
Cheers,
Dhruv Shetty

Thank you for the input :), this is a new discovery for me.

Will keep this in mind as a new thing i learnt.:)

Cheers,
Dhruv Shetty.