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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-492.html)

Could you please provide the link for this?

I bought it from Amazon, but isn't available there except for this combo. Here's a link from JioMart.

But Silicon spray from any reputable brand should do, as long as it is dielectric, if you intend to use on electrical connections.

Has anyone had any experience with a 16T sprocket at the front for the newer Dukes? (gen 2 and gen 3)

I was thinking of getting the same on my Speed 400 as I've seen some folks do the same abroad. They claim the Duke 390/ Husqy/ Triumph sprockets are interchangeable.

I am unsure of 16T front, but bhpian Yash 390 had replaced his rear sprocket with 42T which almost gives the same gear ratios as a 16T front on a gen 2. You can read his post here,

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5415646

And for a 16T front watch this video,

https://youtu.be/r_Uqf1Kx0qo?si=RMbxomi0wswZdKqT

How does one verify the month and year of manufacturing on a ktm bike? I am purchasing a 390 Duke soon and went to do a PDI on a bike. Using online decoders, I was able to see only the model year encoded in the bin. Pointers to any resource or decoder would be helpful.

Hello,

Recently i switched from stock Metzeler M5 tyres to TVS Eurogrip protorq extreme on my gen3 duke. I did 600Km on it so far. On this 600Km i did highway rides, and did some spirited riding on the twisties. my stock metzeler's rear end would give up and slide a little if i downshift hard from 3 -> 2 -> 1 but these TVS eurogrips are nice don't have any issues on this area. In the twisties it didn't provide any kind of unnatural feeling.

But Now I'm getting this weird feeling on my bike like the rear feels very sensitive. it's not sliding or anything, it feels weird and about to lose grip(especially when i ride with a pillion). Am i still in the break-in period of these tyres ? or do i have to get used to this?

i always on ride on 29F 32R tyre pressures and i gained a little bit weight over the last few months ( 2-3 Kg, currently 83Kg). do i have set a different preload setting ?

600 kms is more than enough to bed in a tire. Tire bedding is something that is a requisite for a new set of tires especially for bikes with radials. The tires come with a layer of factory residue that eventually wears down in the first 200 to 300 kms of running in which helps the tire get to job easier -- which is provide grip. The reason I reckon your rear feels jittery might be due to too low a preload.

A lower preload will make the bike bouncier especially two with up. Get your preload adjusted per your and pillion weight and your tire pressure doubly checked and give it a try.

Cheers!
VJ

I was doing a ride from Banglore - B.R hills - K Gudi today.

During the B.R Hills - K Gudi stretch my bike's rear end got suddenly bouncier, did not stop right there to check since i was in the middle of a Tiger reserve. Stopped after 5-10Km at K Gudi lake to check what happened.

saw smoke coming out near the end of my exhaust pipe, caused to due to oil leak from the rear mono shock. sigh :unhappy



Had to ride the bike back to my home very carefully, would take it to the service center tomorrow.

But what could be the cause of this? I only heard about Front USD forks oil leakage.

This could be a manufacturing defect rear suspension go bad very rarely and its difficult to break it even if you ride on bad roads really fast. Your bike is new so I suspect a defect. You should get it replaced under warranty. When you go to the service centre make sure that the rear end of the bike is complete (no tail tidy or shortened up rear end by removing bits and pieces of the plastic panel).

On gen 2 if you remove the wheel hugger and the rear suspension goes bad, ktm wont honour the warranty.

How much does it cost to replace the speedometer on a 2021 390 Duke? There was an issue with my bike's cluster which I notified to the SVC but they just ignored it when the bike was in warranty. Yesterday this issue has resurfaced again and now my bike is not in warranty. I was curious as to how much it would cost, as I was once quoted 35k for a speedometer replacement.
The video was shot quite some time back, when the bike was in warranty.
https://youtube.com/shorts/4pxMYcOKm...h4pvhnN5c0bDfl

https://mysparemarket.com/
These guys had it on sale for 12.5k about 2 weeks ago. Now i guess it’s out of stock. I think it was on offer sale so it had some discount.
Original price was about 23k i guess.
You can try sourcing the display from instagram there are a few sellers. I am not sure if these are brand new or refurbished.

Ya ktm service centre are pretty good at sweeping such issues under the carpet. They don't take required action unless the part completely fails. It’s like they expect the customer to break the part completely and bring it to them:eek:

The display is working as of now, Im not sure if it would resurface again. If it fails completely, guess I'll have to hunt for a new one. Thanks for the reply anyway.

Rear shock seals giving up was normal, especially the older KTMs. The newer ones are pretty solid but still not 100% leak-proof. Seals fail due to a number of reasons, defect in the shock, continuous riding over bad roads, and plain bad luck. If you're under warranty, a your rear shock will be replaced under warranty. Same with front seals, the variables are aplenty for them to start leaking, but yes in the case of front forks, the seals are replaceable easily, in the case of rear shock, the entire unit has to be replaced (they are repairable) but if you're under warranty, opt for a new one.

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks for replying guys

Gonna replace the rear monoshock under warranty on Monday

Also my rebound adjustable fork leg is faulty. like I can only adjust to 3, 4 & 5 levels.. can't reduce it below 3. Missed this on PDI :Frustrati

KTM service manager is not sure whether the entire fork leg had to be replaced or just the adjustable unit. Still waiting for a reply from them

6 months & 5000km of Austrian Torque for Breakfast

Hey everyone!! This is my first time posting on Team BHP. I've been an active follower of the community since 2012. Back then I was still in school but it was always so inspiring to watch this community flourish and help each other out.

I've always held a passion for automobiles and my love for motorcycles grew during my college days. I remember the day I fell in love with the 390 Duke. It was 2015 and they still only had the 1st Gen out there. One of my friends took me for a quick spin on the bike since I practically begged for one. It was a very short but extremely reckless speed-run on the Chennai-Trichy highway. When I got off the bike, my hands were trembling and my face had the biggest smile it could physically hold. That was the day I fell in love with the Duke.

Through the years that followed, I even got the chance to work on the 390 BS4 engine as part of a formula student team where I was responsible for engine mapping and cooling system design for the car we had designed. It feels unreal sometimes, how the world brings things together.

A year back, my wife (fiance then) and I were talking about all the rides we should take, given we buy a motorcycle once we get married. A lot of options came up on the list. I mainly wanted something that would be reliable, was made well and was fun to ride. We figured that getting a slower (in relative terms) bike could be kept for our 30s.

Our budget was between 2.5 to 3.5 lakhs and I was looking closely at 4 options.

1. The Himalayan 450
2. The 390 Duke Gen-3
3. The Triumph Speed 400
4. The 390 ADV Rally

Honestly, I wanted the cake and eat it too. The only option that satisfied that condition was the Gen-3 Duke. The 450 was massive, and so was the 390 ADV. Once I test rode the Duke, the Triumph did not stand a chance. Within the first 3 gears, one can tell that the Duke is a rev happy, aggressive, torquey speed machine that moves like a missile. On the other hand, the Speed is much more subdued and eloquent in the way it moves (like I said, for our 30s). Wife & I had a chat the evening I test rode the Speed because I knew we'd get the 390 eventually. And lucky for me, she loved the new design so much that she never really considered any other option.

On 4/4/2024, we booked the bike. It was a one man dealership when I got there but he was quick with the paperwork and the delivery happened in a week. Never owned a bike before this so rolling off the showroom, it was pure elation and joy. It was a full circle moment from my time in college. We named the bike Murphy. Probably sounds odd given what Murphy's law says. But it just stuck with us somehow.

Here are a few clicks of Murphy in her element:










__________________________________________________ _________

6 months and 5000 odd kms later, there have been no major issues with the bike. The first service was a breeze and the second one is due at 7500km.

Here are a few pros & cons from my experience with Murphy so far.

Pros:

1. Heat management is excellent. Even for short city commutes, with moderate to heavy traffic, the bike has never overheated. It managed to take on the Vadodara heat without any concerns at all. The dual fan mounting was a concern to me initially as I thought it might blow out heat onto my legs but that doesn't seem to be the case.

2. The bike handles like a missile. It might sound like an exaggeration but every degree of lean and turning of the handlebar is converted into an output motion by the bike. And its not brutal and intimidating. If anything, it is extremely confidence inspiring. Even as a first timer on a 400cc motorcycle, I never felt out of control.

3. I have heard in some reviews that the riding modes are not particularly effective but in my experience so far, rain mode has been a blessing during monsoon. Although the bike does not churn out 39Nm right at the beginning, it still is torquey enough to have wheelspin if there is not enough traction. Rain mode makes the bike much calmer with gradual throttle response. Although I am not aware if its true, I feel like the map has been detuned for rain mode.

4. The 15 liter fuel tank is great for short trips (<350km). In my observation, a full tank of fuel gives out about 350-400kms of range which is plenty, considering it is not too often that I take very long rides. The fuel economy has been more or less around the known figures of 23-28Kmpl depending on your riding style & commute conditions.

5. Brilliant engine. The new LC4c is a magic to ride. It has much better low end torque and the mated 6 speed gearbox does a good job in making sure the powerband is as linear as it could be made. Don't get me wrong, the 390 is still a very aggressive ride, but, its much more linear than Gen 1 & Gen 2. Tractability is not that great - in city rides you will pretty much toggle around in 1-2-3. But the moment you have a stretch where you can max out the RMP, rest assured that you will giggle like a child when that throttle opens. *chef's kiss*

6. Overall fit and finish is excellent. The switches are robust and feel premium to handle. The TFT is excellent and has no readability issues even in bright sunlight. The UI is user friendly and there is a shortcut for riding mode change. The plastics and rubbers used all around are made to fit precisely. There are no notable offsets, interferences or gaps. The new headlamps and tail unit are also of good quality plastics and are finished well.

Cons:

1. Vibrations. I've ridden the Gen 1 and Gen 2. If that's your frame of reference, then the Gen 3 is much smoother. But in comparison to the Speed 400 or even the dominar, the bike does feel more vibey. There is a particular spot, between 3500 and 5000RPM in gears 3 and above where the vibes are the most. It isn't annoying as such but it is definitely noticeable. If you don't wear riding gloves, you will have tingly hands after 30min of riding.

2. Quick-Shifter. Yes, I know that having a QS in the first place is a good deal at this price point but KTM does need to work on the lever play. And no, this is not because the lever got loose overtime. I asked the workshop folks to reduce the play but they said there is nothing more they could do. Maybe KTM did it to offset the accidental shifts that may occur but from a long term ownership POV, it is a little annoying. Also, just the shifts in general are very choppy when below 5k RPM. Although QS is meant to serve the track, I wonder if it could be tuned to run smooth in cities as well.

3. The turn indicator switch is something I have been struggling with for the last couple of months now. We had some heavy rains here over the last few months and the water seems to have gotten to the bike controls. Either that, or it is a quality issue. It's a given that console switches are sensitive to pressurized water, but it is disappointing to know that rain could do this damage too.

4. The stock tyres that KTM provided with the bike were Metzeler Sportec M5s. They're alright in dry conditions but severely underperforms in the rains. Even mild wetness on tarmac makes the tyre lose traction very quickly. I am not sure if this will still be the case if I change to Eurogrip or H1s. During sharp corners with a higher speed, the bike feels confident as long as the tyres are heated up. I noticed a considerable difference in handling before and after the tyres were warmed up. However, given that usual city commutes won't involve such conditions, you can live with them until they wear off.

5. Although the bike has higher ground clearance now because of the engine being higher up and the offset suspension, the exposed exhaust pipe makes me very anxious. With two people riding, the clearance does come down considerably and an underbelly pan would have been practical to prevent unnecessary scrapes and dents. The new exhaust converter has multiple weld beads around it which makes it easy for dirt to stick on to it.

6. The turn-by-turn navigation is a paid service. That was another disappointment because it isn't cheap either. KTM charges around INR1200 for this service. I'd rather invest in a solid phone mount and use that for navigation instead (usb-c is provided for charging anyways).




Apart from this, it has truly been a dream come true. I hope you all enjoyed my take on the 390. A lot more miles to cover in this beautiful machine. I do have a few questions to the forum in general about certain upgrades that I wish to make. Would appreciate all your inputs:

1. What is the general opinion on changing to Pirelli MT60 RS? Does anyone have a better alternative?

2. I installed a windshield from MotoTorque and it has been a blessing for long rides. I was also looking to install saddle stays, top rack & rear passenger backrest. Are there good quality products out there that are compatible with the Gen3? My experience with GrandPitstop and Motocare has been bad so far. Call it impatience but I learnt it the hard way.

3. I read up a lot on PPF and ceramic coating. It seems that good timely maintenance of the bike should be enough for the paint to last, but I prefer to keep the shine intact at all times. Is it worth spending 6 - 10k on that?


Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading if you've come this far!

Until next time! ;)