2019 Duke 790 - Coolant disappearing, overheating, mechanic suspects head gasket but isn't sure. Looking for advice from 790 owners.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from people who have experience with the KTM 790 Duke.

I have a 2019 Duke 790 (Indian model launched in 2020) with around 13,000 km on the odometer.

Timeline

A few weeks ago I noticed a small oil seepage from the top of the engine (valve cover/head area). The workshop dismantled the top of the engine, cleaned the mating surfaces and resealed it. The oil seepage is now very minor.

Shortly after that, I developed a coolant leak from one of the coolant hoses. The hose/clamp was repaired.

After that repair, the bike started overheating very quickly. It would reach the high temperature warning within about 10 minutes, even though:

Radiator fan works.

Fan runs continuously in traffic.

Temperature drops when riding at speed, but rises again very quickly.

Bike otherwise runs perfectly fine.

The mechanic then found that the coolant level had dropped significantly.

What has already been checked

So far the mechanic has:

Repaired the leaking coolant hose.

Checked for obvious external coolant leaks.

Drained and inspected the engine oil.

Found no coolant mixed with the engine oil.

Checked oil pressure and didn't find any issue.

Refilled the cooling system completely.

After refilling the coolant, the bike is no longer overheating and the temperature is staying well below where it was before.

However, because the coolant had disappeared once already, he's asked me to ride it for 2 days, monitor it, and then bring it back so he can check whether the coolant level has dropped again.

His current suspicion

He has NOT confirmed a blown head gasket, but he says it's one possibility if the coolant disappears again without any visible external leak.

He wants to gather more evidence before opening the engine.

Questions

Has anyone experienced coolant disappearing on a 790 without it being a head gasket?

Could this simply be trapped air from the cooling system after the previous repair?

Are there any common 790 issues that can cause coolant loss without

obvious leaks?

If it does turn out to be a head gasket, were there any other symptoms before it was confirmed?

Also, I'm attaching a video of the engine idling. The LC8c engine is naturally quite mechanical sounding, but I'd appreciate if other 790 owners could tell me if this sounds normal or if you hear anything concerning.

Also I have used AI to write this as it knows the history of the bike.

Thanks in advance!

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u/Orionpaxx14 — 22 days ago
▲ 38 r/KTMDuke

Doubts regarding a pre-owned Duke 790 (2019)

Hello everyone. I recently bought a 2019 Duke 790, a model manufactured in 2019 but launched in India in 2020. I have a few questions, as support and knowledge regarding this particular bike are quite limited in India. There are only 100 units in the country, and it was never re-launched.

I've observed significant vibrations on my bike, particularly around the tank and, to a lesser extent, on the footpegs. My mechanic informed me that the tank vibrations are inherent and that the panels are damaged due to the local heat, preventing them from fitting correctly. The proposed solution is to replace them, which I'm considering anyway. However, I'm now experiencing vibrations in the footpegs. While these are not noticeable in urban settings, they become very evident on the highway, with the footpegs buzzing more intensely as the RPM increases, specifically after 5-6k RPM. My question is whether this level of vibration is a normal characteristic of the bike. Or am I just being too observant and making it a big deal than it's supposed to be? I understand the engine is not exceptionally smooth, but I'm unsure if this is typical for a 790. This bike recently experienced an engine oil leak, which has since been resolved. I am, however, quite anxious, given the bike's rarity here; any issues could result in months of waiting for imported parts, which are also quite costly.

u/Orionpaxx14 — 1 month ago