Some thoughts for anyone interested in the bike, stuff I've learned and would have liked to know before buying.

TL/DR: I'm grinning!

Bought new 2 weeks ago today, 0.8km on the odo. 2000+km done, longest ride 350km.

Changed from stock: KTM ergo seat (left the dealer with it installed), Vagabond tail tidy (simple install), Akrapovik slip-on, Puig short screen, OEM radiator guard.

My background is in off-road but have had a NX500 (18000km) and a Grom (2600km). This is my first sporty type bike dedicated to asphalt. I'm 6', 185lbs and would classify myself as an intermediate off-road rider. Lots of car racing experience on asphalt, but it still feels new to me on a bike!

Power: it's easily quick enough in any situation to break the speed limit. I was curious to the power but really at the bike's 165kg wet, it has more than enough poke to get you in trouble. There are certainly little flat spots here and there in the mapping, but nothing un-ridable, and once you get over 4500rpm it just rips. Throttle by wire is smooth and responsive, I feel "connected" to the power delivery.

Ride: it's a firm ride but not jarring. I've cranked the rear shock up 4 clicks (2 left to go...), but not messed with clickers. The front is QUICK, it turns in as sharp as your willing and tracks well. But it is very well mannered and has yet to spook me, even pushing a bit through what twisties I can find. The rear has slightly squirmed a few times on lower speed corner exit, but that could be poor asphalt more than the bike. Brake feel is good but I understand some reviewers feeling that the front brake is a bit "wooden" as it's not grabby at all and hard braking really requires some rear brake input. I've done a couple of very hard stops with it and the ABS kicks in smooth and you feel in control. I rate the overall ride quite high and it puts a grin on my face when the roads are even reasonably smooth.

Wind: it's a naked bike, you are out in the elements! The small screen does squat, but does keep bugs off the cluster. On the highway, I tend to crouch a bit as a head wind measurably affects fuel consumption. But at back road speeds, especially with little wind, the wind you feel has not been an issue and I don't find it fatiguing. Long rides are more butt limited than anything else. As my first open type bike, I'm now a fan of feeling the air, it's a nice part of summer riding.

Ergos: The bike does not feel tiny. After a Grom, it feels substantial and gives you a proper bike feel. The seat is very firm but has broken in a good bit. Initially I'd be crying at 300km with leg discomfort. But with better pants that don't bunch behind the knee, it's now my butt that is the limit. Still, on a 350km ride this weekend with only 2 short pee stops, I didn't feel like I was thrashed and I think my butt is breaking in equally with the seat. Longer rides are coming! The rest of the ergos are quite good. I typically change bars and grips but haven't felt the need. The only slightly sporty position is not a stress on arms or wrists and everything feels well positioned, I'm not searching for anything.

Gearbox: although by no means terrible, the low-point on the bike is gearbox. Gears are well spaced and final drive is OK unless you want to run at speeds around 120kph consistently (not the real wheelhouse of a 400...). Coming from Honda and Kawasaki though, the box is clunky. I have not fit the quick shift (maybe soon...) but shifts are precise but you know you are shifting, you don't get that butter smooth from a Honda... And the worst part is finding neutral, lol. Sometimes you gotta fight it to get neutral, and DON'T believe the gear indicator at lights! More than once it's stalled as it's really in 1st or 2nd even though the indicator is showing a green N. But it's a small gripe, as it is very usable once you get the feel.

Features: I've never had a bike or car with so many gadgets built in! I just leave it in Street so far but after figuring out WTF Speed Control is, I use that quite often. The speedo is 3-4kph off (always reading faster than actual), the info is easy to read and as you can set what you want to see in the bottom 4 boxes, is useful. Range estimate is even a nice bonus, and even accurate. Might play with the Track mode this week...

Overall: I'm pleased. The tires are fantastic. The bike gives good feedback and likes to be leaned on. Fuel range is around 380km per tank if you can keep consumption around 4.0l/100km, easy enough on backroads but climbs quickly on the highway at speed.

Let me know if you have any questions!

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!

Awesome 390

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The series of photographs proves the capabilities and repeatability of achieving efficiency figures on my KTM Duke 390 Gen 3 399cc variant

first oil change since Ive owned it. this much metal on the drain plug on my new 690. bike has 7800miles

seems like a lot?

TL/DR: Meh...

As there are very few reviews of the Akrapovic slip-on from KTM, I'm noting my thoughts for anybody interested. I would have liked to find this info before I bought it!

Part number: There are 3 versions of the slip-on that can only be purchased through KTM. This is the latest version ending in "200".
Install: Fit is excellent. It took me an hour to install taking my time on a rear quick lift. I re-used the original seal (only 700km). The only slight fit note is the upper ears needed a small love tap with a a mallet to bend them in a touch.
Weight saving: 1.2kg lighter than stock.
Look: Very personal, but I think that this is what KTM had in mind when designing the bike. It is a very clean aesthetic, and the carbon cover is a nice little cherry on the top.
Sound: The start up is un-impressive. There is still the "scooter" sound from the stock bike. It may have a bit more depth to idle, but zero presence change. A rev up is also almost the same as stock. I think a good way to describe the change is like listening to your friend that had a cold three days ago, a bit throatier of a sound but undeniably the same.
At speed, there does seem to be a small change (the key word is small). There is a bit more presence, but only a bit. And if I'm being totally honest, that increased presence is slightly more "tinny" than any real thump...
For comparison, I have fitted a Tyga high mount exhaust to a Grom and THAT had a great thumper beat to it. This Akrapovic is nothing like that. But it is also only a slip-on that leaves both original cats.
Worth it?: I got this at an incredible discount. If I had have paid full retail, I'd be quite disappointed. The highlights are the clean look, weight saving and that the warranty is unaffected. I'm obviously leaving it on, lol, but not sure if I would buy it again with all that I now know...

I’m replacing the bars on a 2019 duke 390 and I don’t know where this wiring came off of or where it goes anything would help

Hallo, habe vor 3 Wochen meinen Hinterreifen ausgebaut und einen neuen Reifen montiert. Seitdem habe ich das Problem nach dem Einbau, das das Kettenrad hinten eiert links und recht ca 1-2mm wenn ich es aufgebockt drehe. Zudem hab ich einen enormen unterschied von der Kettenspannung, an einem Punkt ist es relativ stark gespannt und auf einem anderen Punkt dann erheblich lockerer. Ich habe schon so viel probiert und ich komme seit 3 Wochen nicht drauf, vielleicht ist es eh normal ich weiss es nicht. Die Duke hat 7k km erst oben.

Anscheinend Laut einem KTM Vertragshändler ist mein Lager von meinem Kettenradträger schief eingepresst gewesen, das ich es mal anscheinen nach dem umstecken vom Reifen schief zusammengebaut habe also Kettenradträger in die Gummidämpfer. Das heisst das passt schon mal, die Dämpfer selber passen auch und Kettenrad sollte auch plan sein.(Habs auf einer Flachen Fläche probiert). Alles wurde mit passendem Drehmoment angezogen und keine Distanzen oder so vergessen.

Kette ist auch geschmiert. Ich weiss leider nicht wie es vorher war :/ Vielleicht war es vorher auch schon so und ich sehe durch das ganze hin und her schon alles zu genau.

Ich bin mit dem eierden Kettenrad nachdem Reifenwechsel vor ca 2,5 Wochen noch 300km gefahren und so hat es ja super gepasst, einzige was ich bemerkt habe ist, das meine linke Fußraste stark vibriert hat, das wars. Nachdem ich meinem Kollegen gesagt hat er soll mal auf meine Kette sehen ist ihm das eiernde Kettenrad aufgefallen. Durch das ist das alles ins rollen gekommen. Vll hatte ich da den Kettenradträger nicht richtig eingeschraubt bzw verkanntet und deshalb hat es jetzt das Kettenrad oder etwas andere verzogen, was sich eigentlich für unwahrscheinlich halte aber mittlerweile bin ich völlig durcheinander an was es liegen könnte.

Jetzt müsste alles richtig zusammengebaut sein, und es eiert immer noch ein bisschen wie auf dem Video, und das Hauptproblem ist eig meine Kettenspannung, denn wenn ich an der straffsten Stelle die Kette einstelle ist sie an den anderen Stellen locker. Ist das eventuell normal also da merkt man schon gut einen Unterschied, nicht dass sie rausfallen würde aber man merkst und sieht halt deutlich.

Ich bin über alle Ideen, Lösungen oder Erfahrungen extrem Dankbar, denn ich weiß einfach nicht mehr weiter und bin schon fast am verzweifeln.

Vielen Dank!

One week tomorrow and break in/first-oil-change complete. Now to do some exploring!

The compact cluster arrangement mounted to the bars is cool, but it sure does limit space, lol. Pictured is my first attempt: a Garmin Explore 2 cycling computer I used a lot for off-road/enduro style riding (the mount is a modified Quad-Lok I had on a 350 EXC-F). That previous riding was in a rural area, but now in a busy city the Garmin app tries way too hard to get me on the dedicated bike paths and is quite useless for moto...
The regular Quad-Lok is no good either as there is no room to rotate a phone 45 degrees to engage it in the lock. Plus having my phone hanging out in the air irks me a bit.
What solutions has the community come up with for mounting some kind of GPS? I'm not looking for turn-by-turn as I like the exploration of simply following a set line on the screen. But at this point, I'm ready to try just about anything!!

Hello.

Recently purchased a KTM 690 Duke r, 2015 with 5000 km on the meter. The bike have been great these last weeks until todays ride.

After an hour of driving I couldnt down shift below 3rd gear. So i stopped, and after I while it was possible to put in in neutral so i started riding again. But 5 or 10 minutes into the ride the same issue came back.

I also noticed the spill shown in the picture. That wasnt there prior to the ride.

Anyone have a clue what might have happened?

Hi everyone,

I recently rebuilt my bike's because it was burning oil. During the process, I did a valve clearance adjustment. I replaced the shims to bring both the intake and exhaust clearances strictly within factory specs.

However, during reassembly, some of the threads for the camshaft caps stripped. I had to get them retapped (helicoiled/threaded inserts) and used new bolts—some of which are non-OEM.

I double- and triple-checked my work: I rotated the engine manually 6 to 7 times and re-verified the valve clearances, and everything was perfectly within factory spec before closing it up.

But now, the engine is running quite loud (classic ticking/tapping noise). I've been riding it for about 2 days, and here is my theory:

I suspect that after running the bike for a bit, the new cam cap bolts might have backed out slightly or stretched, causing the cam caps to lift by a fraction of a millimeter. This would increase the valve clearance and cause the noise.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Do you think my theory holds weight, or could it be something else?

Any insights would be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance!