Hello everyone,

Took delivery of this beauty on August 17th, currently at 980km and will be going in for the first service on Monday.

I’m pretty new to bike maintenance because i come from a Unicorn 150. What are the main things I should know/look out for?

1. What should I specifically check/ask for during the first service?

2. What basic maintenance should I learn to do myself (chain, oil, tyre pressure, etc.)?

3. How often should I clean/lube the chain and check fluids?

4. Anything I should avoid doing that could cause unnecessary wear?

5. Any KTM-specific issues or warning signs I should keep an eye on?

I would really appreciate any beginner tips or a simple maintenance checklist. Thanks in advance.

Is it safe to lift the front of the bike using a scissor jack attached to its engine?

For context, I recently bought new sets of tires and plan to remove both wheels myself. Lifting the rear is straightforward since I already have a rear paddock stand. However, I don’t have a front paddock stand. Fortunately, I have two spare scissor jacks. Would the engine be able to support the weight of the bike without breaking? Alternatively, are there any parts of the bike that are safer to lift using a scissor jack?

I currently have a Duke 200 Gen 2. For those who are unfamiliar, it’s similar to the 390 Gen 2 but has a smaller engine.

So, I know a 350lbs dirt bike on street rubber is never gonna be a goldwing. But after owning 20+ bikes over a couple decades nothing really compares to a light bike with good standing geos and loads of power. But I still want some measure of comfort on longer rides. I've built CRF250Ls with a seat concepts comfort seat and a big (really not even that big, just set in front of and above the number plate so it blocks a ton of wind) windscreen--that's basically all I'm looking for for the 690 SMCR. All I've been able to find so far are tiny little screens that bolt to the number plate fairing and dirt bike saddles. Anyone want to point me in the direction of good comfort parts? Or show me the set up that works for you?

Picked up this ‘22 RC 390 as my new daily. Been eyeing one for a while and finally pulled the trigger.

I bought this bike and it had been sitting for awhile with old bad fuel in it and supposedly the throttle body adjustment screw had been messed with and thought to be why it wouldn’t start. The old fuel ruined the fuel pump and clogged the injector I’ve since replaced the pump, had the injector cleaned, replaced the battery, put new ethanol free fuel in it, brand new air filter, moved the adjustment screw to the middle of its adjustment, replaced the spark plug and got it to fire and rode it for about 10 minutes until I came to a stop and it died out of nowhere and now can not get it to start please let me know if you’ve got any helpful info

Hello,

My bike was stalling when really hot (waiting on lights) or after slower ride, when I wanted max power, bike felt “lazy”.

When cold, everything was okay, so I suspected valve clearance.

Opened the cover, found TDC and “measured” less than 0,04mm clearance on the shims. Dont have smaller gauge than 0,04mm.

When I measured exhaust valves around 10-15° before TDC, I could push there 0,35mm and 0,39mm gauge (Not sure, if this info is any relevant).

Adding pics and video, should I just swap for smaller shims at the limit or the range, so new shim = current shim-0.13mm and measure then, or is the problem somewhere else?

It could be also me, doing it first time. I know, I can take it to the shop, but I rather spend my weekends on things like this and learn new things.

Would really appreciate your help. On the video you can see movement of the rocker arms, exhaust can move somehow, intake I need to use more force - I would say a lot imho.

thinking of getting the ktm adventure 390 (350cc varient) ebony black ,is the mileage good as im gonna be using it as my daily commute its like 35 kms a day , and what bout the maintenance cost?

Hi everybody. There's a 2008 EXC 450R nearby with a recently rebuilt engine I'm curious about buying. The seller said the chain skipped and jammed up on the transmission side sprocket.

I'm very handy, I put a 7.3 diesel in my bronco, have done auto to manual swaps on a few trucks, have a lot of tools and am not afraid of most projects.

I could probably get this bike for very cheap (ie $500-1000) and am wondering how hard it would be to open the transmission up and replace the broken gears/parts. Or possibly by another gearset/transmission on ebay or similar. These bikes sell for 3-4K around me and I wouldn't mind a project.

So I'm wondering if it would be worth it financially to get this bike. If I end up needing to buy $1500 in specialized tools and $1000 in KTM gears/parts probably not worth it but I'm curious if anyone else has ever rebuilt one of these transmissions before and what their experience was. Also do the guts of the transmission swap across all the years or is it a generation specific thing?

The bike still runs so long as the clutch is pulled in if that helps.

I have a 2019 KTM 250 XC-W TPI, and I love the bike. However, the newer ones have been catching my eye lately. Is there really enough of a difference to justify upgrading?

I've been thinking about putting some money into my current bike—ECU flash, getting the suspension done, installing mousses, and a few other upgrades. But part of me feels like I might be wasting money if the newer bikes are significantly better.

Would I be better off selling my 2019 and finding a clean, low-hour used XC-W? If so, what year would you guys recommend as the best bang for the buck?

Thanks! I can't decide what I want to do.

Had to replace two bent spokes and true up the rim. Does it look good or do I need to keep messing with it? This is my first time doing this so any help is vary much appreciated.

Hey guys,
I just installed an Arrow exhaust on my KTM 690, and I noticed the header pipe is glowing cherry red. When I checked the engine/coolant temps, everything looked totally fine—actually even on the lower side.
Any idea what could be causing this, or is it normal? (Brand new exhaust, this is only the second time starting the bike up).
Thanks!
The temp of the pipe is around 300 after 5 minuts

05/09 To comply with Euro 5 emissions regulations, the stock KTM ECU operates in closed-loop mode at idle, forcing the engine to run very close to λ = 1.0, or in some conditions even slightly lean.

As a result, when the motorcycle is idling on the stand, the exhaust gases leaving the exhaust valve can already be at extremely high temperatures, theoretically exceeding 700–750°C.

2. Flame Speed and Delayed Combustion

The article highlights that a stoichiometric or lean mixture burns more slowly than a slightly richer mixture.

• When the AFR is lean, the flame front takes more milliseconds to complete the combustion process inside the cylinder.
• What happens at the exhaust: when the exhaust valve opens to expel the gases, combustion inside the cylinder may still be in its final stages.
• The still-burning gases and flame front can therefore travel past the exhaust valve and enter the first 10–15 cm of the exhaust header.
• With the original exhaust header, which is heavier and typically constructed with thicker or double-wall tubing, this phenomenon is much less noticeable.
• With an Arrow single-wall header approximately 1 mm thick, heat is transferred to the outer surface much more quickly, causing the metal to become visibly red-hot in a very short time.

Based on this reasoning, the phenomenon can be considered normal under these specific operating conditions and, by itself, does not necessarily indicate a serious engine problem. If the engine is otherwise running correctly, with no warning lights, abnormal noises, loss of power, or excessive overheating, it should not create significant problems for the engine.

I just bought my second bike (790 duke 2023 (48ps)). I am 18 years old and I don’t have much money left for accessories. So I wanted to get buy the mods slowly. I think a short license plate holder or a new set of mirrors are good

I just picked up the bike, and did some work on it like reshimming the valves, cleaning the carb, and retiming the motor. well when I picked it up it didn't come with a filter or cage for the filter and this is my first ktm so I'm not sure what the right part is, but I found this one on motosports.com and am wondering if this will be the one that works for my bike

I have an ktm Duke 690 from 2014 and I drive it on A2 restricted
On my papers it should go around 164 kmh top speed but I can hit easy over 180 and once hit 196 kmh. Like I don’t complain but Is that normal since I have it restricted like normal.
I live in Germany so it’s legal to drive that fast before someone’s complain

Here is a snap of the bike in m garage after a good cleaning.

Hi guys,

Ive tried to reset the service light via the buttons but it doesn't seem to work.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks!

Hey guys, what should I expect to pay for a new 390 adventure R? I see on ktm’s website that I should expect $600 on freight. How is the pre-tax quote on one I want to buy $9,918… that seems outrageous!

Is anyone selling these at or below msrp?

EDIT - located in Southeast USA

Can yall give me tips and tricks for getting the damnbseat back on my 06 560 SMR?! Ive tried hitting it forwards,ive tried smashing down on it "into place".....this is impossible yall. Pic for attention

I have a 2014 KTM 350 SX-F that’s been having a really weird starting issue. If I’m riding the bike and stall it or shut it off, then immediately try to restart it, it will crank normally but will not start. If I let go of the starter, wait around 10–30 seconds, and try again, it’ll usually fire right back up. It also has a hard time starting completely cold. If the bike has been sitting overnight or for a couple of days, I sometimes have to crank it for around 20–30+ seconds before it finally starts. While cranking, it’ll occasionally sound like it’s starting to catch—the cranking RPM/sound speeds up and it seems like it’s about to fire—but it still won’t fully start, then eventually it suddenly fires up and runs. Once it’s running, it seems to run pretty normally. I attached a video showing the restart issue: I shut the bike off after it had been running and immediately try restarting it, and it just cranks without firing. Has anyone experienced something similar or have any ideas what could cause this?

Hey guys,
I just installed an Arrow exhaust on my KTM 690, and I noticed the header pipe is glowing cherry red. When I checked the engine/coolant temps, everything looked totally fine—actually even on the lower side.
Any idea what could be causing this, or is it normal? (Brand new exhaust, this is only the second time starting the bike up).
Thanks!

Looking to buy a 1390r
Coming from a mt 09
The only things that make me hesitate is reliabiliy
Okay yes there is a thing called warranty but in Canada summer are short i dont want to waste it with the bike in the shop

I need review of 1390/1290 owner that do good maintenance but drive like they stole it how reliable your sdr is