KTM Super Duke: Initial Thoughts After First 11,000 Miles

[Hotbrakes]

Well I got her and had a wonderful trip.  Tank range SUCKS!  And the little oil level sight tube split in Arkansas.  But she got me home and was a blast at Deal's Gap!  

Right now I'm exploring some touring upgrade options.  Just scrapped a saddlebag bracket project that did not provide enough support to do any real good.  Also discovered Vortex sliders are an inch or two short of doing any real good but was able to custom mount some longer ones.  KTM tankbag is powered with Powerlet accessories to charge GPS (RAM mount on bars) and/or cell phone.  Mounted a Slip Streamer Tombstone windshield that I'll be testing tomorrow along with Cycle Control adjustable levers.  Found an 07 5 gallon tank on Ebay and I'm waiting on time and hopefully some Ebay fairings to upgrade from the puny 4 gallon.

The comfort of this bike has completely blown me away.  The only issues keeping me from selling the VFR and using the SD as my sole tourer are luggage space and bad weather protection (rain and cold).  Connecting accessories like heated grips and aux lights will be difficult with the battery in the chin.  The aux power connections (under the seat for 06 vs. behind headlight on 07+) don't seem to like powering extra lights.  

Wish list right now is FMF Apex exhaust, Ventura Rack, and additional lighting in rear for safety.  The European accessory market seems to be much stronger than in the US.  

[Airsick]

along with Cycle Control adjustable levers.   

Did you go with the shorty or standard?

[Hotbrakes]

Did you go with the shorty or standard?

Shorty.  Most of my bikes have bent or broken levers so the short levers just feel natural to me. The levers feel great but I may move both controls in on the bars so my fingers touch the flat part of the lever instead of the angle.  I'm a 2 finger braker and clutcher BTW.

[R Doug]

Shorty.  Most of my bikes have bent or broken levers so the short levers just feel natural to me. The levers feel great but I may move both controls in on the bars so my fingers touch the flat part of the lever instead of the angle.  I'm a 2 finger braker and clutcher BTW.

I believe shorty levers are the next upgrade for mine.  How do you like yours so far?

[Hotbrakes]

Well for nearly $200 it almost seems like a waste.  But I got a pair of CRG's on the RC51 off Ebay at a much better price and fell in love.  Somehow they have perfected the feel and its like getting a finger massage every time I touch them.  The Cycle Control levers are the same, they were giving a discount to SD.net members, and their customer service is very good.  Mine were somehow looked over when the UPS fairy came and lost for a couple weeks.  Made contact with them and received a fast response that told me what happened, my shipping will be refunded, and the levers would be shipping the next day.

http://www.superduke.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6244&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=cycle+control&start=540

And some pics...

[Hotbrakes]

R Doug- Any issues with water in the oil?  Just noticed mine was doing a magic trick with coolant.  Did some digging on SD.net and turns out the water pump seal fails.  Looked at the oil sight tube on mine and sure enough, the condensation says it all.  Pulled some oil out of the tank and its milky.  Ordered the rebuild kit today from my dealer.  Supposedly KTM recommends rebuilding the water pump every 10k miles.  Gonna be an expensive bike to own for me since I did almost 8k in the last 2 months!

[R Doug]

8k in two months?  I'd say you're enjoying it.  

Fortunately, I've not seen any frothing of the oil, but I'll keep an eye open for it.  Thanks.

[garry]

I've been keeping an eye on my oil/filter and the pleats are still crisp after 3K miles (per oil change). A puffy filter is a sign that you've got water in the oil. I believe KTM changed to a better seal in 2007. The bikes up to 2006 would go bad at about 10K miles. I'm at 23K miles on my SMR and no sign of a leak. But I will probably buy the kit and put it in over the winter. Or maybe have the dealer do it at the next valve adjustment/major service (sometime soon). There are good step by step instructions on ADVrider and/or the Hall of Knowledge. Seems that you can even do it roadside if you have the tools/parts with you on a trip.

[DangerMoney]

Did some digging on SD.net and turns out the water pump seal fails.  Looked at the oil sight tube on mine and sure enough, the condensation says it all.  Pulled some oil out of the tank and its milky.  Ordered the rebuild kit today from my dealer.  Supposedly KTM recommends rebuilding the water pump every 10k miles.  Gonna be an expensive bike to own for me since I did almost 8k in the last 2 months!

Another symptom of water pump seal failure is the oil light comes on even though the oil level isn't low. The coolant in the oil makes the oil fliter swell, restricting the oil flow and lowering the pressure.

Weakpoints of the LC8 engine seem to be the water pump seal and the fuel pump. Many replace the latter with a Facet. Plenty of posts about both issues at http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34

When my bike gets more miles on it I'm thinking I'll make a pre-emptive strike and replace the fuel pump before it fails and leaves me stranded off-road.