Would you recommend flushing the cooling system with distilled water? I was under the impression that mixing M5.0 (Green) & M3.0 (Pink/Red) coolant has the potential to gel up? I am a Volkswagen Technician and have seen catastrophic engine failure due to ordinary ethylene glycol being mixed with Volkswagens G13 coolant. Your thoughts would be much appreciated. I have just purchased a KTM 390 Duke which has been sat for 3 years, I drained and refilled the tank with fresh fuel and intend on doing a complete fluid change, as well as oil filter and screen's replacement. Love your videos, Rohan.
Thanks Rohan. I would recommend flushing when changing between different fluids and you are right to call me on this as I didn’t mention it in the video and now you’ve reminded me I will mention it in the comments. I think most of the issues occur when people top up with a different fluid type but there is a risk, so it’s good practice to flush when changing fluids that are well past their change point or are changing fluid type. Skäl. David
@@MotoMirius Might be a good idea to edit the video I didn't flush and changed the type of coolant, now have to start the whole thing over. No problem drained and flushed and refilled. Thanks for the video
@@mrtopbreak333 SadlyRU-vid doesn't allow the editing of videos - it would be useful if they did. It is however right at the start of the video description, which is the best RU-vid allows me to do.
Really appreciate content providers such as yourself, who provide detailed, easy to follow instructions. I have just replaced the radiator and coolant on my son's 390 and we were able to confidently do the job using your video. Thanks so much!
This is a great video explaining how to replace the coolant and radiator, one thing to point out is that if you are replacing the coolant for a Duke 200 2021 rather than a 390 the manual says only 1 liter is required.
May I ask you to create a video about motorcycle winter storage/ conservation? Untill spring. It would be great to to see your recommendations, please.
@@alexpylypenko5670 Hi, thanks for the suggestion - I will give it some thought. Here in the UK we don't put bikes into winter storage because our winter is mild enough not to need it - instead we have issues with the salt that is put down on the road. Thanks
Excellent video ! I share part of instructions repair manual KTM 2013 about Cooling System - Remove the front spoiler. - Rest the motorbike on the side stand. - Stand the motorcycle upright. - Place a suitable container under the engine. - Remove screw (1). - Remove the radiator cap. - Completely drain the coolant. - Mount screw (1) with a new seal ring and tighten it. Guideline ******* Plug, water pump drain hole M6 8Nm (5.9 lbf ft) ****** - Remove radiator cap - Open bleeder screw (2) by three turns - Tilt the motorbike lightly to the right. - Pour in coolant until it emerges without bubbles at the bleeder screw, and then amount and tighten the bleeder screw immediately. - Rest the motorbike on the side stand. - Start the engine and let it run warm. - Stop the engine and allow it to cool down. - When the engine is cool, check the coolant level in the radiator and, if necessary, add coolant. - Remove the cap of the compensating tank (3) and add coolant until the coolant level is up to the MAX mark. - Mount the cap of the compensating tank. - Fit the front spoiler.
Thanks so much for your great videos ! Just flushed the last coolant and now ready to use your procedure to remove the radiator and change my leaking Thermostat. Always dreamed to get my bike and work on it myself, you help make this possible. Cheers and all the best to you :)
How would I remove the air cleaner box? I already removed the fairings and gas tank per your excellent video, but can't determine how the air cleaner box is being held in. I have P2101 and P2111 DTC codes so I want to pull out the throttle body to jet it out with cleaner, same for position sensor and injector. It's a 2017 Duke 390. (US Model, if there's such thing) Thanks.
Thanks David, used video for second time as reference and noticed on both occasions 1 bottle is enough for 125 dukes maybe bigger engine on 390 needs little more but twice now, I’ve changed and seems to be that way. I know completely different on the 390 I understand that just passing on what I found on babyduke lol. As would have saved me 20 odd quid buying extras
Hi there Moto Mirius , Thanks so much for the great video ! =) If you were going to flush with distilled water, where would you put the water into after draining coolant? The radiator or the compensating tank? And would you start the bike up ? Thanks again, keep it up !
If you are going to flush then you can either do it with water pressure from a hose (not a pressure washer) or by filling up and running for a short period. , so yes radiator and coolant tank. Skäl. David
Hey there! Thanks for your videos about the duke they are just great! I was wondering what are the differences between the previous coolant you had which was green and the new mt03 is red? Is something important behind? Thanks!!
Thanks. Generally speaking, the colours represent different chemical bases to the coolants, so you shouldn't mix them. In the video I had a new radiator, but normally if you change to a new coolant type then you should flush the system with water before adding the new coolant. Different chemicals can produce different levels of cooling (or so the manufacturers claim)
I have a KTM Duke 890R bought last year. I still have the fabric coolant in the system. I hade to remove a hose from the radiator to the engine, and I now I need to refill what I lost. I bought from my KTM dealer the coolant they use for my type of bike. But the collor do not match. The one I still have is collor less transparant, and the new is pink. They said I should be okay to mix but I still want to ask you If you think it could be a problem
Should be OK isn't a very good answer from the dealer. If the chemical base is the same it's OK to mix but I don't know what a colourless fluid might be. Safest bet is to flush and refill - that way you know where you are when you need to top up etc.
Thanks, these are well explained and awesome videos. Greatly appreciate your work. I just bought a 2019 390 and I cannot seem to find the service manual for it. I have a digital copy for the previous years. Could you point me to where I can buy the 2019 service manual.
There are no service manuals for sale as far as I'm aware, but this is normal for bike manufacturers, and after market manuals are always sketchy. There are soft copies on the internet. Skäl Davud
Hi my Sons 390KTM Duke 390 Road Bike has a problem I need some help with. Nearly every time he stops at the lights the bike stalls. When he tries to restart it has to go through the restart sequence until it gets to "ready race' mode , which takes about 15 to 20 seconds. Only then will it re start. A long time when your in traffic. I think its over heating but he tells me there is a module you can get. POWERTRONIC KTM DUKE/RC 390 -- It says its a plug and play solution for this problem. Can you advise please.
Bike should not stall at a stop - many possible causes but the most common is not pulling in the clutch enough, soon enough - the engine design means that it is very easy to stall in this situation. It has happened to me many times when I'm not paying attention, but in my experience, rider pride does not allow this possibility to be accepted. It might be that the clutch cable needs adjusting - if it isn't pulling the clutch plates fully apart then the slight drag can create the stall. I would not recommend the PowerTRONIC as a solution to this unless you have a professional tuner to set it up for you (not someone who does this over the internet or a map from some random guy who claims it will work). You could consider the PowerTRONIC FuelX Lite as this is a plug and play solution for fuelling but NOT the FuelX Pro - as this again is designed to be used by a professional. However, the bike should not go through the restart process - this should only happen if the key is turned off, it should immediately restart by being in neutral/ or have the clutch pulled in and pressing the starter. If it is going through the restart process without the key being turned off then the issue is electronic and ignore all of the above because it is not fuel related and there is probably a wiring fault so the bike likely needs to go back to the dealer if it is new. If it isn't new then there is likely a short in the wiring - likely as it runs past the headstock where the effect of braking is causing a power wire to earth against the frame. Good luck with the solution!
Hi David! I overfilled the coolant reservoir to 100% and it started leaking from the overflow hose, so the mechanic local, he sucked out 20% so I have 70% of coolant on the reservoir, should I drain more? Cuz it's above the maximum range, please reply soon Dave.
Hi. Sure you can. When refilling there are sometimes air locks that need to work out so you need to adjust the level. Just open the bleed screw at the bottom and let some out. Check and adjust as necessary. If you let too much out then top it back up. Skäl. David
Hello David i have a 390 Duke and I want to refill my radiator but I noticed that the stock is green color and the m3 I bought is pink are they the same because the green is the stock and the m3 is what it’s recommending so can I just add the pink one? Thank you
For a reason known only to Bajaj, the bikes from the factory have a different coolant - it may be the same but a different colour but recommended practice is to drain and refill to avoid any risk of there being an interaction between the two coolants.
U do a fantastic job mate...thanks a lot for such explained and informative walkthrough vdo...just awesome...keep up the good work...all ur vdos are superb... 👍🏻
Morning Bud! I remember watching this video years ago thinking, "one day I'll have to change my rad". Well I'll be dipped. Today I've located my slow coolant disappearing problem... the little L tube on bottom of rad has a Crack in it, right where it meets the actual radiator, will try and JB weld it soon, but worse come to worse , ill have to but a new Radiator. Do they sell Performance Radiator upgrades or am I stuck with stock? And where should I buy the stock Radiator, I just need the Radiator, No Fan Assembly. Thanks Oh yeah, 2018 Duke 390...
Thanks for your video and they help me a lot. Also had a crashed Duke 390 2018 in the UK. I am now really struggling to replace a subframe as there are two kinds of security bolts that have no way to use a tool. Any helps would be very appreciated.
@@MotoMirius well it’s hard to describe here. But I guess I’ve figured out. I think they are m8 bolts which support the subframe in and out. There are four bolts go from inside by the air box/main wiring loom (you can see the mounting from outside). The pair closes to the air box are actually “big pins” and they are not listed on the part list either.
Once again very nicely explained and videoed! Question: Over here we call the coolant Antifreeze... usually you need to dilute the antifreeze / coolant with water - typically 50/50 ratio. I assume your coolant is already the correct ratio?? Regards and thanks for the "clean" talk - no swearing and no OMG (why will people do that??). Much appreciated David!
We call it antifreeze too. I find myself using a slightly international English when talking bikes. I caught myself on camera calling the mudguards fenders the other day! 😅. This was ready mixed. Neat is cheaper of course and gives you more flexibility in the ratios, and the ratio will depend on how cold it gets. Typically ready mix will vary depending where you are in the world but here it doesn’t really drop much below freezing so it’s less of an issue. Good point though 👍. Skäl. David
Hey david so my bike came with green coolant from the dealership but I have gotten the recommended motorex m3.0 should I drain the green out all the way before adding the red coolant in thanks for your time
If you are changing fluid types then yes, flush the system with water and then add the new. For me I'd replaced the radiator so there was very little fluid in the system.
One more thing David, I'm from India and I want to bleed the front brake but the KTM dealer in my country says it's not possible to bleed ABS brakes, can u show us how to bleed the KTM 390 duke? Please!!
Hey sure. It’s on my list of things I need to do. ABS can be difficult but not because of the ABS but because you can get air trapped in the brake lines that lead to and from the ABS unit. Skäl. David
excellent window and one thing my duke 390 2017 25000kms ran currently engine oil level check window glass is dark hard to see oil level any solution?thnq advance
Hey. Sorry for the late reply - caught in the RU-vid spam filter. Have you been keeping up with your oil changes? Clean oil might help to clean the residue off the glass, but next oil change you may need to pop the cover off and clean the glass. Skäl David
Hi there! Very informative video, quick question, is it OK to just top up the compensating tank to max mark and not mess with the radiator at all, or do i have to mandatorily fill both? Its just that i don't have the proper tools to open the radiator bleed screw. Thank you. :)
There is no issue with topping up. But if you need to top up then you should be considering where the fluid is going. Make sure you only top up with a fluid that is compatible with what is already in there or just use water. This does not avoid the need to change the fluid - if you don't have the right tool then buy one - it will be cheaper than paying someone to do this.
@@MotoMirius Ah okay, think I'll just top it up for now, it's sitting at about 60% capacity, how often would you say the coolant needs to be completely flushed and replaced?
Hi Carel, yes, the process is the same - great thing about these small Dukes is that the platform is the same and only specific things associated with the engine are different in size. Skäl David
Dear Sir David. I want to change my coolant with a different brand (Putoline ULTRACOOL 12 or Motul Motocol). But i'm not sure these are suitable? Could you give me any suggestion? Kind regards.
So long as it's a motorcycle specific coolant designed for alloy engines and it is to the appropriate technical specifications - heat range, standards etc then there should be no issues. Bear in mind that if you change the base coolant then you need to be sure to thoroughly rinse through the system to remove all the old coolant - different coolants can react with eachother and block the coolant passageways causing engine failure. But this is commonly done, so just be careful you rinse it out properly.
@@MotoMirius weird mine is like stupid tight... I had to use a plier to get it off last night and change it to a new one and god damn even the new CAP was difficult to tighten it.
The manual recommends replacement which is as I mentioned and it’s good practice to do so. If this were someone else’s bike then I’d do so as a matter of course. Some people anneal them and replace them but in practice if the washer is in good condition then reuse can be ok. If I was concerned but still needed to replace I’d have used a liquid gasket as well. I’ve run the bike and it doesn’t leak and I will monitor it and replace as necessary. Skäl. David
It’s not impossible that I only said it my head or lost it in the editing 😂. No problem with replacing them as finding a leak after you’ve put new fluid in isn’t much fun! It was a useful question Edward so thank you.
You shouldn't mix coolants which are made from different base chemicals - some are known to react which can create blockages in the system, hence the flush. A flush is rarely a bad idea to do. Topping up is fine so long as you aren't mixing chemicals.
Thanks for that Dave, it was one of the main tasks needing doing. Still unsure of tomorrow, was feeling good earlier but rough again now. Am doubting I will make it so don’t wait for me.
Скажите,а можно заливать жидкосто через расширительный бак? На моем Duke 250 заливная горловина очень высоко к баку и там почти нет места чтоб залить жидкость.
@@MotoMirius Спасибо за ответ и за то что отвечаете на русском языке. Вы могли бы отвечать на английском. Я могу читать. Я плохо понимаю когда быстро говорят..
Sir, in my Rc 390 I have the coolant level on the MIN line, it has 2000 km, urban ride only. Can you recommend me what to do, please? Thank you!!!!!!!!
It depends how old the bike is. If it goes down quickly then check the oil level. If you are concerned, change the oil and check if the oil has been contaminated with coolant - the seals on the pump can fail and allow coolant to leak into the oil.
@@MotoMirius Thanks for the response! The bike is "new". 0km Nov 2020, first service at 8xx km made by the first owner. The oil level seems OK but I will check the color putting a stick on the overture. Is that a good way to check if the oil has been contaminated?
@@logos_motorider6274 If it's new I recommend you take it to the dealer. Just keep an eye on the oil level - it's not a precise measure in the glass because it depends how hot the oil is and how long you leave it to settle.
Gen 2 390 speedo runs off CANBUS, you are going to need a software engineer who can hack the locked ECU and a vehicle electrician who is good with CANBUS. Way too much effort and cost for where I am - cheaper to sell the 250 and buy a 390
@@Chris-yy7qc That's fine. I don't baby my vehicles, but its bad practice if you are working on other peoples and a bad example - I could make excuses but that is what they would be. So thanks!
