dj790duke. Manual says 9300 miles or every year. I won't put that many miles on it in a year so it's every Spring for me. Agreed!! I used to change mine about every 3k mi or so, though like JD said, when I start to feel a lack of smoothness too it's time. I completely didn't agree with the manual as I feel like it is toooooooo long in between
All first-year bikes have teething issues, but KTM forums blew up with angry customers experiencing basic and sometimes catastrophic failures with their 790 bikes. It became a PR nightmare, and they needed the bike gone. Now, it is back, emissions-compliant (strangely), and ready to open a new chapter, conveniently leaving the past behind. KTM appeared to get the message, and the 890 Duke R is here to change that. As the name implies, the parallel-twin LC8c engine has been bored and stroked to be 90 cc larger, which helps it develop Honda, Honda, Honda. No contest. Check both for recalls, IIRC 2015 was the first year for the KTM 390 and had a bunch of issues but the Honda might not be far behind. Googling Duke 390 reliability should solve this dilemma. The Duke and CB500F are polar opposites for reliability; the Honda will rarely break.Just bought a 2018 690 Duke and am still breaking it in. Barely hit 50 miles when it started lurching forward and/or stalling when going from neutral to first at a standstill. Clearly the clutch is not working properly. Adjusted the lever travel, very little free play. Checked the clutch fluid, there is plenty.Where the KTM is let down is reliability. Not massive issue, but niggly issues. The 790 and 890 both suffer with rocker cover oil leaks and sprocket output shaft seal leaks, a couple of these have led to terminal main bearing issues and new engines in 890Rs. The suspension is just the right fit for the 790 Duke – some rougher roads may upset the applecart, but that’s going to cause issues across the motorcycling spectrum. Track time Save for a 30-minute afternoon final ‘shakedown’ at the end of the day, part two of the 790 Duke launch was on a local race track. KTM's first parallel twin: race-ready and rearing to go. KTM launched a fresh assault on the mid-displacement, naked-bike market with the 2018 790 Duke, first of its name. The Austrian bike RJKtdZ.