[Peter Slade]

Hey there

Brand new black 790 owner here – picked it up from the dealer (KTM Tokyo East) on Saturday after trading it in for a 2017 Duke 390.

Since the dealer was offering 100,000 yen's worth of PowerParts for free, I upgraded to the +2cm ergo seat (front and rear), the bar-end mirrors (absolutely essential aesthetically), heated grips, USB outlet and (last but not least) a KTM mug. Have also ordered a Mustard Bikes Tail Tidy, which the dealer said they'll fit for me.

The increase in power over the 390 is very welcome. Smoother than the 390, too.

The only thing I haven't been so impressed with is the heat coming off the radiator (which I didn't notice when I took a 790 for a test ride). Sitting in some traffic yesterday (welcome to riding in Tokyo) with the ambient temperature about 24ºC, the heat hitting my knees was close to unbearable. Can that really be right? The engine temp. read normal the whole time (4 bars). It's hard to read the coolant level 'indictor' on the side of the bike, but I assume if there was insufficient coolant, the temp gauge would be indicating an overheating engine. Anyway, will get that checked out ASAP.

 

[J D]

Welcome Peter...!
All new bikes I've owned ran hot during break-in. I have really noticed the heat off the engine, however it's not quite
hot here as of yet.

Hey there

Brand new black 790 owner here – picked it up from the dealer (KTM Tokyo East) on Saturday after trading it in for a 2017 Duke 390.

Since the dealer was offering 100,000 yen's worth of PowerParts for free, I upgraded to the +2cm ergo seat (front and rear), the bar-end mirrors (absolutely essential aesthetically), heated grips, USB outlet and (last but not least) a KTM mug. Have also ordered a Mustard Bikes Tail Tidy, which the dealer said they'll fit for me.

The increase in power over the 390 is very welcome. Smoother than the 390, too.

The only thing I haven't been so impressed with is the heat coming off the radiator (which I didn't notice when I took a 790 for a test ride). Sitting in some traffic yesterday (welcome to riding in Tokyo) with the ambient temperature about 24ºC, the heat hitting my knees was close to unbearable. Can that really be right? The engine temp. read normal the whole time (4 bars). It's hard to read the coolant level 'indictor' on the side of the bike, but I assume if there was insufficient coolant, the temp gauge would be indicating an overheating engine. Anyway, will get that checked out ASAP.

 

[Shultz]

Hi Peter -

in Sydney through this last summer we had plenty of mornings well over 24deg. It’s a bit weird when you’re at a light and the fan starts blasting like a hairdryer on the left calf but you get used to it. I often just leave my left leg angled to avoid the blast. My temp never went over 4 bars - even on 30 deg days.

Agree - that coolant indicator slit is next to useless...

I spent a few days riding bicycles around Tokyo and found the locals relatively tolerant of all road users. How do you find it splitting traffic on a motorbike?

Tom in Sydney

 

[Peter Slade]

Thanks for the welcome!

I've read/seen on YouTube that the heat issue is mainly on the left side (due to the fan, I guess, as Tom said). But what I was experiencing on the weekend was on the knees of both legs, and seriously hot – like sitting too close to an electric bar heater. I've ridden quite a few different bikes over the years and have never experienced anything quite like it. I think there has to be something wrong.

I mailed the dealer today and will go in next weekend.

Japan isn't a bad place to ride/drive – drivers are generally polite, tolerant, considerate – and safe. Perhaps because so many people ride bicycles, drivers are used to looking out for them. The number of traffic lights in urban areas gets really annoying though – especially as they don't appear to be traffic controlled (i.e. they will still go red even if there are no cars waiting at the intersecting road).

As for splitting lanes/filtering, the roads (including highways) aren't super wide, so it can be a bit tight (or impossible).

Peter