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Am I wrecking my bike?


Count_Craicula
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Hi, this is a bit of a long one and i’ll summarise it here first:

Got a 125 Duke, done 7500 Miles in 16 months, bike will do 65-70, I normally ride it at about 5mph less than it will do when on roads capable of it, dual carriageways etc. Dropped a valve and wrecked the engine. New engine, should it be able to cope with my riding (steady 60mph) or should I get a bigger one (390) to stop me thrashing it so much?



The long version:


Bought a 2018 KTM Duke 125 in Jan last year. Mainly to allow me to ride something while I got my A licence and to act as a £2k deposit on something larger in Jan 2021.


I’ve had some minor issues with moisture in the screen, on screen 4 now, all under warranty, then at around 7200 miles after a day in the rain, it developed a wobbly idle on my way home, it got me home, but wouldn’t hold the idle the next day and had an engine light on. Garage recommended I get it towed in under KTM’s breakdown service, which I did. The garage took it in and amongst other things charged me for a valve clearance to stop the idle issue. Then, the bike began starting up on its own when battery was on, so they changed the starter switchgear, starter motor and rerouted some wiring and fixed that but it took a couple of weeks. (They scratched the bike while doing all this and fixed it for me which was fair enough.)


So, I got the bike back the week before the North West 200 over here in Ireland, did a couple of ice-cream runs, no issues, then I rode to the NW200, which should’ve been a run of ~130 miles.


Fast forward to mile 80 ish, doing 60 in 6th after around 40 miles of 60mph riding on motorways and A roads. The bike just kinda cuts out, I got some help from other bikers and they try to jump it, no joy, then battery dies and it gets towed again (thanks KTM Assist).


So got the bike to the garage and they said after looking at it that it had dropped a valve. So as I understand a bit broke off the valve end and dropped down through the engine and trashed it. They asked KTM for help and as KTM were aware of the issue with the electrics and starter they said they would send a new engine out complete with a 2 year warranty on it.


So I have a few choices now:


I can take the 125 back and ride it easier, but to be honest, I got the Duke because it was fast enough to not be in the way of other cars etc and I thought it could cope with a steady 60 for long periods. But I don’t want to take it back if it isn’t capable of steady 60.

Or

I can negotiate a deal on the 390 for the trouble I have had and keep it until June 2022 for a good deposit on a new bike. I’ll not have the same pressure to keep it slow and it’s the same bike, which I love.

Or

I can walk away after it is repaired by the garage buying me out of the finance or me just settling it with the finance company. Then I start from scratch and buy another bike like a Yamaha MT07 or something.


Cheers in advance for the assistance, money is tight enough to not be able to make a mistake by doing the wrong thing here, so I really would appreciate some advice from more experienced riders with this.

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The KTM sounds bad news, it's tempting to say walk away but if KTM are supplying a new engine unit it could transform the bike and make it a keeper (maybe)?


It's only you who can make a decision that will suit you and your finances. Sorry I can't be more helpful but I'm sure someone on here will come up with a bright suggestion or two :idea:

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Guest Richzx6r

I'm surprised you saying 60mph for long periods of time are causing engine trouble, I had a Kawasaki eliminator 125 that got thrashed to within an inch of its life on every outing and it never let me down, apart from the ignition electrics.


I used to ride it every weekend from by stansted airport to cromer in Norfolk which is about 130 odd miles and it would be screaming its tits off the entire way which would have been near 80mph ish


Do you have your full/correct license for the larger capacity engine?

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I would be asking KTM what the cause of the dropped valve was and is it likely to affect the new engine.

Browsing on Google does bring up patchy reliability.

I'd get the new engine fitted and get shot of it,my confidence in long term ownership of it would be dented

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I think the fact that you're asking this question says you've lost confidence in the bike. For long runs at anything above 55mph I'd suspect the 125 may (repeat may) be running a bit hot. You can buy oil temperature gauges that fit into the oil filler cap orifice (I know that's a dangerous word to use on this weird place but I can't think of anything else that won't cause mirth and mayhem).


I'm guessing you're really wanting to get shut - in which case better to bite the bullet now if you're not happy with the bike.


If you do keep it I'd look into keeping an eye on how hot the engine is running during prolonged high speed runs. It may just have been a dud valve but the fact that it needed the clearances doing so soon suggests something in the way you're running it is pushing it beyond what it's really capable of. Valve wear shouldn't happen that quickly. The alternative is that they buggered up the valve settings when they adjusted them which could lead to premature failure. But who can ever know?

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Guest Richzx6r

Yeah, I have the full licence since March, so I'd like a bigger bike, but at the same time, keeping the 125 would allow me a £2k deposit on something I'm around 18months.

 

Personally I think it would be better in the long run for you to upgrade now if your in the position to do so as the larger capacity bike may be worth north than the 2k deposit when you want to further upgrade and it will happily cruise as 80mph so would be more than fast enough

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Guest Richzx6r

I think the fact that you're asking this question says you've lost confidence in the bike. For long runs at anything above 55mph I'd suspect the 125 may (repeat may) be running a bit hot. You can buy oil temperature gauges that fit into the oil filler cap orifice (I know that's a dangerous word to use on this weird place but I can't think of anything else that won't cause mirth and mayhem).


I'm guessing you're really wanting to get shut - in which case better to bite the bullet now if you're not happy with the bike.


If you do keep it I'd look into keeping an eye on how hot the engine is running during prolonged high speed runs. It may just have been a dud valve but the fact that it needed the clearances doing so soon suggests something in the way you're running it is pushing it beyond what it's really capable of. Valve wear shouldn't happen that quickly. The alternative is that they buggered up the valve settings when they adjusted them which could lead to premature failure. But who can ever know?

 

How about filler cap spout?

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Valve wear shouldn't happen that quickly. The alternative is that they buggered up the valve settings when they adjusted them which could lead to premature failure. But who can ever know?

 

Funny, i’m joining the dots on this and reckon that’s exactly what has happened. I can’t prove it though and the bikes temp guage seems to be at the mid point.


I’m really concerned that I get the bike back, ride it at 60, as per usual and damage the new engine. Rather than getting a larger bike where 60-80even isn’t a big drama for it.

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I'd say get a larger capacity bike where 60 isn't a strain you will be much happier too

 

A while back I had a 125 for my daily commute. Since I lived in a city centre the size of it was brilliant for traffic. But then I started working at another office which meant riding on busier roads. I found running the smaller bike at its limits was tiring and frustrating. You have nothing in reserve when you need it.


So I bought myself a cheap 500 which will cruise easily at 70mph, is light enough to be nimble in traffic and is cheap to run. There are plenty of good older bikes available and often the older bikes have better build quality.


If you want to save for something nicer why not buy a cheaper mid sized commuter to see you through. I ended up liking an older bike for days when the weather is grotty so I've kept it and keep the new bike for dry days.

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