You won't beat me for not riding RC390, right?

[Dino]

Hi all!

Although I don't ride RC390 a friend of mine from another forum recommended this forum, as source of infinite wisdom and faster lap times.

I recently bought Duke 390 which I want to use for track and moto gymkhana (among other things). I'll be counting on your advice regarding mods, hopefully I'll be able to contribute something myself.

For starters, I'll share two of my videos.
First one is the less embarrassing one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_enqVyQQRc
In the second one I've crashed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7BNSOPWENY

 

[Formula390]

Welcome. You'll get ribbed and poked fun at I'm sure, but lots of updates are exactly the same between the Duke and the RC, so a lot of what you'll find here is directly applicable.

The suspension is your first order of business to fix. I can help you out there. What's your weight, both "regular" and in full riding gear? If you haven't weighed yourself in gear, do it. You might be surprised just how much your gear weighs.
http://formula390.com/parts.pl?D=suspension

Anyway, once you get the suspension sorted, then brakes and tune. Talk to Chad at Commonwealth to get everything setup there. He's got everything you need and is THE knowledge base for us for tune / power on the 390.
KTM Store :: KTM Street Powerparts :: 390 DUKE :: Engine Performance

Once you've gotten the suspension, brakes, and tune sorted out, then we can set you up with some carbon fiber parts for your Duke!
http://formula390.com/parts.pl?D=dukeBodywork

 

[Dino]

Thanks! I was going to ask what should I change first. ;D

Do you ship to Europe? ;P

 

[Formula390]

I believe all of us forum sponsors do. I've shipped quite a lot to Europe. I'm often surprised by how much cheaper it is to ship to mainland Europe vs England. Fit some reason shipping to the island is regularly more expensive.

 

[Dino]

That's good news for me. ;D

I'm not sure if setting suspension for my current weight is a good idea (or even possible xd ). I'm currently over 90 kilograms (about 200 pounds) without gear. But I'm working on it.

To be honest I didn't expect, that first order of business should be suspension, I thought about changing tires and brake pads...

 

[ASM]

That's good news for me. ;D

I'm not sure if setting suspension for my current weight is a good idea (or even possible xd ). I'm currently over 90 kilograms (about 200 pounds) without gear. But I'm working on it.

To be honest I didn't expect, that first order of business should be suspension, I thought about changing tires and brake pads...

Yeah...you may need to rethink your order...judging by your videos, the stock tires and brake pads should be more than enough for the track and speed. Setting the suspensions towards your weight (the shock is undersprung no matter what) will help keeping the bike from being unsettled (it will still happen with your weight and the stock suspension) and has more positive impact than any of the other two...

 

[unicorn_violence]

Hey Dino!
i have recently got into track riding and racing on my RC390. i debated many different upgrades, but decided to get the suspension done first since it was the most expensive. i got thicker oil and springs for the forks and a ohlins shock in the rear. i am also 200 lbs without gear. i instantly shed about 2 seconds on my track times. the way the bike felt was night and day compared to before, and it was very confidence inspiring. i had issues going around corners that i thought it had to to with the tires not being sticky enough. once the suspension was done though, my stock rosso 2's stuck like glue. you should upgrade your tires and brakes eventually, but get the suspension done first! i'm convinced that will be my first upgrade for all of my future road and track bikes.

 

[Dino]

Thanks for replies!In that case I'll wait with upgrading tires and brake pads.Unicorn, can you tell me more about your upgrades? How did you choose oil for forks?

 

[unicorn_violence]

well the suspension was done by a local shop here in Colorado. he weighed me w/o the gear and did the oil and springs accordingly. i know that is possible to do the forks yourself, but it does require specialty tools and some experience. i'd say if you have a suspension shop nearby then have them do it for you. if you even want to go a step further you could get some fork cartridges that replace all the fork components, but they are a lot more pricey! when you order the rear shock, just include your weight, and they should give you the shock with the proper spring for your weight installed. that will be a lot easier for you to install on the bike yourself. worst case you could just upgrade the rear shock and leave the forks as is, since the rear is the weakest link in the suspension.

 

[reenmachine]

I had a local shop do the springs and oil change in my forks. I removed the fork legs, which is easy, and brought them in. A lot of people on here recommend 7.5W oil, but the suspension tuner at the track thought I should be running something closer to 20W.

 

[Dino]

Thanks guys!I think I'll also take bike to a shop for this job. For now I'll have to save up some money.