Another superb video from Eric and one that provides a lot of reassurance for owners of a much maligned bike. If that's how well it holds up to 8k miles of hard track use I don't think us street hooners have much to fear (I almost never red-line mine, there's simply no need for it). :)
KTM 1290 adventure R / 50 000 km on the clock no problems love that V2 , just got the 2022-23 1290 R super bike, great to see this engine rebuild and the lack of any real issues 💪 thanks
Excellent presentation! It was cool still seeing the honing marks on the cylinder wall after that much hard use! And holy crap - we "know" those cylinders are huge but really seeing them is incredible.
@@superduked33 LOL!!!! Subscribed from Australia. Great presentation and video standards. You're a natural in front of a camera. I race road track as well in seniors class on an 06 ZX10-R and that has also never let me down and it's making 205 bhp on the Dyno. But your video came up as recommended for me by RUclips! Great channel! I have some binge watching to do on your other vids. Thanks pal.
I can honestly say I'm not surprised, the LC8 has been around since the carburetted 950 ADV and it's a solid engine (little issues like clutch slave and water pump aside) it's a tried and tested motor and there are lots of high mileage SuperDuke and Adventures out there!
Exactly, the engines are powerful and reliable but the electronics are a piece of rubbish, i had two 1290 great engine and smooth at lower rpm's but nasty electronics and chassis engineering
Definitely a good video, very informative and entertaining….but I can also see why this guy had to be talked into it. Like, leave me the fuck alone and let me work my magic…..just come pick up your bike, gimme my money and say thank you
Interesting that the rod bearing(s) had spun but you didn't know it... I wonder why. Maybe an August race at Thunderhill, super hot and thin oil and you got a little metal on metal contact? Appreciate the video.
One responder here suggested very kindly and gently (not) that the bearings had not spun at all. Guy questioned whether I had ever even seen a spun bearing. Said the case would have been destroyed. Another user suggested the oil had overheated, which I can see happening - especially since this bike had so much use before me. ...For the record the only thing I'm interested in spinning is the rear tire.
That was my take. I used to machine and build engines for a living and those don't look like they spun. If they had then it would be time for one or more new rods and probably a crank, though that bluing on the crank is unusual. The bearings are pretty well beat up though. Perhaps a higher viscosity oil might be helpful. The crud in the oil pump may have come from the bearings.
In the video he said it was a main bearing that spun not a rod bearing. If you pay attention to the video you can see the mains are plain bearing like the rods. I am assuming that spun he meant maybe a quarter or half turn not several times around.
@@holmes1956O I guess I missed that. The mains look a lot like a cam bearing in an American auto engine. Generally cam bearings need to have the the hole that feeds oil to the bearing aligned with a hole in the block though sometimes there's just a grove in the block that makes the alignment irrelevant. In any case a spun bearing is usually a major problem.
My gen 2 bought new. 50000 miles 20+ trackdays...only thing I have done is put mechanical cam chain tensioners in at 5000 miles...I'm scared to see the insides of mine....another great video...
I am curious how this cam chain tensioner situation flew right over my head all these years. This is my second failure and only now, because of this video and its responses, am I learning it's a thing. Thank you Daryl
Time for me to move from Ducati as all I get is flipping unreliability. I need a bike that can be ridden often, which will also be better advertising here in London for KTM.
Just got my 2021 1290r. Just 5000 Miles on it, Problem and problem. MTC failiure. Oil leak. Coolant leak and injection problem and so on 😢 nerver had problems with a bike before. This one is just headache! I'm getting rid of it! Go back to R1 or Aprilia. So sad, it’s a beautiful bike to look at
I m getting my 2022 sdr 1290 evo tomo, only done 100 miles. Can't wait. Will be sad to see my 990 sdr go. It's been amazing. This will be my 10 ktm, got my first ktm 125 lc crosser in 1983 ❤
Super explanation i thought Duke's are very much unreliable after seeing this video Dukes are really reliable and how about electronics and liquid cooling system
my KTM SD 1290GT has almost 110000km at its ODO meter. I did 8 track days with it. Still mechanic wise it runs quite smoothly. Only the electronics and sensors bothered my somewhat in the last year. So I think nobody can complain about this.
Had 4 superduke 1290r, love the bikes, fun with a capital F. But I had issues with all 4, rear an front master cylinders leaking numerous times. Elec issues each bike. Gen3 back a forth too dealers with coolant leaks they couldn't find. Then found the front hose has been over tightened. But, cracking bikes, I fully understand some are spot on, some arn't.
Sounds like you got a "Friday afternoon" bike. At least that's what they called them when I raced Ducatis. Sorry man that's just not right. How in the hell does a master leak.. I mean that's pretty basic stuff. By the way my clutch master does tend to fade so once per weekend I crack the bleeder at the master and its good to go.
I can assure you that these bearings have not spun in the housing. You'd see tangential marks, not only discolourations. Secondly, the oil bore is supposedly aligned with an oil channel, an incidental misalignment would have caused an amount of damage that you'd have seen. Overall, pretty normal bearing wear given the use case, nothing to worry about.
Mechanically KTMs are solid bikes. Very reliable engines. Where they lack is the electronic side. Their models are plagued by electronic gremlins. It's too bad because they make great motors. I know because I've owned two 1290 platforms. A 1290 Super GT and a 1290 Super Adventure T.
What sort of gremlins have you had? My only electronic problems were related to a frayed wire under the tail section (warranty by KTM). Dash would go black, etc. But once the wire was fixed its been aces
I owned a 2016 SDR for over 6 years and put 15,000 miles on it and the only time i had "electrical issues" was when the battery was shot. Replaced battery, no issues.
Appreciate the info 100% I have a 21 1290 SuperDuke R. I'm not on the track but I do ride mine to the limit all the time. Let's just say the black beast is in know ones mirror's 😂😂😂 there behind me an then I don't see anyone till I reach the stopping point. MOST FUN I'VE EVER HAD ON A BIKE!!! An I've been riding for 36 years🍻🤙🏼🤙🏼
It's hard to see from the video but those bearings don't look like they spun. What did he mean by he talked to KTM? Like a dealership? A dealer is totally different from the factory.
Just FYI, the tensioners can be seen very well in this video of a cut open version of an LC8 : ruclips.net/video/fIgrI3Pmv7w/видео.htmlsi=lDUu7S4CsI64G-hJ
That looks more like fretting on the bearings than them spinning. The interference fit isnt always perfect and the bearing can kind of "squish" against the case every rpm.
Very informative video. I planning to change my MT 10 near the future little more powerful. 2 options, Z H2 or SuperDuke. KTM brand itself causes more to pay, haven't tried superduke yet. But 180 hp/140 nm should be fun!
I've had a lot of bikes and hands down the Superduke is my favorite. Fits my body the best and I just love twins. A buddy of mine has both the Ducati Streetfighter RS, which is a beautiful complex best of a motorcycle, and a Superduke. Next to each other in the driveway the Ducati looks more impressive. Much more going on, faster motor, etc. But when I asked which he prefers he instantly pointed to the Superduke. Said, "I don't know what it is about that bike but it's just more fun. And that's why I ride.."
For the life of this motor I used the KTM recommendation (at that time) Motorex Powersynt 10w50. However now that KTM MGP is sponsored by Mobil 1, I am switching to Motul 🙂
I've taken my top end apart already at 2000 miles...don't ask why, very embarrassing tbh but let's call it a learning experience. Re-timing this baby wasn't crazy hard but it was interesting... I love my 1290 (2016 model) and yes every so often you have a bit of," what's this now" kinda feeling. No track days or anything like that.... I did also change my tensioner to a manual.. actually, whilst experimenting, I did manual in the front head and I left the hydraulic at the rear
Good question. On average I changed oil prior to this rebuild on this motor after every third weekend. Now I have changed that to every other weekend. Also now I changed to Motul oil. I pitted with a guy who runs superbike-built Ducatis two rounds ago. His engine builder, Brian Sharp of Boulder Ducati, gave him specific instructions to change oil every other weekend or rebuild the motor by summer. ...That made an impression
@@superduked33 Ah, much less frequent then I orignally thought. I knew it had to be pretty often going at it that hard & oil is cheap. Compared to an engine / parts anyways. So even with these frequent oil changes are you still having to rebuild the engine every other season? Or is it more down to how often you race / go a track day? It'll be intresting to know how the engine holds up now you're changing it a little more frequently. I'd imagine not very much as tbh to the duke. There wasn't much damage at all, which I am very surprised at with how hard. You go on track / race days. definitely gave me more faith in KTM engine side of things. Electronic wise meh not so much, i've had my share of issues. Little things but very annoying lol
There's no way those bearings had spun in the cases!!! Don't know if you've ever actually seen a "spun bearing", but it would have destroyed the cases...you wouldn't be putting it back together! P.S...i have 40yrs experience building engines.
What does your 40yrs experience suggest those marks and black stains are? I am not a mechanic and the only thing I want to see spinning is the rear tire. I spoke with a highly respected engine builder over this past weekend, one of the few responsible for the recent Daytona 200 win. One of his suggestions was change oil brands..
@@superduked33 Well, ALL plain bearings are an interferdnce fit in the cases/ conrods/block, so no oil should even get there! It's hard to say without closer inspection...possibly from assembly lube or maybe they even had those stains before they were installed! I highly doubt it's the oil. One thing forsure, they haven't "spun". A plain bearing will usually only spin from picking up on the crank...usually from a lack of oil pressure...in which case, the engine is largely destroyed! I would love to see the cases as well.
@@miningwayne935 I had similar thoughts - like how could a crank achieve the friction necessary to spin a bearing without showing sings of wear or excess friction on the inner face of the bearing or the crank itself? Both look fine. And so did the cases apparently, and they measured true as well. Makes no sense to me, to Alex, or to the guys at KTM who Alex called for advice. ...Full disclaimer - I am not a mechanic nor do I play one on TV. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience brother
@@superduked33 Dead right mate...i've seen a few over the years, and trust me...ALL mating faces will be torn to pieces and not usually salvageable! Cranks can be ground if undersize bearings are available, but cases would likely be thrown in the bin!
Define "fear"... :-). KTM's reliability track record with me is pretty outstanding. Gen1 had some issues with electronic shifting - which I responded to by forcing it to work. That caused some problems for sure. But most of that was me refusing to listen to them telling me NOT to use electronic shifters. Anyway they fixed that situation since the Gen2 and I haven't had a problem since. So "fear"? Not so much fear. But there are thoughts, anytime something new comes out from anyone. It's a good question that I won't be able to answer accurately until I ride the living hell out of one.
Thanks. Although I've never seen high temps. Perhaps it happened prior to my ownership. I was actually amazed that even in 105 degree heat racing in the desert in a 20 lap race the temp of the motor was not hot. ....Although by "temp" I am referring to coolant. Perhaps I should be monitoring oil temps too, which are deeper in the menu. I also talked with one of the engine builders of the Daytona 200 winning team this year. I asked him about oils, showed him the pic of the bearings, told him I'm using Motorex. He suggested one problem with Motorex is it does not say Motul on the label..
Thanks for showing the guy who I may need to use in the future for any serious work on my KTMs. The man looks like he’s got experience. Currently have local dealer rebuilding my motor on a 500EXCF after dropping bike in a river and man I am nervous as I have no trusted guy here in Cali currently.
"spun bearings"? I'm sorry but those look like normal wear and tear. The case would have been wrecked if they spun, and you would have lost oil pressure. I'd say your engine held up very well!
Yes, as you and other experts have pointed out, these bearings did not actually spin. It's still not clear why they looked so different on the backside but I agree they did not spin. Thanks for helping make that clear.
same problem with my auto blip. Every time I wanted to go from 3rd to 2nd while cornering, I could stand on my shifter and it would not click down. Beyond frustrating.
I don’t use auto blip on downshifts. I find at the increased speeds and under such intense braking conditions it is not accurate enough. Upsets the bike too much so I run old-school wrist blip always
I don't work for KTM, I am not sponsored by KTM. And since I race my bikes I do not qualify for warranties of any kind. But I do have a friend who was 9 months out of his warranty on an 890 that he loved, and it broke. Something with the cams. And even though he was way out of warranty, they fixed it for free. Which I find pretty cool actually. Sorry your experience apparently wasn't so cool. That sucks
Hard to pinpoint mileage because this bike went upside down and landed on the dash. Was replaced and apparently its really hard to sync with the damaged unit to get actual miles on new unit. Current dash says 4k, old dash likely got just as far. My estimate is 8,000 miles of pure hell
I never have but I love the idea and will in the future. Thanks. I usually go two weekends per change. So, 3 mile track, 5 sessions x 6 laps x 3 days x 2 weekends = @ 550 miles per change.
Somewhere around there I think. I had some other work done as well so the numbers kind of blurred together but it feels like 3k is about right. I find KTM parts are very reasonably priced, minus the odd part here or there that breaks the bank
Yes. Watch out that thing doesn't pull your arms off first time you twist the throttle. ...keep an eye on your shift arm where it bolts to the splined shaft under the front sprocket. They can come loose, some locktite them. Make sure it's been cleared of the wiring recall under the tail section. And once you start riding it, if and when you feel it doesn't finish turns just how you'd like, contact me about upgrading your rear suspension link. I sell them on superduked.com. They make your bike work like it looks - badass
Stavo cercando di capire il motivo di tale guasto,sono italiano e mon non conosco l'inglese e mi sono sforzato a capire d8 cosa si stesse parlando,poi man mano vedendo il pistone,il cilindro,l'albero motore surriscaldato con le bronzine fuse,il cambio, le camme e per finire la pompa dell'olio,ho capito che cera stato un utilizzo gravoso della moto quale l'uso in pista. Vabbè,ci sta tutto. La KTM Superduke è una moto che nasce per girare in strada e saltuariamente in pista,quindi devo dedurre che l'amico del video è consapevole che conviene sostituire il motore con uno nuovo e non vale la pena riparare questo. I costi dei ricambi credo li da voi, superano il 30 se non anche più del 50% il valore proposto in Europa. Bel video dettagliato.👏👏👏👏
wow, glad i found this video my friend. i love the Duke but was afraid to consider it seriously due to rep of being unreliable/problems. this vid shocked me. great job. new subscriber obviously.
Wonder why KTM can't seem to get the reliability out of their 790 and 890 motors like this 1290 has had? Mind you, I don't agree that the crank bearings should spin at ANY TIME regardless of being raced or not. That's a sign that lubrication has broken down (oil pressure or oil condition or both) to the point where the crankshaft has made contact with the bearing sleeve, and by friction grabbed it and spun it in the engine casting.
On my 1290 Gen 1, Special edition, the stock clutch plates were "worn" after only 15k kilometers of street/wheelie use, and I almost never used the clutch lever to pull a wheelie. The plates didn't measure problematic, and I only had the problem in 3rd gear, so the dealer upgraded the clutch springs on my request. When that didn't help either, I bought a new clutch pack from Barnett in the US. Problem gone. :) I'm surprised to see the good state of your clutch. KTM must have learned then I guess :)
Planning a super duke 1290 Kei truck engine swap, the engine was all that was recovered when my dead brothers KTM was stolen, so giving it a new life , not destroying a superduke
each of the parts the mechanic is condemning with a problem or potential failure in the near future are things he is recommending to the customer. it has a little scratch, it has a little timing chain streach, it has a little sharp groove on the clutch basket, it has a little wear in the main bearings, it has a little scuffing on the piston, it has a little roughness on the crankshaft, it has a little scratch in the oil pump... the livermore ca cal moto mechanic knows what he is seeing. the customer seems surprised that the motorcycle he races has wear beyond normal.
I do, on the Gen3. But I used Spiegler drag bars on previous models. Currently considering bars with half the left as stock with slightly more bend. Haven't found one, yet..
Hey GoGo. Nice report. Good to see the Beast held up with your abuse. The KTM is well build with quality components, so my gen 1 is happy barking along at 25k miles. Tks for posting
Great content. Thank you for sharing. With regard to transmission issues re gen1 and early gen2 1290 SDR and GT with some having destroyed transmissions (broken teeth on 5th, 6th IIRC); did any explanation surface? Differential hardening inconsistencies perhaps? From what year 1290 SDR were these issues corrected?
Great question. I’ll have to research that. I had no transmission issues when I ran either gens 1 or 2, but I did not put high mileage on the gen1. I did however put a ton of miles on the gen2. I’ll ask and get back to you on this
Those bearings did NOT "spin"... that's inaccurate.. they show signs of wear.. but there is NO sign that they spun.. honestly, you never should've taken it apart..
Actually I’m glad we did take it apart. The cam-chain tensioner failure is a big reveal to me. I did once before have a chain skip a tooth. We thought it was due to lack of oil pressure at the rear cylinder at the time, caused by a shim that a well known west coast engine builder left in the motor - blocking a rear oil port. But now that we took this motor apart, and discovered what we did about this tensioner as well, it’s a thing. Next installment will be about exactly this
I'm going to dissect a cam chain adjuster soon, both an OEM and the better aftermarket replacement. Should be interesting to understand why one is worse and one is better. I've had two go bad now..
@@superduked332nd time watching this video. Any idea who makes a good tensioner? I’ve run manual ones in the past on other bikes but they can be a pain in the ass if set wrong.
Lc8c.. not the same engine at all. Different materials are used, the biggest problem with the 7/890 is that the camshaft doesn’t get enough lubrication after awhile. When they reach the 20.000km they are basically ticking time bombs
@@Snotroggel453 so what you are saying is that KTMs are trash. CfMoto uses the same darn engine and is 1/3 the price of a KTM but 10000% more quality. There are no problems with the CfMoto 700/800 series engines.
@@showmytime9177thats because cfmoto down tuned the NK800 by 10HP, which is the same engine as the 790.. it creates less stress on the engine. Yamaha could give the MT07 also 100hp if they wanted, but it would make the engine less reliable.
@@Snotroggel453 the KTM Adventure variants make 95bhp and still brake like crazy. It's just a sign of gross incompetence and a big "fook you" to the customer.
@@showmytime9177yea 3 years ago i wanted to buy a duke 890, but after reading many forums and RUclips comments i let it go and got myself a Z900. 33.000km so far and never had 1 issue. Sure its a heavier bike and a 4cil, but at the end nothing beats reliability 😂
Another superb video from Eric and one that provides a lot of reassurance for owners of a much maligned bike. If that's how well it holds up to 8k miles of hard track use I don't think us street hooners have much to fear (I almost never red-line mine, there's simply no need for it). :)
KTM 1290 adventure R / 50 000 km on the clock no problems love that V2 , just got the 2022-23 1290 R super bike, great to see this engine rebuild and the lack of any real issues 💪 thanks
Excellent presentation! It was cool still seeing the honing marks on the cylinder wall after that much hard use! And holy crap - we "know" those cylinders are huge but really seeing them is incredible.
Something about huge jugs gets me every time
@@superduked33 LOL!!!! Subscribed from Australia. Great presentation and video standards. You're a natural in front of a camera. I race road track as well in seniors class on an 06 ZX10-R and that has also never let me down and it's making 205 bhp on the Dyno. But your video came up as recommended for me by RUclips! Great channel! I have some binge watching to do on your other vids. Thanks pal.
@@theaustralianconundrum Honored brother. 100%
They just got bumped to 1350cc as well.
Your Super Duke videos are really helpful, Eric. Much appreciated. And your link kits are very popular over on the KTM forum.
Thank you very much my friend. Inspiring
A whole channel dedicated to super Duke. U earn my subscribe right there.
I just bought a new 2022 1290 R. Happy I watched this video. Ill be hitting the rev limiter tomorrow in confidence.
The guy Puts a bigger piston in a NiCaSil coated cylinder? Sorry, that is 100% proof that he does not know what he is talking about!😂😂
The LC8 is phenomenal. They are just as reliable as a boxer BMW, IE you can put 120,000 miles on them.
Thanks for sharing this with us, I`m still so glad I got Duked last year😁. I love kTm.
hahahahahahahah! That's great
You don’t put a bigger piston in a worn cylinder! The 1290r has Nikasil bores that would have to be recoated after boring.
I can honestly say I'm not surprised, the LC8 has been around since the carburetted 950 ADV and it's a solid engine (little issues like clutch slave and water pump aside) it's a tried and tested motor and there are lots of high mileage SuperDuke and Adventures out there!
KTM's powerplants are solid. It's their electronics that go on those powerplants that can be a issue.
Exactly, the engines are powerful and reliable but the electronics are a piece of rubbish, i had two 1290 great engine and smooth at lower rpm's but nasty electronics and chassis engineering
That piston has the same design we had in something that revved 19000-19500rpm, so it should have an easy life in an engine like this :)
Modern quality engines are built to be used - use them (warm) and you should be fine :)
Definitely a good video, very informative and entertaining….but I can also see why this guy had to be talked into it. Like, leave me the fuck alone and let me work my magic…..just come pick up your bike, gimme my money and say thank you
Interesting that the rod bearing(s) had spun but you didn't know it... I wonder why. Maybe an August race at Thunderhill, super hot and thin oil and you got a little metal on metal contact? Appreciate the video.
One responder here suggested very kindly and gently (not) that the bearings had not spun at all. Guy questioned whether I had ever even seen a spun bearing. Said the case would have been destroyed. Another user suggested the oil had overheated, which I can see happening - especially since this bike had so much use before me. ...For the record the only thing I'm interested in spinning is the rear tire.
That was my take. I used to machine and build engines for a living and those don't look like they spun. If they had then it would be time for one or more new rods and probably a crank, though that bluing on the crank is unusual. The bearings are pretty well beat up though. Perhaps a higher viscosity oil might be helpful. The crud in the oil pump may have come from the bearings.
@@Eric-Marsh thank you Eric. Sincere appreciation for your experience and opinion
In the video he said it was a main bearing that spun not a rod bearing. If you pay attention to the video you can see the mains are plain bearing like the rods. I am assuming that spun he meant maybe a quarter or half turn not several times around.
@@holmes1956O I guess I missed that. The mains look a lot like a cam bearing in an American auto engine. Generally cam bearings need to have the the hole that feeds oil to the bearing aligned with a hole in the block though sometimes there's just a grove in the block that makes the alignment irrelevant. In any case a spun bearing is usually a major problem.
Voted up for hooliganism
My gen 2 bought new. 50000 miles 20+ trackdays...only thing I have done is put mechanical cam chain tensioners in at 5000 miles...I'm scared to see the insides of mine....another great video...
I am curious how this cam chain tensioner situation flew right over my head all these years. This is my second failure and only now, because of this video and its responses, am I learning it's a thing. Thank you Daryl
@@jimjim753 how did you know you needed to change them from OEM
@@superduked33 clacking like a diesel on cold startups.....many morning rides to work at 34 degrees f.
I put a manual on my old Duke 690 as the hydraulic OEM was super noisy.
Time for me to move from Ducati as all I get is flipping unreliability. I need a bike that can be ridden often, which will also be better advertising here in London for KTM.
Just got my 2021 1290r. Just 5000 Miles on it, Problem and problem. MTC failiure. Oil leak. Coolant leak and injection problem and so on 😢 nerver had problems with a bike before. This one is just headache! I'm getting rid of it! Go back to R1 or Aprilia. So sad, it’s a beautiful bike to look at
I m getting my 2022 sdr 1290 evo tomo, only done 100 miles. Can't wait. Will be sad to see my 990 sdr go. It's been amazing. This will be my 10 ktm, got my first ktm 125 lc crosser in 1983 ❤
Super explanation i thought Duke's are very much unreliable after seeing this video Dukes are really reliable and how about electronics and liquid cooling system
The pistons look like F1 pistons!!! Hardly any skirt! Bizarre looking if you’re used to seeing a typical automotive piston.
my KTM SD 1290GT has almost 110000km at its ODO meter. I did 8 track days with it. Still mechanic wise it runs quite smoothly. Only the electronics and sensors bothered my somewhat in the last year. So I think nobody can complain about this.
Had 4 superduke 1290r, love the bikes, fun with a capital F. But I had issues with all 4, rear an front master cylinders leaking numerous times. Elec issues each bike. Gen3 back a forth too dealers with coolant leaks they couldn't find. Then found the front hose has been over tightened. But, cracking bikes, I fully understand some are spot on, some arn't.
Sounds like you got a "Friday afternoon" bike. At least that's what they called them when I raced Ducatis. Sorry man that's just not right. How in the hell does a master leak.. I mean that's pretty basic stuff. By the way my clutch master does tend to fade so once per weekend I crack the bleeder at the master and its good to go.
I can assure you that these bearings have not spun in the housing. You'd see tangential marks, not only discolourations. Secondly, the oil bore is supposedly aligned with an oil channel, an incidental misalignment would have caused an amount of damage that you'd have seen. Overall, pretty normal bearing wear given the use case, nothing to worry about.
I really enjoy your videos.
It’s not easy to find someone that’s is in love with this bike as much as I am.
You found someone!! 🙂
Exactly my thought! I had lots of fine bikes but ever since I got Gen3 SDR I am in love and can’t fall out of it.
That's some engine, balanced, tried and tested very impressive 😮
Mechanically KTMs are solid bikes. Very reliable engines. Where they lack is the electronic side. Their models are plagued by electronic gremlins. It's too bad because they make great motors. I know because I've owned two 1290 platforms. A 1290 Super GT and a 1290 Super Adventure T.
What sort of gremlins have you had? My only electronic problems were related to a frayed wire under the tail section (warranty by KTM). Dash would go black, etc. But once the wire was fixed its been aces
I owned a 2016 SDR for over 6 years and put 15,000 miles on it and the only time i had "electrical issues" was when the battery was shot. Replaced battery, no issues.
Appreciate the info 100% I have a 21 1290 SuperDuke R. I'm not on the track but I do ride mine to the limit all the time. Let's just say the black beast is in know ones mirror's 😂😂😂 there behind me an then I don't see anyone till I reach the stopping point.
MOST FUN I'VE EVER HAD ON A BIKE!!!
An I've been riding for 36 years🍻🤙🏼🤙🏼
All well and good that the engine holds up. The problem with these bikes is the electronics.
Sorry to say: Youre describing the chain tensioner completely wrong. releasing the tensioner wrong, can destroy it.
It's hard to see from the video but those bearings don't look like they spun. What did he mean by he talked to KTM? Like a dealership? A dealer is totally different from the factory.
Just FYI, the tensioners can be seen very well in this video of a cut open version of an LC8 : ruclips.net/video/fIgrI3Pmv7w/видео.htmlsi=lDUu7S4CsI64G-hJ
That looks more like fretting on the bearings than them spinning. The interference fit isnt always perfect and the bearing can kind of "squish" against the case every rpm.
Very informative video. I planning to change my MT 10 near the future little more powerful. 2 options, Z H2 or SuperDuke. KTM brand itself causes more to pay, haven't tried superduke yet. But 180 hp/140 nm should be fun!
I've had a lot of bikes and hands down the Superduke is my favorite. Fits my body the best and I just love twins. A buddy of mine has both the Ducati Streetfighter RS, which is a beautiful complex best of a motorcycle, and a Superduke. Next to each other in the driveway the Ducati looks more impressive. Much more going on, faster motor, etc. But when I asked which he prefers he instantly pointed to the Superduke. Said, "I don't know what it is about that bike but it's just more fun. And that's why I ride.."
Amazing.....
What oil do you use, brand and viscosity??
Cheers from Sweden
For the life of this motor I used the KTM recommendation (at that time) Motorex Powersynt 10w50. However now that KTM MGP is sponsored by Mobil 1, I am switching to Motul 🙂
@@superduked33 That doesn't make sense, well not to me anyway.
Agree with the guy below..a channel dedicated to my favorite bike..subscribed.. hopefully i will be able to afford lol
Thank you! Made my decision a lot easier 👊
Great vid. Still looking for my next duke
I've taken my top end apart already at 2000 miles...don't ask why, very embarrassing tbh but let's call it a learning experience. Re-timing this baby wasn't crazy hard but it was interesting... I love my 1290 (2016 model) and yes every so often you have a bit of," what's this now" kinda feeling. No track days or anything like that.... I did also change my tensioner to a manual.. actually, whilst experimenting, I did manual in the front head and I left the hydraulic at the rear
How often did you change your oil & other type of fluids when riding this hard? I'd imagine it's almost after every race / track day?
Good question. On average I changed oil prior to this rebuild on this motor after every third weekend. Now I have changed that to every other weekend. Also now I changed to Motul oil. I pitted with a guy who runs superbike-built Ducatis two rounds ago. His engine builder, Brian Sharp of Boulder Ducati, gave him specific instructions to change oil every other weekend or rebuild the motor by summer. ...That made an impression
@@superduked33 Ah, much less frequent then I orignally thought. I knew it had to be pretty often going at it that hard & oil is cheap. Compared to an engine / parts anyways.
So even with these frequent oil changes are you still having to rebuild the engine every other season? Or is it more down to how often you race / go a track day? It'll be intresting to know how the engine holds up now you're changing it a little more frequently. I'd imagine not very much as tbh to the duke. There wasn't much damage at all, which I am very surprised at with how hard. You go on track / race days.
definitely gave me more faith in KTM engine side of things. Electronic wise meh not so much, i've had my share of issues. Little things but very annoying lol
You should check the little rollers that go on the boss that travels in the shift drum channels. Mine broke.
Thank you
There's no way those bearings had spun in the cases!!! Don't know if you've ever actually seen a "spun bearing", but it would have destroyed the cases...you wouldn't be putting it back together! P.S...i have 40yrs experience building engines.
What does your 40yrs experience suggest those marks and black stains are? I am not a mechanic and the only thing I want to see spinning is the rear tire. I spoke with a highly respected engine builder over this past weekend, one of the few responsible for the recent Daytona 200 win. One of his suggestions was change oil brands..
@@superduked33 Well, ALL plain bearings are an interferdnce fit in the cases/ conrods/block, so no oil should even get there! It's hard to say without closer inspection...possibly from assembly lube or maybe they even had those stains before they were installed! I highly doubt it's the oil. One thing forsure, they haven't "spun". A plain bearing will usually only spin from picking up on the crank...usually from a lack of oil pressure...in which case, the engine is largely destroyed! I would love to see the cases as well.
@@miningwayne935 I had similar thoughts - like how could a crank achieve the friction necessary to spin a bearing without showing sings of wear or excess friction on the inner face of the bearing or the crank itself? Both look fine. And so did the cases apparently, and they measured true as well. Makes no sense to me, to Alex, or to the guys at KTM who Alex called for advice. ...Full disclaimer - I am not a mechanic nor do I play one on TV. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience brother
@@superduked33 Dead right mate...i've seen a few over the years, and trust me...ALL mating faces will be torn to pieces and not usually salvageable! Cranks can be ground if undersize bearings are available, but cases would likely be thrown in the bin!
Wouldn't the smooth ones be spun
KTM needs to hire you. Great vid!
Excellent👏 Now can you please do a rebuild report card on an 890R, lol.
Buahahahaha
I am planning to get the new 1390, is it the same engine?! Any fear of their new variable timing system??! Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Define "fear"... :-). KTM's reliability track record with me is pretty outstanding. Gen1 had some issues with electronic shifting - which I responded to by forcing it to work. That caused some problems for sure. But most of that was me refusing to listen to them telling me NOT to use electronic shifters. Anyway they fixed that situation since the Gen2 and I haven't had a problem since. So "fear"? Not so much fear. But there are thoughts, anytime something new comes out from anyone. It's a good question that I won't be able to answer accurately until I ride the living hell out of one.
Interesantísimo. Muchas gracias
I got a super duke 1290 R last summer -- thanks for this video, very informative! I Sub'd
Seems like KTM's typically have some small, relatively minor things that have problems: water pumps, cam chain tensioners...too bad.
Cam chain tensioners are an issue. Solvable though. That video is on the board soon
Looks like over heating on the main bearings. Burned on oil.
Thanks. Although I've never seen high temps. Perhaps it happened prior to my ownership. I was actually amazed that even in 105 degree heat racing in the desert in a 20 lap race the temp of the motor was not hot. ....Although by "temp" I am referring to coolant. Perhaps I should be monitoring oil temps too, which are deeper in the menu. I also talked with one of the engine builders of the Daytona 200 winning team this year. I asked him about oils, showed him the pic of the bearings, told him I'm using Motorex. He suggested one problem with Motorex is it does not say Motul on the label..
Thanks for showing the guy who I may need to use in the future for any serious work on my KTMs. The man looks like he’s got experience. Currently have local dealer rebuilding my motor on a 500EXCF after dropping bike in a river and man I am nervous as I have no trusted guy here in Cali currently.
Well you have a trusted guy now my friend. Good luck with the 500. Fingers crossed
Amazing info! Thanks for sharing.
I have a Super Duke I know all of this.
Interesting…as usual 😊
"spun bearings"? I'm sorry but those look like normal wear and tear. The case would have been wrecked if they spun, and you would have lost oil pressure. I'd say your engine held up very well!
Yes, as you and other experts have pointed out, these bearings did not actually spin. It's still not clear why they looked so different on the backside but I agree they did not spin. Thanks for helping make that clear.
Thank you for video
Great info 👍
Do you think my 890 duke R 2022 is as good ?
I don't know but I can ask next round. I know the team running an 890 in MotoAmerica
@@superduked33 thank you
Much appreciated
Let me know please
Thank you - comforting! I was just about to put a Harley engine in my SDR!! 🙂
That’s hysterical
Then instead of the beast you'd have to call it the Babe....haha
same problem with my auto blip. Every time I wanted to go from 3rd to 2nd while cornering, I could stand on my shifter and it would not click down. Beyond frustrating.
I don’t use auto blip on downshifts. I find at the increased speeds and under such intense braking conditions it is not accurate enough. Upsets the bike too much so I run old-school wrist blip always
I had my tensioner fail on my 2019 super adventure s at around 15 thousand miles as well.
I'm gonna do a cam chain tensioner video soon
What engine oil have you been using with that Superduke?
Huge thanks for sharing!. keep up the work
KTM warranty is crap absolute crap , Do not buy their products
I don't work for KTM, I am not sponsored by KTM. And since I race my bikes I do not qualify for warranties of any kind. But I do have a friend who was 9 months out of his warranty on an 890 that he loved, and it broke. Something with the cams. And even though he was way out of warranty, they fixed it for free. Which I find pretty cool actually. Sorry your experience apparently wasn't so cool. That sucks
How many miles on the bike.. ??that feels important to know. Thnx, got my sub!!
Hard to pinpoint mileage because this bike went upside down and landed on the dash. Was replaced and apparently its really hard to sync with the damaged unit to get actual miles on new unit. Current dash says 4k, old dash likely got just as far. My estimate is 8,000 miles of pure hell
The LC8 is a great engine. I have the 1050 cc version in my 1090 Adventure R. It's a workhorse.
1090R awsome...
exelent vid..
How often are you changing your oil? Have you ever done a oil analysis?
I never have but I love the idea and will in the future. Thanks. I usually go two weekends per change. So, 3 mile track, 5 sessions x 6 laps x 3 days x 2 weekends = @ 550 miles per change.
@@superduked33 ahh ok seems reasonable
Haven't had the pants off mine so thanks for taking the time to make the video.
Subscribed
Would you mind sharing how much was the engine rebuild? 3k?
Somewhere around there I think. I had some other work done as well so the numbers kind of blurred together but it feels like 3k is about right. I find KTM parts are very reasonably priced, minus the odd part here or there that breaks the bank
i really wanted to buy super duke 1.0 sir should i or not i have worst experiance with 690
I have beat the living hell out of this motor and it just lasts and lasts. I don't know too much about the 690. But the 1290 is solid
@@superduked33 thank you sir i will buy it after i sold my zx6r 2019
Hey @Superduked, what are your recommendations for buying a Super Duke 1290R 2022 floor model, anything to watch out for? Thanks 👍
Yes. Watch out that thing doesn't pull your arms off first time you twist the throttle. ...keep an eye on your shift arm where it bolts to the splined shaft under the front sprocket. They can come loose, some locktite them. Make sure it's been cleared of the wiring recall under the tail section. And once you start riding it, if and when you feel it doesn't finish turns just how you'd like, contact me about upgrading your rear suspension link. I sell them on superduked.com. They make your bike work like it looks - badass
@@superduked33 Awesome, thanks!
Been training arms extra hard 😃👍
Stavo cercando di capire il motivo di tale guasto,sono italiano e mon non conosco l'inglese e mi sono sforzato a capire d8 cosa si stesse parlando,poi man mano vedendo il pistone,il cilindro,l'albero motore surriscaldato con le bronzine fuse,il cambio, le camme e per finire la pompa dell'olio,ho capito che cera stato un utilizzo gravoso della moto quale l'uso in pista. Vabbè,ci sta tutto. La KTM Superduke è una moto che nasce per girare in strada e saltuariamente in pista,quindi devo dedurre che l'amico del video è consapevole che conviene sostituire il motore con uno nuovo e non vale la pena riparare questo. I costi dei ricambi credo li da voi, superano il 30 se non anche più del 50% il valore proposto in Europa. Bel video dettagliato.👏👏👏👏
That’s a bad vid
wow, glad i found this video my friend. i love the Duke but was afraid to consider it seriously due to rep of being unreliable/problems. this vid shocked me. great job. new subscriber obviously.
I heard sponsor by ktm. I left immediately
I got free rearsets in 2020
they still got problems with their tensioners... killed my rc 390 engine at 10k miles :/
I agree with you. I've had them fail on me twice. Replacing with better tensioners is a smart move
@@superduked33def lmk what to use.
Wonder why KTM can't seem to get the reliability out of their 790 and 890 motors like this 1290 has had? Mind you, I don't agree that the crank bearings should spin at ANY TIME regardless of being raced or not. That's a sign that lubrication has broken down (oil pressure or oil condition or both) to the point where the crankshaft has made contact with the bearing sleeve, and by friction grabbed it and spun it in the engine casting.
I’m happy I bought another Super Duke GT. IF ONLY KTM put this level of effort and build quality in to their parallel twins.
On my 1290 Gen 1, Special edition, the stock clutch plates were "worn" after only 15k kilometers of street/wheelie use, and I almost never used the clutch lever to pull a wheelie. The plates didn't measure problematic, and I only had the problem in 3rd gear, so the dealer upgraded the clutch springs on my request. When that didn't help either, I bought a new clutch pack from Barnett in the US. Problem gone. :) I'm surprised to see the good state of your clutch. KTM must have learned then I guess :)
Very interesting! Thanx!
The spun bearings seem pretty damning, not sure why all the praise for the longevity of the motor? The 30km bearings look clapped too no?
Planning a super duke 1290 Kei truck engine swap, the engine was all that was recovered when my dead brothers KTM was stolen, so giving it a new life , not destroying a superduke
The size of those pistons 😍
hahahahahah
Gogo : Pulls pants up...
😂
How often do you change motor oil? and what motor oil do you use?
I typically changed the oil in this motor every two to three rounds. In that motor I used Motorex only, factory spec, just like the book.
Cool, thanks for the response, Like your content🤙🏿
Honda have been doing this more than successfully for 50 years, what is all the fuss about?
You deserve , brilliant so much credit for your channel , your videos are actually educating not just a clickbait
Your way of talking reminds me of Anthony Jeselnik for some reason, great content
each of the parts the mechanic is condemning with a problem or potential failure in the near future are things he is recommending to the customer. it has a little scratch, it has a little timing chain streach, it has a little sharp groove on the clutch basket, it has a little wear in the main bearings, it has a little scuffing on the piston, it has a little roughness on the crankshaft, it has a little scratch in the oil pump... the livermore ca cal moto mechanic knows what he is seeing. the customer seems surprised that the motorcycle he races has wear beyond normal.
Do you run stock handle bars?
I do, on the Gen3. But I used Spiegler drag bars on previous models. Currently considering bars with half the left as stock with slightly more bend. Haven't found one, yet..
Hey GoGo. Nice report. Good to see the Beast held up with your abuse. The KTM is well build with quality components, so my gen 1 is happy barking along at 25k miles.
Tks for posting
All that power on one journal and two mains cant go well
Looked pretty dam good to me. Ducati's architecture is the same and they live well. Almost all v twin cylinder engines are like this
Some parts overengineered, some parts underenginneered...
oh well~
Great content. Thank you for sharing. With regard to transmission issues re gen1 and early gen2 1290 SDR and GT with some having destroyed transmissions (broken teeth on 5th, 6th IIRC); did any explanation surface? Differential hardening inconsistencies perhaps? From what year 1290 SDR were these issues corrected?
Great question. I’ll have to research that. I had no transmission issues when I ran either gens 1 or 2, but I did not put high mileage on the gen1. I did however put a ton of miles on the gen2. I’ll ask and get back to you on this
Those bearings did NOT "spin"... that's inaccurate.. they show signs of wear.. but there is NO sign that they spun.. honestly, you never should've taken it apart..
Actually I’m glad we did take it apart. The cam-chain tensioner failure is a big reveal to me. I did once before have a chain skip a tooth. We thought it was due to lack of oil pressure at the rear cylinder at the time, caused by a shim that a well known west coast engine builder left in the motor - blocking a rear oil port. But now that we took this motor apart, and discovered what we did about this tensioner as well, it’s a thing. Next installment will be about exactly this
Great insight to the Gen 3 motor, especially the cam chain adjuster.
I'm going to dissect a cam chain adjuster soon, both an OEM and the better aftermarket replacement. Should be interesting to understand why one is worse and one is better. I've had two go bad now..
Overall on this bike is super specially the looks
Who offers an aftermarket, better tensioner? Thx
@@superduked332nd time watching this video. Any idea who makes a good tensioner? I’ve run manual ones in the past on other bikes but they can be a pain in the ass if set wrong.
Will Ferrell makes Bike Videos now?
Its just an advertisement
Wij van wc eend….
LC8 is also on the KTM 790/890 but it desintegrates on those bikes.
Lc8c.. not the same engine at all. Different materials are used, the biggest problem with the 7/890 is that the camshaft doesn’t get enough lubrication after awhile. When they reach the 20.000km they are basically ticking time bombs
@@Snotroggel453 so what you are saying is that KTMs are trash.
CfMoto uses the same darn engine and is 1/3 the price of a KTM but 10000% more quality. There are no problems with the CfMoto 700/800 series engines.
@@showmytime9177thats because cfmoto down tuned the NK800 by 10HP, which is the same engine as the 790.. it creates less stress on the engine. Yamaha could give the MT07 also 100hp if they wanted, but it would make the engine less reliable.
@@Snotroggel453 the KTM Adventure variants make 95bhp and still brake like crazy.
It's just a sign of gross incompetence and a big "fook you" to the customer.
@@showmytime9177yea 3 years ago i wanted to buy a duke 890, but after reading many forums and RUclips comments i let it go and got myself a Z900. 33.000km so far and never had 1 issue. Sure its a heavier bike and a 4cil, but at the end nothing beats reliability 😂
Awesome video, love my 1290 SAR