Summary:
1. Get a Cometic gasket set *AND* new head bolts from Chad (ktmperfmormance.com).
2. Get your head *AND* barrel resurfaced. Important note that the Cometic (and stock) head gaskets require a fine surface finish. Likely your corner auto head machine shop can't (or won't) put a fine enough finish on the head for the gasket to seal properly. Make absolutely sure to ask if they can do 50RA roughness or finer.
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Where are the head bolts? I don't see them on the site.
Wish I knew this the first time the head gasket blew. It just blew for the second time this past weekend with less than 700km on the clock. Luckily I've got 3 weeks until my next round but unfortunately being a race bike it's not covered under warranty.Summary:
1. Get a Cometic gasket set *AND* new head bolts from Chad (ktmperformance.com).
2. Get your head *AND* barrel resurfaced. Important note that the Cometic (and stock) head gaskets require a fine surface finish. Likely your corner auto head machine shop can't (or won't) put a fine enough finish on the head for the gasket to seal properly. Make absolutely sure to ask if they can do 50RA roughness or finer.
[FONT="]If your engine does blow a gasket, take it to the dealership for repair, and ask that they surface the head and cylinder. [/FONT]KTM[FONT="] says that gaskets that fail within the warranty period will be repaired free of charge, even if the bike has been raced.[/FONT]
Without a written document from KTM it will not happen here in Australia...I have taken both bikes back to the dealer with blown head-gaskets and know multiple owners of race-bike RC390's who have been told the same thing. "No, it's a race bike."Actually, KTM does cover it on racebikes. Ari Henning said KTM told him that.
I must be as blind as a bat then...can't see a comments section anywhere in the link. Can you tell me what the response was?...or a link please?
EDIT: Scratch that...I found the link.
And having read the answers...nothing has changed and we're all still in the same boat...poor QC/QA at the factory is the reason they blow, they will continue to blow and if you're a racer you have to suck it up.
I can't find the reference now and maybe it was just California but, I read somewhere that every day a vehicle spends in the shop on a warranty repairs is supposed to be added to your warranty term. Since the mileage is gonna expire first for me I didn't book mark it. I did mention it to KTM North America on one or our many phone calls and they didn't disagree FWIW.Just got off the phone with KTM's warranty department to see if they would reset my warranty after spending 7+ weeks at the dealer to perform the work below. They won't reset the warranty on my little ticking time bomb ...
I can't find the reference now and maybe it was just California but, I read somewhere that every day a vehicle spends in the shop on a warranty repairs is supposed to be added to your warranty term. Since the mileage is gonna expire first for me I didn't book mark it. I did mention it to KTM North America on one or our many phone calls and they didn't disagree FWIW.