Bike suddenly got louder

[rick]

So, my radiator cracked this morning. ~5,500 miles. The front of the radiator looks like new from the front suggesting that the damage came from the rear. Assuming it just wasn't a vibration induced failure then I fear that I've also gotten one of the infamous radiator fan/shaft failures

Some puddles and a bad picture of the damage free front of the radiator:

Coolant was spraying out the top right of the radiator (or top left if you're looking at it from the front)

 

[rick]

So, the record so far: bought the bike and rode it for 8 weeks. Cam de-laminated and then it was at the dealer for 8 weeks. 8 weeks later the radiator cracks open.

 

[CAZHEREDIA]

very disappointed with this bike, with the reviews and specially with KTM. My bike still in the shop for the second week, and still waiting for KTM to approve warranty!

 

[rick]

Well, the good news is that when I told KTM North America that I was wondering if the fan came off its shaft, he said, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking - it's a problem". So, that's reassuring. I'm rolling the die with Thousand Oaks Powersports for the repair this time. They've already been much nicer though. I'm dropping it off tomorrow and they said they'll have a tech diagnosing it tomorrow afternoon.

 

[reenmachine]

Well, the good news is that when I told KTM North America that I was wondering if the fan came off its shaft, he said, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking - it's a problem". So, that's reassuring. I'm rolling the die with Thousand Oaks Powersports for the repair this time. They've already been much nicer though. I'm dropping it off tomorrow and they said they'll have a tech diagnosing it tomorrow afternoon.

Where did you take it the first time? I go to KTM LA/Beverly Hills Ducati with both of my KTMs and they've been great.

 

[rick]

Santa Barbara Motorsports the first time. Bought my Duc from Beverly Hills Ducati and would buy from them again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it's a bit out of my way for service.

With Beverly Hills Ducati, I put down a deposit over the phone, they had the paperwork ready when I got there. Sign and go. Could have been less than 10 minutes. Tried to do the same thing at Del Amo Motorsports with the RC except they had nothing ready and had me sit in a chair staring at a wall for 3-1/2 hours while they got they paperwork together: "Just a couple more minutes." They were nice otherwise but, damn.

 

[Treachery]

So, my radiator cracked this morning. ~5,500 miles. The front of the radiator looks like new from the front suggesting that the damage came from the rear. Assuming it just wasn't a vibration induced failure then I fear that I've also gotten one of the infamous radiator fan/shaft failures

Some puddles and a bad picture of the damage free front of the radiator:

{pics snipped}

Coolant was spraying out the top right of the radiator (or top left if you're looking at it from the front)

Ho lee chit!

 

[reenmachine]

Santa Barbara Motorsports the first time. Bought my Duc from Beverly Hills Ducati and would buy from them again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, it's a bit out of my way for service.

Yes, I meant to mention that in my reply. But if you still come up wanting after T.O., it might be worth it.

I was pleasantly surprised. I was skeptical going in, thinking "Oooooo Beverly Hills. Ducati. This is going to be pretentious and dismissive." I couldn't have been more wrong.

 

[Diploman]

If it turns out that your radiator was devoured by a self-disassembling OEM fan, the sensible thing would be to order a SPAL fan now. When you get a new radiator and a (just-as-likely-to-fail) new OEM fan, just put the latter on a shelf as a spare or sell it. The SPAL is quieter, more efficient and much more reliable.

 

[MotoKam]

If it turns out that your radiator was devoured by a self-disassembling OEM fan, the sensible thing would be to order a SPAL fan now. When you get a new radiator and a (just-as-likely-to-fail) new OEM fan, just put the latter on a shelf as a spare or sell it. The SPAL is quieter, more efficient and much more reliable.

I did the SPAL upgrade last year and it has worked out great. No more overheating.

Here's the thread that makes the change very easy.

The only thing I did differently is instead of cutting and splicing the wires, the blades slide easily out of the plug and go into the stock KTM plug. Just make sure when you do the fan blows the right way.

Spal Fan Instal How To - KTM Duke 390 Forum

 

[rick]

I pulled it apart last night.

Once the body work was off, I could get my finger into the shroud and spin the fan blade freely. So, I drained the coolant and pulled the radiator and removed the fan. Radiator looked immaculate but, once I got it into better light I saw a tiny little impact on one of the horizontal channels on the front side. Filled it with water and it leaked out of that spot. Damn.

Clearly not a KTM/Warranty issue though so, it does have the potential to speed up turn around even if I have to pay for it. Nearest radiator repair shop that said they'd take a look at it is about an hour away and I'll run it over there this afternoon. They say repairs start at $50.

The radiator and the fan are one part number from KTM, 90835010133, and the best price I can find is $213.79 delivered from powersportswarehouse.com but, they ain't exactly the fastest supplier. If the radiator can't be repaired and I end up having to buy another radiator then I'll have two fans which hurts the Spal's case a bit: I don't really want to stockpile fans and it does just make this all more expensive.

FWIW, Amazon has the Spal on Prime for ~$55 so, I can get it pretty quickly if I decide to go that route. According to the Owners Manual (page 130) the radiator fan fuse (#5) is a 15 Amp fuse which should comfortably cover the Spal which has a max draw of 6.5 Amps with a nominal draw of 4.5 Amps. ...so, that's nice.

 

[Fasteddy]

Found this, couple bucks cheaper, also saw a good radiator for $110 FWIW....
Spal 30103011 5 2’’ Fan Pull | eBay

 

[rick]

Gracias! I'm "watching" the spal. The $110 radiator is pretty bent though. There's a $75 duke 390 radiator that might work if I cut off the extra mounts ...maybe. After that they tend to feel pricey compared to a brand new one even if the turn around may be faster.

 

[Fasteddy]

Yeah, I saw the Duke and thought the same thing, good catch on the 'bent' one... I am thinking of getting the Spal just for a spare....

 

[A1VW2NV]

Here is another fan/rad combo; 2015 2016 KTM 390 RC Cooling Radiator w Fan Motor | eBay
el%3A390%7CSubmodel%3ARC&hash=item41a4dc1a16:g:CuoAAOSwUuFWxSeN&vxp=mtr
There is also a vendor on ebay selling the correct Spal fan for $42 shipped.

 

[rick]

Took the radiator to OK Radiator in Oxnard last night, they welded it up while I waited for $38. Took it home, put the bike back together and it appears to be all better now. Woot!

 

[CAZHEREDIA]

Nice! To bad we are having to deal with all this tho, when i buy something, the last thing on my mind is having to fix or deal with the issues.

 

[CAZHEREDIA]

So I spoke to South Bay Motorsports yesterday, they said the estimate was about 3,000dlls. I've had the bike for about 6 months (bought it brand new) and put in a lot of miles on it since I use it primarily for commute. Services have all been done there and they said they would send the paperwork to KTM to see if it would be covered by the warranty.

I hope they do, regardless I'm very disappointed. I spent about 7,500dlls in credit on this bike and extended 3 year warranty and didn't even go more than 6 months without issues.

Keep in mind a 3,000dlls issue is not something small. I don't even know what's wrong with the bike, other than the engine was making a strange loud noise. I'm thinking the CAM-SHAFT or ENGINE blew out.

I will update on Thursday with what I hope will be good news, I'm sure the warranty will cover it, but still I'm looking at about a month without a bike. and in the time being I'm spending about 30dlls/day in transportation!

UPDATE!!
KTM North America called me yesterday, after 31days of the bike being in the shop I was told that it will be covered 100% by warranty and I should have a perfect running bike within days!

Happy to say that at last it will be fixed. Missed 31 days of riding my bike but at this point as long as I have the bike I will be happy.

 

[rick]

Congratulations!
Make sure you get some sort of receipt when you pick the bike up that shows when you dropped it off and when it was fixed. Maybe be handy if you end up having to lemon law the bike (30 days usually covers it in California).

 

[stevieboy]

I pulled it apart last night.

Once the body work was off, I could get my finger into the shroud and spin the fan blade freely. So, I drained the coolant and pulled the radiator and removed the fan. Radiator looked immaculate but, once I got it into better light I saw a tiny little impact on one of the horizontal channels on the front side. Filled it with water and it leaked out of that spot. Damn.

Clearly not a KTM/Warranty issue though so, it does have the potential to speed up turn around even if I have to pay for it. Nearest radiator repair shop that said they'd take a look at it is about an hour away and I'll run it over there this afternoon. They say repairs start at $50.

The radiator and the fan are one part number from KTM, 90835010133, and the best price I can find is $213.79 delivered from powersportswarehouse.com but, they ain't exactly the fastest supplier. If the radiator can't be repaired and I end up having to buy another radiator then I'll have two fans which hurts the Spal's case a bit: I don't really want to stockpile fans and it does just make this all more expensive.

FWIW, Amazon has the Spal on Prime for ~$55 so, I can get it pretty quickly if I decide to go that route. According to the Owners Manual (page 130) the radiator fan fuse (#5) is a 15 Amp fuse which should comfortably cover the Spal which has a max draw of 6.5 Amps with a nominal draw of 4.5 Amps. ...so, that's nice.

I am curious as to why you say this is not a warranty issue? My fan just failed with about 70 miles on the clock.