New user from Portland building a track bike! Questions!

[m3hl]

First of all I have been lurking for a while. Great info here. Are there any other forums worth checking out? Seems that it isn't terribly active here.

Here is the bike:
2016
2020 miles
PO skipped the first service but changed the oil - needs valves done
its definitely a little neglected, but still pretty new

I dont know what happened but I was going to get a CBR track bike, but just got obsessed with the idea of the KTM. Now it is a money pit.

questions:
1. Being a single, is it common for bolts to rattle loose? its missing about 5 bolts that hold together various body work

2. oil on the case? it looks like there is some oil on the case, but then again it could maybe be sealant or something. There looks like moisture but its definitely not substantial.


3. I cant find solid info on removing the charcoal canister. Can you do it without throwing a code? is there a diagram of hose routing?

4. What are things I should check as I do not have all of the history on it? Any red flags?

Thanks!!!

 

[Michelle]

Hi m3hl

hope your well and welcome to the forum ,, there are fellow RC riders with lots of good advice on here... once a week I go round my bike and check all nuts and bolts ,, they do have a habit coming loose...
Also check the side stand bolts cos they come loose as well ,, one of mine had come loose but I only noticed when I was changing my chain....
I can not help with the oil leak but I would just check the bolts on the engine ,, I am sure a fellow RC rider can give you better advice then me...
This is the best site for advice on the RC 390.....

As for the valves ,, yes I would check do them if they have been skipped ,, all mine was tight and that was just over 600 miles ,, I did put it in at Ktm dealership to be done but they could not do the job properly so I ended up doing it myself..
There is a lot of guys on here that race them so they would probably be better at helping you rather than me ,, after all I am only a woman ,, what do I know ,, I better go and wash my hair now lol ..

I love my RC but I will be honest ,, I just went out and bought mine with out doing any research first ,, after finding out some of them have issues ,, I though ,, oh shit ,, and I did think about selling it..
But I just love mine now and I personal think it is an easy engine to work on as well ,, can be a bit tight to work on but not impossible....
I think all the fun you have on the RC when something does go wrong just fixed it....

Enjoy your bike Mr m3hl

 

[isaac_]

1. Being a single, is it common for bolts to rattle loose? its missing about 5 bolts that hold together various body work

Yes! Blue loc-tite for the win

3. I cant find solid info on removing the charcoal canister. Can you do it without throwing a code? is there a diagram of hose routing?

Is this the one on the left side? If so, simply remove it. But you have to plug one of the hoses leading up to it (I plugged mine with a cut up bolt and gasket sealant). But I forget which hose it is >.<.

4. What are things I should check as I do not have all of the history on it? Any red flags?

Do a little research on here re: fans. The stock one is junk. Replace it with aftermarket. Other than that, have fun!

 

[mdabyo]

the hose you need to plug to the charcoal canister is the one that comes out of the throttle body on the right side, follow it back. I cut mine off about 4 inches long and put a bolt in it with a hose clamp.. very easy.

 

[green_bread]

You will throw a Check Engine light if you simply remove the charcoal canister. In order to remove it without the CEL, you have to flash the ECU with the Akra map.

About the oil on the case. Clean it up, ride it for a while, then check it again. It looks like you might have a small leak where the two case halves come together. My bike had a leak from the same spot, just on the front half of the engine. I worked with a KTM dealer out of St Louis and got it fixed under warranty. If youre able to clean yours up and it doesnt come back, youre golden. Just be careful when cleaning that "seam" as there is no gasket where the case halves meet. They use gasket maker and its pretty easy to accidentally pull a chunk out when cleaning, which could actually cause a leak. I know it sounds stupid, but its what happened to me.

 

[Michelle]

What is a charcoal canister ?.

 

[Fasteddy]

Welcome to the forum, here is an alternative to / until getting the ECU flashed just replace with a 2.2K ohm resistor....

 

[Fasteddy]

What is a charcoal canister ?.

A petrol vapor recovery system reqiured in US...

 

[m3hl]

THANKS EVERYONE! Great info and I appreciate the advice. I figured there wouldn't be a lot to learn because its a fairly simple bike. I was wrong.

I am going to acquire more parts, and then research how to remove some of the wiring without making the computer mad. Should be fun.

 

[Superpacman13]

THANKS EVERYONE! Great info and I appreciate the advice. I figured there wouldn't be a lot to learn because its a fairly simple bike. I was wrong.

I am going to acquire more parts, and then research how to remove some of the wiring without making the computer mad. Should be fun.

Come on out to OMRRA next round. We have a fair bit of research into RC's and a good deal of people using them. Should be able to get any answer you need and watch some great racing!

 

[m3hl]

Come on out to OMRRA next round. We have a fair bit of research into RC's and a good deal of people using them. Should be able to get any answer you need and watch some great racing!

I do a lot of local track days and have been picking some brains. It was the motivation for getting one. I do make it out to the races on occasion as well (I live 1 mile from PIR). Ill be at the track this weekend too (not on the RC).

 

[m3hl]

UPDATE:

Firts of all HUGGGEEEEE thanks to forum member Fasteddy for not only offering to help me learn a new bike and assist with service, but also get me up to speed with all the knowledge on whats available here on the forum. This bike is basically a collage of the knowledge that people here have already gathered and its turning out GREAT. I was bone-stock when I got it but this is where its at now:

VALVES DONE! (Thanks again Fasteddy)
NGK 6706
ABS Delete - Fasteddy will likely have a thread on this. We kept the speedo working and and it does not throw an ABS error.
Chinese Rearsets (based on forum experiences)
R6 shock with Formula390 kit
emissions canister delete
T-Rex protection
Arrow exhaust and had my friend make me a hangar
PCV
K&N with open airbox
Lightweight Lithium battery
SPAL Fan and Helix Racing 1.6 bar rad cap to upgrade cooling

Gave it a test ride and now I will be doing the track conversion:
How it sits right now

Cooling upgrades

Mid-chaos doing the valves and putting on bits

Fasteddy the man himself working his magic

Good shot of the custom hanger and the rearsets

 

[Michelle]

WOW fantastic ,, you done a good job there chap ,, I like the pictures..... Your lucky you got Ed living near you to help.... Wish I lived in sunny Portland....
Bikes come on great... Lets us know how you get on racing..

 

[Superpacman13]

Here a good start for track experience. https://www.facebook.com/ORSuperbikers/ coming up soon in August. If that isn't enough for you then OMRRA will be hosting its NRS in August as well on the 25th. Hope to see you out there soon.

 

[m3hl]

Here a good start for track experience. https://www.facebook.com/ORSuperbikers/ coming up soon in August. If that isn't enough for you then OMRRA will be hosting its NRS in August as well on the 25th. Hope to see you out there soon.

Yeah a bunch of friends are going to that. Unfortunately I will be on vacation for the next TWO weekends which sucks. I am in for October and hopefully a track day in November in CA. in a week in a half there is an ORP weekend which is a maybe. I already spent my vacation money on this dumb bike! HA!

 

[m3hl]

Almost done.

Still need:
Brake Pads
Belly pan
Front springs/oil
Tires
Remove tail lights/wiring
Remove left hand controls/wiring


Low priority:
race tail
quick turn throttle
Tank pad/grips
Aftermarket clipons/top triple
lightweight sprocket and new chain

That will at least get me riding. I cruised it around the neighborhood and it works great. I am getting some popping on decel but Ed told me that it shouldn't be anything to worry about. One bummer is that I think my R6 shock is a dud. It looks like it might be weeping a little bit, so if that's the case I am out $40 :/ Can't win em all i guess. Luckily there are a million online.

 

[m3hl]

First track day done! had a few hiccups. First time wringing it's neck, and apparently the coolant was over-filled. It cause it to coat my back wheel and nearly high side me. I have no idea how I didn't crash but I bet it looked really cool. Also the rearsets sort of fell apart after I made extra effort loc-tite-ing everything. Lost the shifter at one point. Other wise it was good. I still need to sort out the suspension and get tires. The Metzelers were surprisingly good, I was really surprised by that.

 

[isaac_]

First track day done! had a few hiccups. First time wringing it's neck, and apparently the coolant was over-filled. It cause it to coat my back wheel and nearly high side me. I have no idea how I didn't crash but I bet it looked really cool. Also the rearsets sort of fell apart after I made extra effort loc-tite-ing everything. Lost the shifter at one point. Other wise it was good. I still need to sort out the suspension and get tires. The Metzelers were surprisingly good, I was really surprised by that.

These bikes have a habit of rattling themselves apart. In fact any single will do that. Get in the ha it of checking over the bike after every session and maybe even putting a wrench to everything too.

 

[=maz=]

First time wringing it's neck, and apparently the coolant was over-filled. It cause it to coat my back wheel and nearly high side me.

Have you fitted a catch-can or bottle to your overflow hoses yet?
Belly pan should hold 3ltrs of fluid(in my GCR's anyway) so dropping it into there might be an option too.

 

[m3hl]

Have you fitted a catch-can or bottle to your overflow hoses yet?
Belly pan should hold 3ltrs of fluid(in my GCR's anyway) so dropping it into there might be an option too.

Nope. Didnt even think of it because things are pretty relaxed around here. I just wanted to get it to the track. obviously now ill do a catch can at least before I get a belly pan. I was lucky this time. My budget is gone for the summer.