KTM has issued a recall for its flagship 390 Duke model in India. The recall is due to a defective front sprocket locking plate. KTM 390 Duke owners have been asked to bring their motorcycles to service centres where it will be check for any faults and if found, the component will be repositioned or changed free of cost. The design of the front sprocket on the 390 Duke is such that it can get misaligned, resulting in the chain leaving it and coming out. The problem is with the lock and KTM has modified the sprocket design to ensure such a problem does not persist anymore. The old sprocket is quite dangerous as leaving of the chain at speed can result in a lock up of the rear tyre and thus skidding. The whole process should not take more than 45 minutes. Bikes manufactured from March 2014 onwards aren’t part of the recall as the newly designed sprocket is already being used on the latest units of the bike.
Since the 390 Duke is solely manufactured in India for the world, customers in Malaysia have also been advised to self-check and confirm if their “sprocket plate doesn’t have any of its indentations lining up with the shaft pieces. They should be opposite to stop the plate sliding off,” according to the Duke390 forum. This is the first official recall of the KTM 390 Duke. However, the company had reportedly recalled a small handful of these bikes soon after its launch in India to solve an engine overheating problem. Bajaj has not yet released any official statement about recalls. Though no mishaps have been reported as of now, it is strongly advisable to spread the word about this to anyone you know who owns a KTM 390 Duke.
Source: Motorbeam
