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Greetings from Van Zandt County

Joined
Apr 10, 2024
Messages
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Location
Van Zandt County
Thanks for the forum... been lurking and learning for a few weeks and appreciate the information and camaraderie.
I've had a TW200 on the farm to play with for a while... but it doesn't go fast enough on paved roads for me to venture out of my area.
So... I recently picked up a '22 KTM 390 Adv that has enough high end to get me to some new places to explore.
My brother and I rode some back roads a few weeks ago outside of Ennis and both of us learned that we could use some more practice with mud and deep ruts... and maybe some different tires wouldn't hurt! I've picked up that without pics it didn't happen... so attached a pic of the new-to-me 390 with some evidence of some mud napping.
Thanks again.
 

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Welcome to TWT! You're spot on - there is such good info and camaraderie across this site. That's what drew me in, too.

You've got a nice ride there. Add some tires and you've got a really nice ride. :rider:

I encourage to join in the events you'll find on TWT. The upcoming Hill Country 500 is a blast - low pressure, high satisfaction. Check it out here
 
Shinko 804/805 tires work really well on the 390 if you are not worried about getting super high mileage from them. We usually get about 4-5K miles from a set on our 390s. If you want more miles but don't mind a compromise in traction on sand/mud, the Dunlop Trailmax Missions will last 10K+ miles.

I would also highly recommend losing the OEM hand guards and replacing them with some Acerbis or something similar with the metal bar. The stockers are essentially worthless and break very easy, not even protecting the levers in the process.

Check your air filter frequently if you ride dirt often. For some reason, they get REALLY dirty really fast compared to other bikes I've had.

You may want to get new foot pegs if you have not already done so. The OEM pegs have a pretty good forward slant to them that makes them not real comfy for standing. We have these and like them,


But, I think you can find others that are likely just as good for a bit less $$.

Rox Risers really help as well when standing. However, if you install them, you will likely need to replace the clutch cable with a slightly longer cable. It is very easy to do and a new cable isn't expensive. Here are the risers and clutch cable we used,



A cheaper option is to use block risers instead of pivoting risers. They are basically just spacers with longer bolts. They pull the bar up and back only. The benefit of the pivoting type is that they bring the bar up and let you change the forward/backward location of the bars a bit.

If you fall on the right side, be prepared to spend at least $100 on a new rear brake lever... :roll: The OEM lever is cast aluminum and is prone to bending and/or snapping off completely. I am not sure if there are any aftermarket replacements yet.

The stock engine bash plate is not going to get it done if you ride anything other than mild dirt roads. Blackdog Adv bash plates are nice, but expensive. There are some others out there less expensive that will work. My son's 390 has the Blackdog because it was on there when we bought the bike. My daughter's 390 has the OEM plate and it already has some significant damage. I will probably be replacing it before much longer.

The kickstand safety switch on these bikes is VERY annoying. The kick stand can bounce if you hit a decent bump, causing a little magnet to lose contact with a relay and kill the engine unexpectedly. The solution is to just bypass the switch,


If you want to mount a GPS. phone holder, or anything else right there behind the windscreen above the power outlet, these are great,


There are other brands out there though.

Lastly, check these bikes over FREQUENTLY. Other than my old KLR 650, I have never seen bikes that shed bolts like these do. I don't know if it is because they don't loc-tite them from the factory or don't give them enough torque at the factory, but I have been ordering replacement bolts for these bikes right and left! The bolts themselves are not that expensive, but the shipping will kill you :doh: Any bolt you remove while working on the bike should be loc-tited (blue at least) and properly torqued!

LOTS of people do the exhaust resonator removal, add a pipe, and something like the Fuel-X lite/pro tuning kits. We've not done any of that and really have no plans to. The bikes run fine for use and we haven't had any of the stalling or overheating problems some people complain about. If you want to see how the bikes handle a serious adventure trip, go here.
 
Thanks for the input... I've got some mods done and have some others on order. Put level foot pegs on after that first mud ride and have barkbusters on order. Had the riser and clutch cable parts and a wider kickstand foot from the previous owner and have put those on.
Just received and installed a GPS mount and a zumo xt... haven't had a chance to plan and follow a track on it yet though. I've been looking at the Blackdog or the Trex skid plate and will likely update that soon.

I had read some comments that the stock tires weren't too bad for off-road... but that wasn't my experience... so I am looking at tires now. How do the Shinko's do on pavement and are they loud riding on pavement? I had started to narrow tires down to the Shinkos or the Bridgestone Battleaxes... which I have on my TW200.

I know what you mean about the bolts... missing a bolt or two already and just did the initial service. So far, the bike is running well and no issues with stalling so I've waited on the kickstand bypass and the fuelx. I did inherit a 14 tooth front sprocket from the previous owner but have not installed it yet. Did you change the front sprocket on either of your bikes? I might trade a bit of high end for a little more low end... My TW will climb a wall in 1st but the 390 lugs down without quite a bit of throttle.

I believe I found the two-wheel forum because I came across a link to you and your kids trip... Fantastic opportunity to spend that time with the kids. Mine are now all married and have their own families so its hard to get to spend that kind of time and adventure with them. I haven't made it all the way through your trip report yet but will finish it one of these nights. Made me more than a bit sentimental about the adventures I had with my kids back in the day. Problem will be when I pick it back up, I'll spend all night finishing reading it!

Thanks again for the effort you put into this forum... I have been mining information and getting way too many ideas for trips!
 
Welcome to TWT! You're spot on - there is such good info and camaraderie across this site. That's what drew me in, too.

You've got a nice ride there. Add some tires and you've got a really nice ride. :rider:

I encourage to join in the events you'll find on TWT. The upcoming Hill Country 500 is a blast - low pressure, high satisfaction. Check it out here

Thanks for the heads up on the Hill Country 500. I've got a son in Mason and have always wanted to spend some time down that way on a bike!
 
I stayed with the stock sprocket on the front (15) but went up a tooth on the rear (47). It splits the difference between the stock front and smaller front. It is better for low speed stuff but the bike can still cruise at 80mph without having to rev the snot out of it. Going to the 14 front gives you a 6% boost on bottom at the expense of 6% on the top. The 47 rear changes that to 3% on each end. For our trip, I knew we'd be doing a lot of highway miles in addition to the dirt miles and the Interstate speed limits out in that area were frequently 80mph. So even with the 3% change, we were still able to do at least 80mph in the slow lane without really working the bikes hard. However, it in the dirt it still made a noticeable difference according to my son. Both of them liked it that we have decided to keep that setup. I just ordered new sprockets and a chain for his bike to install before we head to North Carolina in mid May for 10 days of riding. Got it here,

 
I stayed with the stock sprocket on the front (15) but went up a tooth on the rear (47). It splits the difference between the stock front and smaller front. It is better for low speed stuff but the bike can still cruise at 80mph without having to rev the snot out of it. Going to the 14 front gives you a 6% boost on bottom at the expense of 6% on the top. The 47 rear changes that to 3% on each end. For our trip, I knew we'd be doing a lot of highway miles in addition to the dirt miles and the Interstate speed limits out in that area were frequently 80mph. So even with the 3% change, we were still able to do at least 80mph in the slow lane without really working the bikes hard. However, it in the dirt it still made a noticeable difference according to my son. Both of them liked it that we have decided to keep that setup. I just ordered new sprockets and a chain for his bike to install before we head to North Carolina in mid May for 10 days of riding. Got it here,

Good infoā€¦ thanks. Is there a calculator out there that shows the changes for various combos?
 
Shinko 804/805 tires work really well on the 390 if you are not worried about getting super high mileage from them. We usually get about 4-5K miles from a set on our 390s. If you want more miles but don't mind a compromise in traction on sand/mud, the Dunlop Trailmax Missions will last 10K+ miles.

I would also highly recommend losing the OEM hand guards and replacing them with some Acerbis or something similar with the metal bar. The stockers are essentially worthless and break very easy, not even protecting the levers in the process.

Check your air filter frequently if you ride dirt often. For some reason, they get REALLY dirty really fast compared to other bikes I've had.

You may want to get new foot pegs if you have not already done so. The OEM pegs have a pretty good forward slant to them that makes them not real comfy for standing. We have these and like them,


But, I think you can find others that are likely just as good for a bit less $$.

Rox Risers really help as well when standing. However, if you install them, you will likely need to replace the clutch cable with a slightly longer cable. It is very easy to do and a new cable isn't expensive. Here are the risers and clutch cable we used,



A cheaper option is to use block risers instead of pivoting risers. They are basically just spacers with longer bolts. They pull the bar up and back only. The benefit of the pivoting type is that they bring the bar up and let you change the forward/backward location of the bars a bit.

If you fall on the right side, be prepared to spend at least $100 on a new rear brake lever... :roll: The OEM lever is cast aluminum and is prone to bending and/or snapping off completely. I am not sure if there are any aftermarket replacements yet.

The stock engine bash plate is not going to get it done if you ride anything other than mild dirt roads. Blackdog Adv bash plates are nice, but expensive. There are some others out there less expensive that will work. My son's 390 has the Blackdog because it was on there when we bought the bike. My daughter's 390 has the OEM plate and it already has some significant damage. I will probably be replacing it before much longer.

The kickstand safety switch on these bikes is VERY annoying. The kick stand can bounce if you hit a decent bump, causing a little magnet to lose contact with a relay and kill the engine unexpectedly. The solution is to just bypass the switch,


If you want to mount a GPS. phone holder, or anything else right there behind the windscreen above the power outlet, these are great,


There are other brands out there though.

Lastly, check these bikes over FREQUENTLY. Other than my old KLR 650, I have never seen bikes that shed bolts like these do. I don't know if it is because they don't loc-tite them from the factory or don't give them enough torque at the factory, but I have been ordering replacement bolts for these bikes right and left! The bolts themselves are not that expensive, but the shipping will kill you :doh: Any bolt you remove while working on the bike should be loc-tited (blue at least) and properly torqued!

LOTS of people do the exhaust resonator removal, add a pipe, and something like the Fuel-X lite/pro tuning kits. We've not done any of that and really have no plans to. The bikes run fine for use and we haven't had any of the stalling or overheating problems some people complain about. If you want to see how the bikes handle a serious adventure trip, go here.

Another question... since you're running the Shinko 804s. The 100/90-19 stock size is listed as a tube tire. Are you running tubes on the front with the 804? There is a 110/80-19 that is listed as tubeless... Are you running these instead of the stock size? Thanks in advance... there is some conflicting info on the interweb and I know you have put some miles on your 390s with the Shinko tires.
 
Another question... since you're running the Shinko 804s. The 100/90-19 stock size is listed as a tube tire. Are you running tubes on the front with the 804? There is a 110/80-19 that is listed as tubeless... Are you running these instead of the stock size? Thanks in advance... there is some conflicting info on the interweb and I know you have put some miles on your 390s with the Shinko tires.
We are not running tubes. The fronts are 100/90-19 at 29 psi (recommended by KTM) and the rears are 130/80-17 at 29/32 psi depending on load (32 for loaded).
 
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