[caco]

Yes it's weird.

When the bike is cold and straight, no oil shows on sight glass.

When the engine is hot and running, the oil on sight glass is close to max

When the engine is hot and not running, the oil on sign glass is above max.

Also, getting oil warning on the display when taking a corner in slow speed (second gear low rpm)

Also, getting rarely oil warning in second gear low speed going straight.

Anyone know what is happening?

 

[Alikata]

hi friend, the oil level You SEE is completely normal, You can check it in te manual.

 

[KTMasean]

The oil level, checked in the sight glass, is checked after shutting off a warm engine on a horizontal plane holding the bike upright and waiting for a minute (after shutting off the running engine). No idea why the low oil sign comes on when in second gear in low revs. How low are you revving and if below 1,500 rpm, why not shift into the first gear? These engines are designed to rev high

 

[Binettasteve]

My view would be start from basics. Drain out the oil you have in the engine and measure its volume. Then refill with the correct oil to the correct quantity As listed in your manual. Then you have a straight edge, two knowns, oil quality and quantity.
steve

 

[JingalalaHoe]

Anyone know what is happening?

The inconsistent oil level readings is usually caused by debris inside the oil pump. Take off both oil pumps and disassemble them, clean and assemble back. This should also fix the low oil pressure when running. If the latter problem still exists, change them to new units.

 

[caco]

Thank you all for the answers. Got the bike yesterday and is actually brand new, very low mileage.

The corner I am saying is actually a very long hairpin, where I'm doing at low speed (25 km/h tops), second gear and the bike stay lean to the left for some time, maybe 5+ seconds.

And going straight second gear was actually inside my condominium, where I was way to slow and actually breaking.

Anyway, going to try to keep the revs a little more high. Going to try to do the hairpin at the same speed but in first gear to see if I get other results where the oil pressure is concerned.

 

[duke of Ca]

As far as "brand new" and low mileage. Means zilch! I bought a 2018 bike with 423 miles on it. Your bike is 1-2 years old mine was 4-5 years old. The oil looked like tar, the filters were packed with particles and overall the bike must have done very little riding to have 423 miles and be 4 years old. So with all that said.
Unless the oil was just replaced..replace the oil and filters and start new. Do the change yourself, find someone who can help if not comfortable. That way you can see the filters and oil as its being replaced. Than ride the bike for all it will give you. There is a limiter on the gauge that screams RED if you go over the breakin RPM. You wont break the engine revving it at 4-6K. It feels like a rodeo if you ride it at a lower RPM (Although Ive heard the newer bikes dont have the surge anymore). The KTM is "ready to race" that means it was designed as a single cylinder to rev higher than a larger engine and there are 390 bikes with thousands of miles without an issue.
Cornering a bike at low RPM shouldnt be giving you the light, clogged oil filters (yes one screen on each side plus the actual filter) can. The good thing with our bikes is you can see what the filter looks like unlike the bikes that have a screw on (enclosed) filter that require a cut open to see what it look like.
As for the oil glass- useless until you know what to look for. I mentioned as did someone else previously. to replace the oil with 1.7L and see where the oil ends up on the glass. At that point there is a valid reference you can and should use when checking oil level in future. Another reason to change oil yourself.
Best of success. That hairpin sounds like fun! ride it in first at a higher RPM and I bet it will even be better!

 

[caco]

Unless the oil was just replaced..replace the oil and filters and start new. Do the change yourself, find someone who can help if not comfortable. That way you can see the filters and oil as its being replaced.

Definitely going to change the oil as soon as possible, probably this week. Not feeling comfortable to change myself, will find a good mechanic to do the job.

Cornering a bike at low RPM shouldnt be giving you the light, clogged oil filters (yes one screen on each side plus the actual filter) can. The good thing with our bikes is you can see what the filter looks like unlike the bikes that have a screw on (enclosed) filter that require a cut open to see what it look like.

Deep down I know it shouldn't give a warning when cornering, I know something is not right. While the mechanic is working I will take some pictures of the filter and oil.

Best of success. That hairpin sounds like fun! ride it in first at a higher RPM and I bet it will even be better!

It's fun, still doing like a noob though! Thanks for the tips and I hope things get fixed to enjoy the bike more fully.

 

[duke of Ca]

I understand your comfort with working on bike, but if you have the desire, its really easy to change the oil. However, the mechanic should check how much oil is in the system. Its good to know if there really is a low oil level. With the screens, many change them along with the filter, your bike is new enough that cleaning with kerosene or other cleaning solution should make the scxreens look like new. Change the filter cartridge.
Also be sure to use 15w-50 or since its summer there now maybe even a 20w-50 motorcycle oil.
I trust after the oil change that the light should go away.
If the light does remain or comes back, after cleaning up the oil system, use a ODB computer to read what the error is. That may put some light on the actual issue.
Let us know how this works out for you.

 

[RiverCityRambler13]

Bought mine brand new(2022) from the dealer with 2 miles on the odometer.

Oil only shows in the sight glass after it has been warmed. You won't see anything until this point.

That is my experience.

 

[B7ACKTHORN]

The manual states to inspect the oil level after the engine is warmed up. Warming up makes the oil thinner and hence easier to find the right level. Inspect the engine oil on a level plane with the bike upright, not when the bike's on its side stand. With max engine oil reading after engine being warmed up and the dash throwing up low oil when taking corners, you have either a faulty oil pressure switch, a faulty oil pump itself or simply low oil itself.
KTM recommends 1.7 liters of engine oil. Drain the oil, measure the amount recovered, that should give you a starting point. If less, refill to the recommended level and observe how it pans out.

Good luck.

 

[RiverCityRambler13]

^^^this^^^

 

[dmgs101]

Yes it's weird.

When the bike is cold and straight, no oil shows on sight glass.

When the engine is hot and running, the oil on sight glass is close to max

When the engine is hot and not running, the oil on sign glass is above max.

Also, getting oil warning on the display when
taking a corner in slow speed (second gear low rpm)

Also, getting rarely oil warning in second gear low speed going straight.

Anyone know what is happening?

Same thing happens with mine regarding oil level. I checked everything and all is good, so you should not have to worry about that. Mine does not light up oil light, so can't help you with that.

 

[KTMasean]

Small side note: 1.7 ltr is when (as you should) change the oil filter.

The manual states to inspect the oil level after the engine is warmed up. Warming up makes the oil thinner and hence easier to find the right level. Inspect the engine oil on a level plane with the bike upright, not when the bike's on its side stand. With max engine oil reading after engine being warmed up and the dash throwing up low oil when taking corners, you have either a faulty oil pressure switch, a faulty oil pump itself or simply low oil itself.
KTM recommends 1.7 liters of engine oil. Drain the oil, measure the amount recovered, that should give you a starting point. If less, refill to the recommended level and observe how it pans out.

Good luck.

 

[opengl]

Don't forget about both screens, mine had all kinds of junk in them at 850 miles.

 

[Shabeer]

The inconsistent oil level readings is usually caused by debris inside the oil pump. Take off both oil pumps and disassemble them, clean and assemble back. This should also fix the low oil pressure when running. If the latter problem still exists, change them to new units.

But for this engine needs to be dissembled entirely right, or can it be done just by opening either side casings in Duke 390 and 250.

 

[JingalalaHoe]

But for this engine needs to be dissembled entirely right, or can it be done just by opening either side casings in Duke 390 and 250.

Latter, can be done by opening clutch and magnet side covers. No need to split the engine

 

[Shabeer]

Latter, can be done by opening clutch and magnet side covers. No need to split the engine

I was having the same issue along with notchy gearshift once the engine is warm, oil level varies when engine is stopped, showing not in the glass but while running it's way higher, used the engine flush yesterday to clear off any blockages, needs to check how it's performing today, but thanks for the reply.

 

[morsnoc]

The problem for me starts with the vague wording in the KTM's manual.
To get the engine "warm" or “to operating temperature” to inspect the oil level means nothing specific since:

a) The operating temperature spans from, like, 60-70deg.C to 90-110deg.C probably and
b) The oil level in my case varies significantly within that range (I guesstimate about 50cc or even maybe more).

e.g.: When I warm up the engine to 4 bars on the gauge and the oil level is on top mark (after waiting 1-2 mins. of course for the oil to settle), then if I make my daily commute to work (about 35km) turn off engine and check the oil in the 1, 2, 5 & 10min mark, it always covers the glass window completely and stays this way until the engine comes to moderate temperature 55-60deg.C (estimated by touching the side cover) when it shows to be on top mark again.

So, oil level readings at the same temperature seem to be consistent, but which is the right temperature so to be sure you're not stressing your engine by having too much oil in it?

Maybe 50cc or so more in the engine isn't an issue, hence the vagueness in the manual?

For the record, the authorized dealers service where I live fills the engine with this amount of oil every time from day one, and when I asked they said that right after warming to operating temperature (4 bars on the gauge) is the right temperature to read the oil.

 

[KTMasean]

One way of doing it is to drain the oil as best as can, take out the oil filter, clean out the oil filter housing (before inserting a new filter). Measure out 1.7 litres and fill this in. Warm the engine to the # of bars you normally sit at when riding. Shut off the engine, wait the 1 - 2 minutes and check the sight glass. This than is our correct oil level in your sight glass. I always check my oil level when back from a ride and as long as the oil shows in the glass, I consider this good (over 50,000 km now)