Was initially planning to get the service done post the ride.
BHPian advstreak recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
So here is the 5th service and mods update:
The initial plan was to get the fifth service done after the 5,200 km+ desert ride of Bengaluru-Bombay-Ahemdabad-Dholavira-Jaiselmer-Jodhpur-Udaipur-Vadodra-Bombay-Bengaluru. But while doing the Vadodara-Bombay route (after 6,500 km since the last service) the bike had gotten noticeably vibey. Hence I decided to get the bike serviced at 26,060 km ODO in the KTM Chembur service center. The total cost of the service was Rs 3,384. Apart from the usual things, the brake oil was also changed. Surprisingly the spark plug was not changed as they did not have one in stock. Anyway, I plan to change it to an NGK Iridium spark plug in the next service.
Now coming to the mods:
Wind Deflector
I have continued the same setup as mentioned in the post here during the Bengaluru to Bombay run.
Here is one more pic of the setup somewhere near Chitradurga.
Then I changed it to an almost vertical position making it a “windshield extension”. This position almost gave zero wind buffeting if there were no cross winds on the roads allowing me to maintain good highway speeds.
Here is a pic of the setting somewhere on the Road to Heaven in Dholavira.
So I use the flat angle setting in off-road and hot weather city usage where I want more airflow and would prefer that it wobbles less. For smooth highway runs I make the position vertical for maximal wind protection.
Nylon Mesh Seat Cover
Based on shravansp24 observations
I noticed during the Bombay to Ahmedabad run that the typical butt pain started way earlier (around the 300 km range). I usually have a tolerance for about 700 km on the stock KTM seat after which I need to increase my break frequency. But that did not happen in the other part of the trips in Rajasthan, cementing the fact that the pain was due to increased humidity which led to increased sweating leading to softer skin/muscle and hence the nerve endings of the bone feeling more pressure.
Hence I added the nylon mesh cover at a local seat cover shop in Vadodara for Rs 150. As observed by others the nylon mesh works well. But the real test would be in the 1000 km ride from Bombay back to Bangalore. I did not feel any pain and this was the most comfortable 1000 km a day ride I had done all thanks to the mesh seat cover and the windshield extender in highway position.
One more benefit of the mesh cover is that the seat does not get hot when the bike is standing in the sun. But it has one downside, that it takes some time for it to dry after getting wet unless exposed to the sun directly.
Dominar Mirrors
So the stock KTM mirrors used to vibrate at highway speeds, especially the right-hand side one, making it difficult to track who is behind. Dominar mirrors with their cast stem are super stiff leading to a shift in the fundamental resonant frequency. They also seem to cover more areas compared to KTM and go better with the sharp edgy design language.
I had got the Dominar mirrors long back in 2020 to change them on my hornet but never really got it done as it required thread modification or a custom thread adapter which converts left-hand thread to right-hand one.
To fit these mirrors I got a RHS clamp while the left-hand clamp comes with the clutch lever as a single piece. One problem is that the left-hand grip is glued and it has to be taken out to change the left-hand level assembly. The grip becomes slightly loose after it is put back and can rotate when given a twist. The solution will be to stick it back with some rubber glue.
Aux lamps relocation
The RHS spoiler middle support stud broke randomly without any falls. Even the LHS mount has developed a crack. This prompted me to remove both of the spoilers.
I also wanted to mount the aux lamps on the now exposed metal frame to further reduce the headlight wobble which was done by cutting off the headlight aux mount clamp. That made sure the beam had enough clearance from the front plastic parts. This is still in trial and if it works well then I will repaint the clamps to prevent them from rusting further.
Tool Kit Tray Airbox Mod
Based on this video I decided to remove the Tool kit tray. It did make the bike respond a little faster to throttle inputs because of the easier airflow. It was very easy to remove by just loosening three bolts. However one has to be careful about the accessory port and the relay cable while removing the tray.
Resonator Delete
The pursuit to use the top end in a better way led me to install the detonator by LBS pitstop. I was also happy about reducing more than a couple of kilos. I would say that it is worth it performance-wise. The top-end pull is much cleaner.
But I am not sure about the sound. I went for around 300 km breakfast ride after getting it installed and realized that the exhaust had become loud and not in a good way. It sounds to have much more treble and goes “brrrrrraaaap” at 6-7K rpm which I don’t prefer. I was expecting it to sound more bassy and not that loud.
So I checked upon a couple of people who have deleted the resonator on their 390. Their sound was more bassy and did not become intrusive at higher rpm.
After that, I went to LBS and told him about this. The owner on the phone said the 250 would be louder compared to the 390 due to different compression ratios and bore and stroke. But he asked the mechanic to tighten the clamps anyway. I noticed on the ride back that it sounds less “brrraaapy” in the mid-rpm. This leads me to believe that the more treble-orientated “brrraaapy” sound is more because the components do not fit properly.
So the plan will be to see if the sound settles after some time and visit LBS again to make sure all the fit is proper. If still the sound remains the same then I might consider the option of going back to the stock resonator.
Keyword: Modifications & 5th service of my KTM 250 ADV during a 5200 km ride