KTM starts part update campaign for Duke 390

India's largest premium bike manufacturer KTM has initiated a service campaign to "update" a component—front sprocket—of its bike Duke 390 produced before March 2014.

The exercise that involves dealers informing existing customers to bring their bikes to their showrooms for a free part replacement is eerily similar to a recall but the firm is shy of calling it that.

"This is not a malfunction or a safety hazard. It is only a voluntary exercise to bring the old bikes at par with the new ones being produced now," said a company official. "The updation is required only for a fixed batch produced before March 2014. It is nowhere even close to a recall."

Two KTM dealers in NCR told HT there may have been a problem with the locking plate of the sprocket that could lead to misalignment and cause the chain in the gearbox to come off the teeth.

"If you study the new sprocket in the new bike, you realise the difference. We have never received any such complaint from customers but the technical team of the company may have realised the glitch," the dealer said.