KTM 790 Adventure clutch oil jet clean - do not skip this!

KTM Adventure 790 owners need to clean the clutch oil jet or risk a major failure. Here is why!

The video ended prematurely but basically the clutch oil jet thread has been Loctited by KTM and is not easy to remove. The jet has a single flat blade slot that is just asking to be mushed as you try to find a screwdriver that is thin enough to reach it and yet wide enough to get a good torque to get the #$%@ out. Needless to say I mushed the end and will be buying a replacement jet :-(. Lots of gunge considering this bike has had a fairly easy life so far.
My takeaway is (a) I'm changing the oil far more often that the 9,000 miles KTM suggests in manual [It's a KTM. They build competition bikes. E.g. I change the oil on my race-focused 350 EXCF every 10 hours! Runs like a champ and I have never had a problem] and (b) *always* clean the clutch oil jet.

BTW: the jet appears to lubricate the bearing that supports the clutch's action. So if you're riding and the clutch lever feels odd. Stop! You risk a major failure otherwise.

[onesharpboradhead]

I just had this issue. I got my new 790R and had it about a week (200 miles) - i was riding off road and the clutch cable suddenly lost all free play and started slipping. I stopped, adjusted the cable and got out of the woods. I assumed the clutch overheated, as I was doing a pretty technical hill climb, around blowdown, ruts, etc and using the clutch a lot. The next day I road on the street and no issues, but then went off road again on an ATV trail. I was approaching a large muddy washout and went to give a little throttle to take a little weight off the front end and suddenly I had no power. I thought i bumped the shifter into neutral, so I looked down to see what gear I was in, and hit the mud - front tire washed out on me and I want down - tore the side of the bike up pretty good. Picked the bike up and had no power - tried adjusting the clutch every which say but loose, to the point that I discounted the cable and could start the bike in gear and had no power at all. Ended up hiking out of the woods, getting a friend with a UTV and my trailer and trailered it out of the woods. Drove 5 hours back to the dealer (I live in the middle of nowhere). KTM had a rep come to the dealer and look at my bike. This jet was clogged with what they said appeared to be locktite. KTM is coving not only the clutch, but all the damage from the crash (over $2000.00 in parts) to the point that they are replacing every part that even had a scratch on it - so that the bike will be like brand new. It sounds like there may be a recall coming on this issue.

[d.balabastark]

Thak you for this!!
I've been researching about the clutch issue, and it seems there's not a definitive conclusion.
I think the clutch oil jet getting cloged is the real problem. Did you find it colged when you checked it later in following inspections?
Does the cloging material looks like metal (normal in braking period) or does it look like Loctite risidue from the thread? Do you Loctite it every time you thread it back?

Thank you in advance!

[michaelbaker]

Jeremy, Thanks for this video. Where is this jet located? is it in a similar location to the 990 near the counter shaft sprocket? Thanks again Cheers,

Mike Baker

[MrBayoumi]

Sorry, but for some looking for this jet this video is just useless.