Incominnnnnnnng. Sometimes you have to go with your heart... not your head.

[Skub]

Thank you for your email and I'm very sorry the bike isn't as clean as you expected, or indeed I made out.
Perhaps I should have looked closer, but I do feel it's a nice clean bike. That said, your XSR is exceptionally clean on another level which I can only thank you for.

Obviously condition can vary in the eye of the beholder and your standards are very high which is not a bad thing by any means.

Please accept my apologies for this and I can offer to send you £50 towards the replacement bolts if that helps?

Seems reasonable.

The poor people. Given the height of the bar,their cleaning was never going to be good enough.

Nice of them to acknowledge it,though. Did they offer you a job?

[weeksy]

Well, the day got worse from there. I started off by taking off the panels from the tank.

Sadly, one of the bolts in there wasn't moving and it's a captive bolt thing in the tank and has all gone pear shaped. This isn't massively uncommon on KTM plastic tanks and the fix is basically to glue it back into place.
2021-10-11_04-54-49 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

As i was doing that and cleaning more i noticed both of the top radiator mount bolts were horrible and corroded.

First one was fine.... second one not so much
2021-10-11_04-54-54 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Sheared off in the frame. FFS

bit blurred but it's just to the right of the white clip

2021-10-11_05-50-29 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

I've spoken to the dealer who was very reasonable about it all and very sympathetic. But i must admit i'm sitting thinking, this is just 1 thing, then another, then another then, well, another... Is it better to just say "fuck it and get out" ? Or do we think "well, that's pretty much everything done" once that bolt is sorted.

The tank bolt is a bit of a concern too
https://www.ktmforum.co.uk/threads/fuel ... k.1241305/

There's that and a gazillion other threads about where it causes longer term issues which can at times involve a new tank.

So now my brain as you can imagine is working overtime. What happens when we get to the next problem, the next bolt, be that the engine casing bolts, or the sump bolt, or the brake disc bolts, or etc etc. This is all well and good when the bike is in warranty with the dealer as it is at the moment, but once we're past that stage, well WTF then. Of course there comes a time when all these 'niggles' are sorted, but whilst i don't mind sorting niggles, i'd really rather not.

[Skub]

I feel a new bike thread coming on.

[weeksy]

I feel a new bike thread coming on.

Lol I dunno whether to laugh or cry at that reply

However, I'm interested in hearing what other people would do/say.

Fix bolt getting it drilled out and use something on the tank bolt.

Or

Send back to dealer and get refund.

As a complication, the XSR was financed, this has now been settled and sorted, so I can't see any world in where the XSR can come back. So I am pretty sure getting the XSR back here is out of the discussion. Does that change the above, I don't really think so, my time with it was done and I was happy to move it on.

[KungFooBob]

No 2nd hand bike is perfect.

You didn't pay a new bike price.

You'll either get it to a standard you can 'tolerate' or you won't.

You'd reject all my bikes on condition (except maybe the GSXR), doesn't mean they're unusable.

As for something causing a long term issue... that's going to bother you because?

[weeksy]

No 2nd hand bike is perfect.

You didn't pay a new bike price.

You'll either get it to a standard you can 'tolerate' or you won't.

You'd reject all my bikes on condition (except maybe the GSXR), doesn't mean they're unusable.

As for something causing a long term issue... that's going to bother you because?

The top half I completely get, it's 95% there now and even to take it to 98% I have the parts already ordered at KTM. The tank is a bit of a worry, as part of my cleaning process the tank panels come off, why, well, because I'm fussy.
The bolt for the radiator is an inconvenience that won't be too tough for MSG to sort.

Dunno, I know I'm being picky here, but hey, I'm picky.

[KungFooBob]

If 99 other people bought that bike, they'd be happy with the purchase, because they wouldn't remove any parts, they wouldn't lay a socket on it. They'd wipe it over with a duster and some Mr Shine one in a while and think it was ace.

Just trying to bring some balance

[Count Steer]

If they'll take it back under warranty, send it back. There's no way you're going to be happy with it after the bolt thing and the tank thing.

TBH the tank thing looks like crap design (I looked at the link) and the various corrosion issues on a 5000 mile bike are shocking and look like crap construction/materials. Bolts shearing the first time they're undone (probably)? Has the bike been kept in caustic soda?

The dirt is just dirt but the rest of it isn't exactly KTM marketing material.

[MrLongbeard]

I'm no where near as fussy as you and I'd bin it off, I can quite imagine you're not a happy chappy with it.

But then, it was cheap, and if you reckon you've got most of it sorted by now............
How much is a tank?

[Skub]

When you think of folk who do a nut & bolt restoration on what seems to others,a rusted pile of crap,making a very recent bike the way you want is a much smaller ballache.

Maybe you are telling yourself,because the bike isn't old you shouldn't have to do this,but it's what you can fall into outside of buying new.

If you have the desire to do it,it'll be done,however this is the stage now you must decide if you actually want to finish it,or sell it.

[Dodgy69]

How much could you sell it for.??

[weeksy]

If 99 other people bought that bike, they'd be happy with the purchase, because they wouldn't remove any parts, they wouldn't lay a socket on it. They'd wipe it over with a duster and some Mr Shine one in a while and think it was ace.

Just trying to bring some balance

I absolutely appreciate it. I regret doing that sodding bolt for sure. I never did it on the other 690s, but then again they didn't need it either lol.
The tank panel would have come off sooner or later though for certain.

Don't get me wrong here, the XSR wasn't perfect, I could pick 3 'faults' off the top of my head.

Maybe there's a bit of buyers remorse for it not being as I'd hoped, maybe a replacement would be equally as full of issues, just different ones. Maybe it's just the nature of the beast with KTM over Japanese bikes.

[weeksy]

How much could you sell it for.??

Doesn't matter, that's not even remotely in the discussion. It's either back to dealer or it stays.

I do have to remember I bought this to lower my outlay and have a cheaper bike, which I'm really trying to keep in mind.

[MingtheMerciless]

Well that's all turning into all kinds of horrible. I suspect @Skub has hit the nail on the head (or spanner on the bolt).

[Dodgy69]

Tbh, If we all did the 'deep clean' I think we'd all find problems.

[weeksy]

I'm no where near as fussy as you and I'd bin it off, I can quite imagine you're not a happy chappy with it.

But then, it was cheap, and if you reckon you've got most of it sorted by now............
How much is a tank?

I wasn't happy, then I started fettling, cleaning sorting and I got sometimes really happy and sometimes pissed off.
The exhaust made me happy, as did wheels, swingarm, frame, engine etc.

But the sprocket bolts, the bolts I've swapped, the fork lowers and the overall corrosion have knocked me back down again.

The dealer has seen my mail and if he's to be believed he's very apologetic and unhappy with the bike too, so currently I think he's on my side and the side of sending me the difference between what I owe on this and what he gave me for the XSR. That leaves me about £1300 coming back which I'd use as a deposit on something else.

As kfb implies though, would I then buy something else and end up with the same issues but a variation. Is that just part of me being me.
Possibly is the answer, but I also think I could potentially find a better example of the 690. But not necessarily at the same money.

[Skub]

I regret doing that sodding bolt for sure.

To my mind and especially in a fresh bike,there shouldn't be a bolt/fastener you are reluctant to remove. That's the territory of a shitter run through 10 Winters.

When I get a new (to me) bike I too always pull it apart to find stuff that will give me a hard time later. If the fundamental design can't be made good,then you'll never be happy wondering if that one tank bolt will loosen or strip,every time you need to go in there.

[KungFooBob]

Swap with Jody, see how you feel then :p

[Count Steer]

Well, given what the dealer offer is, fix it, ride it and sell it if you don't get the grin back. You'll get more than you paid as it'll be a better bike or you'll know every nook and cranny and made it something you're happy with.

[weeksy]

I regret doing that sodding bolt for sure.

To my mind and especially in a fresh bike,there shouldn't be a bolt/fastener you are reluctant to remove. That's the territory of a shitter run through 10 Winters.

When I get a new (to me) bike I too always pull it apart to find stuff that will give me a hard time later. If the fundamental design can't be made good,then you'll never be happy wondering if that one tank bolt will loosen or strip,every time you need to go in there.

I hear that fella and I think that's what's sitting highest I'm my head at the moment.

Thing is, it rode great, I really enjoyed it despite it being down on power compared to the XSR. But the shine has been taken off the purchase at the moment