KTM Question.

[Skub]

Are they really that good for owners to willingly endure ongoing reliability issues,even from new?

I have ridden a few of their older models,such as 990 Superduke,Supermoto and ADV. I didn't like the adventure much,but a lot of that was the high seat height.

They are fun bikes,I get that,but are they worth the aggro?

I loved the Superduke to ride,but the reputation ensured I didn't buy one.

[Yorick]

I wouldn't consider any bike which wasn't 100%.

Character is just fancy word for needing lots of work and attention.

You wouldn't buy a car, TV or phone with known problems.

[Skub]

You wouldn't buy a car, TV or phone with known problems.

Nissin sell enough Cashcows.

[weeksy]

I suppose i'm in a good position to answer that... When you say "issues" they're barely issues mostly. But they do exist, so yeah they have to be worthwhile.

I don't know how many i've owned so i'll tot it up
5 990 Superdukes
6 950 Supermotos
1 990 Superduke R
5 690 Dukes
1 390 Duke
1 790 Duke

Out of that i had 'niggles' with only 3 of them.... the 790 had a pair of gaskets, both under warranty, a 690 had a electrical gremlin that meant i sold it. The 950 had a fuel level sensor unit issue.

I've taken KTMs to Europe multiple times without issues, i've done dozens of trackdays on KTMs, again without issues.

But yes, they have 'something' about them which is hard to quantify, maybe it's a state of mind rather than a reality... tough to say.

[weeksy]

I wouldn't consider any bike which wasn't 100%.

Character is just fancy word for needing lots of work and attention.

You wouldn't buy a car, TV or phone with known problems.

Takes seconds to find dozens of GSXR1000 issues on Google.

https://www.gsxr.com/threads/2017-2020- ... es.242309/

And i do mean dozens and dozens of issues..

https://www.google.com/search?q=gsxr1000+problems

[Numnut]

I've had 3 ktms. An ex weeksy 690, and 2 790s.

The 690 was all good. A bolt needed tightening once. The first 790 had a couple of leaks all sorted under warranty. The current 790 has had a sprocket seal replaced.

I've had a couple of blades where all the horror stories were of regulators frying themselves and oil burning/crank issues. True enough, the regulator fried itself. Never had an oil burning or crank issues though. I'm on a zx6 and an R1 group of FB, and people are warned off some zx6s for rocket cover gasket issues, and some r1s for regulator issues and gearbox issues.

I don't think ktms are much different to any other manufacturer really. They all have common issues.

[weeksy]

I've had 3 ktms. An ex weeksy 690, and 2 790s.

The 690 was all good. A bolt needed tightening once. The first 790 had a couple of leaks all sorted under warranty. The current 790 has had a sprocket seal replaced.

I've had a couple of blades where all the horror stories were of regulators frying themselves and oil burning/crank issues. True enough, the regulator fried itself. Never had an oil burning or crank issues though. I'm on a zx6 and an R1 group of FB, and people are warned off some zx6s for rocket cover gasket issues, and some r1s for regulator issues and gearbox issues.

I don't think ktms are much different to any other manufacturer really. They all have common issues.

our 2008 ZX6R had a leaky rocker cover gasket

[Supermofo]

Hmmm. Depends.

I moan about my 690 but really I've owned it for 6 years/14500 miles and I've had to replace the rocker arms as a precaution and that's it. No other issues (touching wood). The problem is those rocker arms have hung over my head a bit as there's no hard and fast rule as to when/if they go. And in context I suppose the rocker arm replacement is not far off the cost of LGF GSXS 750 headlight replacement. The big difference being his headlight cracking won't blow the engine up.

What's putting me off a 790 is lots of talk of dash errors and small leaks. Tricky's 890 was a proper engine let go but my understanding is in general it's the niggly things with the 790/890 and it's not all of em.

As for how they ride IMO nothing rides like a KTM they have a special little naughtyness. That's not to say you don't get similar things from other bikes IMO Kwak make some bikes that I think make me ride like a twat, but in a different way to the KTM. But KTM are more likely to suffer quirks.

I suppose from another angle my bro's mate has a 990SMT he's had from new. He moans about it all the time as being a pain in the arse to work on and for having niggles. But he's owned it since 2011/40k miles and has no plans to replace it.

[Skub]

I don't think ktms are much different to any other manufacturer really. They all have common issues.

Is that factual? Are KTM as reliable as any Jap bike,they just get bad press?

[Numnut]

our 2008 ZX6R had a leaky rocker cover gasket

best avoid those leaky jap bikes...

[dern]

I had a 2007 990 Superduke for a year. It didn't have any issues, I just didn't like it.

I have a 2006 950 SM that I've had for a year. The only issue has been a weeping rad cap that I replaced.

I have a 2014 1190 Adv that I've had for three and a half years. The only issue was a stone through the radiator and the subsequent price ktm charged for the replacement.

I don't imagine that in the longer term they'll be as fault free as my honda but I've not found them bad at all.

[weeksy]

I don't think ktms are much different to any other manufacturer really. They all have common issues.

Is that factual? Are KTM as reliable as any Jap bike,they just get bad press?

I think they suffer like Ducati do with 'electronics', see @Bigyin last week with his Multi. @scottyuk has had a few electrical gremlins with his 1290GT... but it's rare you see horrific issues with KTMs if you ask me. It's more little niggles

I'd bet more people are put off them by the shape of the sticky out bits as much as theyre put off them for reliability issues.

Plastic tanks are a particular bugbear, but again, look at Ducati, Triumph etc too, they all suffer with the E5-10 fuel issues and tank problems.

[Numnut]

I don't think ktms are much different to any other manufacturer really. They all have common issues.

Is that factual? Are KTM as reliable as any Jap bike,they just get bad press?

I don't honestly know - I meant that say Fireblades have common issues - like cranks, oil burning, ABS issues etc. Some early 675 daytonas burnt some oil etc etc. There's always common issues with any model/manufacturer. Some get more publicity than others - you don't often hear people recommend you stay away from a fireblade because the abs used to be unreliable, but you mention a ktm and you hear a slew of reports about oil weeps.

How they actually compare with other manufacturers I haven't got a clue, I don't read about any more issues on ktm forums than I do on R1, Zx6 or fireblade ones!

Edit: I also own a Qashqai +2 - so I'm probably just blind to issues and a glutton for punishment or stupidly optimistic!

[Skub]

Maybe the internet and owner's forums blow the issues out of proportion?

[weeksy]

Maybe the internet and owner's forums blow the issues out of proportion?

I think the KTM owners are passionate and their forums get a fair bit of traffic compared to some, so you get to see more..

Don't get me wrong, they're not faultless..

[Wossname]

Are they really that good for owners to willingly endure ongoing reliability issues,even from new?

I think that applies to all manufacturers' bikes, not just KTM. BMW owners go back again and again, in spite of horror stories about electronic failures and some biggies like "do not ride your brand new R1200RT until we've replaced some important bits". Who would buy a Ducati , or an Aprilia? Jap brands generally seem to do better than most. Honda has a relatively good rep, but make a range of tedious bikes at the mo. (imo, obv).

It's not good that you can spend £15-20k on a bike, and still not get the reliability you'd expect from a car of that value. The answer is to refuse to buy the bikes. Count me out on that!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I had a 1986 KTM 250, the bits made by KTM were good, the bits made by White Power weren't as good (this was before KTM owned White Power)

[Taipan]

I've had more costly problems with BMWs than KTMs.

[weeksy]

DSC00874 (2) by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

One of my all time favourites.

[mangocrazy]

I've only owned one KTM (a 2017 Duke 690 R), and it's probably the most 'fun' bike I've ever owned (along with my old 350LC). It probably sounds weird, but the LC is the bike it feels closest to in terms of attitude. There's definitely a dash of hooligan in every KTM's DNA.

The only issue I experienced was snatchy low down fuelling. This may well have been me being overly picky as others haven't experienced this. The bike also had two recalls, one for the front brake master cylinder, another for a fuel tank seal. I hadn't noticed any problem with either, but they were done as safety recalls so I was happy to get them done (F.o.C of course). I haven't put enough miles on it to give a view on longevity, but it certainly feels well put together. The only thing I would say is that if you're considering ownership, get yourself a good set of Torx drivers. They''re everywhere on the bike.

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