KTM Camshaft Failures are WAY WORSE than we thought...

[@seanbarnes5788]

I purchased the 2024 1390 evo, rode the bike for 640 miles over the first 3 weeks of ownership. Took the bike in for its first service. Got the bike back same day, jumped on the highway and bike wouldn’t go past 7k rpm. Bike would just sputter and cut power. Took the bike back to the dealer where it has spent the last 3 months trying to fix the issue. Just got the bike back today after they replaced both front and rear camshafts and a host of other parts. This is my first Ktm and will definitely be my last. I expected so much more from a 24 thousand dollar bike.

[@haico1992]

eh...sound like they haven't remove rev limit in first service yet. It's dealership's fault

[@kauko8124]

@@haico1992 doesnt sound like there was a limit before the service?

[@haico1992]

@@kauko8124 I think they fucked up the software procedure, because the break in rev limiter is precisely 7000rpm

why would you buy that shit if you can buy M1000R for the same price?

[@erixlast6020]

Bmw 1000srrt also know for camshaft problems 😅😅😅

[@caseyddr]

No surprise, just KTM doing KTM things. Gotta keep that horribly unreliable reputation steady.

[@ellwoodwolf]

Simps don't care.

[@kingcrust]

hahaha brilliant

[@m.rsteengrei3569]

The quality of the ride makes up for it.

[@baconder3.]

I never had a problem with 3gasgas350f and 690enduro r

[@hassehasse5002]

Isnt cf moto i making the engines for ktm?

[@zaphodbeeblebrox4574]

Moral of the story: Do not buy KTMs until the factory admits the problem and states what they will do about it.

[@Napoleon_Blownapart]

*Do not buy chinese crap

[@troychilds6050]

They've NEVER admitted their 20k mile fuel pumps are faulty.

[@martyn94ma]

There's last 3 year financial years say it all 😂

[@leonardoeloi]

I was really considering the 890 adventure but after reading so much about this camshaft gate I decided to go to the Ducati Desertx and I don't regret a second.

[@michaelgilliar56]

Correction. Never buy a KTM... Period

[@crylater1488]

As a KTM rider (2019 RC390), I will never understand how KTM manages to make great handling and imo good-looking machines, while completely ruining everything else about and around them...

[@Chevsilverado]

For real. These issues aren’t even due to bad qc much of the time, just shitty engine design. It shouldn’t be hard for a company as big as Ktm to figure out how to design an engine that doesn’t kill itself. Doesn’t help that qc is also bad too on the street bikes. It’s not hard to get factories to produce decent stuff even if it’s in china or India. It’d cost them like a few percent in margins to fix the main qc issues.

[@pauln6803]

Bean counters and shareholders. The motorcycle market has been contracting in the West due to the knock on effects of the 2007 financial crisis and COVID. Also the Chinese are muscling in on the small to middleweight sector, further decreasing the pot of cash for European and Japanese companies. KTM was in deep financial trouble a while back, needing further investment. Whilst this has allowed KTM to stay afloat and invest in R&D, I suspect there has been calls to cut costs which has led to outsourcing to ever cheaper suppliers and pressure to refuse warranty claims. Let's take the well known issues with cam failures on the LC8c parallel twin (not to be confused with the LC8 V-Twin). It would seem upon investigation (shout out to Matt - Dirty Garage Guy KZbin channel) the oil feed has a misaligned cross drill. Now I would imagine KTM has outsourced the manufacturing processes (very common in this day and age), and whatever company is milling the heads has sloppy processes for drilling the oil feed, leading to misalignment of the channels. The cross drilling process has to be tight as a gnat's chuff for the oil feed channels to match up, and on many heads it is not, which is leading to poor oil feed to the top end, resulting in premature cam wear and major problems. Generally, the better the engineering firm, the better their practices (better tooling, allowed tolerances and workforce training) and the more they will charge - get what you pay for. I would also suspect KTM has poor QC at the Mattighofen factory. I've seen companies fail due to poor processes and lack of investment in their staff and facilities. Everything I see occurring with KTM reeks of a company in a downward spiral. It's a shame really as the various design teams have shown some innovative work over the years, from practically defining the template for what a road legal supermoto should be, to the first (and only) superbike with fully adjustable ergonomics of the RC8.

[@TGChauuncyy]

I have a 23 390. You don’t recall ever having any startup issues where you turn the key and nothing happens so you gotta kick into second gear and running start the bike with a clutch drop.? it’s pissing me off

[@Chevsilverado]

@@TGChauuncyy Nope but from what I’ve learnt it’s usually the battery on these things even if it doesn’t seem like it

[@erixlast6020]

1290 gen 1 ❤

[@JohnSmith-xl8oi]

A written warranty cannot be issued in the United States that specifies that a consumer MUST have maintenance performed by a single specific entity.

[@claqyagami6914]

unfortunately the law is not enforced. YOu should watch Louis Rossmann to see him rant about this.

[@oiBliz]

Same in Australia but it is enforced here

[@coarsegoldkid]

You'll need a lawyer no matter what the law says. KTM knows it's going cost more for the lawyer than the cost to repair the bike.

[@GenghisKhanrad]

@@claqyagami6914 Could you post the link, please? I love Louis' videos but don't think I've seen that one.

[@claqyagami6914]

@@GenghisKhanrad can't remmber which one specifically, he brings it up all the time though. He has done so many rants lately it's hard to keep track. Sorry.

[@Motocentrick]

The oil screen will only reduce oil flow, it's just there to collect all the metal from the cam shafts haha

[@dixoncider7256]

😀

[@kenwise4596]

Been a bike mechanic since 1990 and have lots of experience with every brand metric and American and that oil screen line got me. I can't think of any manufacturer that uses oil screens anymore other than KTM. Every service they replace the screens at great cost to the customer instead if just cleaning them. Every other manufacturer just uses a filter on most models. Seen lots of cross threaded bolts on the smaller KTM models they seem cheap and sloppy with the fit and finish.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Funny how metal rubbing on metal with insufficient lubrication, the metal still gets blamed.

[@jakevarilek1455]

Well this is a super fun video to watch after buying a new Duke 890 R five months ago.

[@10fantic]

@@jakevarilek1455 thoughts and prayers, bro

[@ramanjahni]

Get rid of it before hitting high mileage and it decides to fall apart, trade it in for something else at secondhand dealer perhaps. It's what i did, i don't want to be living in stress waiting for it to happen and then having to deal with it. Besides the cam shaft issue the build quality was below expectations and other weird gremlins and issues showed up all the time. I ride my bike every day to work and back, i want something stress free that, if i take proper care of it, will function properly.

[@valebliz]

Sell it, buy an mt09.

[@charlesbatsold31]

Why I got the new 8s. I’ll be going mt10, ZH2 or streetfighter next season. Want more highway passing speed. 👻

[@CharlieboySLONDON]

Don't worry , I've had a 890R for 4 years (2020) ripped it every weekend and only had the thermostat housing leak which was easily fixed with a gasket sealant. The biggest downside to this whole "camshaft failure" story is it's hammered the resale value. I also own a Mt09, nothing compares to the 890R , the bike is unbelievable, and for this reason I'll take the camshaft replacement when needed.

[@brumfiba]

As an owner of a 500excf which has been completely problem free, I can say this will probably be my last KTM. This company makes some pretty baffling decisions.

[@prezo1975]

Since 1995 lve had around 15 ktms, exc's, SDR, smcr, 690 enduro, been fairly lucky only a few minor issues BUT with what's goin on atm l am now starting to look at other brands. Just bought a mt09sp great little bike and l know it won't let me down. Just wish there was a Japanese version of the 690 enduro.. it rips.

[@pauln6803]

​@@prezo1975 I've been screaming for a road going Japanese supermoto that isn't a wheezy old lump in an overweight, soggy chassis with underwhelming brakes. My RC8R is still going strong (a few minor electrical niggles along the way) after a decade of ownership. It's the only dealership in the county's attitude and the reluctance of independents to work on a KTM that means I will no longer consider another KTM. The company's attitude towards warranty claims is also poor in my opinion. All my bikes have been pre owned, so I've never had to call on KTM themselves, but given how I've seen my local's attitude to customer service change (labour price has rocketed whilst customer service has plummeted), I'll be passing on a potential 690 SMC purchase.

[@dxquinnno]

the reed cage in the airbox, lean A/F ratio, fuel injected bike that literally flames out, 39hp for such an expensive price, no rim locks 💀

[@christophervillarreal8565]

Dude I have 2020 250sx 2021 125sx 2021 250sxf and 2022 450sxf and they’re all so good and problem free but I too probably won’t be buying anymore with what direction they’re going in

[@wandaddy1412]

Man I had a 790 ADV and sold it. It was a great bike to ride but I just wanted something less finicky. That being said, I just got an email from KTM this morning saying the following: “ Please visit your authorized KTM dealer, in case you have experienced the following symptoms: poor starting behaviour, clearly audible, unusual running noises from the engine and noticeably reduced engine power. If the camshafts are found to be damaged during an inspection by an authorized KTM dealer, they will be replaced. The cost of replacing damaged camshafts will be borne by KTM under the goodwill scheme.”

[@MMG6666]

Hola, igual me ha pasado a mi, también recibí el correo. Llevo la moto al taller en octubre. Vamos a ver si no me cuesta dinero...

[@machupikachu1085]

LOL 'scheme' is right!

[@maxostrowski5269]

Despite all the frustration we’ve all had, it feels good to see someone with a platform to recognize our struggles, someone with over 1.4 million followers. I hope this forces KTM to address this issue.

[@Surrender2TheFlow]

it did.....BOOM

[@AsyncVoid]

The camshaft does last the life of the engine, the camshaft dies, the engine dies

[@alfredk471]

😆

[@88Heckenlively]

LOOOOL

[@VMAdventures88]

Maybe we should arrange a class action lawsuit with the hundreds of dogshit they sold us.

[@QuickShiftMoto1]

That as a matter of fact is the only thing that would make a difference here and force KTM to make eye contact with the issue and deal with it.

[@VMAdventures88]

@@QuickShiftMoto1 My trash had it's head warped at 1500 miles. Leaks from day one. Absolute GARBAGE!

[@lonniecross4698]

The only people that benefit from class action are the lawyers.

[@luiscardozo0000]

you have lots of japanese hi quality bikes to choose what kind mechanic told you to buy a ktm or other kind of garbage ...always when you buy a car or a bike ask your trusty mechanic dont be fooled

[@VMAdventures88]

@@luiscardozo0000 Yeah I fucked up but bought an MT10 SP to fix my mistake.

[@nate126]

Had a KTM 790 Duke 2018 had the camshaft issue , fixed it over $1000 later . Traded it in for a Z900rs 2024 . Can't be happier

[@MrSillycyA]

As someone with a 22 1290 super duke I can confirm my bike has been a pain in my ass and is currently in the shop for engine issues 😢

[@aaaaaaaa7365]

Walterific has been having a lot of issues with his but mostly electrical I believe

[@greatasses]

ouch, a year 2022 with engine issues.....I had a 1983 interceptor....you don't see any of those around...at all. Premature engine issues are nothing new to motorcycles...better luck next time....I went with Yamaha...for that reason alone....

[@MrSillycyA]

@@aaaaaaaa7365 im also about to have the whole harness replaced for the second time now aswell

[@harley5881]

@@greatasses Yep love my 23 MT-09 SP (Yamaha) Would be so pissed to have this major engine issues on a new bike.

[@dannypotts6358]

As a 390 and 890 Duke owner I haven’t had any issues yet other then the stupid quick shifter in my bike needing to be reset by the tech apparently every so often. Fingers crossed, only 2.5k on the 890 so far.

[@karcky]

790 owner here, camshaft replaced at 30k kms. Selling it right away and never buy a ktm again.

[@garydossett6688]

What year 790 did you have?

[@tmpearson3034]

Wath year?

[@Throttle_Reaper]

I would like to tell everyone that Bajaj Autos does not manufacture any KTM over the 390 series. The 790 and 890 are produced by CF moto in China. The new 390 has been remarkably reliable, Bajaj has been making some of the highest quality product for the past few years now even the Triumph 400 are of flagship quality. So I'd recommend Yammi to know where certain models of a bike are being made so as not to spread any misconceptions about the manufacturing quality of "All KTM's" Edit- I got to know by the comments that only the 790's are being produced by CF Moto and not the 890's

[@edgarm2036]

In fact only the duke and adventure 790, the 890s are not longer being produced, and they were produced just in Austria

[@RYwoodview]

I was pleased to learn that my new 2023 KTM 390 Adventure was assembled in India. I would not have felt the same about Chinese assembly. And I am glad it has a unique motor unrelated to the 790/890 series.

[@ItsJustJussi]

@@edgarm2036 Yeah, came here to say this that my 890R has a Austrian vin code and was made in Austria. If the issue with the engines is a design issue with the cam oil squirters like many claim, it's not going to matter where the engines or bikes were made.

[@sa4555]

@Motor_.MantraYT My Duke 390 was made in India and it was a piece of junk. Pretty much everything broke, except for the motor which lasted around 50k before started to leak oil. My 690 was the only duke that didn't have much issues, 790 was something I got rid of within a few months.,and at that point I was pretty much done with the brand. 390 had a manufacturing problem, 790 had a design problem. Bajaj was to be blamed for pre 2018 duke issues, and after that its all on KTM. By the way people complaining about "Chinese" reliability issue might not know but CFMoto had been making kawasaki versys engines as well. Its one of the most reliable engine out there, they are also in partnership with Yamaha now. But keep on living with your prejudices, it will only hurt your wallet.

[@phatnum17]

CF Moto never produced the 890 only the 790

[@YYTRiD]

When I had dropped off my bike for service, my local shop had a brand new 1390 on the floor. I talked to one of the sales guys about it and he said it was just delivered for someone. that same week I was picking up my bike and while waiting for them to bring it out their service guy rolls up in the service truck with that 1390 in the back. They said the engine had seized up.

[@MrFagawi]

thats why I bought a 2023 1290 SDR got a discount too 4 year warranty down from 21500 Eoros to 16000 cant go wrong there have 11000km on it sofar and NO problem

[@MrFagawi]

AND it was built and assembled in Austria

[@hossman8499]

@@MrFagawi Same. I wanted the new 1390, but found a used 22 1290 Evo with 600 miles on it and like 4k in addons for 15K with a 4 year warranty. Didnt trust that new vtec.

[@gilvietor1918]

@@MrFagawimy 23 SD GT was a software problem child, watch yourself

[@salsadurauk]

⁠@@MrFagawihahahah that’s me too 🫶🙌🏻 I saved a tone of money and have now 5k miles on the clock no issues fantastic bike love my Superduke 1290 2023🔥

[@dubsgrubz659]

Bought a 2024 390, put 70 miles on it and it broke down. When the dealership got it they said it was a battery connection issue and id have it back in a day or so. A day or so later, turns out they had no idea what the issue was. It sat there for TWO MONTHS. Turns out, they put 3 different engines in the collective 2024 390 models and didn't let anyone know. Unfortunately the bike itself is still just meh even after "fixing it". Gonna use it to teach my wife how to ride and once shes comfortable we're either turning it in or lighting it on fire and sending it back to KTM.

[@pauln6803]

Of course the 390 is "meh", it's primarily a built down to a price design for Asian markets who think 30 or so horsepower and anything without drum brakes is a performance machine. For the (growing) Indian market, the Bajaj made KTMs broke the mold, offering light weight, braking performance, engine power and a chassis that was beyond anything else realistically available. Reliability...? NEXT! In terms of what the Western markets consider "performance"? Well it's no Panigale V4, but they were class leaders due to the demise of the two strokes and the Japanese ignoring the small capacity sector. I had a 390 on loan when my RC8R was in for service, and although it was very unnerving to no longer be able to see past cars and the brakes were terrifying after being used to the factory 320mm M4 Brembo setup and aftermarket Accossato racing master cylinder (adding fine control to the power of the OEM Brembo calipers), it just about coped for a week with my 6'5" frame dragging the pegs and thrashing it up and down British A-roads. I'd never want anything with a seat that low or lacking in torque, but it was alright for what it was.

[@kennywheelus6857]

@@dubsgrubz659 ,damn that's a shame,I was about to pull the trigger at a dealership a bit from that has KTM dukes,the brand new 2024,well I guess I'm buying a Honda hornet cb 500 2023 2024 model for the price.

[@ChrisSauer-oe5ve]

I have same attitude as you 💯🤣🔥🔥🔥👍

[@pauln6803]

​@Roadscore The 125-390 range is made in India by Bajaj Auto. It's primarily the LC4c parallel twin bikes that are now made in partnership with CF Moto in China, although more production is set to move from Austria to China.

[@B5anto5]

KTM790 Adventure 2019 owner here, ~52000 KMs under the belt, last trip to the Pyrenees did around 3000KMs in 5 days, no issues, love the bike.

[@ronaldoleon48]

You're one of the few exceptions not the rule.

[@B5anto5]

@@ronaldoleon48 source - "voices in my head"

[@ronaldoleon48]

Source - I owned a duke 890r😮

[@B5anto5]

@@ronaldoleon48right, so between us the sample shows a 50/50 probability, quite different from “the great majority” 😂

[@ronaldoleon48]

@@B5anto5 you're in denial, they're great bikes to ride, that doesn't mean we should consider then 'reliable'. Look at any KTM forum and you'll see quite a few people have issues

[@rafiqrahmat3772]

Thanks yammie for putting this out. 790 2020 owner here. 32,000 km milage and ive had 2 cam replacements. Not only that, their gasket keeps leaking and thats normal from what they said because its ktm.Nevertheless, its a fun bike but very very bad reliability. Hope ktm will take some action by providing discounted cams price repairs for us to keep these bikes running on the road

[@cirneco1581]

Im 53, rode many bikes over the years, my experience and seeing other KTM riders, they do not appear to be on par with most other manufacturers as far as reliability. And in my opinion you cant even compare it to the reliability of the big 4 Japanese, no comparison, Italian bikes although not as reliable as japanese are much more reliable in my opinion than KTM. CF moto has alot to prove yet, and Indian made bikes the same. People on you tube saying no issues with thos bike or that bike doesnt compare to 40 years of unbiased experience and riding bikes. Sorry guys experience trumps all. I honestly wish they were more reliable, but lets face it riding bikes for most of us is a hobby, not a necessity. I dont need my hobby to be anymore expensive due to unreliability. This is 2024 not 1980.

[@gasdive]

Riding is how I go places. It's not a hobby. I need my bike to just work because people are expecting me to arrive when I say I'm going to arrive. So I have a V-Strom though I could have bought a KTM. I leave my house expecting to get where I'm going.

[@Talishar]

CF Moto has been making KTM motors for a while. I'll wager that the reason why we're seeing some but not all motors have these issues has to do with the lack of quality control form CF Moto. They can probably make some good ones, but it's extremely hit or miss.

[@gasdive]

@@Talishar I saw similar issues with KTMs in the 90's. Long before CFMoto had anything to do with KTM. Cam wear, bad bearings, poor quality metals, not honouring warranty.

[@Talishar]

@@gasdive It's only gotten worse since their manufacturing went "international." They were at least considered about average for a European manufacturer and European manufacturers were considered extremely high maintenance, relatively low reliability but extremely high performance. They'd engineer their performance to the absolute ragged edge and durability and reliability took a back seat. BMW/Aprilia was/is guilty of this as well. The only European brand that seems to really be pulling back and regauging how they fundamentally do things is Triumph. Compared to the rest, they've detuned a lot of their engines to maximize reliability at the detriment of raw performance. I find a lot of Triumphs now to be relatively boring and trying to meet the Japanese at their level in the oddest ways possible. Like they're trying to emulate Hondas but in a quirky, confused sort of way.

[@gasdive]

@@Talishar that's a very clear summary of what we have now, and I agree completely. To a certain extent trading reliability for light weight and performance was a good trade for a "ready to race" brand, but no one is racing a 790 or 890. They're travel bikes. People travelled on 690's and they realised that they were basically race bikes and accepted that they might need rebuilding in Bogotá or Ulaanbaatar, and that's ok. That just isn't going to fly with big travel bikes. KTM doesn't seem to realise that and it's no wonder their stock prices are plummeting.

[@Daentus]

Here's how KTM isn't lying (exactly), but also is experiencing cam wear. The aforementioned "poor machining" would be noted before or during assembly and that part would be rejected during QC checks. The problem would more likely be due to ineffective heat treatment of the parts. Camshafts can have some very extreme requirements due to the stresses and long expected lifespan of the part. There are sections of the camshaft that must be softer and more flexible and sections that must be extremely hard but therefore brittle. Getting these qualities in the same part is possible with quality heat treatment. Testing is performed to verify the hardness profiles of these parts, but the standard is not to fully test every part. They are tested in batches with a representative test piece being sacrificed for the certification of the batch. My opinion is that there are vendor issues that KTM needs to investigate and own up to. Will they? Well, that depends on how much money they think the bad press will bring. Unfortunately, this means I am going to eye new KTM and Husqvarna products with deep suspicion while also being in the market for a new ride.

[@David0ffski]

This comment makes most sense, from a technical and a business point of view. A conscious decision to rip off customers will break up every company in the long run, so why would they do that?

[@StefanKing]

@@David0ffski "The long run" no longer matters to these decision-makers: company executives are likely motivated by bonuses based on quarterly or annual results-corporate culture matters. In Japan, employees still have life-long careers at the same company, incentivizing honorable behavior at any level in the company hierarchy.

[@Talishar]

QC probably isn't very good because these motors (LC8 series) isn't made by KTM but by CF Moto. That includes the cams and all of the raw materials. They're sourced in China. it's also why we're seeing similar issues starting to crop up among CF Moto owners of QC issues. People give them a pass because they're a Chinese company and "new" to making bikes, even though they've been doing it for decades in China. The irony is, nobody in China would buy one if they had the money and access to buy an import. Chinese foundries have a long and well earned reputation for being garbage and producing some of the worst quality metals in the world. Even when they're forced to try hard and make proper, high-quality composites and the like, they can't. It's why they have an extremely tough time making advanced jet engines that much of the West and Japan can do on a regular basis. They don't have a strong base in good metallurgy and have passed by being cheap, not good.

[@victorparks5378]

Improper camshaft hardening and/or possible oiling issues seems to be the most logical explanation.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION OF CAMSHAFTS. That's the issue. Stop asking metal to rub on metal without enough lubrication, and then rip on KTM for choosing bad steel, bad surface hardness, bad surface finishing, blah blah blah. Ain't no camshaft material going to withstand insufficient lubrication.

[@LooxJJ]

I did not trust my 890 AR to go adventure riding alone. That says a lot about whether you should buy KTM or not.

[@yellowflash511]

Probably true. Although I do wanna set the record straight that this is a KTM thing not a Bajaj thing. Even here in Bharat (known outside as India) KTM are considered as unreliable because they run their engines at absolute limits so their life span tops out at about 50-100k kilometres. While that's not the case for Bajaj bikes people use them for decades and it's fine. In fact I myself have a Bajaj Pulsar NS200 I got in highschool and it still works no problem, over a decade later. In that decade some of my friends have had to switch bikes because their KTM Duke died. *Edit:* Many Bajaj bikes use KTM engines (like ns200, rs200 and ns400z) but slightly detuned to increase reliability while KTM cranks them up to maximize performance. I recently got a Pulsar NS400Z, it has the previous gen's Duke 390 engine which makes a bit less power, so the same thing it'll result in better reliability.

[@k.akshay3200]

Valid comment🤝🤝

[@RAHULPAREEK-j9p]

bro ns400z and ktm duke has no relation apart from lower part design being same

[@kentalanlee]

Thanks for writing this. I was just about to wring out a similar diatribe. Saved me the effort. KTM frequently makes design decisions based upon the principle that wearing out early is ok, as long as performance output goals are met. It's been this way forever. So when people recommend their bikes, I'm like, "You are a squirrel with ADHD? Yeah, knock yourself out!" If you are looking for a bottle rocket that dies mid-flight, you are good.

[@k.akshay3200]

@@RAHULPAREEK-j9p No man, KTM is in partnership with Bajaj auto so they share parts for bikes and most of their RnD. KTM duke/RC 390's 373cc Engine is the same as the NS400z, but the Ns400z's engine is slightly de-tuned to give better mileage. Same applies for the lesser cc models of Ns,Rs,As bikes of Bajaj. They all share the KTM engines. Thats the purpose of a Joint venture with two different companies. Also keep in mind that Bajaj owns almost half of the KTM company, It makes sense that Bajaj will use KTM engines for their own motorcycles.

[@RAHULPAREEK-j9p]

@@k.akshay3200 ns400z/dominar engine piston and head is of cast iron and steel not made up of alloy/aluminum and coated like ktm which is much lighter apart from lower part design nothing is same between the two engine not even the power they produce

[@msd85TvT]

KTM just had an unprecedented discount on their 2023 models here in my country, almost 30 to 40% off in some models,. Almost purchased an 890 adv as well….kinda glad I didn’t bite.

[@ItsJustJussi]

Many US dealers too. Bought a 890R 2 months ago for about 30% off MSRP. Lets see if I'm going to regret that decission. Didn't know about the cam issues at the time, or more that it was a issue that affected a small amount of bikes but didn't know that it is common.

[@shanemoto97]

@@ItsJustJussiktm always has massive sales on year old models, nothing new there

[@edouardl2]

Actually, i did buy a 790 because of the discount. If i face a camshaft issue, the discount will more than cover the cost of the repair. This was my calculation at the time and I still think it is a good gamble. As a counterpart, you got an ugly motorcycle but a joy to drive. This is also part of the way things are, you cannot have pushed engines to be more reliable than Japanese ones. KTM owners are purchasing bikes they will push to the max. on road and off road, this will lead to mechanical problems always this is a fact of life whatever the brand. I do consider too that when you purchase a fragile bike, you must follow guidelines and use an official agent to do the maintenance. It is part of the game, if you want something totally reliable purchase a T7 but you won't have the same joy to ride. Just look at the compression ration on 790(12.5), 890 (13.5) and T7 (11.5), this clearly shows you which engine will fail first. I am quite sure the CF moto using detuned KTM engine will have far less problems but won't be so fun. To conclude, KTM has behaved more than poorly on this issue, this is obvious and i hope they will really do something about it but as we say in my country, you cannot shave for free and when you purchase this brand you know where you are going.

[@scott9334]

If it helps, I have an early (2019) model 790 adventure. Camshaft was replaced at 24000 km. Bike is now at 89000, running well, and got a clean bill of health at the third valve and top end check. The main thing that I do is change the oil every 5k instead of 15k. I also ride it very aggressively - my hunch is that the KTM owners take the marketing slogan seriously for riding but not the maintenance intervals.

[@ItsJustJussi]

@@scott9334 I'm sure the cam issues in general is not for 100% of the LC8 engines but all ways a good idea to hedge bets. The oil change interval makes sense, I do the same on my perf cars. On a bike it's even easier and cheaper to do at home.

[@Driftuner]

Customers and "fanboys" are partially to be blamed. People are so "brand-loyal" that they will defend a brand with nails and teeth, even though they are pretty much paying euro prices for chinese bikes. Case in Point? Ktms. Another example? Bmw 900Gs, or should i say Loncin Vogue DX? Yet another example? Everyone going crazy over the new 1300GS, while the bike already has 9 admited hard faults from bmw (regardless of the ones they wont admit or recall) in less than 6 months of production. Some of them even considered catastrophic failures. But hey, ppl are so stupid and so hungry for the status of riding a ktm or a beemer that they will pay full price for this crap and be proud about it. Bmw for example is so freaking incompetent, that after all the thousends of failed shaft drives on older models, they just decided to declare the shaft drive of the new 1300GS a "wear and tear" part. In other words, you will have to replace your shaft drive at some point and obviously pay for it. Ridiculous......but hey, fanboys are fanboys, and there is absolutely nothing you can tell these people...they will find excuses for everything

[@GenghisKhan311]

The m1000r/rr blowing up too!

[@Driftuner]

@@GenghisKhan311 yeah unfortunately i know, i had one of those first S1000 when it first came out. Cylinder head didnt last 30k. Bmw didnt want to pay for it

[@kennywheelus6857]

@@Driftuner ,I'm gonna go with a Honda hornet cb 500 now

[@gasdive]

It's a weird thing where people just hand their loyalty to some corporate entity that literally couldn't care less if you live or die. The Dieselgate was the worst. Thousands of fanbois came out of the woodwork going "stop being mean to my friend, so what if they've literally killed thousands of people, I love them and you're meanies"

[@MajorDrama1]

@@kennywheelus6857 Hahaha! That bad huh?! These stories really got you spooked in that case!

[@edgardocenteno4618]

I will NEVER get tired of telling people to stay away from KTM. I have worked at a certified KTM dealer and there’s always at least 5 bikes with MAJOR problems sitting in line. You name it, it happens, electrical, mechanical, software, etc. they’re overpriced for what they are and one can get so many better and or more affordable machines instead of a Kick Till Midnight.

[@hisride]

Do you have any experiences with the old 990 super duke? im looking to get one

[@Kllrkrtt309]

Could say the same about a lot of other makes and models..

[@olle209]

Hi, how about the 1090R? Engine seems solid or?

[@88Heckenlively]

​@@hisride I had an 08 Super Duke that I bought new from Scuderia West in San Francisco - put 20k miles on it and traded it in 2015 - huge regret. Wish I'd kept it. From commuting to track days to ripping up the canyons on the weekend - 990 SD was a stupid fun bike. Wheelie machine from light to light. I find myself looking on CL or FB for a used one but they're always abused clapped-out pos. If you can find one in good condition go for it.

[@hisride]

@@88Heckenlively yeah thats the vibe i got from all the reviews. It is basically a revvier 1290 but because it looks 'old' it gets little attention. Ive seen some great deals on Rs when they pop up, just a bit of a waiting game to find one

[@bcgraham3512]

There is a design compromise when building an engine. You can have remarkable power output, you can have light weight, you can have long service intervals, you can have reliability, you can have longevity and you can have affordable price. But you can't have all of those together. There is a difference between a race engine and a street engine. Some guys have always wanted a race bike with lights and a licence plate they can use day in and day out. It doesn't exist. 'Ready to Race' is not a recipe for trouble-free ownership.

[@scott9334]

1000% - KTMs biggest issue here is a 15000k oil change interval on these engines. Especially when the bike is designed to be ridden hard - I’ve been doing 5000km oil changes since I noticed that I was passing 95% of riders and realised that this is closer to race than street use.

[@hoomancan.]

@@scott9334I have a 2024 790 duke that I put 5,200 miles in like 3 months. My service was scheduled for 4,600 miles I believe (oil and filter). So far so good.

[@deanmsimpson]

I don't understand how KTM have allowed the problem to get this far. Surely a newly designed engine is put on a test rig and run for a few hundred thousand miles. Then stripped down and analysed. Problems located, rectified, re-manufacturered, re-tested, re-analysed, repeat until correct. This is not their first rodeo. It's all about Quality Assurance.

[@TurdFerrguson]

Thanks for making us aware of this issue. KTM partially blaming the customer is shameful.

[@RealHooksy]

Consumer law in Australia mandates that all products sold here must be reasonably durable. That’s obviously a subjective thing, but it overrides any warranty commitment that any supplier makes. If your cams fail prematurely then make sure you keep pushing your dealer to rectify the issues at no cost to you and take them to consumer authorities if they won’t. Manufacturers don’t like class actions, so fixing known issues is their best strategy for many reasons.

[@motozz8258]

That will be two years of your life you will never get back , nightmare ! thats there other strategy is they know consumer law is not for the consumer in reality , you will loose 2 years at least running around in a frustrated circle and maybe get you rights of replacement . Sad , id love to see ktm be exposed for what they have always been , even a liable risk to saftey of consumers. Brake failures , fuel pumps on Motocross tracks , bar mounts braking and cracking . Throttle cbles jamming wide open on 2ts . Shockers , Billion dollar marketing of shit

[@DarrenStarr]

Absolutely great video Yammie. Spot on. Hard hitting points, completely factual and no fluff. As a 2019 Duke 790 owner, I've been terribly disappointed by the KTM stance. I was very close to getting a 1390 but I never expected such a big brand could act with such lack of integrity. It has led me to never want another KTM and I tell everyone I know to avoid them like the plague. My bike has been parked up since May, not running, it's not worth anything, 28,000 miles on it so just a lump of metal taking up space. Hugely disincentivising to ever buy from them again.

[@JinKazama92]

lol i'll buy it then

[@DarrenStarr]

@@JinKazama92 Lol the 1390 or 790?

[@JinKazama92]

@@DarrenStarr the 790

[@MajorDrama1]

Hard Hitting?! You are aware that was purely rant?? He didnt actually cite one number or percentage or even any first hand account of anything he'd seen!

[@itsmeagain1745]

I saw a strip down of a head not so long ago. The poster was saying the cams were fine (but chewed up). He pointed out that in his opinion, the oil feed was the problem. There is a vertical drilling that is then cross drilled at the bottom for the camshaft lobe oil feed. The cross drilling does not align properly with the vertical drilling thereby restricting the oil flow. He wanted to slice the head horizontally from top to bottom and look at the make up of the head. Unfortunately the owner needed the head in one piece for warranty claims...

[@pauln6803]

That would be Matt Hudson, AKA Dirty Garage Guy.

[@itsmeagain1745]

@@pauln6803 Thanks - I couldn't remember. Good his name comes forward.

[@z33tanner]

Could not imagine one of the big Japanese four to have an engine with this kind of wear issue get past testing and quality control. Then to continue producing it for years and then only admiting to some of the engine failures not all of them!

[@appymarley]

Honda managed it

[@pauln6803]

​@@appymarley VF chocolate cams anyone? The big H also suffered quite a few cam chain tensioners and regulator/rectifier issues across many bikes over the years. That's not to say Honda's were bad, but they were weak points which Honda didn't really address for years.

[@AZFarmFun-hp1cu]

Take a look at 2002-2005 CRF450R Honda engines. Those were popping like 4th of July back in the day. Honda didn’t get the 450 reliable until 2006. The 2006 KX450 burned camshafts too.

[@Talishar]

@@pauln6803 To be fair to the regulator/rectifier issue, those weren't made by Honda. In fact, nearly every single major motorcycle manufacturer sub-contracts from the same manufacturer for stators and regulator/rectifiers. Nearly all of them get them from DENSO. Which is why when you have a rare regulator/rectifier recall, you'll often see many other brands on that list. It's a separate issue from Suzuki who used to put their MOSFET R/Rs behind the radiator and next to the headers and then you'd hear about R/Rs burning out repeatedly killing batteries and frying ECUs on GSXRs.

[@Mediarahan003]

The KLR had the doohickey issue for like a decade and a half.

[@Hajtosek]

Friend has 2019/20 ish adventure 790. 2nd engine, 4th head. Once the shavings of the camshaft messed up whole engine.

[@lifepolicy]

The only neutral source I found that tested the camshaft hardness said it was in spec. If that is true it comes down to poor design or bad manufacturing quality regarding the oil-circle. Which makes it even worse.

[@jimstenlund6017]

What oil does KTM recommend?

[@charlesbatsold31]

Or their spec is wrong. Happens

[@pauln6803]

See Dirty Garage Guy's (formerly "The Workshop") video on the subject. The head that Matt sent away for analysis turned up an issue with misalignment of the oil feed. Seems the cross drilling for the feeds are poorly aligned, causing poor oil feed to the cams, resulting in premature wear.

[@lifepolicy]

@@charlesbatsold31 I would add that to bad design. After decades of camshaft manufacturing, one might think people know the specs and what works and what not.

[@lifepolicy]

@@pauln6803 as I commented under that specific video I (and many others) don't think this is the actual problem. But we will see (maybe).

[@dhc8guru]

No I do not have a KTM, I’m an informed consumer and would never buy their junk. Way back when the movie “Long Way Round” came out, KTM wouldn’t let them use KTM motorcycles. Charlie and Ewan were disappointed but all the viewers knew those bikes would leave them stranded and same with KTM. I give KTM a few years before they are out of business. The combination of laggy economy, high interest rates and KTM being not only being in poor financial but also poor customer support will end them. Even the KTM fan boys and girls are wearing thin on standing up for them is running out.

[@richardsimpson3792]

And C & E had no tech problems with their BMWs? :) They broke down so often, the camera man switched to a used USSR-built 2-stroke, which was more reliable

[@DanilErofeev]

​@@richardsimpson3792that's not true though, when you break your frame by falling on a rock it's not a reliability issue

[@richardsimpson3792]

@@DanilErofeev The BMs used by E&C suffered repeated suspension failures, broken frames and electronic issues. A mate of mine works in motorcycle recovery/transport and says he has to recover more BMW than any other make. Usually CANbus related issues, that can only be fixed by 'main dealer magic'.

[@jimmytorello7041]

KTM 390 platform will always keep them in business.

[@tedecker3792]

Poor heat treatment? My friend was a Studebaker dealer back in the day. He took a factory tour, and during a walkthrough of the engine factory. When looking at camshafts being heat treated while rotating over small blue flames, he noticed a couple of the flames were not working. When he pointed this out to the tour guide, he was told not to worry about it.

[@OtisFlint]

Can't believe I had to read this far to find this comment. It's a hardness issue, period.

[@pauln6803]

​@@OtisFlint Nope. The hardening appears to be fine. It seems that the blame seems to fall on misaligned cross drilling of the oil feed passages, leading to inadequate lubrication of the cam lobes. There's been a metric shit tonne of speculation, but Matt Hudson (KZbin channel Dirty Garage Guy) got in touch with one poor sod who was affected. Matt's background is in engineering, and he tested the cams for hardening and looked at the head design before sending it away for a proper analysis. I kinda wish he'd asked for donations to refund the owner the costs and keep the head for a full cross section video, as KTM wants the head back as part of the settlement deal with Charlie, the owner. But yeah, it does indeed seem to be an oil feed issue.

[@mrmeeks222]

@@pauln6803 Im assuming it will be fixed going forward but now I'm just going to have a cast of doubt in my mind

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Insufficient lubrication. Even shafts make of carbide wouldn't withstand insufficient lubrication. Turns out that valve springs are stiff, and opening a valve against a cylinder with expanding gasses also takes pressure.

[@chasefreasier3357]

My ktm 450 sxf has had a fuel pump, stator and now needs fork seals and it’s only got 7 hours on it🤣

[@dixoncider7256]

Thats like two weekends of riding. ☹

[@chasefreasier3357]

@@dixoncider7256 I think I got 1 full ride day and the rest were problems

[@depthjunkie1]

Well for balance my husky fc350 that I purchased new in 2021 has 78 hours on it and has been bullet proof. I’ve Never opened the engine up and have Only just carried out oil and filter changes as recommended and fresh air filter each day of riding. Along with usual maintenance of chains and sprockets etc as they wear. The only thing that failed that was an easy repair by myself was the cheese wire wiring on the starter button failed and broke along with the crappy connector for the start button to the loom corrosion and failed. Easy fix by cutting it out completely and reconnecting the starter button directly to the loom.

[@SPENJERE]

Thank you for this exposure, I wish more youtubers would give this issue as much attention as possible until the issue is properly addressed. Such a problem should never happen on any bike, let alone ones with such a premium price tag.

[@RobertKehl]

I think ktm ripped us off on this bike. After all these videos it’s going to be hard to sell this bike.

[@bradl45]

Family friend has a 1 1/2 year old Norden 901, has cam issues, dealer said maintained not good enough, no warentee, but $7k up front, dealer will rebuild. 😢😢

[@RichPober]

Do NOT buy KTM 780 / 790. The camshaft wear is due to the omission of an oil-way in the original cylinder head design of the affected bikes. The KTM kit to remediate the cam failure includes a new cylinder head with an extra oil-way drilled in it, hence the new part number. UK dealers are gaslighting the KTM owners by disallowing warranty claims if the bike has not been dealer maintained.

[@giuliobuccini208]

There is a design error in the 790/890 engine, and there is nothing you can do about it. Just wait for your engine to fail. The oil line that brings the oil to the jet sprayer lubricating the cammes is made of a vertical passage drilled into metal plus a second drlled passage angled with the first one. Unfortunately this two rectlinear passages are... not aligned! This means that they overlap only partially (around 50-60%) and the oil passage is greatly reduced. To make things worst the spray-jet is screwed in the second angled rectilinear segment, but it is so bulky that it partially cover the already reduced section area available for oil passage! At the end he overall section available for oil lubrication is around 20-30% of what it should be. The cams run almost dry. Search on youtube. A guy posted the results of an inspection executed by an engineer.

[@shimeji_app]

Very informative. Thanks

[@etruscanadv3296]

It is too early to attribute the issue to that. The nozzle of the sprayer is probably 5% of the total aperture. Every time the nozzle is restricted you get a loss in pressure, but the speed of the flow increases due to the conservation of mass. As long as there is sufficient pressure at the bottom of the line the system should work fine. If the problem was that it would be pretty easy to spot, since wear should be uniform on the affected lobes, but it is not. My theory ( I cannot back it up with evidence) is that some valves receed too much in their seats before the 18000 miles check, obstructing the oil from creating a film on the lobes. This would explain why it is unpredictable which lobe is affected, however as I said I have no proof of that.

[@giuliobuccini208]

@@etruscanadv3296 I know the Venturi effect. What I meant is different: the spray-jet is (correctly) narrowing the oil passage to increase speed, the problem is that the thread milled into the metal body of the camshaft is too long and the cylindrical body of the spray is deeply screwed until it stops. The problem is that the walls of the sprayer are very thick and are further covering the semicircular section available. In such conditions, even the increased speed of the oil cannot make miracles... not enough oil.

[@mrmeeks222]

Yes but apparently there is a new part number for the Head suggesting the part was updated to provide proper flow..

[@Edwordless]

Have a 2023 890r and it’s been in the shop 3 times. 3rd time was for a head oil leak at 3700miles and they found camshaft issues on inspection. Parts were all back ordered so I was without a hike for almost 3 months! Covered under warranty, but it was a long summer without my new bike!

[@rammallapragada4245]

I own a duke 390 , 2018 version , ridden 47000 km and then started a loud knocking sound ...checked it with the service center and was informed that the piston and cam shaft is the problem ....😢😢😢😢

[@digbywilkinson5565]

As a maintenance engineer, this cam issue isn't just a cam problem; it's a massive engine failure problem, and KTM knows it. Too many of KTM's cams wear anywhere between 0.5-3mm on the lobes within the first 10,000km, and all that material has been spread through the engine. If a car or truck came through the shop with metal in the filter, it would be an immediate engine teardown. Don't be fooled into thinking it's not in the gearbox bearings or the main and big end bearings - it will be. Only some of those engines have been thoroughly dismantled by dealers, and the damage has been hidden from the public, mainly because ordinary people won't pull them apart on KZbin. If you buy a KTM 790/890 now, you throw the dice on a time bomb. Until KTM sorts it out, buy elsewhere.

[@CarlosRodriguez-kb9jc]

Buy a Honda, it will leave you a lot of money for gas and gear.

[@UNBIASEDCOMMENT]

most videos on youtube in philippines are broken honda vario 125 unit with just 1k odo. some suffer engine overheat even with radiators. some have ecu damage on 1k killometers of use and some are fuel pump and oil magically disappear even with no oil leaks. thats how thailand made honda lived up to it's name being unreliable. but fanboy is always a fanboy. still forcing others that it is reliable even with hard proof videos of unreliable. hahaha. Buy a honda? are your familiar on youtube videos? wahahaha . your new honda is built cheap with a high price because it has honda sticker. thats how dumb people will pick up cheaply made bikes that has honda brand wahahaha.

[@mishamykhaylov9455]

Ktm&co offer stuff that Honda doesn’t, sadly. For example the 690/701/700

[@blizzride]

​@@UNBIASEDCOMMENT im sure yammie thiks diff Maybe ask him to make a video... Also ktm dont make generators lawnmowers, marine engines etcwahaaha😂😂

[@user-lw6iz7zy2o]

So true. Go and watch the video where John McGuinness rides a 100000 Mile VFR on a Track Day - thats reliability.

[@rv6569]

​@@UNBIASEDCOMMENTblah blah... Okay. Honda gb350 is an indian model which has crossed 100000 km without any issues for many owners. In India I have never heard of any honda engine fail. So many cb500 engines crossed 100000 miles. In india they sell 2 million scooters every year and not even a single scooter failed.. this could be one off instance. All ktm models have engine failure.

[@linus5699]

Bought a new 2024 SX-F 350. After 30 hours it had left crank bearing failure. Turns out there was to little/no side play on the crankshaft, and the crank was assembled with one shim on 1 side, and 2 on the other side. The manual clearly states to put equal shims on both sides. Just a coincidence that it happend on 30 hours, not 2 or 7 hours. KTM declined any wrongdoing, or replaced any parts for free. I know these bikes has limited warranty, but if the fault is factory assembly fail, they should fix it for free. Of course they also did not have all the parts I needed in stock, some has 3 months backorder.

[@leanit5756]

Glad I got rid of my 890 ADV-R when the cam chain tensioner failed and replacement parts weren't available.

[@msromike123]

The manual says 9300 miles for oil change interval. That seems ridiculous. I'm thinking you change the oil every 3000 miles or so, or after 3 or 4 track days. Then let the dealer change it on interval so you get that sweet, sweet 48-month warranty on the engine. And when you get near the 48-month warranty expiration, just pay for a valve adjustment so they can inspect your cams right before the warranty runs out. That's assuming you haven't put the 18.600 miles on it to get to the recommended valve adjustment interval before 48 months. It's basically a high-strung race bike with lights, just like an Aprilia or Ducati. If you can't afford to maintain it, then it's not the right pick for you. I'm buying a KTM. Thanks for the video, because now I know how I am going to approach this issue.

[@emptymannull]

KTM making older Ducatis look like Hondas reliability wise 😂

[@mementomori4972]

My Ducati Monster 600, was the most reliable and easy to work on bike I have ever owned, and I owned Japanese made Hondas too, on one of which I had to rebuild the engine due to excessive bore scoring.

[@nicoelicano3271]

From the Philippines here - for some strange reason this problem doesn't seem to exist in the country. I'm not hearing any 790/890 adv owners, ktm dealers or 3rd party shops reporting this issue. Maybe it could be an issue with manufacturers supplying to the US or EU countries? It could be anything from QA in the manufacturing or the material composition of steel being imported by US/EU factories vs the Asian ones. That being said, I did own a 390 adv at one point and it did have issues of its own. Fuel line loosened and popped out on its own within 500km from brand new and persistent cold starting issues. Nothing incredibly bad but not the best in terms of reliability either.

[@edouardl2]

From what i have been told by BGC, there was two cam issues in Philippines which were fixed under warranty. Given the fact we have only buzz and not reliable date it is difficult to assess the real reliability of the bike.

[@divider13]

KTM dealers are dropping the prices here in the Philippines. Some models would go as low as 40-50% from its original price (I know this, because I purchased an RC). The dealer told me that the company would be under new management and they just wanted to clear the inventory of "old" stocks. I'm just happy that I avoided the 790 models.

[@yeetman5972]

Just bought my Svart 200 2 months ago. Im just glad Motomax is a KTM focused repair shop or else we'd be fucked if KTM suddenly announced that they're leaving the Philippines.

[@divider13]

@@yeetman5972 I also saw a KTM showroom that had a bunch of CF Moto on display.

[@yeetman5972]

@@divider13 that's cause CFMoto makes the engine for any KTM bike higher than 400cc. Else, Bajaj from India makes them.

[@ChrisSauer-oe5ve]

So glad I didn’t buy a KTM 😅 and got a Yamaha 24’ MT-09sp ☺️❤️💯🔥😎

[@Blockedinsight]

I have a 2022 KTM Duke 890 R and I think another problem is the Dealerships, I had my Front Brake Rotors basically Corrode away with barely 2.5k miles on it which is fully Garage kept and taken care of.. The dealership told me they will put a warranty claim in (Which they actually didn’t) and had my bike for 3 Months because they recommended I don’t ride it lol I ended up buying new Rotors for it because the Dealer told me it was like 3+ Month wait because they don’t have in stock anywhere… I ended up having a Yamaha Dealership install them because I was done with that KTM Dealership, they also had to fix my chain because KTM put it on wrong 😂 I ended up calling corporate and KTM didn’t seem to care at all about anything…

[@scottsutton8583]

2023 Norden and tried starting a lemon law and 1st started with a state mediator and they pawned it off and now wont even answer the mediators questions. 6500 miles and now my cams are junk

[@karpooooff]

I bought a 2023 KTM 790 Duke this year, had the brake in service performed by the dealership at 620 miles and at 4k miles I did my own Oil/filter change and noticed both oil screens full of metal shaving, and both magnets were completely covered in metal shavings. The oil filter and the bottom of the oil catch can had metal "glitter". I called the dealership right away and the service center told me it was "normal". My gut tells me that seeing THAT much metal is not normal even for a new engine. I hope its not an early sign of camshaft failure 😕

[@mrmeeks222]

Only time I've had metal shaving in my oil was from a skid-steer or heavy duty equipment. Never had them in motorcycle or truck oil..

[@machupikachu1085]

The dealer isn't lying. It is normal. For a KTM.

[@10fantic]

I love KTM bikes and what they can do, however the reliability has just been horrendous. I had the same exact issues with both of my 1290R’s different generations. I warn people about buying a KTM that they’re not reliable. There’s too many problems and many of which people were stuck with as the awful warranty period was out. If you ask me it’s almost like they know this and the warranty shows they don’t stand behind their products like other companies do, especially the big five.

[@krzysztofdziekiewicz4006]

What kind of issues did you have with 1290r? I both 1290r from year 2018 3 months ago.

[@10fantic]

@@krzysztofdziekiewicz4006 Poor support for the radiator causing it to bend and eventually crack the coolant tubes causing it to leak, issue still present from gen 1 to gen 3 which is just sad. Broken plastic pin piece that the top headlight bolt screws into. Usually cracks after awhile so you’ll have to replace it. My second gen brand new had a porous engine case so it leaked oil in random places and needed to be replaced under warranty, required a complete engine drop and rebuild. Tail light plastic was weak so would break or crack from simply being bumped or if the screws were to tight from factory. Gen one had rear wheel bearing play due to a premature bearing failure likely caused by water getting in and there was no drainage hole in the early models. Gen 2 had a bad wire harness for the ABS module had to be replaced. There is a few others but that was some of the big stuff. It became a good reliable bike after all the changes and even modifications that should’ve been fixed by KTM or at least issued a voluntary recall instead of leaving customers to deal with it. I still have a soft spot for KTM, but I certainly don’t cheerlead and tell people the truth. I really hope and wish leadership with KTM decides to change course and stop burning their reputation. I have friends that also bought their bikes and had so many issues it made me a bit furious about it.

[@UNBIASEDCOMMENT]

even honda vario 125 made in thailand had same issue like 240 km of use suffers crankshaft damage then refurbishing it by the dealer because of waranty and still no fix. like the engine oil magically runs out even when theres no oil leaks. like honda engine overheat on 1 week of regular use even it had radiators in it. you will see more videos of it in youtube.

[@pauln6803]

​@@10fantic The thing is that the wheel bearing issue (always the rear) is something I've suffered on my 2012 RC8R. I know better than to pressure wash bikes (it'll take the paint off before the dirt!), so that's not it. Haven't had one issue since its had carbon Dymag wheels. Paint is poor though, with the orange of the frame and wheels wiping off with certain cleaning products and signs of contamination under the paint on one panel.

[@natasariaofficial3958]

Have a 21 890 Duke. So far a little over 19,000 miles and no issues, aside from a slightly leaking valve cover gasket. I’ve felt pretty lucky that I’ve had no major issues taking their reputation for not being so reliable into account.

[@orlandoberry4031]

Yet none of my friends has had one issue with their KTM’s. One friend has nearly 200’000 kms on his 1090, all without issues. Most of the guys I know have 890r’s 40’000 kms plus, all without issues.

[@donkeizluv]

At this point, this drama is becoming more of a meme than anything. Loads of content vultures feeding on it 😂

[@shanemoto97]

@@donkeizluveveryone’s jumping on the bandwagon and people who never even owned one are chiming in way too much

[@U-Have-Fun-2]

I,ve got a 1190 , 690 & a 350 the 690 has had some minor issues but I have 5 friends that own the 790 ,890 platform & all of them have the cam wear problem. thats 100% of the peolpe that I know have the cam prolbem

[@orlandoberry4031]

@@U-Have-Fun-2 - do they have the Rottweiler air filter mod, some of them let dirt in.

[@bmwm3man]

Chances are your friends with the 890 have issues with the cam and just don't know. All of them at that mileage I'd see excessive wear, not like what yammie shared in the video but still unexpected wear nonetheless

[@BUGBYTE_]

Kinda sad. Daughter had a 2017 duke 390 she put 7500 miles on it before upgrading to a sv650x. I'm starting to think we dodged a bullet. It was a really good bike and we had no problems. I rented a duke 890 a couple of times when I traveled out of town on twisted road. It was a pretty sweet bike. I'm glad I could try it out without the obligation of being the owner. Kinda scares me from getting a super duke gt. I would hate to spend that kind of money and a couple years later find out I'm stuck with no support from the manufacturer and a warranty means nothing.

[@machupikachu1085]

You did dodge a bullet. Do you want your daughter out there stranded by a KTM? SV's are legendary for a reason. You made the right call. Cheers!

[@bobholley6202]

Been waiting for months to pull the trigger on an 890 R to see if the 24 models are still affected. My Tiger 1200 has been flawless for 4 years so if they don’t get it straightened out I’m T7 bound.

[@paulbarnes6124]

Tiger to heavy ?

[@bobholley6202]

@@paulbarnes6124 it’s great on gravel roads and most two track but it’s a little heavy for sure. I’m in great shape, for a 55 year old guy, but it can be a handful when ya got a pick it up. It’s also an awesome sport touring machine as well. Just looking for a change and a little less weight.

[@robvanduren761]

I would stay on the Tiger because you know its good. To risky most new bikes today. Just adapt where you ride to the bikes capabilities.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@robvanduren761 doesn't that defeat the purpose of adventure riding? Just stick to what the bike can do? I say OP should get a T7, or even a DR650 and start ripping it up!

[@Googurz]

In an unrelated industry I know of situations in Chinese factories where part substitutions were made by the factory leadership without the knowledge of the designers of the product (who were in the USA). They did this to pocket the savings from the substandard parts. It only came to light when field returns started to come in and the switch was discovered by engineers doing in depth failure analysis. I wouldn't be shocked if things like this happen in other industries and parts are procured by factories which don't meet the standards of the design specs. I have no idea if something like this could happen to KTM, but it's something to consider.

[@roybatty2030]

It’s potentially a company-busting liability, so they chose between survival and doing the right thing. At least they could be honest and offer some goodwill mods to out-of-warranty customers stuck with these flawed bikes. I’d never consider buying a new KTM or any of their derivatives.

[@sheldonabbey555]

1st gen Duke 390 owner here. My head gasket blew out by the water jacket on the exhaust side at 6k miles... After removing the head & inspecting with a straight edge, it was clearly warped from the day it was cast. In 2017 they changed to a new part number for the heads & apparently they added a bridge in the water jacket to keep this from happening when the head was cast & cooled. Also have seen reports on the 390 Duke forum, of people with cam damage in their 390's, due to oilers getting clogged with excess bits of silicone that is in the engine when they're assembled! Several reports of cam tensioner failures also...

[@RobertTuros]

2018, 790, 27k km, camshafts needed to be replaced 😢 I bought it as a 2nd hand from a shop, not a dealer. I was lucky they gave me a 3 months warranty so I didn't pay to fix it I'm curious how KTM will treat me, cause it wasn't done by the official dealership... 😅

[@pauln6803]

Won't be in warranty, so good luck. That said, it's KTM's fuck up (well technically whoever is contracted to machine their heads because I doubt they do it in house) as there has been an issue identified with the drilling of the oil feed passages (misalignment of the cross drilling) leading to the camshafts, causing premature wear. Go and speak to a KTM dealership and see what they say about what KTM is offering to do about it.

[@RobertTuros]

@@pauln6803 that's the plan, I will ask dealer, because this bike has a full service history. There is one dealer in area, and they know very well my bike, cause it had couple of issues fixed on warranty 😀

[@crimz0n492]

Why are there so many botted comments......? Video literally JUST DROPPED, I was like "Oh shoot I'm first!" but no, I was beat by bots.

[@caseyddr]

I beat you, I'm not a bot.

[@bunsbunnybuns3728]

First. Wow good video, wow!

[@dhc8guru]

It’s your dial up internet.😂

[@JoseLgamer05]

It's a shame that KTMs are so unreliable, they look good (at least used to imo, the new 390, and 1390, maybe others are kinda weird imo), perform well and have decent tech features. If they could figure out how to make their bikes reliable, I'd say they almost be perfect.

[@SBMotoZ]

Bought a 24.”KTM 790 Adv a few months ago, so far so good, hands down the best riding middleweight Adv bike out there It’s unfortunate the Cam issue isn’t fully resolved yet, the 4 year warranty extension is great, but just know if you buy one , the resale will be brutal. I don’t regret my decision, it’s an amazing machine when it works, just hope KTM can come clean and take care of the issue and customers, otherwise they might go out of business.

[@justmyself1000]

Also to mention the bloodsucking paying extra for the tech pack which is just a couple of lines of software code..

[@clintbuhs7708]

Are you being deliberately hyperbolic? That statement is asinine, and I do not understand people taking a crap on an offer to try out features they may not otherwise have bought. It costs big money to create systems to keep a motorcycle upright in 3D motion. It takes a huge amount of effort to create something as seemingly simple as a cruise control algorithm. It's pure ignorance and failure to see the big picture that results in your whiny position. I'm no fan boy, but I appreciate the fact that KTM lets us play with its toys without buying them. Then again, I'm not the entitled type.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@clintbuhs7708 instead of investing all of this R & D into fancy cruise control and other optional features, maybe KTM should spend that time and money on drivetrains that don't hand grenade in 30 000 miles or less?

[@ralphcantrell3214]

Been riding dual sport and off road for 52 years. For this very reason, (reliability/accountability issues), I have refused to own a KTM.

[@ripster36]

Btw BAJAJ is not responsible for 400cc+ KTMs, BAJAJ manufacturers 125 to 390.. they are very good reliable motorcycles except for the old gen 390s..

[@blackcharas]

Bajaj pulser ftw

[@fringeanomaly9284]

Bajaj owns 49+% of KTMs parent grp they need to be held responsible too

[@Chevsilverado]

Except for weird electrical issues. I’ve seen a ton of 390/401 bikes come in with broken ECUs or hard to trace electrical gremlins.

[@RideV65S]

The 1st batch of 790 Adv R bikes, like mine, were built in Austria. So they can't blame CFMoto for assembly issues. It appears the early parts were Austrian sourced, also. My bike is low miles but I am in the 790 FB group you mentioned. To an old quality engineer, this looks like a design issue.

[@gilbertoalvarez29]

Euro 5 emissions are killing the motorcycle culture

[@RedRupert64]

Had my 2021 KTM 890AR serviced in August. They said the cam shafts were fine. I went on holiday and covered 6500km during the holiday. I didn't believe what the dealer said, so inspected the cams myself in late September. Guess what - I found that the camshaft lobes had abnormal wear. Come on KTM, step up! This is going to cause you immeasurable damage if you don't.

[@motorings735]

One of my brother's friends was a new rider and started out on the RC390. I'm pretty sure he no longer rides because of his experience owning that bike. I was riding behind him on the highway one day getting belted by bits of metal. I thought he was kicking up trash in the road, but what was actually happening is all of the bolts covering the alternator and clutch covers were just falling out over the road. It was the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. The brand new bike was literally falling apart just going down the highway. The guy had that bike in the shop constantly, and only a few months later my brother told me he sold the thing and hasn't owned a bike since. Pretty heartbreaking way to start riding...

[@crashdsnowman1]

How many bolts are in an alternator cover that could fall out and pelt the guy behind? Sounds like pure BS to me.

[@scottxgtr]

I just traded in my 2022 890 adventure this past weekend. Bought it new and paid 12700 OTD for it. I heard rumors of the camshaft issues and honestly it made me scared to run up the miles on it. So in January I listed it for sale and literally no one came to kick the tires for $8500. It didn't even have 2500 miles on it. I'm a 3 time KTM owner so I knew you trade reliability for an insane riding experience. But after hearing others experiences and absolute silence from KTM, I knew it was time to part ways. Buying a time bomb of a KTM almost killed the joy of motorcycling for me. But now I have a Tracer 9 in the garage and I'm feeling a lot better.

[@IanRowsby]

KTM must be burning through customers. I have purchased a lot of new KTMs and have been really happy with the dirt bikes, but I doubt I will buy another Adventure model after all the problems I had with my low-mileage 2021 890, including it stranding me in the desert after the ignition barrel stopped communicating with the ECU. It then spent almost six months in the dealer waiting for the parts (not the dealer's fault). They are amazing bikes, but KTM needs to step up on the reliability front. F-KTM, I’m buying a Triumph next!

[@machupikachu1085]

Ummm...about that. You said you wanted reliability next time, right?

[@MikeonMoto]

I had terrible experience camshaft scoring TWICE, which led to my engine catastrophic failure both times. I eventually gave up on fixing my 2015 RC390 and just scrapped it for parts. It's a shame for such a good handling bike that I planned to take to the track, but that day never came.

[@athiftsabit1208]

About this faulty manufacturing issue, give some takes on Honda scooter issue in Indonesia. Their frames literally snaps in half lmao.

[@derrickw5214]

I almost plotted my trade-up from my little Duke (2015, which gave me no issues) as a new 890R... but the sheer volume of the word online & in person about the reliability stuff steered me away. Glad it did.

[@tracythorleifson]

I have an old DR650 for off-road adventures. Each year I do a Big Bend trip with some buddies. One of the guys rides a KTM 690 Enduro. I can’t keep up with him if he juices it; he just walks away from me. But that’s actually a good thing, as that way I can pick up all the bits that literally fall off his bike. On the hot - crazy graph, KTMs are in the fun zone. You can date ‘em, but God help you if you marry one. 😉

[@bradsanders6954]

My 890R is at 20,000 miles. So I called the dealer about a valve adj inspection. Talked to the service manager a good while. They sold 15 2021 890R's, they have sold about that many of the other years including the 790's . Done service on a lot of them. That amount of bikes, over all years. 1 790 needed 2 valves adjusted, cams were fine. Not one has come in with smoked cams or even a hint of it. He said dont bother checking mine unless you really want to. If it runs same as new, oil looks good,,sounds same as new, it doesnt need anything. A service manager turning work away. The bike has had zero problems, its maybe the most fun bike Ive owned out of a shit load of bikes. .................................................................................................................................................................. Granted yeah, some bikes have had smoked cams. Ive seen it. It is by far a long ways from prevalent with these bikes. KTM is issuing refunds for past parts and bills from smoked cams/heads. And paying for new issues as they pop up. The internet can say anything at anytime with no numbers or facts to back them up, every day all day. People come her to bitch, make shit up, howl and try to put a company out of business. Rant on!

[@MrJeepinZeke]

The most reliable part of KTM is their un reliability.

[@machupikachu1085]

underrated comment!

[@stavrozinio]

I am at 65.000kms on 2022 901, checked cams 2 times, all in perfect condition.

[@CRFLAus]

Small sample size. If you cross a busy road with your eyes closed and don't get hit by a car, doesn't mean anyone won't. You're lucky.

[@stavrozinio]

true that. i have totaled 901 in a crash recently, getting a 2024 model now. let's see is it the bardhal I've been using or not ​@@CRFLAus

[@MajorDrama1]

@@CRFLAus You cant say he's lucky unless you have data to support that? He at least has direct first hand experience of the quality of the product concerned

[@CRFLAus]

@@MajorDrama1 There's clearly a problem with a lot of those bikes, otherwise this video wouldn't exist. If I had one and had no trouble I'd consider my self lucky.

[@Kawasuki636]

Ive owned a 790 Adv R, had to replace the head and the cams/followers atfter the first valve clearance check. Used all the new parts,with newer part numbers and the haed had also the new oil filter screen. Rode it for 6000kms. Opened the head again and checked it. I was already able to see some wear on the cam lobe. Sold it.

[@arthursiuleev2587]

790AdvR. Just returned from my trip to Mongolia. 24,000kms on screen. None of issues since I bought it new in Dubai. The most reliable bike I ever had. All I did was changing oil every 5000kms

[@Kawasuki636]

@@arthursiuleev2587 Glad you had your fun and no issues. But 24000km is not that much. I had my cams replaced at 28000km.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@Kawasuki636 IKR?? 24000k problem free! yay! I've got a V-max that has been problem free for 110000k. That's what people are so mad about. KTM reliability just isn't competitive.

[@SpeedDemonExpress]

Early years of the S2 Lotus Elise had intake cam wear. It was determined that some intake cams of the 2zzge Toyota engine were improperly heat treated, leaving the cams too soft. This wear happens in only a few thousand miles and can wear some lobes while others are unaffected. A key indicator is looking at the cam, if your cam has blueing from heat, it is a lack of oil. If blueing is minimal to none, it has oil, but the cam is too soft/not heat treated to full hardness. Or just take out the bad cam and have a hardness test done.

[@sbsb4995]

I got 5 friends with the 790 engines and their bikes are perfectly fine.

[@keyboarddancers7751]

As long as there are happy customers, KTM won't admit to a single thing.

[@thomasbechter1761]

My 790 is still perfekt!

[@tomthebattleaxe]

Several 790/890 friends including myself with no issues

[@Maxischarlie2]

Have they checked the valve clearances yet?

[@askjeeves4981]

How many kms and have they checked cams?

[@laxrider8818]

Me on my 2023 1290 SAR: palms are sweaty (lol), with almost 5000 miles on the clock it been nothing but a blast to ride and yes I was well aware of KTM's stellar reliability when I bought the bike a few months back but when i did some research it would seem the LC8 ( V-twin) powered models were near bulletproof with exception of the occasional electrical gremlins

[@Porgatori]

Come here after 50k mileage

[@henryvaneyk3769]

@@Porgatori I am here. 2019 model 1290 Super Adventure R. No issues.

[@pauln6803]

​@@henryvaneyk3769 There's a lot of high mileage LC8 V-Twin bikes out there. The LC8c parallel twin appears to have misaligned cross drilling for the top end oil feed channels. I would doubt KTM are doing the casting and machining of the engines themselves, so I suspect it's whoever they're outsourcing the engine production to. That said, it falls on KTM to admit there's a problem. The LC8c platform isn't all that new, and they should have been conducting failure analysis on the engines that they have already had to have covered under warranty. With the production shifting more to China and layoffs in Austria, this all smacks of corporate cost cutting. We might be witnessing the start of a company in a death spiral, or a complete and total shift to Asia and the demise of KTM Europe.

[@MajorDrama1]

@@Porgatori I am here 2014 1190 Adv - No issues at 10 years old - Thing is a flawless freight train

[@laxrider8818]

@@Porgatori will do

[@damolux3388]

In Australia a manufacturer cannot specify that a service must be done at their dealer network. It can be done by any suitably qualified person or business. Manufacturers are also prohibited from withholding servicing information, things like procedures, torque settings and software.

[@whollymindless]

The used market is going to hurt because of this.

[@linuxpyle]

There are some good videos from the UK that show that the cross drilled oil galley's that are supposed to feed the cams are partially blocked by metal as the drilling process wasn't completed properly, and so starve the cam of proper oil amounts....... Good Luck to everyone who might be affected.....

[@jonay9221]

Have you got a link pls

[@Robinator202]

2019 Adventure 790R. 23k km, Australian delivered. Major service every two years plus yearly oil change in between in the four years i owned it. Last service revealed scoring on cams. Back to KTM Retailer. Told me cams were fine but cam journals were damaged cause i must have done bad oil change and got dirt in the engine. After about 6 weeks KTM supplied new finger followers, never told me how many they replaced, said they cleaned the damaged journals with some hand sanding and cleaned the cams with their magic scotch bright pads. Then said i owed them over $600. I wholesaled the bike back to them and they on sold it to some poor smuck. No more KTMs for me. From talking to local CF Moto dealer they are not having any issues with their 790 engine as CF Moto redesigned the top end to include better oil galleries.

[@exotics4life618]

I’m very interested in buying the CF Moto NK800. In my opinion a better looking, better optioned bike than the 790 duke. I hope 🤞🏼cf Moto actually did redesigning the head & oil passage’s. I need to research this

[@282Ninjaboy]

I’ve serviced five 23/24’ 890’s over the summer. I’ve never seen excess cam shaft wear as described, only discoloration of the chrome. It’s a oil circulation problem and in result too much heat causing the valves to tighten up at 8,000 miles.

[@sayantanbardhan7076]

None of the KTMs listed here having the camshalf issues are produced in India.We produce upto the 390s in the Bajaj Chakan plant,where the Triumph 400s are also produced.

[@zoolzoo4434]

based india

[@2Wheels-Adventures]

@2Wheels-Adventures Here is my addition to the assessment that has been made by a couple of other motorheads out there. This is an oil delivery issue to the cam lobe lubrication. The cross drilling of the oil passage being perfectly aligned with each other is not important. Remember that we are talking about oil, it is fluid. What is important that the intersection of the cross drilling has no restriction due to the nonblending of the miss aligned cross drilled passage. The flow must stay constant in volume until it reaches the jet nozzle. One must understand Bernoulli's principle where velocity and pressure are inversely proportional to each other. I own many KTMs and very disappointed in the engineering and quality control in their manufacturing process. Is the bottom line answer to the question of outsourcing the manufacturing of what used to be top quality machines, ie like the Boeing aircraft I have worked on for the last 36 years? Just saying, "Wake up KTM."

[@shulme89]

990 adventure still going strong with 130k !

[@pauln6803]

The old LC8 V?

[@briannn7751]

2007 450 EXC, 2017 450 EXC, 2020 450 XC-F, 2022 500 EXC, 2022 450 XC-F, 2023 300 XC-W, 2020 890 Adventure R, 2022 690 Enduro R, 2023 1290 adventure S. Never had any of these problems

[@machupikachu1085]

Maybe that's because you can't have that many bikes and put a lot of miles on any one machine?

[@diogenes9809]

Not to sound like a ktm simp, but ive had a lot of ktms and most of my friends ride ktm dirt bikes. Yes, they need more work than japanese bikes. I had a 450 that ate water pumps until i put a higher pressure rad cap on it, not sure why that fixed it but it did. Also needs valve adjustments at every scheduled check. Those kinds of things could be called fair in exchange for noticeably better performance than yamahas. All said though bikes eating cams seems way too much of a fail to ignore. Ktm might be lying about the issue, could also be incosistent qc on the cams. I would really like to see some 3rd party hardness and metallurgy testing on both a failed and non-failed camshaft.

[@Daentus]

Pump cavitation from not having enough NPSH. Higher pressure radiator cap moved the pump curve back into normal operating range. Bigger question is why did your particular 450 need this and not the rest of the herd?

[@MajorDrama1]

At last! Somebody who actually wants to see some specifics!

[@kylepoma]

I had a new 2020 KTM 790 Duke, kept it for about a year, put about 7500 miles on it as my daily. A few months after selling it the new owner calls me in a panic that this happened to him and the dealership was denying warranty coverage. I went to Aprilia, probably not going back to KTM

[@Talishar]

Apes are just as bad. Welcome to the truth that is European brands. They're all pretty much crap when it comes to reliability. You don't get that performance/displacement from nowhere. It's often at the cost of reliability and durability.

[@Jim-nm1en]

I heard that KTM make their camshafts with top quality hard cheese. 🤣🤣🤣

[@dantownsend4246]

No it was high quality Brie

[@pauln6803]

The cams appear to be fine, it's the oil feed. I doubt KTM do their own casting and machining in house (that would actually be unusual in this day and age), and whoever they've contracted to do the machining of the LC8c engines is messing up the cross drilling for the oil feed, with the misalignment causing oil flow problems to the camshafts. I have no idea who KTM has outsourced the engine work to (I wouldn't be surprised if the Mattighofen factory just slots in pre built engines on their production line), but their refusal to admit there was a problem is very poor and has probably damaged the brand and cost more in sales than paying for warranty work and failure analysis on the damaged engines. I wouldn't be surprised to see legal action taken on behalf of owners. Rules on "fit for purpose" are fairly strict in Europe and Australia, and the Americans do love a lawsuit(!)

[@tonychettleburgh8953]

Swiss cheese, well it's near Austria !!!