KTM Crisis - What's going on? And WHY?

[@R4M_Tommy]

In the list of issues you missed one of the biggest: cracked welds on the frame.

[@BSport320]

Like I said: It’s a long list

[@_sneer_]

I was a motorcycle mechanic for decades, including competition bikes in various national championships. I have never seen a KTM without a serious fault, which usually happens sooner than later. Most common: catastrophic engine failure. Good suspensions, ok brakes, poor engines, poor build quality, disastrous electrics and electronics, horrible parts availability, questionable design choices. I wouldn't wish a KTM on my worst enemy. They are H's revenge.

[@literallyhuman5990]

​@@_sneer_I even saw one burned down on the track a few weeks ago. That bike hasn't even got 24 hours of usage. It was 2024 450SX.

[@TassieLorenzo]

@@_sneer_ Why didn't KTM priotise quality control and minimising design defects? Is it because the company is too small (or now too large somehow) or even that the "Keep Taking Money" mantra was deliberate to maximise spare parts revenue?

[@alesksander]

@@TassieLorenzo umm 🤔 its seems too its cultural shift. If owners start shifting production outside Austria. You know their focus shift led loooong before that into money and pointless managerial "savings" at all cost policies.

[@lineoflads1388]

Love how diverse this channel is.

[@chrisbackhouse5730]

It's such a shame to see the brand go down this path. Buying up all the competitors and suppliers may have been a good idea, but the CEO's become even more arrogant about the company's position in the world of things. I'd like to see the Husqvarna and GasGas brand back to independent action, just so we get the variety and competition again

[@AdminAbuse]

KTM and high quality in the same breath is insane

[@KayJblue]

More MotoGP videos will be awesome

[@eurorabbit2274]

My 30 year old Honda XR650L sends its regards......

[@DoriFord]

In Russia, we have a saying about KTM - клуб трудолюбивых мальчиков - which is "'club of boys who like to work hard" meaning maintaining their poor reliability, but that saying was around even 10-15 years ago.

[@veers0r]

Fun feature of my previous super duke: the first thing to touch the ground when at high lean was the shift lever. In one case that even somehow triggered the quick shifter which cut power. Exciting. They do build the most silly, fun bikes in my opinion but I think my current 1290 RR will be my last KTM for a long while.

[@fearme46]

After loving the Superduke from a far for years and always wanting one, I finally purchased the 1390 this year. I actually can’t believe how much I love thing, I can’t fault it so far, very quickly becoming my favourite bike I’ve owned! It’s pretty sad to see what’s going on at the moment with KTM, some seriously poor management going on there.

[@jims6614]

Increasing price, decreasing quality. What did they expect to happen.

[@sebastianspieler4842]

When i was 16(that was 20 years ago) years old, i had a 50cc KTM Hobby 2 Automatic from 1984, that was good quality But what i hear around, newer models have poor quality, loosing mirros and oil leaks. i am near Mattighofen (about 20km away) , and a lot of Peoples have worries if they can keep their Jobs.

[@rador3573]

It all started when they dont want to listen to customer criticisms about their reliability and decisions😂

[@atothemod1]

My 390 is still going strong on its first engine for 10 years now. But meanwhile my friend’s bike had a blown engine just 4 years in. 😂

[@bulthaosen1169]

Funnily its the Austrian plant that has reliability issues. Its hilarious.

[@atothemod1]

@ I think their engines aren’t designed so well for reliability, I still love the KTM brand though. And I hope they survive, which seems highly improbable now.

[@zelcpavle5494]

When Ktm started with not making the bikes in Austria..the downfall loading!! Realy sory for the Austrian brand ... And Could you do another Motogp aero analysis... 💪🔥

[@alesksander]

So far mighty are fallen. So long can your heritage drag you trough mud. But when u lose core costumers. You just go backrupt, simply put.

[@vgstb]

KTM has always had poor reliability, even before they started to make parts of their catalogue in India.

[@dadbosworth6838]

I bought my first ktm in early 2020,a excf250. It has been perfectly reliable and durable and has now done 92 thousand km . I have been a motorbike owner and ride for over 45 years and it is by far the best I've had.

[@leandermeulebroeck]

Chinese Quality + european prices = unhappy customers

[@jjreddog571]

This is sad news, I do hope they get the price point corrected and defects addressed....they can adjust and still have a great future.

There's also a lot of arrogance and hubris involved in KTM's downfall. You can't be a luxury brand when you mass produce like a cheap knockoff. Next time I want something reliable and at a decent price from India, I'll buy a Royal Enfield.

[@TimPaddy]

I wouldn't know, I bought a Beta

[@1_5RCBiker]

Camshafts are regarded as being made of toffee, something Mat Oxley flagged up a few months ago.

[@fearme46]

It’s not the camshafts, it’s an oiling issue resulting in them failing.

[@TassieLorenzo]

@@fearme46 Either way (be it camshaft metallurgy or poor oil gallery design, or rather poor tolerancing of the cross drilling such that the oil gallery is not formed correctly) it's a rudimentary error for an experienced bike company to make!

[@fearme46]

@@TassieLorenzo of course it’s a huge mistake and, they should be honouring all warranty claims to fix the error. I’m just stating the actual problem that most people don’t seem to understand.

[@gafrers]

Another big problem is with cams, in the 450s they seems to not be hardened properly.

[@thomas316]

"Reliability"? Their camshafts are famously made of soft cheese.

[@red.riot.2280]

I kinda hope Ktm gets some new management. Great brand. Poor management decisions. They don’t need gas gas or MV. Get the bikes back to being made in Austria.

[@bulthaosen1169]

Dude its rhe Austrian bikes that are suffering reliability issues. Not the Chinese or Indian ones. That would make the problem worse.

[@blacksheepspaniard3978]

I was in the market for 2024 Husqvarna Svartpillen 401 but now I’m reluctant… I’m gonna wait the 90 days to see if KTM will still have Husqvarna in their portfolio

[@literallyhuman5990]

Well, this will basically affect every single KTM racing program. Including the motocross where they're a giant powerhouse. So, yeah. Once they go kaput, say goodbye to the powerhouse of the Motocross world. In F1 terms, imagine saying goodbye to Ferrari because of their doings in 2004.

[@pierrekronbert6741]

Have no issues with my bike. 2022❤

[@_sneer_]

KTM and "reliability" in one sentence in positive association... This must be sarcasm

[@smith2781]

Reliably unreliable.

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

Become the biggest and best you can be. Now reduce cost until the image changes and nobody wants your stuff anymore

[@pakdesugi8044]

Will redbull help them out or maybe even buying their motogp team?

[@vgstb]

"People love KTM for their high quality, reliability and modern design..." High quality? Not so much, more like plastic galore, questionable welding and disastrous electronics. Reliability? Not at all, it's one of the reasons KTM is under guardianship today. Modern design? Maybe modern, but KISKA design is certainly polarizing.

[@mullayho1759]

I have a 24' 790 adv and the bike was a lot of buck for the money, but it did have some minor issues. I feel like the average motorcycle buyer is getting really old, because young people can't aford bikes, and sales are moving to "more reliable" brands (and automatic transmissions ffs 😂)

[@321-Gone]

Bad management destroys a solid company? No way

[@adrianwolff2007]

Reliability and durability is huge problem with KTMs.

[@migo33]

CF Moto will buy the brand name and in a few years everything will be electrified anyway. The moto industry is putting its head in the sand. Too much HP, electronics and gadgets. No wonder why DR650, KLR etc have been a successful run for decades. Maybe euro emissions are also part of the problem.

[@kurtnielsen6684]

Well, I’m sure Red Bull is the reason why they don’t have to worry about the racing end of it because Red Bull will keep that alive but they got big when money was cheap and now money is expensive and they’re hitting the low part because all businesses are going through it they’re just not in a good position for this to happen and it’s gonna cost them

[@DirtBikeGrub]

Who’s buying a Chinese made road bike from them? If I did I would expect no different quality than I do from Loncin, Xingping and Flungfook. However, my made in Austria Husaberg Te300 is unreal and sounds as tight as the day it was made

[@goodtimeblimp]

BMW have the perfect opportunity to buy in for cheap, if they want.

[@TassieLorenzo]

Maybe Stellantis could add KTM to their portfolio of brands?

[@Sp4mMe]

BMW burned through their own "war chest" recently. But yeah, probably should consider it nonetheless. At least the MotoGP team.

[@donbrashsux]

@@TassieLorenzothen they all will definitely go bust

[@wolfganghokenmaier]

@@TassieLorenzothat’s funny!

[@zlm001]

Thanks.

[@RCmaniac667]

Does their cars have this many reliability issues too?

[@EricDeVette]

Don’t move your production to the far east. That’s the problem

[@TassieLorenzo]

Japan is in the far East... (Thai bikes are OK too.)

[@vgstb]

You mean India?

[@ewganhoff]

KTM's reliability problems started long before moving production. I had a friend who was a mechanic at a KTM dealer when the original 950s came out. He quit his job because of all the warranty work he had to do.

[@vvevvevvvv]

Country of production has nothing to do with the reliability.

[@alfabethev2.074]

Yes the bikes are ugly af!

[@jpmorgen5726]

Ego takes over common sense. Too much effort on the "brand" and not enough on making good products. Treating customers badly.....I bought my first KTM in 1972, haven't been a fan of the company for many decades.

[@Rudraiya]

Cf moto destroyed ktm...

[@procrastinator1842]

I remember when ktm started getting popular in around 2007...People bought them because they seemed exotic. In reality they were pieces of shit that would always cause problems in group rides.

[@rockabrilia]

This wont happen on their motogp bike because they have mechanics and engineering all around it all the time 😂

[@BillyCherokee]

Pedro Acosta to Ducati let's gooooooooooo

[@priceyA320]

High Quality? There is no evidence of this..😂

[@NoTengoIlusiones]

I only go with Japanese.... 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@The_ZeroLine]

I’m pretty sure this is your fault.

[@deeacosta2734]

#BDE sport

[@mrcreative6020]

You mean unreliability

[@extrasystole]

I had husqvarna svartpilen 701 and moto morini x cape 650 both associated to ktm and both had premium parts but drove like pigs after my old Hondas now I am back to CB750 and at first Inthought it is because of 1 and 2 cyl engines against Japanaese fours but in reality you can make a motorbike with premium off the shelf parts but if you do not know how to combine them yoy get a mess tl;dr chinese know-how is non existent long luve Europe and Japan

[@okinahana3267]

Want a cake and eat it too huh!

[@MichaelRoberts-t7m]

😂😂

[@jody1031]

Ugly bike and not reliable, great combo for success 😂