KTM are Toast ?

And how about buying what looks like a pre registered sheer bargain right now - throwing £12k at them for a 1290, only for them to go pop in 3 months time, cease to exist and you have a bike with no warranty, no backup or spares and several sensor/electrical/faults/ gremlins ?

That’s just become a very expensive garden ornament that even the most competent home mechanics have no chance of resolving in my view.

Worse - I can’t see the business case for any of the car companies to bail them out right now. They have their own EV / ICE global crises to manage at the moment.

I think they are toast.
A Chinese co will buy the name.
I agree about the toast bit. But it’s actually the dealership that sells the bike if it calves after 3 months. What dealership is going to carry that can? JJH
 
So - a second hand 1290 is on my shopping list at the mo as it’s a lot of bike second hand for sub £10k….I’ve seen 22 MY for around £9k and tracking a 2022 1290R that’s £10k…

Would you ???
Wait
My guess is they’ll fall even further and a new 24 1290R for less than £10k soon
2-4 year old ones will be £5-7k tops
There is some way to drop as the drama unfolds
 
I agree about the toast bit. But it’s actually the dealership that sells the bike if it calves after 3 months. What dealership is going to carry that can? JJH
Does that mean the dealer is ‘legally’ liable for the warranty etc ?

Thanks
 
How could anyone buy KTM with such a big financial hole? Even if the books were good with a year of stock in the warehouse essentially they don’t need any employees for a year. Well maybe a skeleton staff for moving stuff around for the delivery trucks. Here’s another thing. What dealership is going to sell KTM if they go bust? Essentially they will be on the hook for warranty without the backing of KTM. I know it wasn’t great anyway but the buck stops at the dealer. Why would a white knight pump money into such a bottomless pit? One thing puzzles me. Just how did this get this far? Who kept handing out the cash to keep the wheels turning? And who was responsible for the figures that were presented to the banks? There seems to be a bit more than incompetence going on here. JJH
Vanity ….that’s what has caused it
*MotoGP project
*More and more unnecessary road bike models
*Expensive dirt bikes - up to £2k more than competitive models from other marques

Nobody buying ?
Keep churning them out for vanity reasons 🙈
 
So - a second hand 1290 is on my shopping list at the mo as it’s a lot of bike second hand for sub £10k….I’ve seen 22 MY for around £9k and tracking a 2022 1290R that’s £10k…

Would you ???
No. I have 10 month old 1290 Superduke. Had major engine failure and quality issues. I would not risk another without a cast iron warranty..
 
I think KTMs problem is going to filter down throughout the whole industry and everyone will be affected to some extent. PCPs especially. Whatever was it pans out it’s going to have an impact on other makes. If your in the market for a giant trailey and have your eye on a gs or Africa twin or whatever your head is going to be turned by KTM deals. I’ve often thought of getting one myself but something else always got the bank’s money. Fundamentally they’re not a bad bike and if they were as good as BMW at warranty they might not be in this place at all. JJH
 
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Does that mean the dealer is ‘legally’ liable for the warranty etc ?

Thanks
Well for a proper answer you would need to consult a legal professional. Here’s my take on it. When you buy something from a dealer they are responsible for repairing under warranty and the manufacturer warranty is on top of that. Please be careful with that non legal opinion. JJH
 
Well for a proper answer you would need to consult a legal professional. Here’s my take on it. When you buy something from a dealer they are responsible for repairing under warranty and the manufacturer warranty is on top of that. Please be careful with that non legal opinion. JJH
No worries -
I should have been clearer.
If it’s used or pre reg by the dealer then I would think it’s their problem (or the 3rd party warranty co who have underwritten it) which on newer bikes is surely KTM itself ?

But for ‘new’ bikes, and there are literally 10,s of thousands of them in storage apparently, if not 100’s k’s , just sat -
Why would anyone sell those and then be liable for all the after sale warranty issues without KTM to refund them ?

What a mess.
 
And how about buying what looks like a pre registered sheer bargain right now - throwing £12k at them for a 1290, only for them to go pop in 3 months time, cease to exist and you have a bike with no warranty, no backup or spares and several sensor/electrical/faults/ gremlins ?

That’s just become a very expensive garden ornament that even the most competent home mechanics have no chance of resolving in my view.

Worse - I can’t see the business case for any of the car companies to bail them out right now. They have their own EV / ICE global crises to manage at the moment.

I think they are toast.
A Chinese co will buy the name.

Wonder if they said the same thing when Vincent went bust in 1959 and yet I still see them around today :augie

1736085994797.jpeg

Assuming the absolute worse scenario that they do go completely out of business there will then be a market for independents to set up to look after the existing bikes and all consumables will still be available. Also a major market for bits would be satisfied by breaking up "worthless" second hand bikes etc.

All very unlikely but where the value of second hand/new bikes ends up will not become clear until a solution to the current self administration is resolved come February/March.
 
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Wonder if they said the same thing when Vincent went bust in 1959 and yet I still see them around today :augie

View attachment 375253

Assuming the absolute worse scenario that they do go completely out of business there will then be a market for independents to set up to look after the existing bikes and all consumables will still be available. Also a major market for bits would be satisfied by breaking up "worthless" second hand bikes etc.

All very unlikely but where the value of second hand/new bikes ends up will not become clear until a solution to the current self administration is resolved come February/March.

I dont think that compares - the electronics modules/sensors/software being a significant issue imho.
That is very evident now with cars and independant dealers, never mind competent home mechanics.
Back in the day a lot of us kept cars/bikes on the road by reparing on the driveway at weekends. Those days, for the most are long gone.
Without software, computer etc
I dont think there will be much of a market for independants to set up - too small a pool of bikes and too high an investment needed.
Thats already happening with bike shops now.

We shall see soon enough anyway.
 
I dont think that compares - the electronics modules/sensors/software being a significant issue imho.
That is very evident now with cars and independant dealers, never mind competent home mechanics.
Back in the day a lot of us kept cars/bikes on the road by reparing on the driveway at weekends. Those days, for the most are long gone.
Without software, computer etc
I dont think there will be much of a market for independants to set up - too small a pool of bikes and too high an investment needed.
Thats already happening with bike shops now.

We shall see soon enough anyway.

We certainly will (y)

Also if even a dinosaur like me can read and reset error codes I would assume that a decent independent/Hilltop type operation would be able to sort most problems

IMG-20230403-144830-196.jpg
 
Wonder if they said the same thing when Vincent went bust in 1959 and yet I still see them around today :augie

View attachment 375253

Assuming the absolute worse scenario that they do go completely out of business there will then be a market for independents to set up to look after the existing bikes and all consumables will still be available. Also a major market for bits would be satisfied by breaking up "worthless" second hand bikes etc.

All very unlikely but where the value of second hand/new bikes ends up will not become clear until a solution to the current self administration is resolved come February/March.
It’s going to take a long time for KTM to reach the iconic status of Vincent. A lot of skilled older generation are retiring. Some of these were more enthusiastic than running businesses. Let’s see how this pans out. JJH
 
Vanity ….that’s what has caused it
*MotoGP project
*More and more unnecessary road bike models
*Expensive dirt bikes - up to £2k more than competitive models from other marques

Nobody buying ?
Keep churning them out for vanity reasons 🙈
Chocolate camshafts on the 790. 890. add to the list possible?
 
Chocolate camshafts on the 790. 890. add to the list possible?
Why are 'chocolate camshafts' still an issue? this is hardly a new problem, it's been known about for decades.
 
We certainly will (y)

Also if even a dinosaur like me can read and reset error codes I would assume that a decent independent/Hilltop type operation would be able to sort most problems

View attachment 375290
Reading a code is one thing,sorting something like a fuel trim error is another

Sent from my SM-A236E using Tapatalk
 
I thought it was a fundamental engine design issue (oilways?) rather than a camshaft issue?
 
Why are 'chocolate camshafts' still an issue? this is hardly a new problem, it's been known about for decades.
It’s an issue because even though it’s been known about for years as you say KTM ignored it for years. That’s the issue. Decades is a bit strong unless you’re talking about Honda and of course they handled it a bit better than KTM handled their camshaft issue. JJH
 
Oilways, camshafts, followers - whatever is causing the problem is irrelevant. The damage was done once the FB group gained a lot of traction with people worldwide stating they'd had issues. Many had paid for repairs themselves as KTM wouldn't admit liability and were understandably pissed off. I had an early Duke 790 with 23k miles on and got shot of it before the coverage in MCN got out, as I didn't want to be stuck with a large orange paperweight that nobody would touch. Had KTM come right out at the beginning and said they'd cover repair costs for everyone affected, I'd have kept it and got it looked at. Truth is I had no idea if mine was worn but didn't want to take the chance. KTM backed down about a month after I traded it in. I've had 3 KTMs, had trouble with one, but I would have happily got another, but the hesitancy they showed has put me right off getting one - and I bet I'm not alone
 


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