Cluster of clutch failures on KTM 790 Adventure

I have a KTM 790 Adventure and so far am happy with the bike but there's a pile of clutch failures being reported by owners.

And worse than that, KTM is refusing to accept liability leaving owners in some cases with a major bill for engine rebuild.

The clutch on the 790 is wet, meaning it relies on an oil feed and it seems the oil jet easily becomes blocked. It's supposed to be checked on each service but who knows whether this is being done, and with service intervals so far apart...

If you are a 790 Adventure owner you need to be aware of this problem and check the clutch for signs of oil burning and blocked jet. If you are thinking of buying a 790 Adventure I would suggest you investigate this issue before proceeding.

In the report below, to add insult to injuury the owner was unfortunately also let down by KTM's breakdown recovery: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1824483411197787/permalink/2301919730120817/

Owners have questioned why this apparently seems not to have affected the 790 Duke which was introduced a year earlier. The answer is we don't know.
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I think I should explain more about the clutch issue so people get a feel for the scale of this problem.

Uli Schildt picked up his bike in Arizona and rode 3,000 miles back to Washington State. A week later his clutch failed but KTM refused to replace it under warranty. Uli writes, "[KTM] say the clutch is a 'wear item'. I tried to reason with them, to no avail. Left several messages at KTM in California but they have not replied."

Uli suggests, "anybody with a 790 to pull the clutch cover and inspect. This takes less than 5 minutes and requires almost no mechanical skill. You don't need to drain the oil, since the clutch is well above the sump (although a few drops may come out)."

And this is what David Bentley's clutch looked like when followed Uli's advice and removed the cover. It seems in perfect condition.



But this is what Mark Ferbrache's clutch looked like with signs of oil overheating and burning.



Mark writes that he had to replace his clutch at his expense, "KTM just said wear and tear so had to pay myself." If your clutch looks like this you might want to investigate further, so take the three bolts and cover off, then take out each plate and check them for heat damage, loss of material, etc.

J P De Villiers writes, "After my first clutch burnt and the fault was put on me after only 2700 km. I put a [heavy duty] Rekluse torque drive with the hope it will be a stronger replacement. It took exactly 300 km, clutch started taking high and slipping exactly like before."

In Quintin Mclaughlin's case he had only just run the bike in and had the initial service before setting off on a road trip through France, Spain and Portugal. Clutch failure at only 2,000 miles and KTM's reaction is to leave him stranded for four days and for him to have to arrange repatriation despite supposedly being covered by KTM Mobility breakdown cover.

Laia Sanz's clutch had to be replaced at the Bosnia Rally. Laia is a thirteen-time Women's Trial World Champion, so you would expect SHE knows how to use a clutch.

Bill Cairns was one of the first to report a clutch failure to the community. Bill is an avid poster of biking action videos and KTM took one look at these and decided Bill was misusing the clutch. KTM would not allow the warranty on the rest of the engine to continue unless Bill spent close to £3,000 on a complete engine rebuild.

The 790 community generally believed the clutch problems are due to a lack of lubrication and possibly because the oil filters are not picking up small amounts of debris that is then blocking the oil jet lubricating the clutch, however KTM REFUSES to engage with any of the owners who have had problems, making a resolution impossible to determine. This is irresponsible in the extreme.

I believe these reports are only the tip of the iceberg.

READY TO RACE (but please mind the clutch)

Thanks Tim I keep looking at this bike hope they sort it before I get my cheque book out.

Mine's fine (I think). Enjoying it very much. The photo above was on a 2,000 km ride in France. I've been in Spain for several weeks with the 690 Enduro R, but for sure I will be pulling the clutch cover on the 790 Adventure the moment I get back!!

Just waiting for Arsey and Nutty as KTM do not have any problems

At least BMW take responsibility

Thanks for the posting

Thanks for the warning.

I won't be buying a KTM 790 then.....

The service manual describes the inspection process and how to check for blockages.

P.384-388

Also states to check no thread lock is obscuring the oil nozzle.

PM me if you want the screen shots of the procedure.

Warlord said:

Thanks for the warning.

I won't be buying a KTM 790 then.....

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Agreed, you'd be a fool to buy this particular model from what has been reported.

I’m glad I bought mine and she’s riding really well. She’s done a few thousand miles off road and less on road and has done it all brilliantly. Yes, I’ve have snag list things, but have no regrets.

karlp said:

Just waiting for Arsey and Nutty as KTM do not have any problems

At least BMW take responsibility

Thanks for the posting

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Couldn’t give a flying fuck. No KTMs in my garage .

Tim Cullis said:

Mine's fine (I think). Enjoying it very much. The photo above was on a 2,000 km ride in France. I've been in Spain for several weeks with the 690 Enduro R, but for sure I will be pulling the clutch cover on the 790 Adventure the moment I get back!!

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I must be daft as I still like it, so not listening to Giles, anyway before I get one, they will surely have a new model out.

Disapointing, and it would be sooo much better for the brand if they had a 'no quible' warranty reputation.
I'm on my fourth KTM now, but would still shy away from buying any new model KTM, its always been a well established model for me.

Hopefully someone will find a way of sorting it, even if it isn't the Austrians!

Looks like a proper piece of kit Tim

I have my eye on either this or perhaps the Norden 900 if it becomes a reality...

Disappointing news. But my advice is to just check it regularly and get on with our lives. Mine runs well and no issues with the clutch so far. Amazing machine.

Anyway, it’s not the bike that’s broken right now, it’s me! 3 months in with a smashed shoulder and dislocated rib and I’m still not fit to ride really. Doing my head in.


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All I can say is that this has not been my experience with KTM - I've owned six; one less than BMW. Never had a real problem with any. I have confidence in my dealer too.

So how many clutch failures is a "cluster" ?

Apex said:

Disappointing news. But my advice is to just check it regularly and get on with our lives. Mine runs well and no issues with the clutch so far. Amazing machine.

Anyway, it’s not the bike that’s broken right now, it’s me! 3 months in with a smashed shoulder and dislocated rib and I’m still not fit to ride really. Doing my head in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

That’s not good. What happened?

Tim Cullis said:

I have a KTM 790 Adventure and so far am happy with the bike but there's a pile of clutch failures being reported by owners.

And worse than that, KTM is refusing to accept liability leaving owners in some cases with a major bill for engine rebuild.

The clutch on the 790 is wet, meaning it relies on an oil feed and it seems the oil jet easily becomes blocked. It's supposed to be checked on each service but who knows whether this is being done, and with service intervals so far apart...

If you are a 790 Adventure owner you need to be aware of this problem and check the clutch for signs of oil burning and blocked jet. If you are thinking of buying a 790 Adventure I would suggest you investigate this issue before proceeding.

In the report below, to add insult to injuury the owner was unfortunately also let down by KTM's breakdown recovery: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1824483411197787/permalink/2301919730120817/

Click to expand...

The clutch oil jet can either become blocked or affect performance on LC8 950 that's why we either drill them out or I've fitted an oversize one. Sorted

wilbjr21 said:

All I can say is that this has not been my experience with KTM - I've owned six; one less than BMW. Never had a real problem with any. I have confidence in my dealer too.

So how many clutch failures is a "cluster" ?

Click to expand...

My personal experience is six years of BMW ownership and three warranty claims, seven years of KTM ownership and no warranty claims!


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Timolgra said:

The clutch oil jet can either become blocked or affect performance on LC8 950 that's why we either drill them out or I've fitted an oversize one. Sorted

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Is that a general LC8 thing Tim (ie on the later, bigger engines as well) or just a 950/990 thing?

I ask as I've replaced my clutch at just under 20,000 miles which surprised me somewhat.

Andres

Outtomunch said:

Is that a general LC8 thing Tim (ie on the later, bigger engines as well) or just a 950/990 thing?

Andres

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Sorry Andres I only know about real LC8s