Who said they weren't reliable?

My 04 has had every pattern failure and then some. Still will never get rid of it. Has been worth every $$ and hour spent fixing it.

Your first statement really isn't all that true.
The LC8 motor in Adventure/SE trim is very understressed, actually. 85 rwhp in a liter v twin is far from a ticking timebomb. None of the usual issues with the LC8 have anything to do with being an overstressed high performance engine.

Exactly. I can pretty much guarantee the fuel pump (or water pump or master cyclinder) on a GSXR will last longer than an ADV one.


Safe to say most ADV owners love their bike in spite of the carry-over flaws, not because of them.

Good point. I wasn't only talking about the motor, though. The KTM's are going to be ridden harder in all areas. Rims, suspension, plastics, bearings, everything will take a beating.

You are certainly right about things like the water pump/fuel pump of course. I guess that doesn't really bother me too much after having a long succession of BMW's that all had their own repetitive expensive major component failures which were all design-related as well.

Plus, as the previous poster said, after I get out and ride it, I don't really care if it breaks now and again - it's worth it!!

dc

42,000 miles=fuel pump died (in my driveway ) at 39,000 miles. Other than that..................
Does the weird stalling at a light sometimes, and the clutch STILL pisses me off, changing the oil is a real live pain in the ass, crunchy shifting (because of clutch weirdness), get sore ass from seat (have stock "weapon of ass destruction", low gel, Corbin, and tried 2 Renazco's), and let me tell you................it's the single greatest bike I've ever thrown a leg over! I want another one, so I have a spare just in case this one is down!

Ride On!
Chris

I would be interested to know what has worn out over 130,000 km. How many water pumps, fuel pumps, clutch slave cylinders etc.......

the fibres plates in a V-Strom aren't fibres like you think. they're steel plates (a tiny bit thinner than the steels inside the clutch) and they have fibre pads about every half an inch or so.

breaking one in half isn't an option. if you had an angle grinder, perhaps.

i replaced my clutch plates, springs and basket at 25k for the same reason you guys tear into your fuel pumps, clutch slaves, and starters.

it was junk from the factory.

if you need to know anything about the famous (or infamous) V-Strom clutch 'chudder' only need PM me.

You hit the nail on the head. Good point. Take care of your bike and she will take care of you!

Just to add a second point to my comment above. Regular maintenance seems to only get you so far. There is always some shitty part on every bike that will give you a headache or two (I think we have all been there ). To say the least, there are two parts to the reliability equation, maintenance and parts/build quality. Which in turn gives a bike its reputation.

You guys should all knock on wood...

My 05 950 has gone through three fuel pumps, one water pump seal/shaft, one rear clutch master cylinder, and one clutch slave in less than 20,000 miles. I finally got fed up with the fuel pump problem and wedged a Facet in there. And I am a maintenance fanatic...my problems are not related to lack of maintenance. My last bike was a BMW K1200RS...50,000 miles and not one, single, mechanical problem.

As a friend said to me not that long ago while I was working on my clutch slave on the side of the road, the 950 is the most fun piece of junk I've ever owned. I love the bike...with the 19/17" wheel combo it is the best back road carver I've ever ridden. The engine puls like a train, and the bike is fun to ride on all but the most demanding singletrack.

But reliable...no. Next up is the starter torque limiter...mine is starting to go and will have to be updated. FWIW KTM should have issued a recall on the fuel pumps...total lack of accountability, if you ask me.

Great idea to get back to civilization ~ thanks!

Unfortunately, I had 275 miles get home. So, I was going out on a trailer regardless of where it was from. I was able to coast several miles off the hill to get to a spot that was easy to get the truck into.

A bike that goes through slave cylinders, water pump seals, and fuel pumps would certainly put it in the high-maintenance category... and maybe the unreliable.

That being said, I still ride it because it's positives FAR out-weigh its negatives.

I've owned a lot of DS bikes, and have never owned one with so many issues to correct off the showroom floor. That being said, I've never owned one that was this much fun to ride, nor this capable, either... so it's a trade-off.

But 11.5:1 (isn't that about what the LC8 is?) compression engines are goinog to need more attention than a 9:1 engine. Right? Otherwise, why wouldn't all bikes have high compression engines?

Correct. The only other time I've been left 'high and dry' was by my KLR650 (which was an exceptionally reliable bike). The stator coil went out in the middle of no-where, and no one could have predicted it. Happened around 35k or so.

Not by bike but if I remeber well only a couple of warranty issues (starter clutch and clutch slave cylinder) and "camshaft driving chain" (don't remember the right words).