My new KTM 990/Why I cancelled a Winter riding Mexico

I don't dispute the filter did it's job. The fact it takes four days to even get filters and about $1000 bucks to replace them is KTM's design fault. Was that not clear? Sorry. If there was a lack of simple maintenance, where did you see that? This bike has faithfully been maintained by KTM dealers since new six months ago at a cost of $4000. What do you think I may have overlooked?

I have taken off my orange colored glasses and i feel better for it.

No longer believe it is acceptable for a brand new bike to strand me four times. If you choose not to heed my warning and set out on an overland trip on a KTM 990. I want to read the ride report.

Kedgi

I have done it quite successfully in 17 countries last year alone. I partially agree however, no one should be riding a KTM across the world. I would be most interested in any intercontinental ride reports you have published. can you post a link?

Kedgi

I feel for you I really do but if you are paying for people to change your oil and complaining about the cost of service I think you purchased the wrong bike.

The target market for this bike honestly is people who like working on their own bikes and riding them.

Sorry but I'd venture to guess 90% of 990 owners change their own oil , do their own valves, and almost all wouldn't attempt a trip to Mexico without a spare fuel pump , filters and other spares in their arsenal of tools.

I do feel bad for you and I feel worse that you are stuck relying on others to fix your bike for you.

I love my 990 but I also love McGuyver and fixing my own stuff. I look at it as quality control....... I control the quality of the maintenance of my own bike.

I hope it all works out for you and you get home safe and sound.

I am a specialist in Air Traffic Control. There are specialists in Mechanics. I hope Air Traffic Controllers never get to the point that Mechanics don't trust them and begin trying ATC for themselves

And your right, I enjoyed my KLR, in my RR I describe why I sold it thanks to an unresponsive executive at Kawasaki Canada, he now works for KTM Canada. Irony at work.

Kedgi

Yeah, but you couldn't cross the United States on your 990.

How anyone can own a 990, belong to Advrider and have over 1000 posts and NOT know that the fuel filters on these bikes clog easily is beyond me.

If you want to read the ride reports of the many who have done what you claim to have done last year, ride reports is the first forum that shows up when you log on.

Have you thought about just driving your car across these countries? Might be safer for ya.

Ultimately, you are correct- you should not own a KTM- nor any fuel injected motorcycle. They have fuel filters and fuel filters- much like air filters- tend to clog.

What's the one constant among these brand manufacturers you complain of?

I don't agree -- for some, an around the world trip consists of turning wrenches and going solo. Others do it with a team of people and a car of parts, doctors, mechanics in tow. Some use a backpack, some use a tour bus. "Should" or "Should Not" doesn't come into it as a black and white concept.

The guy did a major trip - one that 95% of the folks around here only dream about -- on a trouble-free KLR. That is where his expectation was set and he enjoyed that experience.

The KTM is advertised to deliver that same kind of experience, but better, and at least in this case it failed to do that (and wasn't helped by the dealers involved).

Edit: To be clear, I love KTMs and would own one in a heartbeat, but I also have gotten more comfortable/enjoy working on the mechanicals of a motorbike. My point speaks to having the right tool for the job, and in this case I don't think it was it (but I don't blame the OP for it; Orange Fever is contagious!)

I think you do a good job of illustrating my point. Can you direct me to any marketing that says you must be a mechanic to own this bike?

I think more accurately 90% of 990 owners never ride these bikes overland. I can show you marketing that suggest this is a good overland bike. It is not. I feel no shame for paying a mechanic. My time is more valuable than that. Without guys like myself willing to pay for mechanical services, how could mechanics afford KTM's

My idea of fun is riding a reliable bike, then sitting in a hammock on a beach in Mexico, drinking a Corona watching some young 20 something babe play nude frisbee with her dog. We all have different ideas of fun. The KTM is not well suited to my idea of fun. In fact my KTM prevented me from having my idea of fun in spite of their marketing which suggests otherwise.

Kedgi

Well, if his air filter clogged after riding through the desert, would that be the KTMs fault, too? What about a flat tire? What if, god forbid, the bike was using oil?

Do you know there is no KTM dealership in Baja, Mex?

Does any of this ring a bell?:

Buying the KTM, I had unquestionably fallen hook, line and sinker for the Austrian marketing hype. I'd been looking at a GS and was ready to pull the trigger, until the sales flunky - with all his talk of 'electronic this and canbus that' - managed to convince me that this needlessly complicated contraption would be an absolute liability were any unforeseen backwoods mishap to occur. No; I needed something simple, something basic, a more powerful KLR actually. This KTM - carburated, normally aspirated brakes, no unnecessary electronic excessiveness and proven in the great deserts of North Africa would be just the thing I'd need. It surely must be eminently reliable - given the abuse hurled at it in race guise; and simple to maintain too, since many a piste-side repair must have undoubtedly been hastily performed. Well, in retrospect, the only thought that comes to mind is: 'YOU DUMB STUPID BASTARD'

from: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9595390&postcount=25

I felt pretty much the same as you initially. However, having spent many years trolling this forum in search of information, most of the issues with it have (hopefully) been addressed, and the bike is somewhat reliable (probably). Even the ridiculous oil change procedure has been distilled into something more realistic.
The 990 was a bad choice for the style of ownership you describe. Like me, you just didn't do enough research beforehand. The reality of expensive valve adjustments on a V-twin buried between a couple of tanks should have been self evident, especially when compared to a KLR.
Fwiw my KLR put the con-rod through the engine cases at 30k and the water pump lasted about as long as the 950. Dohickey was changed (I was part of a 3 bike buy and all three had broken dohickey spring within 5k), sub-frame bolts changed, downright dangerous brakes upgraded, woeful suspension replaced etc.
Good luck in your future endeavors.

Douf

I don't recall assigning anyone fault in my post; not KTM or the OP. Of course it wouldn't be KTMs 'fault' if he got a flat tire any more than it would be the President's fault that he got struck by lightening (cue the 'thanks Obama' meme).

That being said when you expect a certain experience, based on the marketing of the company, and the bike doesn't deliver that level of experience, I can understand the frustration and annoyance. The bike did not live up to expectations. The expectations therefore were wrong -- either by the fault of KTMs marketing or by the fault of a lack of research, well that's not something I can comment on, but I like to think "truth in advertising" trumps "spend hours on internet forums and hope you've read the right reviews"

I'm a Crane Operator not a mechanic nor did it ever say in any brochure that I had to be either to own this bike.

I however did research this bike quite a bit before purchasing it and I know what the consumable maintenance parts are on the bike and I own them so I'm not at anyone's mercy if they fail.

If your time as you say "is more valuable" than to maintain your own bike then don't complain about the price of it. It would be like me paying people to wipe my ass and then complaining about the price of having to take a shit.

Thanks Jack, well put. I just hope that guys that dream of overland trip take off their orange colored glasses before they try one. My KLR made my ride to Argentina come true. My KTM left me stranded and ruined a trip to Mexico in spite of thousands spent on prep and dealer maintenance. That's an inarguable fact. KTM has ignored me, another inarguable fact. In four days they haven't been able to get fuel filters to San Antonio, another inarguable fact. So sorry if I hurt anybody's feelings about KTM's I just want people to know how KTM has treated me.

Kedgi

:d

990 guy with a sense of humor here ... That nearly made me piss myself.

I'm still smiling

I am surprised when people miss the point so completely my complaint is not with the cost. I would be happy a a hen shittin' shingle nails if the maintenance I paid for prevented this breakdown and a four night stay at a San Antonio motel when i planned to be riding in Mexico. My issue is that INSPITE of the cost the bike has still left me stranded and can no longer be trusted. I'm guessing you never took the time to read my ride report as I suggested you should. Your comment could not possibly be so off the mark if you had.

Thanks though appreciate your input.

Kedgi

Sounds like you like to complain about all your bikes.


I got butthurt over my Honda Shadow suffering a clutch failure at the very end of a 13,000 mile 48 State ride around the US, leaving me stranded on my last day about 250 miles from home. Stranded in the Arizona desert in late June. Bike had 26K on the odometer. I was every bit as cross as you are right now.

But in retrospect, I was given signals by the bike for thousands of miles before failure, that the clutch was going to fail.

It was a learning opportunity to change the clutch out myself and learn more about how it operates.

Sounds to me more like a fuel delivery problem than a filter problem, if it transcends more than 1 filter and 1 tank of gas. Wasn't there some sort of drama with 9x0 fuel pumps? Was that the 950 or 990? I don't own one. I liquidated the Shadow and now I'm on a Tiger 800XC.

Frankly, I wouldn't take the Tiger to South America, for the security reasons you've already pointed out, and because there's practically no support for the bikes down there. Pressed to do so, I'd take my old XR600 long before I'd take the Tiger.

$10K+ bikes just don't belong on third world tours. Gimme simple-stupid carburated fuel delivery with a simple-stupid inline fuel filter, a simple-stupid engine that can handle roadside oil changes with questionable Mexican/Ethiopian/Mongolian dino-oil rather than synthetic stuff that is probably "synthetic" synthetic oil if you know what I mean, and an air filter that won't have a conniption fit if all I can do to clean it is pour water over it to wash out half the dust and reinstall it.

In closing, I want to point out that your prior career has no bearing on your choice to ride a motorcycle. I'm a software developer... and an aspiring hack motorcycle mechanic. Dr. McCoy from Star Trek was always saying "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor... not a [insert blank here]." He's wrong and short-sighted. I take the Heinlein approach to skillsets.

He would have put "maintain a motorcycle" in there if he thought of it, but the vast array of skills he listed gets the point across well enough, I think.

exactly why, affter 50 years of riding, I have a klr and a dl650 in the garage. We live and learn.

Not sure of your point. Don't think you should be so critical of overland riders with a serious, costly bike issue, that is trying to warn others to shy away from a suspect product, especially if you are sittin' home on the couch.

Did you post a link to your overland ride reports. If you did, I'm sorry I missed it. Please post it again.

Thanks for your input.

I think beer will help the problem, but I'm at home so what do I know?