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

I look at that as a marginal solution for extremely bad engineering. here is where I bought gas in Colombia last year, would you want to count on a auxiliary filter to keep a bike that won't run on Sunoco 93 going? especially if it takes 4 days, or more, I haven't got them yet, to get filters in Texas if your bike fails?

This picture is courtesy of my friend Billy

Gas Station in Colombia



Kedgi

A new fuel filter kit with everything you need is $160 from CJ Designs and it is not difficult to install. You only have to remove the left tank and drop the pump assembly out. My 2010 990 has 36000 miles of trouble free fuel filtering. I carry an extra filter kit with me on trips in case I run into bad gas. CJ has also recently developed new billet filler caps with drop in prefilters that are really nice if you know you will be running into bad gas.

http://www.dualsportwarehouse.com/CJ-DESIGNS-KTM-990-FUEL-PUMP-FILTER-REBUILD-KIT-CJD-CFPRK-990.htm

At a staggering inexcusable cost. Not to mention the loss of a trip I had been planning for months. Shame on KTM

Kedgi

Funny I am also an ex ATC. lost my job with the strike.
This is basic stuff not really needing to be a mechanic, just understanding your machine and basic engine theory. Any bike is going to fall victim to bad fuel. I would suggest to learn the basics any bike you own and not be a slave to some shop. Pulling the tanks or looking for fuel is is a pretty easy task.
Ride a klr and be bored to death or ride a 990 with a smile, I guess that's what makes the world go around, different strokes for different folks.
I wish you well.

Proof positive that KTM has a very poorly designed filtering system. The KTM 990 should be subject to recall. A bike that is marketed as an overland bike and is used as such cannot help but run into bad gas. KTM is not telling customers of this flaw and it has personally cost me thousands.

Kedgi

I appreciate the help and the aftermarket filter systems you guys have pointed out. My intention is to warn riders looking for an overland bike that the KTM 990 is not a good choice because it has fuel filtering issues.

I don't care if KTM continues to ignore my complaints, in the grand scheme of things I will get over losing my trip to Mexico thanks to KTM's poor engineering and misleading marketing. I will think of them next Winter on my new BMW or KLR. My new KTM will be history. What a piece of crap.

Kedgi

I already asked, but again, how do you know it's the filters since the mechanics you've been dealing with have repeatedly told you the bike is fixed??
From the symptoms, it kind of sounds like a pinched vent tube or possibly a plugged charcoal canister if it still has it.



And if you're thinking of going BMW...well, I'm...ever hear the phrase "from the fry pan into the fire"? Think carefully about that move, especially as you need to rely on mechanics for your maintenance. Trust me.

Yeah..... all100 % KTM's design fault!

Couldn't be a lack of simple maintenance or dirty fuel or such

This thread, started in the middle of the winter, is going to go places, fast. And, rightfully so.


If you can't check or change a motorcycle's fuel filter- you are correct - you absolutely should not take it to Mexico.

What if you put the same bad gas in your new KLR? It seems your problems started with putting really bad gas in,and then blaming KTM for that.
And like has been said,if you have 0 knowledge of working on bikes,then maybe the bus system in Baja can get you around,lots use it.

I met some of you Natca guys while I was at Catca conventions. What a shame that whole fiasco was. I was Gander Oceanic that day and we ran out of places to put aircraft on the ground.

I agree with knowing basic repairs and maintenance. This is beyond that scope in my humble opinion. I can change a tire roadside in minutes. I am not a complete dunce when it comes to mechanics but i am not a mechanic. This bike is still under warranty. My intention was to have it serviced properly by qualified mechanics. I was depending on it to take me to Mexico and back safely. In spite of paying for top notch mechanics or at least paying rates commanded by top notch mechanics this bike has failed to the point it has ruined my trip. If you intend to ride overland, stay far far away from a KTM 990

I think the argument that you have to be a mechanic to own a KTM 990 is a sound one. They are that troublesome.

I don't mind paying for repairs, I have the money. I do however mind paying for repairs twice because of inattention to detail by well paid mechanics and I do not want a bike that when given top notch maintenance and service will still not run properly and has been so unreliable I have to abandon my plans. My plan by the way was to explore Mexico, not explore Mexico motorcycle maintenance facilities.

I loved what I saw of Mexico last year on my way to Argentina and I wanted to see more. The unreliability, caused by poor filter design, of this KTM 990 has made that impossible and I intend to warn others, who are not mechanics stay far, far away from this bike.

Kedgi

I can almost hear you crying from here,more then a whole bunch of guys have used 990's for going around the world and all over the place. They can usually replace a filter.

Once you have a BMW apart on the side of the road,it will all become clearer.

fuel would be less of an issue in the KLR, simply run it out, drain the bowl and remove the petcock to clean/replace the filter.
On the other hand the KTM, while requiring more time/effort, should have been a similar fix. runt he tank out, change filters and be done with it. while more time consuming and costly I feel it is worth it for the performance of the 990 compared to the KLR, but what do I know I trade my dead reliable 990 for a new 1190? not to mention riding 3 different 300exc/xc-w's since '97 which I have yet to find an engineering flaw in (other than the '01 needing a #7 slide).
sorry you had bad luck, hope thing work better with your KLR or BMW.

What ever top notch mechanics this 990 was taken to didnt do the right thing,hard to blame KTM for that.

Read the whole of his story! 3 dealerships and contact with KTM Canada over weeks - and no joy except money out of his pocket! And NOT blame KTM? What more should Kedgi have done?

He did not intentioanlly put bad gas in at a regular station here in the US. There is contamination in the tanks, the other is a design that is not user friendly.

I want to sum up by saying if you don't ride too far from help, or are a mechanic the KTM 990 is a great bike. If you enjoy working on bikes it is a great bike that will give you a ton of opportunity to do exactly that.

Having said that if you are not a mechanic even if you are a mechanic, but you are someone who wants to ride overland and fears being stranded on the side of the road in a remote country miles from town as it is getting dark, the KTM 990 is not the bike for you. It is too big a bike to drag a kilometer from the road in a barren desert in an attempt to hide and protect yourself when it lets you down and it will let you down.

I shudder to think of a failure in some of the places I was last year. If you ride enough in remote places you will end up in bad places where a breakdown could be catastrophic to your health and well being

Don't buy into KTM's claim that this bike is some sort of world crosser. It's not. It is anything but.

Kedgi

not very many mechanics left these days, only parts replacers. trouble shooting is a whole different game, very few that truly know anything about it.

That is why I do all the maintenance myself. I find it hard to trust dealer mechanics. By the way, I've never been bored on my KLR, or any bike I've owned.

Finally a thread to keep the 990 guys busy while us 1190 guys have a run of the forum

Sorry mang. It is you who should not be riding a motorcycle across the world.