KTM Overall reliability

This question is intended for experienced KTM users. I hope you can respond without fanaticism. I would like to know how the reliability of KTM bikes compares to BMWs, the same, better or worst? lately I'm doubting the BMW quality and I'm thinking of changing brand.
Thanks.

reliability when they have how many miles/years on them?

I've put around 18,000mi on my early 2004 950S in 1.5 years. I'm the third owner.
chinesium fuel pump failure in death valley, removed and rode to civilization.(previous owner replacement, refit with facet)
stator failure @ approx 58,804 miles. (refit with genuine oem)
Those are the only two times my bike failed to run.
Currently at 66k and change.

It has quirks, but it has always gotten me to where I wanted to go and put up with my bullshit all the while. In return I give it hours of my life in the form of service and system checks. It's a small price to pay, when it violates the ride:wrench arrangement it gets traded in for something more robust. That said this bike is gonna be around for a lonnnnng time. These bikes need some fixes depending on your riding style and geographic location, that said, they're not really hard to do.

Reliability is what you make it, if you run it hot put it away wet and ignore symptoms, make friends with a tow guy.
As for a bmw? I donno, not my kinda ride.

I've always trusted my KTM's to get me home. They've got the basics absolutely bulletproof. Ancillary parts may fail but if you know the bike, you can do a quick bodge and be on your way. Rock solid engines.

What constitutes 'reliability' in your mind?
Reckon that a motorcycles reliability is more a function of the owner / rider rather than a specific make. They all have their quirks and idyocincracies, like @albani says, how you treat, ride, service your bike determines much 'reliability'.
Generally KTMs are well made, have quality components and require routine servicing pretty much like all makes... What color do you like? :)

I've owned 4 KTMs. They've been mostly reliable though they also have quirks/issues. Not a bike I'd recomend for someone adverse to turning a wrench once in awhile.

The reward of ownership is the stupid grins they illicit rather than impeccable reliability. How that compares to BMWs I have no idea. Never saw one that interested me enough to buy one yet.

this is one of those questions. all my KTM's have been as reliable as the old 1st gen KLR 650 was, and i put 85k miles on that bike before this forum or the doohicky existed. KTM has been reliable for me.

having said that i know quite a few guys on BMW gs's that rack up trouble free miles.

Amen brother.

does kinda matter what forum you ask the question in. The choir will always believe. BMW has made some design screwups over the 40 years I've been riding them. I've only had one failure on the road and had to limp home, 1200 miles.

oh i know it! plenty of sheeple out there.

Every bike has its issues. I owned BMWs for nearly 20 years, and they were reliable when they ran, unreliable when they didn't :~) I could say the same for every other brand of bike I've had, Honda, Aprilia, Ducati, and KTM.

There isn't a fundamental flaw in either of my KTMs, a 990 SMT and a 950A, that would cause either to be unreliable. The failures I've had are a result either of my own mechanical incompetence, or issues that were well known problems (e.g. water pump, regulator/rectifier, ignition wire routing) I could have corrected before they became anything.

IMHO if you keep up with scheduled maintenance they are very reliable.

If you take care of it, it will take care of you...
This adage is brand universal.


That said, most ktms are the best spec’d bike in their class out the box....but, at the end of the day, you can make any bike your own with the right suspension and comfort mods.
Game on. Go nuts.

For a Euro bike, LOL.

Non-maintenance related issues do seem to crop up on euro bikes (which of course includes BMW) more than their UJM counterparts. I don't doubt those that say they have ridden KTMs for thousands of miles with zero issues but my personal experience has been different.

2005 525 - (Purchased used) - No issues while I owned it other than the flywheel nut coming loose. I'd call it a rock solid bike.
2013 990 SM-T (Purchased new) and put 10k miles on it. Rear brake failure twice in 10,000 miles. I loved this bike, I hated this bike. Fueling as it came from the factory sucked though.
2016 1190R (Purchased new) and put 12k miles on it. Fuel sender replaced twice while I owned it and it had failed again before I sold it. Had to have shift shaft/gear selector work done on it at 8k miles. I had a soft spot for this beast, if it had been a bit lighter it would still be in the garage.
2017 690R (Purchased new) Had the fuel pump and regulator replaced under warranty at 7k miles. Radiator had to be replaced under warranty at 9k miles. Still own it. Love the torquey nature of this thumper.
2018 250 XC-F (Purchased new) Only 70 hours on it so far but no issues to date. Still smile every time I ride it.

In comparison the even larger number of Japanese bikes I've owned never had a single early on-set mechanical issues. If I rode for only the transportation aspect I'd buy a Japanese motorcycle every time.


But I ride for enjoyment and the koolaide is sweet - KTM 790R next on my list.

I think another key thing to remember is that the bike needs to be ridden and used on top of doing normal maintenance. when you let a vehicle sit things start to go wrong with it. I've had my 1190 for 2 years and put 22000 miles on it and have not had one single issue with it.

2007 990: 53,000 miles. Replaced brake light switches, fuel level sensor, ignition switch wires, O2 sensors... that's about it. Tires, brakes, chains of course.

Wow. uh, I put 20 years and close to 100k on my /5 bmw and went through a half dozen shift peg rubbers (kep sun rotting) and a clutch cable )mea culpa, bad maintenance) and an alternator rotor (wore out). My '83RS has 98k on it and I don't think anything has ever broken. I am second owner, have detailed service records from first and it just got oil, tire and filter changes. My '88 RS has 155k and has been running a lot of that without the oil being filtered. (PO changed his own oil, incompetently) The top end is pretty trashed. The bottom end is ready for another 155k. The older BMWs has their quirks but they didn't have warranty issues and they are incredibly long lived.

The new ones I dunno. BMW has gone down the path of endless electronics and factory farkles. And all that crap is one more thing to break.

My '74 Suzuki 2 stroke ran great last year with rust flakes floating around in it's tank. I think the OP was referring to the newer KTMs.

Y

You have a T500?

I don't trust anything newer. Too much working against them. Lot of gee-whiz technology to dazzle the rider/buyer, most of it not really debugged or proven over years (and never will be). Too little accumulated knowledge from owners about what the typical weak spots are.

Anyway, I'm off to change my 10a fuse as my indicators stopped working yesterday. Still got home though [emoji23]