How many miles + problems thread

[=maz=]

Warranty usually doesn't apply in this case anyway....so no change there...

And this is what makes no sense to me. Yes I ride my race-bike harder than my commuter but I also service the race-bike MUCH more than is required. If KTM want to advertise their bikes as "Ready To Race" they should do better...and if their quality control was better, based on the anecdotal evidence here, they would be able to offer some form of warranty on stock/production race-bikes with some measure of confidence.
If I don't race my RC390 and thrash the shit out of it on a daily basis with the recommended service intervals is it a better chance of breakdown or less?
Rhetorical question really as I know the answer and know nothing will change.

We have had a 50/50 hit/miss rate with one bike having zero problems and the other having quite a few...nothing that makes me want to take to the bike with a sledge-hammer but just annoying stuff that has sapped a little of the joy.
Overall I absolutely love the bike when I ride it. When I look at the quality of the powder-coating on the frame/rims I am not happy...great to ride, not to admire workmanship.

 

[D3signer]

Finally fixed the neutral light. The cause was the neutral switch inside the motor. It took about two weeks had to wait for parts and special tool. The service department at (Texas Mainland Cycle) was very professional and did their best at keeping me up to date. Great group of guys from the owner, to salesman, and service manager.

 

[EnergyHOU]

4,650 miles, noticed during weekend ride, far more vibration that normal throughout highway speeds ranging from 60-80 MPH. Goes back to normal over 85 or under 60. When I got home I went straight to checking for bolts, nuts, etc. I'm missing several, entirely > front fork, rear swingarm, etc. Will be fixed during 4,600 mile service scheduled this week, will update.

 

[Rexbo]

And this is what makes no sense to me. Yes I ride my race-bike harder than my commuter but I also service the race-bike MUCH more than is required. If KTM want to advertise their bikes as "Ready To Race" they should do better...and if their quality control was better, based on the anecdotal evidence here, they would be able to offer some form of warranty on stock/production race-bikes with some measure of confidence.

Not to mention that for ANYONE who bought a 390 they offer race vouchers to race for free...

Dropping my bike at a dealer to get head gasket, valves adjusted and clutch basket looked at, gonna try to warranty everything. If they claim "ready to race" and offer free race vouchers for street bikes, then they better cover the wear and tear of racing under warranty.

 

[big_sur]

Hope you're in tight with your dealer....

"Any KTM motorcycle specifically designed for and/or used in any type of competition is covered for only 30 days from the date of purchase."

http://www.ktm.com/globalassets/ser...cycle-warranty-with-street-models-6-18-15.pdf

 

[Rexbo]

Seems a little sketch to encourage your owners to void their warranty!

I appreciate the mindset, but not the outcome...

 

[simpletty]

Seems a little sketch to encourage your owners to void their warranty!

I appreciate the mindset, but not the outcome...

This bike is a failure for ktm. I worked
for Yamaha for several years and not one production bike they made had these kind of issues. Mine has 417 miles and is out due to a Ecu problem and to further add salt to the wound it's burning oil and needs to be torn down already. This thing is literally a peice of dog crap. Looks pretty but functions like a wet noodle. First and last ktm I will ever buy. I gaurentee we will not see a 2017 ktm rc390 in North America. I've emailed ktm and so far zero response. I guess I'll take to calling them to get some answers. Riding season north of the 49th is short the shitty quality of this garbage ktm has made the season for me even shorter. As the dealer said to me hope you have another bike to ride. I would not ever recommend this bike to anyone who is looking for a trouble free fun. Ike to ride. If you enjoy shitty suspension and multiple issues go buy it you will love it. Needless to say when and if I get it back from the dealer it's getting stripped of the parts I installed and will be sold. Not worth the headache.

 

[rick]

I've never had KTM respond to an email. Although, those were about the horrible metric/SAE unit conversions on the dash. When I've called KTM North America with my endless warranty woes, they generally answer the phone and have been very nice even if they seem completely unconcerned about how much time it's spent in the shop. I supposed they're trained to act like it's not a big deal - don't wanna accidentally admit anything, right?

I have been trying to figure out where to go from here. My RC has spent nearly half of it's 8 months broken down or in the shop. Since I purchased it as my primary commuter it has been difficult for me to spend so much time on the side of the road, missing work, having to take alternate and more expensive transportation options. I really want to like the bike - it just needs to get me where I'm going.

 

[KdRc390]

I have 4400 km and I noticed my bike doesn't have as much pull as it did before first service , I was riding with a 2015 kawi 300 and he was showing more power

 

[EnergyHOU]

It finally happened, 4,770 miles radiator fan failure. Noticed while riding back from work in stop and go downtown traffic. Temperature got to fan-on bar, fan didn't kick on, then another bar before overheat, then overheat and limp mode kicked in. Pulled over to wait for cool off, called dealer, etc. Will be fixed this week.

 

[D3signer]

At 2,900 miles and the coolant reservoir hose broke off. Dealer will be fixing under warranty.

 

[Rexbo]

Good news!

The dealer I took my bike to (Santa Barbara Motorsports) got approval from KTM to perform the following repairs to my bike under warranty, though they expressed reluctance to because it is a race bike (I took a chance and left the race bodywork on when delivering it, due to time shortage). The deciding factor was the extremely low mileage on the bike, read at 268 on the odometer but 455 on the ECU (apparently the ECU also counts engine miles from the sprocket, hmmmm) because I had it on the dyno for tuning.

- Head gasket repair and block/head machining (skim for flatness)
- Clutch basket inspection
- Water pump inspection
- Top end inspection
- Valve lash reset
- Starter switch replacement
- ECU firmware update
- Oil change
- Coolant change

They didn't seem to have any problem getting the work approved, and the whole experience has so far been painless.

 

[rick]

Nice! Approval in only 12 days too!
...and letting the race bodywork slide was damn decent of them!

 

[simpletty]

From speaking with both dealers in Canada that are selling these bikes, and these both were the general managers of two large stores, they had said that KTM is quick to warranty these bikes with less scrutiny because of the high rate of failure. He had said at one time KTM was down to the mm with fluids required for the repairs, now with the 390 they realize it is having a multitude of issues and push the warranty claims through faster. Right now there are four of these at the dealer that mine is at, two have major transmission issues, one has overheated and wont run, and the fourth is mine with the electrical and engine issues. These were all the 390s sold from that store last year. There is one more on the showroom floor that they cannot get rid of, they are blowing it out for 4200$ Canadian. Its really a shame that they are such a poorly put together machine. They should have made a small v twin instead of that one lung heat machine.

 

[Deleted member 452]

Good news!

The dealer I took my bike to (Santa Barbara Motorsports) got approval from KTM to perform the following repairs to my bike under warranty, though they expressed reluctance to because it is a race bike (I took a chance and left the race bodywork on when delivering it, due to time shortage). The deciding factor was the extremely low mileage on the bike, read at 268 on the odometer but 455 on the ECU (apparently the ECU also counts engine miles from the sprocket, hmmmm) because I had it on the dyno for tuning.

- Head gasket repair and block/head machining (skim for flatness)
- Clutch basket inspection
- Water pump inspection
- Top end inspection
- Valve lash reset
- Starter switch replacement
- ECU firmware update
- Oil change
- Coolant change

They didn't seem to have any problem getting the work approved, and the whole experience has so far been painless.

Nice!

My head gasket let go at 4.3K miles, water pump at 4.7K miles, and my clutch at 5.3K miles which meant a total of 7 weeks at the dealer for warranty repairs last April/May.

 

[Rexbo]

Quick update:
Talked to the dealer after they finished the teardown inspection. Here's what they gotta replace:
- Head (!)
- Both cams, apparently they started to delaminate
- Valves, the delaminating cams damaged some of them
- Piston (scorched)
- Cylinder wall (scorched)
- Wrist pin (scorched)
- Crank bearing (water contaminated oil)
- Rod bearing (ditto)
- Water pump seal
- Oil pump seals
- Starter switch

Just waiting on the parts from KTM to arrive! Now I'm starting to get the idea of having them install a slipper clutch while they're in there...

 

[Topaz]

Hmmm. I wonder what the cost of this labor would be if the bike were not under warranty.

 

[OldVet]

Hmmm. I wonder what the cost of this labor would be if the bike were not under warranty.

At $110 per hour here a pretty penny for sure...

 

[rick]

I'm glad there still moving on it! What is that? 24 days at SBM as of today? I'm starting to feel like no warranty repair can be done in less than a month.

Keep us posted!

 

[zaster]

I'm new to KTM and have only put 450 miles on mine but couldn't be happier so far.
Several folks have been voicing their displeasure with QC and reliability issues about this bike.
Keep in mind that 2015 was the first model year.
While the Japanese manufacturers take (it seems like) decades to come out with new and innovative products due
to extensive R&D and testing, the Europeans like to learn/improve as they go, hence more issues.
I learned that after I switched from Honda to Ducati.
Even on a $30K bike they haven't found a reliable cure for air getting in the clutch master. Go figure......