Quality Control in Developing World Factories

[Diploman]

There has been a great deal of discussion about manufacturing quality of the KTM/Bajaj 390's, mostly citing unfavorable comparisons to Japanese or European-built bikes. Yamaha, like Honda and Kawasaki, has company-owned factories in Thailand for production of small-bore motos and scooters. One of the flagship products from Thai Yamaha in SamutParkan is the R3, a bike to which the 390 is often compared.

In addition to the October 2015 recall of the R3 for (potentially catastrophic) fracturing of the upper triple clamp, the R3 has more recently been the object of two more recalls, for clutch failure and oil pump failure.

Yamaha R3 Recall for Clutch Defect | Motorcyclist

The point being that QC shortcomings in the KTM/Bajaj manufacturing plant are not unique. When companies based in advanced industrial nations farm production out to developing world facilities, QC lapses are inevitable. The R3's recent woes illustrate this phenomenon. Globalization, while it can significantly reduce manufacturing costs, does not come without a downside.

 

[Ryanthegreat1]

I was going to start a thread about the Honda CBR300 and CB300 having a crankshaft recall coming down the line. Not too happy about that one. 600 miles and the brand new engine gets to be torn down to nothing. Yay. Not to mention the starter solenoid recall they had.

I do believe Thailand is the country of manufacture for the small Hondas. The Grom had a fuel pump recall also built in Thailand.

 

[simpletty]

The R3 had the clutch pressure plate and oil pump gear recall, bike was in on Saturday and back out Tuesday. Quick turnaround and an excellent job by Yamaha to repair. I did read that the triple clamp issue was mostly the Asian bikes, or so I had thought. We are all subject to the phenomenon of globalization, there have been significant recalls in the auto industry as well that I am sure have affected us in some way or another. I was rather happy with the turn around time at the Yamaha dealer. They really did an excellent job of the repair and the bike was sparkling clean at the point of pickup. Actually cleaner than when it was dropped off. The girlfriend is the one who looks after the R3 now since shes a full fledged licensed motorcyclist and she was rather happy as to how things went in light of the ktm fiasco I endured, Well....its ktm rear set time....then im going to spend all day not dragging my toes tomorrow..!!!

 

[cornerslider]

I wish the quality issues with this bike were not as common as they are..... Personally, the ONLY issue I've had with my bike was a bead leak on the front rim @ 100 miles (which I fixed myself). Since then, my bike has been spot-on with everything, and I couldn't be happier! What I have noticed though, is that the KTM dealers seem to be dropping-the-ball/not getting backed up by KTM USA? I have two really good dealers less than an hour from me. They both seem to really try to help me out with anything I ask. It seems to me like there might be a communication gap between KTM USA, and the dealers? It seems like the dealers get left out of the loop on quite a bit. I recently asked the dealer that I bought my bike from, about the 24 month warranty...... Originally, I was told 12 months/unlimited milage. I pushed back, with documentation (which I found on this site). I got a confirmation, and a genuine "Thank You", from my dealer about the "updated" 24 month/24,000 mile warranty. He also said "It looks like a pretty comprehensive warranty".... While that's great for me, what about the poor guy that bought an RC390 from a dealer that "didn't get the memo" about the 24month/24,000 mile warranty??? That poor customer is just SOL!!!! That just sucks, and is and is a pretty tough way to build any kind of customer loyalty. I love my KTM, and would not hesitate to purchase from them in the future. I hope that KTM USA gets their act together, and is able to support this bike like they should-

 

[Diploman]

Cornerslider, I agree with your assessment on this. I have had a flawless ownership experience with my 390 to date (since April 2015) and I am very happy with the bike. My dealer, however, doesn't seem to be very clued in to the 390 - last year was the first they have ever seen of such a bike. No training prior to the bike's release in the US market. I think KTM USA (and Canada) have quite a bit of work to do to catch up to Yamaha in terms of customer service, responsiveness and communication with dealers. Yamaha has a much bigger dealer network in the US and they have been selling street bikes for several decades in the NA market. KTM, on the other hand, may be the biggest selling brand in Europe but they are a relative newcomer, especially with streetbikes, to the NA market.

 

[Treachery]

It'll be interesting to see whether BMW suffers QC/recall issues with their new little thumper. The F-series bikes have been assembled in Thailand for some time, although I read that they may be moving that to India. Mercedes has QC issues with cars built in 'bama, so...