Where are the new parts?

[cameronc56]

It seems aftermarket product development for this bike has slowed to a halt, I can't remember the last time a new product was released for the RC390.

Am i out of the loop, or have you guys noticed this too? Is the owner base just too small to make a profit?

 

[John390]

all sorts of stuff! see all the posts on the first part of the forum.

Plus, its December, so if there are new products, thats great. Bonus actually. Spring will show more traffic I suspect.

 

[Superpacman13]

Really small amount of owners after the nightmare of the 2015 2016 bikes. This left the big aftermarket companies disinterested and left it up to the small guys where R&D is a bit more difficult.

 

[John390]

but, you guys are making great, real stuff. not just some generic "fits everything" crap. Or some pretty piece that really doesn't do anything.

these kinds of vendors actually grow the sport more than the big name stuff.

 

[Trailerboy531]

Really small amount of owners after the nightmare of the 2015 2016 bikes. This left the big aftermarket companies disinterested and left it up to the small guys where R&D is a bit more difficult.

This exactly. Hard to find KTM owners after the shit show that was the launch. How many KTMs do you see on the street vs R3s?

 

[Falkon45]

I'm one of 3 rc 390s in my city. I think one of 10 or 12 road legal KTMs that I one of here. I've only met one other guy, and he has a 690 adventure. Lol.

 

[airazen]

quite the opposite to my country, i live in Indonesia, users has been grown since 2016, that when Bajaj-KTM's decided to cut almost a half of the price...

well mostly the users are not rode 390, but 250 and 200... one of the biggest KTM' community is DROC Indonesia...

https://instagram.com/droc.indonesia?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1x0ihwp6us4ps

but i must admit, aftermarket parts were bit expensive for me compared to R25 or even Ninja 250 with no many brands option...


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[Formula390]

Product development continues, but you have to understand that each item can take months to develop sometimes. It took me just over 2 months in all to get the 415 sprockets to market from start to my shipping the first production set. I took advantage of a small lull in order volume to make the time to develop them, but it still meant I was working sunrise to sunset 7 days a week. There are more products in the works, but I've learned that announcing too early can be... problematic. I still intent to try to go through the process of announcement of product development, post updates along the way, develop the product with my test riders, incorporate feedback, and then launch. I've had some industry folks tell me to "Stop that!!!" which, ignoring that feedback would be done at my peril.

Some products get developed which aren't as widely accepted by the community. There was a lot of requests for a carbon street upper. Tyga developed it in both fiberglass and carbon, but sales have not met the development goals. So as of now, that product is a net loss as development costs have not been recovered even. That can make some companies gunshy about developing further. Taking an idea to market is very costly in terms of time and funds... so if a product doesn't make it's target, that can draw down the development fund for future products.

Sometimes there are requests made to me, which are not financially feasible, or sometimes I might make a one off for someone with them knowing that the product cost is going to be higher than a general shipping product where development costs are recouped from product sales. I'm used to that from the years of helping inventors take their napkin sketches to prototype and then help them launch to market... but it's a slow (and expensive) process. There is also a time when development is possible (starting around now) during a lull in orders. There are waves of orders with motorcycles being a seasonal activity. Right now, we are in "racers building" season, so it's fewer but large orders. That'll die down usually around mid-February, and there will be another lull until riding season starts for the street riders and the late to build racers start placing orders. Then... it's full season, and you are pretty much busy all day, every day. For me, being a one man shop, it can be pretty brutal.

Something that helps with development is requests from the community tho. Knowing there is a market for a given product greatly helps with the decision making process for "what next" when I look at the product development queue. I have a list, but the community might have something that's desired but not on our radar... So, if you have something in particular you want, let those of us who are developing product know about it. We may just be able to make that happen!

 

[Trailerboy531]

So, if you have something in particular you want, let those of us who are developing product know about it. We may just be able to make that happen!

I think the key to these bikes is to get the weight down as low as possible (he said as he's spent the last year gaining weight). Anything in the works to that end for racebikes that already have a race stay and the usual? I was thinking maybe a lighterweight rear tray. Maybe something that could fit as a subframe delete? I'm kind of running out of ideas outside of making magnesium everything like generator and transmission covers.

 

[Superpacman13]

How much does your bike weigh then?

I think the key to these bikes is to get the weight down as low as possible (he said as he's spent the last year gaining weight). Anything in the works to that end for racebikes that already have a race stay and the usual? I was thinking maybe a lighterweight rear tray. Maybe something that could fit as a subframe delete? I'm kind of running out of ideas outside of making magnesium everything like generator and transmission covers.

 

[Trailerboy531]

I haven't weighed it since I removed a bunch of parts. But then I changed my Akra exhaust to the Yosh which I'm pretty sure added all of the weight-loss back