Video

Does ktm 390's also have this similar issues??

Sprint ST is fantastic, but the motorcycle buyers don't know about it. I'm 44 and I've never ever heard anyone mention this bike. Everyone knows the Jap bikes, the Harleys, and the Euros but classics sport tourers are getting lost in oblivion in favor of adventure bikes.

If you own a KTM and you are concerned about your cam if you have the skill check to see if its worn, you would only need to remove the head, there would be videos on CZcams showing you how to complete the task. Change your oil regularly, 3,000 miles and avoid leaving the bike idling for long periods as less oil would be getting upto the cam possible? Typical Chinese,I am not surprised the metal is to soft. I was considering a KTM 790 but not now.

1000 difference for the fantic vs the xsr is a bargain! Way better suspension, traction control, cornering abs, brembo, the lot

Thats really bad , heat treatment or base material composition problems , whatever caused the problem , it just shows that there quality control systems are not robust enough. With a "soft" camshaft the surface gradually gets eaten into and the small bits of steel fall into the sump where they could endup anywhere .So if your unlucky the complete engine could be write off . Glad i ride old BMW's that were made in Germany.

Morbidelli, Moto Morini, and Benelli are all Chinese... KTM, Honda, and Harley Davidson are all partially Chinese...and Norton is going to be built in England by an Indian company using Chinese parts...It's all FRAUD. Instead of advertising, companies now spend money on hiding were the parts are coming from...they're actively engaging in deception.

Loved my KTM890 Duke R. Only issue the paint on the engine is not good.

As a life long KTM fan and owner, I must say this smells of corporate greed. They aren't doing anything about it because they know they can get away with it.

No Euro 6 but we have Euro 5 'plus' now don't we? Something to do with the catalysts having to be effective for longer?

Ktm 🥹Kick ten min 🥹kein 1000 meter said

When a new Euro comes out the dealers have to pre-register the current bikes and sell them at massive discount. They end up with shop full of discount bikes.

Anything on a KTM failing, not a surprise

Most bikes these days are made cheap and priced high ,got a 690 ktm as long as you inspect the rocker arms and timing chain tension,and oil change every 5,000 mile you should be ok most dealers won’t do that .

Ive had no issues with my KTM, sounds rare though!

Hi having been a ktm owner, find the behaviour of ktm terrible. Think they have shot themselves in the foot this time. Will only ever be an ex owner now as would not consider owning one again.

I was looking at KTM and Norden 901 last year. Ended up with a Ducati DesertX. Got the Ducati 5 year unlimited mileage warranty. Already have 16k miles on it in 14 months. Say what you will about DESMO, the cams have nearly zero stress and sap almost NO power from the engine.

Viewed at 1.25 speed. The slowing down at the end.....of.......each.........sentence is less frustrating.

Don't buy KTM. And yes, I can also attest to their substandard (a major understatement) attitude when it comes to addressing these issues. They just deny, deny, deny and blame the customer. It is - infuriating.

the versys 1000/650 were NEVER a Adventure bike! they were always sport tourers.

EURO 5+ bikes are in for 2025. Same as EURO 5 emissions but with more sensors and im sure more problems. Like the bike will go into limp mode and you have to take to a dealer to get fixed if it senses to many emissions.

Now watch sales plummet as buyers realise KTM are not the customer focused company they say it is, all the millions spent on advertising and racing down the pan as more people complain online about the quality of the bikes and lack of support from KTM.

the engine team at dodge must of built this unit!

It's an inherent fault. My Duke 690 cam failed at 15,000 km.

My god this is bloody boring.. 😂😂😂

Why do people keep supporting KTM/Huquavarna? Every manufacturer runs into issues with products. It’s all about how they handle fixing there mistake. KTM obviously doesn’t have the engineers who know how to fix the problem. They tried fixing the problem and it didn’t work. How about bringing in some engineers who know engine design and can get to the root of the problem. First thing I thought of when this problem started getting media attention, I thought, it’s probably one of two things, poor metallurgy, (either hardness treatment or material selection) or poor lubrication.

So much for Chinese built engines then?

Etienne, get a honda.

I don't think anyone is surprised about KTM reliability. It'll be interesting now Yamaha has a deal with a Chinese manufacturer to build their engines. One might say BMW are similar with their shaft drives. I understand old ones will now be fixed free but new ones are now classified as a service item!

I owned a 1290 LC8, in theory one of the more reliable KTM engines, and the bike still managed to put me off the brand for as long as I can tbh.

The Stella Alpina was cancelled because the organisers were unwilling to provide insurance cover for emergency, rescue and other services provided by the commune. Blaming it on " Nimbys" is just stupid. The organiser wished to continue in the spirit of the originator of the rally and charge no entry fee but on the other hand had developed the rally from a few riders in the know into a huge event, widely marketed and served by a large number of commercial tour providers, basically he screwed it himself. The local commune are required by law to provide essential services and for organised events are also obliged to ensure these costs are either covered by direct payment or by appropriate insurance cover. It's simple.

Euro 6 emission levels for cars, does this mean Motorcycles are also included? Carbon monoxide: 1.0g/km Total hydrocarbons: 0.10g/km Non-methane hydrocarbons: 0.068g/km Nitrogen oxides: 0.06g/km Particulate matter: 0.005g/km Particulate number: 6.0×10 ^11/km

Most of the Chinese components are made from cheap inferior steel, its the bean counters and accountants who call the shots at the big bike manufacturers now

Yeah, and if you fixed your own bike back when they were completely denying the problem you are SOL. Also, many of us don't want to pay a dealer to inspect it for KTM to deny it.

22:12 and yet you're still riding a triumph bonnie 😂

Never getting a ktm . And it's OK saying you've got a good case for returning it etc but you try to. I've got trouble with bmw, it's a nightmare trying to get justice and mega expensive . Once you've paid you're on your own. Only way to beat them is to all stick together.

14:25 I saw a guy who thought that this failure was because the cam was not properly case hardened 🤔

Been ogling a few KTMs…not least their flagship 1290 SAS. Always been a little skeptical of so much “tech”, but must confess, there’s a lot going for them. Unfortunately, the reliability thing seems to be real. So too the customer support. Shame.

10:07 there is no normal reason for any camshaft should fail within 20,000 miles, if it does then there is a problem

It sounds like a issue with the oil not keeping the cam protected. Low emissions have caused oil to drop the ZDDP levels. I would by Castrol Classic which has high ZDDP that will protect the cam and maybe shorten cat life from 150,000 miles to 100,000. The other option is a class action law suit.

Hi Freddie, Could you please make a episode about diesel bikes? Honda used to be a overenginered with deadreliable engines but are they still overenginered and deadreliable? I think Honda is not what it used to be.

That cylinder head problem appears to be caused by a dropped exhaust valve (or the valve head has broken off) The gouges are either caused by the valve head or the piston shattering. Definitely not the camshaft but still a catastrophic engine failure nonetheless. I've seen it occur before after a missed gear change at very high revs. It still shouldn't happen although to be fair other brands occasionally do the same.

Back in the 80s ie Vf750 chocolate camms. Honda offered repair for everyone or exchange for cbx 750. Proper company.!!! My mate changed to cbx and kept it 20years.

Hi Freddie, cheers for reporting Sher´s Email/insights. The bike in question (790AdvS) was actually mine and it worked fine the whole time. Didn´t notice any loss in power nor did I notice a strange noise from the engine. Then, I sold it and the poor next owner was very unlucky with what you can see on the picture. I felt really bad, but I just didn´t notice before. What I´m trying to say is that the LC8 engine is on one side a great engine regarding to power, fuel consumption, etc. but at the same time it seems to be a time-bomb as well. After the 790AdvS I had an 890 AdvR which also performed super well but had its break rotors at its limit after only 15.000kms (which I´ve been told by the dealer that´ll be normal...). Well, I had it done and sold it right away and got myself a Transalp. Perhaps, not as sexy as the KTM Adv but since I do quite a lot of miles/kms I feel a lot better and safer on it. Suspension is changed to high-quality Wilbers suspension front & rear and since then, the nimble TA is way enough for me😃

This happened to me 790R @23,000. Replaced head, cams, followers. Try selling one! Never buy a KTM parallel twin. FKTM. FPerrier

Before my time

Thanks Freddie and to all you guys in the comments for your advices ! I will now look for the perfect middle ground, i’ll keep you posted once it is in my garage Regards, Etienne

Freddie, the KTM camshaft fiasco looks like a re-run of Piaggio / Moto Guzzi washing their hands of major cam problems on early 8 valve Grisos some years ago. They went on to change the design to roller cams for this engine, but those of us with an early bike were left out in the cold. All Piaggio would offer was that if your bike had a full MG dealer service history AND had suffered cam failure, they would provide new cam / follower parts to repair it - but would not pay for labour. Since cam failure means there will be metallic debris throughout the engine, a full engine strip and rebuild would be required which Piaggio would expect the owner to pay for. The UK Moto Guzzi club took Piaggio to court under 'not fit for purpose', but Piaggio pointed out that they could afford far bigger lawyers than the MG club could fund, and that if the MG club lost, Piaggio would press for massive costs against them, not least for those very expensive lawyer fees. MG club could not risk that and had to back down. Needless to say I will not touch any Piaggio product to this day. Vince

If your KTM is on finance & you've paid more than 50% of the value you can simply hand the bike back to the dealer via the finance company - it won't affect your credit score either so I'm told. It may be cheaper/ less stressful than dealing with the obvious problems to come. Additionally, if the problem was present at point of sale I'm pretty sure you can demand a full refund from KTM. A group action would be needed for this or merely the threat may have the desired effect. Option 3, someone needs to manufacture replacement camshafts 👍. I feel very sorry for all the owners involved - shocking behaviour by KTM.

They just have to pre register them before hand.

I’ve always steered away from KTM after hearing of these issues. I’d love a 1290gt but I just don’t trust the brand. Last 3 bikes I’ve owned have been Yamaha. Not one single issue and 60-70k trouble free miles.