Not good.
It says 1.5B debt in that article but I've read that it's closer to 3B Euro. It could be very be interesting to see what happens.
Not good.
It says 1.5B debt in that article but I've read that it's closer to 3B Euro. It could be very be interesting to see what happens.
What I'm puzzled about is the balloning debt load. It seems like a typical corporate raider action but nobody's talking about it or that it happened? Buying Gas Gas and MV Agusta weren't the best moves but that alone doesn't cause their issues. The huge issue with the cams in the 790/890's certainly didn't help them, nor the way they handled it, or are still handling it. I wouldn't touch that platform with a ten foot pole, which is a shame because they're probably the best performing mid weight adv bike on the market.
I came close to buying a 2021 890 Rally that the owner had done an extensive build on, but got freaked out by the camshaft issue and walked away...
I'm expecting a Chinese or Indian group to buy them up - or at least a goodly share. They've already got a lot of production in Asia.
That said, I'm a little more wary about that 690r I've been eyeing. My pal has the Husky version and is in love with it.
Unfortunately, this is the straw that made a local KTM dealer throw in the towel. My area has already seen a number of motorcycle dealers close, so that sucks.
They're already half owned by an Indian company, Bajaj, I believe.
I think they were being too aggressive, trying to do too much, and not preparing for the inevitable slowdown. Like automotive, the motorcycle industry has always been dynamic, look at Husqvarna. I don't know what's going to happen, but they do build some of the best bikes on the market, somebody will want that if they fail.
KTM owners are the only people weirder than Guzzi owners.
In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
The 690/701 platform is amazing, truly the only proper dual sport in the under 350lb category. Let alone one with decent suspension and ~80hp. Really easy to build one into an ADV bike (see my current 701 and old 690 build threads) and it still be quite a bit under 400lbs. My riding partners T7 weighs 100-125lbs more than both my old 690 and my 701, which weighs less than my old 690...
Even with what's going on at KTM, I'd buy one. I've heard deals are to be had for brand new ones...
A buddy has a Superduke R.
He says it's "Nutty".
Powerful and unreliable. A brand trying to be BMW. I find all of them uncomfortable to sit on, so luckily have never been tempted.
With their relationship with CFMoto it's cheaper to just buy the CFMoto version and just accept that half their bikes are really Chinese.
I tried a couple and found the seating position very upright and cramped. I guess I'm used to being stretched out on Italian bikes.
ddavidv said:A brand trying to be BMW.
Because of their unreliable engines and affiliation with Chinese manufacturers?
When BMW embarrassed themselves in the dual sport market the Chinese engines were the best thing they had.
I don't know anything about their street bikes but they are dominant in the off road markets. I'm no fanboi but I own three of them because nobody else offers, in one case, anything like it, in the other, except maybe TM, is even close. Almost all of my Japanese riding friends have switched over to one of the Austrian brands
docwyte said:In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
The 690/701 platform is amazing, truly the only proper dual sport in the under 350lb category. Let alone one with decent suspension and ~80hp. Really easy to build one into an ADV bike (see my current 701 and old 690 build threads) and it still be quite a bit under 400lbs. My riding partners T7 weighs 100-125lbs more than both my old 690 and my 701, which weighs less than my old 690...
Even with what's going on at KTM, I'd buy one. I've heard deals are to be had for brand new ones...
It seems like that bike is in a class of one. My pal with the 701 has done 1500 mile rides on it and says that they've tamed the vibration enough that it was fine - and then can tear up the single track... Yeah KTM doesn't have the best reliability record, but then another guy with a BMW F800GS feels that his bike was pretty worn out at 20,000 miles. No guarantees.
Nothing wrong with ktm's thumpers, they're super reliable. Some of their twins have issues tho
Loved my SMCR 690. Hated every single thing about getting parts and consumables from KTM.
Also I am pissed they are gong to set MV back. They were just getting their feet back and selling bikes in the states.
Can't say for sure, but it seems like there's about 2X as many used KTMs for sale where I live than there were a couple of months ago. If parts were a pain before.......
Where I am it's easier to get KTM parts than Yamaha parts, and cheaper too. I order everything online from a local-ish dealer, and usually get it within a few days, a week when they screw something up, which they do about half the time.
You'll need to log in to post.
