https://unionrayo.com/en/ktm-bankrupt-2024/
arctic car shutting down production at some plants.
Polaris changes and layoffs.
https://unionrayo.com/en/ktm-bankrupt-2024/
arctic car shutting down production at some plants.
Polaris changes and layoffs.
It was just a matter of time. Poor response to changes in business, too many companies thought the Covid party would go on forever.
Maybe I'll get a new trials bike after all.
Yeah I mean $30k for a snowmobile and $50k for a side by side. Yeah no thanks.
Interesting as the "chain" of BMW motorcycle dealerships near me decided recently to open a KTM franchise and plan on building a new building adjacent to one of their existing stores.
That's unfortunate timing.
My prediction: they get bought by the Chinese company that builds some of their engines.
In reply to Peabody :
It's really disturbing how many different companies in different industries bet big on a "forever pandemic" scenario.
The powersports business in North America seems weird to me.
I like large displacement motorcycles (no, not the Milwaukee land barges, I mean motorcycles). That said, I have an absolute blast riding my wife's Vespa 300.
A 300 is a small bike here but a medium sized motorcycle for the rest of the world. There's tons of really fun, small bikes out there.
There's such a push on to be green, have a smaller carbon footprint, live closer to work, etc that one would think more people would be moving towards commuting on a motorcycle. Something in the 250 - 500cc realm is great for commuting, good on fuel and cheap to insure. My 1200 is none of those and with the insurance costs here, I'm seriously considering something smaller and lighter.
There's also very little interest from the dealers here in carrying smaller, entry level motorcycles. Not everyone has $10,000+ to dump on their first new motorcycle. There needs to be more $5k - $7K starter and small displacement bikes available. Why not sell 5, $5k bikes instead of one, $25k BMW?
In Europe, you don't see large displacement bikes in cities, 600cc and under seems to be the norm. Moto Guzzi even says they really only build the large displacement bikes for the North American market.
I thought Husqvarna was really going to do well with the 401 and 701 but I never see them.
The Wee-Strom is a great bike but I never see them either.
I don't get it.
Tons of 701's/690's near me. You just have to move to where they're used, which is the mtns. They're not the greatest freeway bikes, I can understand why someone who isn't doing much trail riding wouldn't buy one.
In reply to ShawnG :
There are few things more fun to get around on than a scooter, but that 300 is a large bike for most of the bike riding world, and it's large by scooter standards.
I'm 100% on your side, and dealerships aren't helping, but look at what people drive, the biggest vehicle they can afford, it's no different. Even at the track, I can't believe how many marginal riders are buying 450 4 strokes, probably the worst possible bike for their skill level, but that's what they do.
ShawnG said:The powersports business in North America seems weird to me.
I like large displacement motorcycles (no, not the Milwaukee land barges, I mean motorcycles). That said, I have an absolute blast riding my wife's Vespa 300.
A 300 is a small bike here but a medium sized motorcycle for the rest of the world. There's tons of really fun, small bikes out there.
There's such a push on to be green, have a smaller carbon footprint, live closer to work, etc that one would think more people would be moving towards commuting on a motorcycle. Something in the 250 - 500cc realm is great for commuting, good on fuel and cheap to insure. My 1200 is none of those and with the insurance costs here, I'm seriously considering something smaller and lighter.
There's also very little interest from the dealers here in carrying smaller, entry level motorcycles. Not everyone has $10,000+ to dump on their first new motorcycle. There needs to be more $5k - $7K starter and small displacement bikes available. Why not sell 5, $5k bikes instead of one, $25k BMW?
In Europe, you don't see large displacement bikes in cities, 600cc and under seems to be the norm. Moto Guzzi even says they really only build the large displacement bikes for the North American market.
I thought Husqvarna was really going to do well with the 401 and 701 but I never see them.
The Wee-Strom is a great bike but I never see them either.
I don't get it.
Just like cars, the more expensive the vehicle, the bigger the profit (For the most part). As a businessman, would you rather make 5 widgets at $5 each with a 5 percent profit margin, or one widget that wasn't that much harder to make, but you could sell for $25 with a 10 percent margin? Nothing mysterious about it.
But yeah, I don't really get the massive touring bike thing. If you're going a long distance, why not do it in air conditioned comfort? If you're going off road, would you rather be riding a 500 lb "adventure" bike, or a thumper that weighs 300? I've been re-entering the motorcycle world, and am finding myself drawn more to the midsize market than the beasts. Then again, North America is more full of wide-open spaces than Europe and sometimes it's nice to have mass to absorb winds and such.
Never could figure out why KTM didn't make an adventure version of the 690.
In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :
That's always been one of my rants, that KTM should've made a 690 adventure to replace the 640 adventure. They even already have all the necessary parts from their rally bikes to do it! If they didn't want to make the bike and market it, they could've put the kit together and sold it through the dealers for the people who wanted it.
I love my Stelvio, it just eats up the highway but...
It weighs 600+ lbs.
I dropped it in gravel, I don't want to do that more than once a day.
The V85TT is much lighter but hinging the swingarm off of the aluminum transmission case on a semi-off-road bike is a monumentally stupid design.
In reply to ShawnG :
I'm a wee bike guy. I've never owned larger than 250cc. I drooled over the RC390, because, finally, a small bike with serious suspension, and adequate horsepower. I ride like it's the Isle of Man every day. Do that on a liter bike, and your as good as dead.
In reply to Appleseed :
Yup.
I was on the way home from a week-long tour, tired and just wanting to be home.
In the passing lane on the highway, wondering why everyone was going so bloody slow and why can't they just get out of my way.
Looked down, was cooking along at 160kph and not feeling a thing.
Got off at the next exit and took the back roads for the last two hours to get home.
Big bikes are great but they can get you into big trouble if you're not on your game.
My 'big' bike was a Tiger 800. Good mile muncher, and decent fun in the twisties. But, a pig off-pavement.
I realized I wasn't riding it all that much and missed screwing around on gravel. Sold it and bought a RE Scram 411. Barely capable of highway miles, but I don't really ride highway so it doesn't matter. If I want to travel distance to get to good riding I just stick it on my trailer. It's been tons of fun, and riding a 'momentum' bike is far more rewarding than just twisting the throttle a bit more.
Big engine bikes with lots of torque are addictive (I want a Indian Chief pretty badly) but for most riding they are large, heavy and cumbersome. And as I age, I'm less inclined to want something that weighs more than 450 lbs.
My big bike was a Husqvarna WR300. I thought I needed a little more power to put me over the top. What I really needed was a little more talent. I sold the WR after seeing my life flash before my eyes the second time I rode it. I'm a lifelong 125 guy and have the most fun on a bike with low power and high RPM's
Every so often I get the idea I want a twin. Before I bought my current 701 this past summer I went to the dealer and rode an 890 Adv R, as an 890 Rally had popped up I was interested in. Even though the gas tanks are low on the bike, it still didn't feel nimble, it took much more effort to turn it. I could also really feel the weight difference (100+lbs) between it and my 690. I rode off on my 690 and bought a 701 with the new motor.
I'm just not happy on a bike that weighs over 350lbs for the type of riding I do. If I ever decide to do an Alaska trip, then I'll buy a used BMW 1150/1200GS for that, as the 701 would stink for such a long freeway journey.
Peabody said:My big bike was a Husqvarna WR300. I thought I needed a little more power to put me over the top. What I really needed was a little more talent. I sold the WR after seeing my life flash before my eyes the second time I rode it. I'm a lifelong 125 guy and have the most fun on a bike with low power and high RPM's
It's interesting to me that the KTM/Husky 250 enduro/woods 2-strokes seem like they're not even in the conversation. Almost to ask, "Why would you get a 250 when you can get a 300?" Because the 300s are kind of crazy is why! At the same time the 150 is in the conversation.
In reply to GCrites :
My 300 was a WR, so it was an Italian Husky, built by Cagiva. I rode their 125 and 150's almost exclusively for about 10 years. The WR was more like a 300cc motocross bike, it really was NUTS.
Last season I rode a modern Husqvarna TX300. I expected it to be equally nuts, if not more, but the power was so smooth and linear, almost electric feeling. I can see what they're so popular. If I could have that power in a smaller package, something I can actually touch the ground on and doesn't weigh 100lbs more than me I'd buy two.
I'm not a dirtbike guy at all.
I put a new top-end in a KX250 for a customer last summer.
Ripping that thing around my pasture, it's as fast as I'd ever need an off-road bike to be. I'm not superman.
In reply to ShawnG :
I ride at a pretty decent level, but I can't ride a modern 250cc motocross bike at any pace that nears half it's limit.
ShawnG said:I'm not a dirtbike guy at all.
I put a new top-end in a KX250 for a customer last summer.
Ripping that thing around my pasture, it's as fast as I'd ever need an off-road bike to be. I'm not superman.
In my younger years I was often buying/fixing/selling bikes to supplement my riding hobby. Two stroke 125s always needed crank rebuilds 'cause most folks could ride them hard. 250s never did because most mortals couldn't keep them spun up long enough to wear out the bottom end.
Then modern four stroke 250s came along and introduced the sound of bouncing off of the rev limiter...
Uh, this was a KTM conversation... My first KTM was a 1989 250 EX-C. It was a gem until ignition woes entered the chat. Parts pricing and availability was a challenge back then and it soured me on the brand. In the early 2000s my good friend bought a KTM 640 and had nothing but trouble with it which further soured the brand for me. By the time I was over that, I couldn't get past the idea that EVERYONE had a KTM and I didn't want to be another drop in a sea of orange. I did sneak a 200 EXC in there for a while and it really was a good bike.
^ You barely heard about 500 2-strokes needing rebuilds especially in the Eastern US.
In reply to GCrites :
Because the owners all died before the engine needed to be rebuilt.
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