KTM's financial woes

Wow.

 

I'm just gonna call it now, early into 2025 or perhaps mid way into the season, I expect this headline: "KTM pulls out of MotoGP for 2026 and beyond amid financial recovery effort."

 

A properly executed bankruptcy could resolve everything rather quickly. I believe the KTM MotoGP project is a separate business entity from KTM AG, the company with all the debt that would be going through bankruptcy (assuming they do actually go through bankruptcy and not an investor or some other solution). With Red Bull covering a huge chunk of the MotoGP bill and the RC16 essentially already developed for 2025 / 2026, it gives them a good amount of time to wait for KTM AG to recuperate and become profitable again to make developing a new 2027-spec bike meaningful.

Note KTM (KTM AG) is it's own motorcycle manufacturing company under Pierer Mobility AG with the Factory Racing company a separate company. Of course if Pierer Mobility suffers too much from KTM AG's problems, other companies under Pierer mobility AG can suffer as well, but their separation is at least hopeful for the future of their other entities.

https://www.piererindustrie.at/en/company/group-structure/

 

Let me know when the Supermoto fire sale happens.

 

Multiple people on the board weren't paying attention/doing their job.

 

Outsourcing the majority of production to Asia years ago was a mistake. Ignoring the cam issue was another fumble. Compound that with the pay to play policy for the privilege of accessing the already existing electronics package and they lost me forever as a former customer.

 

For what it’s worth, a majority was not outsourced to Asia (link earlier in this thread to their manufacturing breakdown on their website). Only small displacement and I think 790? 690? I don’t know all the numbers.

 

The cam issue isn’t as common as you are led to believe…
The local dealer has only seen one out of god knows how many they’ve sold.
I believe if serviced at a reasonable interval and not the idiotic 7500 miles the EPA encourages them to recommend it would be a non issue.
JMO

FYI, I’ve been extremely satisfied with the KTM stuff I’ve bought and had ZERO issues out of them.

 

Many other countries don't allow you to sell product in said country unless it's manufactured there via a local manufacturing partner. India, Brazil, & China come to mind. There are others. Then, said local manufacturing partner steals IP and starts manufacturing the same or similar product under a different brand under cutting the company they just stole the IP from. Sometimes even in the native country of said manufacturer. And then the locals go "golly gee whiz, this off-brand thing is almost the same but for a lot less. I'm going to buy it because it's such a deal over that other one".

 

KTM publishes the full list on their website. The majority are made in Austria. My RC390 was made by Bajaj, and it was a piece of shit. All my Austrian bikes have actually been great.
Any VIN that starts with "VBK" is Austrian (I believe)
https://www.ktm.com/en-int/production-facility.html

 

I bought a used 890 duke R with 5200 miles on it,the previous owner changed oil 3x during that period I changed it at 8700,will do every 3500 or less if I track it.
Easy to do seems like cheap insurance,super fun bike to ride,time will tell on the cam issue.The local dealer says he's never had an issue 790 or 890.

 

I would def pick up an RC8C on fire sale!

 

$9,499. for a 690/700/701 SMC R is a fire sale.

 

The deals make me want to pick up a fresh dirt bike but mine is 2 years old and only has like 30 hours haha! Wish I could justify a 125 as I know it would be a blast but I just don't have enough time to ride as it is.

 

KTM's are too hard edged for what I'm looking for. Even their Gas Gas line is too close to race ready for a fuck about bike.

not to mention the seat height is stupid on everything but their 65 and 85s.

 

The Husky seat heights are super low.

 

Assuming you want something for trail riding you really should try one. My Husky 300 is super easy to ride and makes me a FAR better rider than I actually am haha. I hear you on the seat height but that's any full size dirt bike. The Husky's are 10mm lower than the KTM or gas gas flavor not that it matters all that much. Something like a TTR230 is more 'tame' but its heavier by a fair bit and the way they make power its harder to loft the front end over obstacles and things like that.

 

Really, from Yamaha we briefly looked at the XT250 but it's too soft but something along those lines fits the bill. A fart about with lights, is street legal enough to putt over to 7/11, cheap(ish) and won't be too much for the kid but not too "little."

That and a Zuma or an Aprilia SR50.

 

Because they move?

 

Too tall, too much HP for the kid, require too much maintenance and too damn expensive at MSRP.

Can't afford a KTM (and they don't have a street legal one), a fart about and a scooter in the immediate.