What Should I do? 2011 KTM 450EXC Factory Rebuild, Sell it, Trade it In, or ????

[Jbay]

whats wrong with Apple

[GHT]

Originally Posted by Jbay

whats wrong with Apple

The same thing that's wrong with KTM's, overpriced and quirky! And yes, I've had one!

[poser]

Originally Posted by GHT

The same thing that's wrong with KTM's, overpriced and quirky! And yes, I've had one!

I don't know so much about that. I got a good deal on mine and it's been rock solid. Yeah the oil change intervals are close together, but it doesn't even hold a full liter.

[jimhaleyscomet]

I picked the KTM because it was so much lighter and therefore easier to pick up when dropped and to transport than all the other bikes I was considering. Boy was that a mistake! My initial mistake was was compounded by poor dealer support and shabby treatment by KTM USA. I traded the KTM450exc for a 2013 Honda CRF250L. Net cost was $600. I might have done a bit better by selling myself but the sales tax credit and the fact I did not have to ever see the bike again made it worth it. I don't see the Honda as a replacement for the KTM. That will be a low mileage WR250r (for my son to ride).

RANT WARNING.... but read on if you are curious what it can be like owning a KTM.

I finally realized yesterday why some folks say KTM bikes are a maintenance nightmare. Previously I thought it was because they required frequent maintenance. I was willing to do the frequent maintenance so that is not the entire problem. What makes maintenance and repair a nightmare is every part is just barely enough to do the job as intended and therefor very easy to break. As someone said "Its like my Ducati... there is just one proper way to do every procedure and several ways to make an error and strip a bolt or break something." Personally I never tightened a bolt without using a torque wrench but even then I stripped out bolts just trying to thread them in. An example of bad design is the hokey air filter installation. Two flat services mate up so you have to use grease to assure no leaks. But when you put it on it slips all over the place and makes you wonder if the grease is still there because if not the engine will be destroyed. Would it be so difficult to add lips to the mating surface so it "clicked" into place? Why not? Because they are focussed only on going fast, not on ease of maintenance or durability.

More poor design surfaced in the execution of the added complexity for required street components. They seemed to be designed with little thought for durability. Examples include my mirrors (started drooping a week in), a vacuum canister that fills with gas on drops and can then destroy pistons, a super lean carb that is dangerous because it stalls on intersections and will destroy engine unless rejetted ), and finally a engine without a fan to keep it cool while sitting at lights.

My experience might have been better if I felt the local KTM dealers were experienced diagnosing problems and working on the bike but that was not the case. Toss on major engine repairs (fixing oil seals inside the engine twice) and you have a bike that was at the dealer 3 months of the 14 that I had it. Finally top that off with a 6 month warranty so that the Texas Lemon Law did not apply when the 2nd set of seals failed just a few few weeks past one year.

The KTM may be a great bike for folks who REALLY LIKE to do maintenance and are good at it or have access to a knowledgable KTM mechanic. But in my case I was looking for a bike to ride not a project bike constantly needing maintenance and repairs from day 1.

Rant over, but Perhaps others can learn from my experience before drinking the orange cool aid and getting fleeced of $4500.

[RollingJ]

It pretty horrid the path you had to go down. I'm glad you can start to put it in your mirrors.

Next time you are down in Bastrop I would be glad to let you try out my CRF450X...

If you let me swing a leg over that cute little L!

[Irishcoffee]

Originally Posted by jimhaleyscomet

I picked the KTM because it was so much lighter and therefore easier to pick up when dropped and to transport than all the other bikes I was considering. Boy was that a mistake! My initial mistake was was compounded by poor dealer support and shabby treatment by KTM USA. I traded the KTM450exc for a 2013 Honda CRF250L. Net cost was $600. I might have done a bit better by selling myself but the sales tax credit and the fact I did not have to ever see the bike again made it worth it. I don't see the Honda as a replacement for the KTM. That will be a low mileage WR250r (for my son to ride).

RANT WARNING.... but read on if you are curious what it can be like owning a KTM.

I finally realized yesterday why some folks say KTM bikes are a maintenance nightmare. Previously I thought it was because they required frequent maintenance. I was willing to do the frequent maintenance so that is not the entire problem. What makes maintenance and repair a nightmare is every part is just barely enough to do the job as intended and therefor very easy to break. As someone said "Its like my Ducati... there is just one proper way to do every procedure and several ways to make an error and strip a bolt or break something." Personally I never tightened a bolt without using a torque wrench but even then I stripped out bolts just trying to thread them in. An example of bad design is the hokey air filter installation. Two flat services mate up so you have to use grease to assure no leaks. But when you put it on it slips all over the place and makes you wonder if the grease is still there because if not the engine will be destroyed. Would it be so difficult to add lips to the mating surface so it "clicked" into place? Why not? Because they are focussed only on going fast, not on ease of maintenance or durability.

More poor design surfaced in the execution of the added complexity for required street components. They seemed to be designed with little thought for durability. Examples include my mirrors (started drooping a week in), a vacuum canister that fills with gas on drops and can then destroy pistons, a super lean carb that is dangerous because it stalls on intersections and will destroy engine unless rejetted ), and finally a engine without a fan to keep it cool while sitting at lights.

My experience might have been better if I felt the local KTM dealers were experienced diagnosing problems and working on the bike but that was not the case. Toss on major engine repairs (fixing oil seals inside the engine twice) and you have a bike that was at the dealer 3 months of the 14 that I had it. Finally top that off with a 6 month warranty so that the Texas Lemon Law did not apply when the 2nd set of seals failed just a few few weeks past one year.

The KTM may be a great bike for folks who REALLY LIKE to do maintenance and are good at it or have access to a knowledgable KTM mechanic. But in my case I was looking for a bike to ride not a project bike constantly needing maintenance and repairs from day 1.

Rant over, but Perhaps others can learn from my experience before drinking the orange cool aid and getting fleeced of $4500.

Good luck, you deserve some. I think you will really enjoy that Honda, its probably going to surprise some folks. And do it for many miles.