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[Richard230]

On page 100 of the May/June 2017 issue of Motorcyclist magazine is an article about one of their editor's experience with the KTM RC390.  He was returning it to KTM after 18 months of riding and racing the bike. His comments got my attention when he said that he had "spent an inordinate amount of time working on the RC" (to keep it running). He goes on to say that he had experienced a "blown head gasket, electrical gremlins, and aberrant valve clearances". He commented that: "I like to work on motorcycles nearly as much as I like to ride them, but the KTM has tested my love for wrenching." He continues that online forums are rife with anecdotes of "faulty radiator fans, dry swingarm bushings, and other fairly serious issues."

Nothing new here to any motorcycle model discussion, but what was interesting is that the editor had a chance to "sit down and speak candidly with a table of Austrian VIPs." He goes on to say that "Everyone has shown concern for the problems others and I have encountered, but forum chatter and a journalist's experience aren't sufficient to spur Mattighofen to action".

"What's needed, explained Robert Pierce, KTM North America's VP of operations, is official documentation.  That means getting repairs done at a KTM dealer instead of in your garage or your local mechanic's shop. There's plenty of grumbling at ground level, but those complaints won't yield improvements unless they make it up the chain of command through the necessary, official channels." (In other words complaints on internet forums apparently go in one ear and other the other.    If you want to see improvements, you need to take your bike to your dealer for repairs.)

In his last paragraph, Ari Henning says: "I'm not likely to recommend the RC390 to others."  "Hopefully KTM will invest in the future of the model by reconciling its current issues."

While there is no question that a small start-up company in California is going to handle things differently than a huge established corporation in Austria, this article does show that many companies apparently only react (slowly) to official documentation and not at all to internet smoke.  Just something to think about.