What is the general opinion of KTM on this site? I know there is a KTM/European bike forum, but I thought they could be a biased audience. I am a trail rider [only] and I rode a 2008 KTM 530 for the first time this weekend. I was impressed. The bike was very stable and had plenty of power from 1500 RPM all of the way up. The guy has 120 hours on the bike and has only shimmed the valves, no rebuild. Another guy I talked to this past weekend has a 450 KTM that claims over 200 hours with no rebuild. I should note that neither of these bikes are for sale. I work with the guy that owns the 530 and he is not much of a BS'er, so I tend to believe them. I have always been a Honda/Yamaha guy, but why not KTM?
KTM Opinions
- Thread starter jb_dallas
- Start date
Now that Suzuki doesn't make a 2 stroke, my next bike will be a KTM. I've always liked the way they engineered their bikes.
- Thread starter
- #5
There is only one thing that scares me about KTM. I called Eric Gorr a while back pricing a rebuild for my YZ400F...I dont think I need one now, but I will next season. Anyway, we started talking about different bikes and he didnt have much positive to say about KTM motors. I was surprised because most people that own KTMs rave about them. That is why I started this thread. The guy here at work has been riding bikes for over 40 years, and he wont buy anything but KTM.
Rich (or anyone else), I would appreciate anything you could add to this thread...
Rich (or anyone else), I would appreciate anything you could add to this thread...
Most people that own KTM's paid a body part for them, and they have to rave about them to feel ok about their purchase. I have absolutely HATED the suspension on every KTM I've ever ridden. However, power delivery from the engine was frigging AWESOME. The suspension is something that I could set up to suit me better I'm sure. But I really wanna drop 8k on a new bike and then another 2k on suspension.
longtime coming
Member
- Mar 18, 2006
- 265
- 0
We have one KTM. The only one we've ever had. This '08 200xc is an incredible bike. The stock clutch basket was a piece of junk (this particular basket was installed in the 200's in 2007 and early '08). It has to be replaced. When you bury the handlebars in the sand on the clutch side, the plunger for the master cylinder tends to start leaking. The front brake on this model has a propensity for storing air bubbles somewhere and becoming mushy (take the mc off the bar, hold it upright, tap the caliper and line and re-install the best stock front brake in existence) Or buy a Nissin MC. Anyway, I think this KTM is an aquired taste. There is so much good about it and very little bad, that I would buy another one in an instant. They don't cost any more than a Japanese bike (when you compare apples to apples), and they have many top shelf parts stock. The stuff that is better (IMO) than the stock Japanese stuff are: hubs, spokes, decals, levers, grips, cables, hydraulic lines, and a few other things I can't think of right now. IMO. There's more, but you get the idea.
This '08 handles REALLY good, by the way. Run lots of sag and re-bound just shy of packing in the rear and voila. Also lose a little fork oil to straighten out the harshness a bit and this bike feels as good as any stock bike I've ever ridden. Many do well around here on them in both MX and offroad(stock or otherwise).Apparently the older ones are harder to set-up. The newer than '08 ones are supposed to be better again.
And they come with a 30 day warranty if bought new, which is not offered by Japanese brands.
This '08 handles REALLY good, by the way. Run lots of sag and re-bound just shy of packing in the rear and voila. Also lose a little fork oil to straighten out the harshness a bit and this bike feels as good as any stock bike I've ever ridden. Many do well around here on them in both MX and offroad(stock or otherwise).Apparently the older ones are harder to set-up. The newer than '08 ones are supposed to be better again.
And they come with a 30 day warranty if bought new, which is not offered by Japanese brands.
- Aug 2, 2000
- 13,504
- 19
Neither Rich or Eric enjoy the KTMs much, mostly because when they have to work on them they are grenaded and a PITA to get parts for.
I love mine. Suspension works fine for a fatass like me and the engine has more torque than you can shake a stick at. It's not a Honda, where you can ignore maintenance, but as long as you change oil and stay on top of the little maintenance stuff, they work fine.
*edit* when I bought mine, I thought really hard about getting the WR450, since it had E-start also, but I wanted as much bang for my buck as I could get, and another 60cc didn't hurt my feelings (a 525 is really a 510, but don't tell anyone). Had the CRF450X been out, I probably would have bought it.
I love mine. Suspension works fine for a fatass like me and the engine has more torque than you can shake a stick at. It's not a Honda, where you can ignore maintenance, but as long as you change oil and stay on top of the little maintenance stuff, they work fine.
*edit* when I bought mine, I thought really hard about getting the WR450, since it had E-start also, but I wanted as much bang for my buck as I could get, and another 60cc didn't hurt my feelings (a 525 is really a 510, but don't tell anyone). Had the CRF450X been out, I probably would have bought it.
I bought a KTM last fall. Great bike, an '03 125sx. I paid about $2000 with a three place trailer. It runs great, handles amazing, and takes a licking and keeps on ticking! The worst thing about them though, is that there aren't any *cheap* parts for them. Rims although great get expensive quick.
KTM has come a long ways over the past few years. They build a fairly decent bike. Like any, they need regular maintainance to stay reliable. The only thing that I dislike with KTM, is their suspenssion. It seems difficult to "fine tune". The only other issue that I know of, was on some models the brakes would fail. The brakes would lock up when hot or sometimes wouldn't work at all.
ktm bikes are about $1K more than japanise bikes, but they do have better quality parts. I just bought a 300xc and it was expensive. What I do not like about KTM is that the dealers do not stock the common consumables like clutches so in a pinch you have to order and have it fedexed to ride for the weekend. Its a pain in the a..
Spokes574
California
Spokes574
California
Probably just your dealer, I have walked into my shop and found parts in stock that I expected to have to order (pistons, base gaskets, bearings). Usually he does have to order parts, but I tell him Monday, so he doesn't have to rush stuff often. Parts typically arrive in time for me to install them Thursday of Friday. Same deal with the Jap shops though.
dirtbikingdad
Member
- Oct 25, 2005
- 161
- 0
Kind of an old thread here, but this is my experience with KTM. My 05 450 had 227 hours before I had it rebuilt and I saw one on the internet that had 100 more. They both looked identical in wear. I was the second owner of mine. I hardly ever adjusted the valves, since I've owned it, and with the stainless valves, it'll be a lot less. There are two things that bug me about that bike. First, it's the forks. They need to be re-valved, I'll have to do it on the next seal job. The second thing is the shifting. It works, but not as good as Honda. My CR250, like most Honda's shifted like a dream. I don't think anyone can beat theirs.
We also have an 07 85SX. If you ride woods, I highly suggest this bike. It is a torque monster, for an 85 and is much more fun and easier to ride that the japanese hard hitters. I cannot stand pushing my sons friends CR85 up a snotty or rocky hill. You have to rev it to the moon and try, try, try not to break traction.
As far as parts go, KTM has that all figured out. The same shifter, seal, gasket, whatever, will fit many different bikes. Because of that, my local dealer usually have what I need. Try that with your japanese bike. While we are lucky to have a good Kawa/Yama dealer here in town, who does what they can to stock your typical parts, our Honda dealer stinks.
We still have one Kawa KX250. It's a great bike, but it's a 2000 and will need to be replaced soon. I'm sure we'll be shopping KTM's first and it'll be a 2 stroke most likely, 250 or 300. As far as prices go, I'm not rich. It is not a rich mans bike any more. Also, the replacement parts, in my opinion are very, very reasonably priced. Plus, Enduro Engineering has loads of parts that fit them all. How many different seats can you buy for your CR250? One, maybe two, maybe just a cover change and have a local shop skin your foam or something. I can get at least 4 (I think 6) different seats for my EXC.
We also have an 07 85SX. If you ride woods, I highly suggest this bike. It is a torque monster, for an 85 and is much more fun and easier to ride that the japanese hard hitters. I cannot stand pushing my sons friends CR85 up a snotty or rocky hill. You have to rev it to the moon and try, try, try not to break traction.
As far as parts go, KTM has that all figured out. The same shifter, seal, gasket, whatever, will fit many different bikes. Because of that, my local dealer usually have what I need. Try that with your japanese bike. While we are lucky to have a good Kawa/Yama dealer here in town, who does what they can to stock your typical parts, our Honda dealer stinks.
We still have one Kawa KX250. It's a great bike, but it's a 2000 and will need to be replaced soon. I'm sure we'll be shopping KTM's first and it'll be a 2 stroke most likely, 250 or 300. As far as prices go, I'm not rich. It is not a rich mans bike any more. Also, the replacement parts, in my opinion are very, very reasonably priced. Plus, Enduro Engineering has loads of parts that fit them all. How many different seats can you buy for your CR250? One, maybe two, maybe just a cover change and have a local shop skin your foam or something. I can get at least 4 (I think 6) different seats for my EXC.
