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October 29, 2014
I'm not clear that I'm leaving...
I'm not clear that I'm going anywhere on my KTM right now. Was planning a ride into Mexico, but after some discussions yesterday, I think I'm probably not leaving the country any time soon.
I got my 2010 KTM 990 Adventure back from the KTM dealership in Loveland yesterday. Here's what they fixed:
1) Fixed oil leak on bike.
2) Replaced slave cylinder on the hydraulic clutch. (Clutch wouldn't work).
3) Replaced both tires with the stock tires.
4) Changed out oil and oil filter.
5) Replaced spark plug.
6) Replaced air filter.
So, in a nutshell, that's what was fixed. But then, when we tried to load it up, it was dying when you put it in gear. I was like..."Oh yeah...it does that...I forgot to mention this..."
Sam actually helped me diagnose this while I was on the road. It first happened in Yellowstone. What happens is that there is a sensor that can tell if the kick stand is down. The bike will start, but when you put it in gear, if the kickstand is down (or the bike thinks the kickstand is down), then the bike shuts off. After some close analysis, and comparison to a KTM 990 Adventure R, it was determined that the sensor was too far away from the kickstand. Like, probably it got bent away from the kickstand position. So, they bent it back into place, and now the bike is running again.
So, after 26,000 miles with the bike, outside of routine maintenance issues (brakes, tires, oil, chain, sprockets, etc.), I have had the following issues (this year):
- The hydraulic clutch quit working.
- The hydraulic rear brakes quit working
- The kickstand sensor quit working
- I am having some issue with the DC electrical outlet on the bike, but the shop was not able to reproduce this.
- There is some engine vibration from the bike. The KTM dealership made no comment on this issue.
- The rear view mirrors are a nightmare, and have not been repaired. They're just welded on at this point.
So, in summary: KTM threaded the rear view mirrors backwards by design. There is no excuse for this. There is a vibration in the engine. Not clear why. There is an electrical issue that I've not resolved.
On the Honda XR650, these are just cables. There are no hydraulics. Simpler=less maintenance=less headache. Also, the kick-stand switch is not something I need. There's also not a DC power outlet.
So, the Honda XR is a lot simpler, and therefore easier to maintain/operate.
The jury is still out on the KTM. I like the bike...it's a better ride on the highway than the XR. It runs faster and smoother, but it's not like my life got better when I bought the KTM. It has it's own issues, obviously.
Posted by Rob Kiser on October 29, 2014 at 11:07 AM
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