I had a 1999 VTR1000 Firestorm that broke a front cam chain at 3500 miles due to a defective tensioner. Luckily, it happened just before the warranty was up. Never felt the same after the repair so I traded it in for a 2000 CBR929RR Fireblade.
@@jtb8461 Yes, the cam chain tensioners are a real weak spot. Mine has the manual type. I hope you enjoyed the 929, I bought a 954 back in 2003 and had 21 000 hassle free miles with it. One of my favourite bikes ever, one that I regret selling.😊
All my Japanese motorcycles I’ve owned I’ve never had a issue with any of them!! I will carry on buying Japanese purely because of its reliability, cheap spares & easy to work on as a DIYer
My local dealer sells BMW, KTM, Triumph and Kawasaki bikes and I have bought lots of bikes from them over the years. When I enquired about getting a 790 Adventure the salesman, whom I know well, took me aside and told me horror stories about KTM warranty claims and suggested that I look elsewhere, since I'm old and ride alone mostly. To be fair I had a KTM 390 Adventure for a couple of years that I bought second hand in 2020 and had no issues whatsoever. Donno about the 790 Duke but it sounds like you had a bad run mate...
Yes, if I isolate how the bike rode, when working, it was great but I just can forgive how many things went wrong on it. I have recently seen reviews on the KTM 990 which looks very tempting but I just don’t think I could go there again, especially for the price and the strange arrangement of KTM removing lots of the electronic functionality after 1500 miles unless you pay more.
My 2021 390 duke was a dream, not one issue. My 2018 790 on the other hand is in the shop with worn cams at 8000km. I'm lucky though as KTM Australia have provided the cams for free.
Not just me then. Glad you got it sorted out. I still think, if I didn’t have any issues with my 790, I would have happily kept it or even tried the 890.. sadly that was not to be. Enjoy the next 8000km 👍
A mate bought a 790 Duke and was aware of the "gremlins" but thought he might be lucky. He eventually traded it in and said it had every problem he had read on the forums! He loved it when it did work but that wasn't very often. Replaced it with a new Honda!
Had a Duke 390. Absolutely mental. Sharp. Maintained and rode it well. But had a massive engine failure at just 37k km. Makes me tone down the KTM fanboy in me
Thanks for sharing you unfortunately bad experiences with your 790. Too bad as I've had good luck with my Duke 390 and very much like the 790 except for the bad customer comments you shared and I've seen else where. So checking the 790 off my list and the fact Honda is not willing to sell Hornets to it's US customers I'm giving a shiny new white GSX 8S a try. Awesome so far!
Shame the Hornet is not in the US, but the 8S is still a very nice option, especially if you enjoy more low down, immediate torque, the Hornet had to be revved a little more.
@@thetallbiker9645 Surprisingly Suzuki is already offering a $1,000 discount on the "23" model 8S making it a better value (IMO). The Hornet is an attractive package but according to all the comparative video's I've seen the 8S is the better overall bike and considering it's current price likely would have been my first choice anyway.
I see you're riding an SV650, an engine that will outlive the nokia 3310. I own an sv myself and am currently looking to upgrade to an adventure bike and at this point it was going to be the CFmoto 800mt which runs the same engine as 790 duke.... But reliability reasons pushed me to the less attractive V-strom 650 with a bullet proof engine. Cheers from Australia 🤙🤙
Hey Matt, I have owned a 790 Duke and a 650 V-Strom and I can totally see the attraction to the KTM, it would be great, if it was reliable but in my experience it was not. Although the V-strom is a little less exciting, it still goes pretty well and handles much better than you would expect and I covered 8000, trouble free miles on it. Enjoy
Thank you for your take on the KTM. I truly understand as. I a Peugeot also made in China and while a brilliant car to drive, has countless problems from leaky hoses to a/c glitches to gearbox issues. The 5 year warranty helped defray costs but it’s now 6 years old and anything that needs fixing from now is on my money. Fingers crossed need to get another car but the resale value is awfully low. So made in China , pls be aware of their hit and miss QC.
What model year was this bike? I've heard these issues have been fixed with the 2020+ models. Hopefully the new 790 2023 model (re-released) has fixed all these problems for good.
The 2023 790 re release are made in China by CF Moto, a lot of the components that KTM formally bought in from quality manufactures ie Brembo brakes are now “made offshore” so draw your conclusions, it’s a dam shame cos I really like KTM’s to ride and the style. Wish they’d get the reliability sorted.
thanks for the info. i have been lusting after the KTM duke but my mechanic buddy said the same thing as you. i guess ill stick with my speed triple 1050 for now :)
Mine has not even made it out of the dealership. Supposed to collect it yesterday at midday. It’s now midday the following day and I still dont have it. It’s clearly got a problem. I don’t know what that is but this is hands down the most difficult bike to purchase, I literally cannot even give the dealer my money and get a motorbike.
KTM customer service in USA Ohio is awful. My dash gets constant condensation and they refused to address it. They claim “it’s normal” complete bullshit.
Such a shame that this bike has caused so many problems when it could have been so good. I hope you manage to get the problems sorted out. Maybe time to consider a different bike. Good luck
I had the same experience on my 790 duke which I brought from new. I now own the MT09SP because it’s a great bike but would of probably looked at the 890 Duke R if I’d had a better experience with the 790. Shame, KTM are great to ride but less than great to own.
Cheers for the comment Stephen. It wasn't just me then... Like you say, great potential for the KTM but such a shame. Looks like we have followed the same path, hope you are enjoying the MT-09.
Same with my 790. Coolant leak, valve cover leak, sprocket seal leak, and idling RPM issues on startup all within first 2,000 miles. Still have the bike. Fixed everything all in one warranty trip fortunately. No issues since with 8,000 miles. I would probably never buy a 790 again without warranty coverage lol.
@@godzillacat1291 Wow... so many problems. If KTM only took care at the start with their development, this would have been a number one selling bike I think. Glad you have them sorted now at least.
@@thetallbiker9645 I have not had any problems with my 2021 KTM 890 Duke R thus far. I hope it will stay this way. Hopefully they have actually resolved most of the problems. I would give it a try again. I think it is one of the best bikes out there. However, the MT-09 is fantastic, too and for sure more reliable.
Do duke adv has same problems? They sell quite big numbers of this adventure bikes and there is not a lot of bad news about it hmm I am going to collect my 790 on Sunday it is 2020 model hole it will run faultless
Ohh gosh, am lookin g at a 2020 790 with 4686 miles on it (San Antonio, tx). Looks brand spanking new. Almost bought it but after reading about issues, I pulled back. Only thing I would say tho, finding any used 790 is tough? For example Houston, TX. Not what you’d call a small city right? I dare you to find a used KTM790 for sale, of any year! Not even many new ones, either.
I was looking at buying a new /used ktm duke 890r or maybe a 790 but after reading so many bad things about ktm i am really have second thoughts. I guess when ktm started making ktm in india and now china shit start going down hill pretty quickly and that is a real shame. I own a 2010 ktm690smc bought it with 1119 miles on it back in November 2012 I still have the bike with 47000 miles on it and still running great and have not had no iussues with my bike I guess i got one of the good ones when they was still being made in Austria.
Only time will tell, fingers crossed the bike will be ok. As I mentioned, when working, The bike was great fun to ride but in my experience there were too any issues for me to feel confident with it. Good luck if you go for it, just make sure you have some kind of warranty. Cheers
Hi, same is here for me. First ride and the dash broke. I want to return it but not sure how much money I would get from it. Did you get a full refund? thanks
Hi, I did get a full refund luckily, as I had so many problems, it's not fair to the consumer to sell a product that results in so much grief but this will depend on the dealer you purchased it from. Good luck
Owned a superduke 990 2007. Coolant hose popped out first, valves adjusted twice, break fluid leak, electrical problems, one of which where the tip sensor being in the headlight kept on cutting the bike out after coming down from a wheelie. None of these issues were things that i could have done anything to avoid. I could go on. Parts are expensive as fuck and come all the way from austria so take a month or longer to arrive. So many reasons why its just not worth owning a ktm. I now have a cbr600f4 2003 and mate. I rag the fuck out of it occasionally, dont treat her as well as i should and she starts up rides beautifully everytime. 6 grand bike vs 1.5k bike. Avoid ktm/aprilla/ducati/bmw at all costs. There rich mens bikes 😂
Like ford have done after 10 years and millions lost by customers on its wet engine belt system. They do not care if there are issues, and they are NOT your friend. Far too many of these videos out there on KTM unreliability. Such a shame
Not reliable at all .had 890r 842 miles gearbox got stuck in 3rd .then quickshifter stopped working .seeping had gasket .crap gone .now got mt09 .problem solved . Have good think before buying ktm .never again for me 😡
I'm genuinely sad KTM sold quality for money. Making them in China and India, claiming they are Austiran brand. They had world at their palms.. Still have big desire to buy 790 Duke, apart from knowing they are basically shit.
My 25 year old Honda Firestorm blew one of its tail light bulbs last week. I have written Honda a stern letter.🤣
That says it all :). I had a Firestorm while back, great bike, apart from being a little thirsty. Good old-fashioned big twin.
Pmsl
I had a 1999 VTR1000 Firestorm that broke a front cam chain at 3500 miles due to a defective tensioner. Luckily, it happened just before the warranty was up. Never felt the same after the repair so I traded it in for a 2000 CBR929RR Fireblade.
@@jtb8461 Yes, the cam chain tensioners are a real weak spot. Mine has the manual type. I hope you enjoyed the 929, I bought a 954 back in 2003 and had 21 000 hassle free miles with it. One of my favourite bikes ever, one that I regret selling.😊
All my Japanese motorcycles I’ve owned I’ve never had a issue with any of them!! I will carry on buying Japanese purely because of its reliability, cheap spares & easy to work on as a DIYer
My local dealer sells BMW, KTM, Triumph and Kawasaki bikes and I have bought lots of bikes from them over the years. When I enquired about getting a 790 Adventure the salesman, whom I know well, took me aside and told me horror stories about KTM warranty claims and suggested that I look elsewhere, since I'm old and ride alone mostly.
To be fair I had a KTM 390 Adventure for a couple of years that I bought second hand in 2020 and had no issues whatsoever.
Donno about the 790 Duke but it sounds like you had a bad run mate...
Yes, if I isolate how the bike rode, when working, it was great but I just can forgive how many things went wrong on it. I have recently seen reviews on the KTM 990 which looks very tempting but I just don’t think I could go there again, especially for the price and the strange arrangement of KTM removing lots of the electronic functionality after 1500 miles unless you pay more.
thanks for the heads up, I was seriously considering the KTM 790 as an all rounder but I may have to research further. cheers
My 2021 390 duke was a dream, not one issue. My 2018 790 on the other hand is in the shop with worn cams at 8000km. I'm lucky though as KTM Australia have provided the cams for free.
Not just me then. Glad you got it sorted out. I still think, if I didn’t have any issues with my 790, I would have happily kept it or even tried the 890.. sadly that was not to be. Enjoy the next 8000km 👍
Mine has almost 10k km, I am concerned
I have a 2020 790 for almost a year now, and no issues at all for me... 👌
That’s great, I guess they ironed out the issues after the first batch. Glad you’re enjoying it 👍
Yamaha is better
A mate bought a 790 Duke and was aware of the "gremlins" but thought he might be lucky. He eventually traded it in and said it had every problem he had read on the forums! He loved it when it did work but that wasn't very often. Replaced it with a new Honda!
Had a Duke 390. Absolutely mental. Sharp. Maintained and rode it well. But had a massive engine failure at just 37k km. Makes me tone down the KTM fanboy in me
KTM make some great bikes, if they could increase reliability, they would be on to a winner.
Thanks for sharing you unfortunately bad experiences with your 790. Too bad as I've had good luck with my Duke 390 and very much like the 790 except for the bad customer comments you shared and I've seen else where. So checking the 790 off my list and the fact Honda is not willing to sell Hornets to it's US customers I'm giving a shiny new white GSX 8S a try. Awesome so far!
Shame the Hornet is not in the US, but the 8S is still a very nice option, especially if you enjoy more low down, immediate torque, the Hornet had to be revved a little more.
@@thetallbiker9645 Surprisingly Suzuki is already offering a $1,000 discount on the "23" model 8S making it a better value (IMO). The Hornet is an attractive package but according to all the comparative video's I've seen the 8S is the better overall bike and considering it's current price likely would have been my first choice anyway.
What model year bike was this? An early model 2018?
I see you're riding an SV650, an engine that will outlive the nokia 3310.
I own an sv myself and am currently looking to upgrade to an adventure bike and at this point it was going to be the CFmoto 800mt which runs the same engine as 790 duke.... But reliability reasons pushed me to the less attractive V-strom 650 with a bullet proof engine.
Cheers from Australia 🤙🤙
Hey Matt, I have owned a 790 Duke and a 650 V-Strom and I can totally see the attraction to the KTM, it would be great, if it was reliable but in my experience it was not. Although the V-strom is a little less exciting, it still goes pretty well and handles much better than you would expect and I covered 8000, trouble free miles on it. Enjoy
The world will just be populated buy SV650s, Nokia 3310s, cockroaches and sea gulls if doomsday happens😂
Thank you for your take on the KTM. I truly understand as. I a Peugeot also made in China and while a brilliant car to drive, has countless problems from leaky hoses to a/c glitches to gearbox issues. The 5 year warranty helped defray costs but it’s now 6 years old and anything that needs fixing from now is on my money. Fingers crossed need to get another car but the resale value is awfully low. So made in China , pls be aware of their hit and miss QC.
Except that some of the worst KTM 790s seem to be the ones made in Austria… sigh.
What model year was this bike? I've heard these issues have been fixed with the 2020+ models. Hopefully the new 790 2023 model (re-released) has fixed all these problems for good.
The 2023 790 re release are made in China by CF Moto, a lot of the components that KTM formally bought in from quality manufactures ie Brembo brakes are now “made offshore” so draw your conclusions, it’s a dam shame cos I really like KTM’s to ride and the style. Wish they’d get the reliability sorted.
Cheers bro. I own an MT09 also and not a drama at all. I just could not, would not purchase a new or even second hand late model KTM 790/890.
thanks for the info. i have been lusting after the KTM duke but my mechanic buddy said the same thing as you.
i guess ill stick with my speed triple 1050 for now :)
Think the same guy that designed that exhaust also designed the camshafts.
Mine has not even made it out of the dealership. Supposed to collect it yesterday at midday. It’s now midday the following day and I still dont have it. It’s clearly got a problem. I don’t know what that is but this is hands down the most difficult bike to purchase, I literally cannot even give the dealer my money and get a motorbike.
Check the bike quality ranking list, Ducati at the bottom, BMW second from the bottom and KTM, well, it’s not even in the list…
BMW?? No bike has gone more miles on thousands of videos people riding around the world all choose BMW
@@droflivelife. yea mate , not 1000R’s .. older boxers before they got too clever with electronics.
My Yamaha 10k and no issues at all. Absolutely perfect. And cheaper than KTMs
That's made in Cina, isn't it?
I had the same experience
KTM customer service in USA Ohio is awful. My dash gets constant condensation and they refused to address it. They claim “it’s normal” complete bullshit.
Such a shame that this bike has caused so many problems when it could have been so good. I hope you manage to get the problems sorted out. Maybe time to consider a different bike. Good luck
I had the same experience on my 790 duke which I brought from new. I now own the MT09SP because it’s a great bike but would of probably looked at the 890 Duke R if I’d had a better experience with the 790. Shame, KTM are great to ride but less than great to own.
Cheers for the comment Stephen. It wasn't just me then... Like you say, great potential for the KTM but such a shame. Looks like we have followed the same path, hope you are enjoying the MT-09.
Same with my 790. Coolant leak, valve cover leak, sprocket seal leak, and idling RPM issues on startup all within first 2,000 miles. Still have the bike. Fixed everything all in one warranty trip fortunately. No issues since with 8,000 miles. I would probably never buy a 790 again without warranty coverage lol.
@@godzillacat1291 Wow... so many problems. If KTM only took care at the start with their development, this would have been a number one selling bike I think. Glad you have them sorted now at least.
@@thetallbiker9645 I have not had any problems with my 2021 KTM 890 Duke R thus far. I hope it will stay this way. Hopefully they have actually resolved most of the problems. I would give it a try again. I think it is one of the best bikes out there. However, the MT-09 is fantastic, too and for sure more reliable.
Do duke adv has same problems? They sell quite big numbers of this adventure bikes and there is not a lot of bad news about it hmm I am going to collect my 790 on Sunday it is 2020 model hole it will run faultless
Ohh gosh, am lookin g at a 2020 790 with 4686 miles on it (San Antonio, tx). Looks brand spanking new. Almost bought it but after reading about issues, I pulled back. Only thing I would say tho, finding any used 790 is tough? For example Houston, TX. Not what you’d call a small city right? I dare you to find a used KTM790 for sale, of any year! Not even many new ones, either.
thank you so much. I like kawasaki versys 650, have you had to face or heard any issue about 650... have a good day
Previous owner did well to get rid of that thing.
I think you buy new when it comes to these.
I was looking at buying a new /used ktm duke 890r or maybe a 790 but after reading so many bad things about ktm i am really have second thoughts. I guess when ktm started making ktm in india and now china shit start going down hill pretty quickly and that is a real shame. I own a 2010 ktm690smc bought it with 1119 miles on it back in November 2012 I still have the bike with 47000 miles on it and still running great and have not had no iussues with my bike I guess i got one of the good ones when they was still being made in Austria.
A motorcycle is no good if it is not reliable and always causing problems.
I’m I’m looking at a 2018-2019 model hopefully these problems have been sorted, but are they going to be a repeat issue?
Only time will tell, fingers crossed the bike will be ok. As I mentioned, when working, The bike was great fun to ride but in my experience there were too any issues for me to feel confident with it. Good luck if you go for it, just make sure you have some kind of warranty. Cheers
What production year was the bike? I heard that the 2019+ models have higher reliability
European manufacturers seem to put all of their effort into aesthetics and performance then pray their bikes will be reliable.
The dealership should have found all that shit before putting it on the show room.
It bought it used.
So this is the type of soul and character KTM fangirls are talking about
KTM does stand for Keep Throwing Money at it after all lol
Hi, same is here for me. First ride and the dash broke. I want to return it but not sure how much money I would get from it. Did you get a full refund? thanks
Hi, I did get a full refund luckily, as I had so many problems, it's not fair to the consumer to sell a product that results in so much grief but this will depend on the dealer you purchased it from. Good luck
Owned a superduke 990 2007. Coolant hose popped out first, valves adjusted twice, break fluid leak, electrical problems, one of which where the tip sensor being in the headlight kept on cutting the bike out after coming down from a wheelie. None of these issues were things that i could have done anything to avoid. I could go on. Parts are expensive as fuck and come all the way from austria so take a month or longer to arrive. So many reasons why its just not worth owning a ktm. I now have a cbr600f4 2003 and mate. I rag the fuck out of it occasionally, dont treat her as well as i should and she starts up rides beautifully everytime. 6 grand bike vs 1.5k bike. Avoid ktm/aprilla/ducati/bmw at all costs. There rich mens bikes 😂
Maybe that one bike was defected, if all the 790 had issues they would had recalls.
Like ford have done after 10 years and millions lost by customers on its wet engine belt system. They do not care if there are issues, and they are NOT your friend. Far too many of these videos out there on KTM unreliability. Such a shame
You just happened to get a lemon. It happens.
Not reliable at all .had 890r 842 miles gearbox got stuck in 3rd .then quickshifter stopped working .seeping had gasket .crap gone .now got mt09 .problem solved . Have good think before buying ktm .never again for me 😡
Quality Chinese manufacturing... if you had kept the bike, the cams might have gone next.
And if you bought anything except Japanese, same could be said.
Sounds like KTM is cranking out GARBAGE!
Sounds like you got one that was abused
Damn Chinese! I also think them Italians bikes are also made in China! Hahaha!
My 1941 BSA is better than that...😊
I'm genuinely sad KTM sold quality for money. Making them in China and India, claiming they are Austiran brand.
They had world at their palms..
Still have big desire to buy 790 Duke, apart from knowing they are basically shit.
KTM only makes sub 390s in India...790s are from China
790's have had issues even when manufactured in Austria though