A Performance and Reliability Review for the Iconic KTM® Motorcycle Brand
If you’re a powersports enthusiast like we are, you probably know about the iconic orange and black KTM® brand and may have heard rumors about KTM reliability. To learn more about these dynamic on and off-road bikes, read on, or contact Moroney’s Motorsports in New Windsor, New York, serving Newburgh, New York.
The KTM® Brand’s History
Founded in 1934 as Trunkenpolz Motor Vehicles, KTM began manufacturing motorcycles exclusively as Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattinghofen, or KTM, in 1953.
KTM’s first bike was its 98-cc R100. After subsequently winning several races, including the 5th Gaisberg, the Austrian 125 and a gold finish in the International Six Days competition, KTM has since continued to produce winning, race-ready bikes.
The KTM® Travel Lineup
KTM Travel bikes are both on-road and off-road-ready at all experience levels.
The 373-cc 390 Adventure and 693-cc 690 Enduro R bikes are off-road riders.
The mid-size 799-cc 790 Adventure, Adventure R and Adventure R Rally with electronic Rider Aids are mid-range on-road and off-road bikes.
The largest, the 1,301-cc 1290 Super Adventures S and R, street and rally, have Rider Aids and extra options.
The Superspor Motorcyclest
The 373-cc RC Supersport is a street vehicle with limited electronic augmentation, including ABS, and is geared for advanced racing-style performance.
The KTM® Naked Lineup
KTM Naked consists of scaled-back street bikes for mid-experience riders, offering full electronic Rider Aids for controlled racing-bike performance.
KTM Naked bikes include the 373-cc 390 Duke®, the 799-cc 790 Duke® street rider, the 890-cc 890 Duke® R racing-style bike and the 177-horsepower, 1,301-cc, V-twin 1290 Super Duke® R.
The KTM® Sports Tourer
The sporty 1,301-cc Super Duke® Sports Tourer, geared for longer distances and comfort, offers rider protections, a pillion seat, panniers, a tank bag space and full Rider Aids.
The KTM® Supermoto
While a true Supermoto racing bike, the 693-cc 690 SMC R is really a dirt bike and trick rider, sporting dual-sport tires for on and off-road drifting, a versatile electronics suite, a banana seat and a low tank hump for rider balance and agility.
Finding the Story
In a curious turn of events, KTM bikes seem to have acquired some uncertainty about reliability. How isn’t clear, but for bikes that run into the tens of thousands of dollars, it’s worth investigating.
To begin, a 10,000-motorcyle-owner Consumer Reports survey ranks KTM at 8th in reliability overall and matches KTM dirt bikes with top Japanese brands.
In the grueling and heat-blistering 4,900-mile Dakar Rally, KTMs won 18 years, consecutively.
Numerous blogs by KTM motorcycle riders on epic round-the-world journeys also reported consistent dependability.
So Where Did It Start?
While everyone knows forum threads can make unsubstantiated and unchallenged claims, one possibility is that plenty of happy riders are just out riding bikes that never break down. They don't write about it. The problem events make the news.
KTM also turned down product placement on Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Round ride from London to New York, possibly sparking unverified speculation about KTM reliability.
It’s also possible that KTM bikes are just more fun and see a lot of use.
But, given the verified surveys and statistics above and KTM’s history as a leading brand, good-condition KTM motorcycles will provide years of dependable motorcycling and dynamic on and off-road experiences.
To learn more about KTM motorcycles, contact the friendly and knowledgeable team at Moroney's Motorsports. We’re a powersports dealer in New Windsor, New York, serving Newburgh, New York.