Topic: KTM in trouble

[70CB750]

KTM filed their insolvency documents today, and it turns out that they owe €2.9 billion. Was previously estimated to be less than a billion. Seriously dark times ahead, and hard to imagine CEO Stefan Pierer will survive them.

A sad day for Motorcycling and the huge supply chain.

[calj737]

It’s been coming for a while if you look at the fundamentals. Their obstinate determination to stay out of the sport bike (mid and liter) market has killed their popularity. You cannot be just an adventure bike or naked bike company anymore. Their SuperDuke is a very nice bike, but it rates 3rd of 4th behind Ducati and Aprilia for the money and excitement for it. It costs equal to a BMW R, and has fewer features and some dodgy styling/colorways.

And their latest “Features mode” being a subscription has really turned a number of buyers off. Bad ideas, bad market strategy, and poor results in MotoGP are the deathknell of any great bike company. To make matters worse, recently announced RC990R is only a 120BHp bike! That will not be allowed in Supertwins, is too slow for liter bike track days,and costs more than other brands in similar power range.

[seanbarney41]

I saw this coming when they bought up Husqvarna and Gasgas, continued only the names, and made them identical to actual KTM branded dirt bikes, just lower quality.  It was so obviously a bad idea.  Really pissed off a lot of potential customers that were loyal to those brands and KTM.  Also, their spotty quality control has thus given a bad reputation to all the Euro dirt bike manufacturers with folks not in the know.

[simon#42]

They got very big very quickly after years being a small off road manufacturer . The decision to race in MotoGP but not to make a replica for sale or for that matter any high end sports bike is strange . Ducati have made that work for years .
Not sure if MotoGP results are that important to buyers , people still buy Hondas despite being MotoGP back markers .
3 billion is a debt they are going to struggle to survive . Feel sorry for my friends that work for them although I have heard that bmw are interested in taking a few of them on for there possible MotoGP entry.

[PeWe]

The cam issues must cost them a lot too.
Who wants a bike where the cam lobes disappear really quick?
Might be more than bad cams. Maybe wrong design/ bad quality of lubing with  holes for it.

[69cb750]

KTM on it's last reserve - Production, Brand and Job cuts to survive

KTM Are About to Go Bankrupt - Here's the Full Story

[simon#42]

500 more staff made redundant , selling the mv brand and decembers wages not getting paid . its not looking great .

[PeWe]

An old biker friend  of mine that has owned a lot of bikes since 1980  has a KTM.
He has owned many bikes with the higher power available for the time including a Kawasaki with +200hp (ca 174WHP) and really loves his KTM 790 Duke 2019.

Really good handling and fun to ride.
He has fixed the hysterical low speed behavior by something simple to increase the fuel mix at lower speeds.

Letter from KTM about eventual cam issues made him not happy.

Now KTM going down. I wonder if a company will buy it when there are design and fabrication issues to take care of?

A BMW R 12 S can be an orange alternative.
I could buy it if price was half and same power as the other 1250, ca 137hp

https://www.bmw-motorrad.se/en/models/heritage/r12-s.html