Ducati rebuilt my 1299S engine out of warranty. However they only cover parts, not labour, out of warranty. They only offer this to bikes will full dealer service history. ....and Ducati are opening up 2? new London dealerships?...
Lots of reasons for the motorcycle malaise, but maybe there's too many old gits -like me- who simply would never pay £13 grand for a middle of the road bike -whether its got whistles and bells or not. And I'm damned sure I'm not going to rent one for 3 years either. I see an excellent opportunity for our Chinese cousins to really exploit and sort out the marketplace.
I think they already are. Bajaj Auto of India have a financial stake in KTM and I think I read they produce more two wheelers than anyone else in the world. It’s in their interests to help the finances too. That said we’re KTM to go to the wall it would have a devastating impact on bike racing both on track and off road. Imagine Acosta, Bez, Vinales and Bestia with no rides next season.
I don’t think CF Moto make the engine, I think they essentially white label the engine and frame and then put their body on it. But they may well build the 790 duke in the same factory under the Bajal/Bajaj brand (can’t remember its name). KTM have some really really simple steps to make that could make a huge difference to their current situation. 1) stop making bikes for a few months (they are doing that) 2) sell the ones in dealers and in warehouses, even if they need to discount them, it keeps brand awareness and moves numbers. 3) once complete, stop ALL discounting practises, none of us would go and buy a new model KTM because we know if we hold on 6 months a dealer will be offering £3-4k off it. This is a massive issue. 4) rationalise brands, ditch MV Agusta, I love them but it’s been a slit your wrist brand for anyone who’s owned them (Harley owned them and ditched them also). Also ditch Gas Gas and Husky, just focus on making one range of MX and Enduro product. 5) extend the service life of the product, like the japs did, so instead of 2 yr platform changes a model lasts 3-4 years with little changes other than those required for regs. 6) start selling factory order, so rather than build and the customer will come, the customer can spec and order from factory. I’m not a bike manufacturing CEO but I could honestly attribute cost savings to every one of the above… it surely isn’t that unbelievably difficult to achieve
..you were one of the lucky ones - on earlier 748/996/916 owners in the UK were often fobbed off leaving them to foot the bill for "premature" chrome vacation on their valve train rockers, even those who pushed the issue had to be first owner and (quite understandably) fully serviced/up to date. Not so in the U.S. though, they had a bigger litigation stick. P.S. oh, and no chance at all if out of warranty apart from "special cases".
But if they produced reasonable numbers of bikes, and sold them at a reasonable price, the discounting wouldn't happen. making thousands of bikes, then having a high price causes that... BTW, you forgot to mention that orange is not very appealing to many people and should be optional (or dropped altogether!).
I’m not qualified to comment on the brand colours, but all their bikes come in black also, the superduke for example you can get on black with ‘some’ orange on. the issue with producing less is that like Aprilia, it you allow dealers to ‘buy for stock’ you can’t control the resale so dealers will still do it. it’s what has been happening with Aprilia for years, Wheels motorbikes but 20 RSV4’s cash from Aprilia then they sell them at whatever they can. That in turn trashes the brand. Infact nearly bought a RSV4 new from MotoCorsa, as they had such a good rep, and they told me if I buy it from wheels they refuse to service it and will push back on any warranty work. They are out of business also, but you get my point
I get your point, but the market will not allow businesses to strangle supply and demand. Another manufacturer will arrive and disrupt the plan. And of course the practice has not worked for so many bike companies in the past, you would think that they would learn their lessons? I wonder if the MotoCorsa people could have their time over, whether they would want to make the same choices?
According to Wikipedia, Husqvarna (motorcycles) have had quite a few owners in their time! 1903 – Subsidiary of Husqvarna Armament 1978 – Electrolux acquired Husqvarna. 1987 – Motorcycle division sold to Cagiva 1988 – Husaberg brand spinoff 2007 – Husqvarna motorcycles purchased by BMW 2013 – Husqvarna AG purchased by Pierer Industrie 2013 – Transfer to KTM AG, establishing Husqvarna Motorcycle GmbH and reuniting with Husaberg Always wondered why KTM would buy Husqvarna from BMW with the similarities in both ranges, unless it was for the, name, a spot of IP and to remove some 'off road' competition. Can't imagine it was cheap though.
Orange IS KTM. That part of their branding is very clever to my mind. Many Ducatis are built to order now but no idea if that would work for KTM. Unfortunately many people are like spoilt kids and want it now and can’t wait a couple of months.
Thats a bit harsh isn't it? In a country where the summer is only two months at best, waiting eight weeks for your new bike is a problem. Besides, why should we wait so long, just so the manufacturer can make more money?
We are in for tough times as unemployment rises and pay rises are rare. Discretionary purchases like new, fast motorcycles will decline accordingly. All manufacturers will be impacted, especially at the premium end. It is worse in the EU auto industry where their very survival is at risk. The transition to BEV and utterly scary Chinese competition at literally a fraction of the cost of a BMW, Merc or VW will see a meltdown similar to what the Japanese did to the UK car industry in the 1970s. For us it should mean some great ahowroom bargains and lively second hand market.
Yep, Chinese manufacturers are always going to muller their European competitors on price and for good or bad that will always play a big part in any purchase. The CF Moto 800 is £7k and the (almost) comparable KTM 890 is £9.5k
I don't think this is the end of KTM. It's a well known brand, and there's so many existing bikes requiring service and parts, someone will have a go at running it better and tackling their issues. After all, brands can throw off a reputation for unreliability if they come unde the right owner and management, right? I quite like some of their bikes, and it may be somewhere I look when I eventually move on from Ducati for newer bikes (not for a while), as they seem to be sticking with the big V Twin. I even quite like the styling of the Super Adventure!
Pay rises couldn't be any rarer than the last 14 years when it was under 1.9%, inflation hit 11%, and most necessities increased at least 20% - energy doubled!
I like KTM, but I believe the company has been complacent and simply not changed with industry & market dynamics. Crucially KTM has been overly reliant on sales in their core market DACH (Germany, Austria & Switzerland) and not looking further afield to develop the business. What really does my head in is that it seems KTM have not learned from the other European motorcycle manufacturers (especially Ducati & Triumph) on how to compete in a global market. KTM are faced with quite a few significant challenges... financially they are in meltdown, they manufacture in high-cost Europe, they have a very limited product range, their bike design is a bit marmite and (when compared to other motorcycles) their build quality is a bit questionable. That said, KTM have a great brand with a history of producing some amazing motorcycles and I'm guessing there will be a long list Asian manufacturers interested in purchasing the company or to do some sort of joint venture.
Its not about making more money but having a viable business plan. The KTM model shows oversupply is a recipe for disaster. Its become less and less common that any Company can carry stock on the promise of sales, they need hard cash and guaranteed sales.
