KTMs - not as tough as they're cracked up to be

I've broken a few bikes in my time, but this is a new one.

Remember that bit in The Long Way Round where too much rough riding
across Mongolian steppes causes the subframe to snap in two on one of
the beemers?

London streets have much the same effect on KTMs.

Ho hum.

 

really? That's a bit crap then.

 

I need to inspect it in daylight but it looks like a clean break right
through the subframe on both sides, leaving the seat unit hanging down
over the rear wheel.

If I could be arsed to strip it down, I'm sure I could just take the
subframe off, get it welded up and put back together. But a lack of
time, daylight, spanner skills and anything resembling a spacious
workshop area means I'll be finding a professional spannerwanker to
throw it at instead.

Ker-ching.

 

Bloody hell. Have you been aiming directly at pot-holes/Audis/sleeping
policemen/tourists[1]?

[1] delete as needed

 

I will confess to trying to get air over speed humps occasionally. But
only while standing up.

I've had a quick trawl through the ktmforum site and it seems the
subframe on a Duke 2 is a known weak spot, to the point that any time
someone mentions luggage or a pillion on one everyone goes "your
subframe'll snap"

 

I blame operation do **** all & the pork belly. You pig munching, fat
fucker.

<strikes KTM off future purchase list>

 

Never heard of that before - and this is coming from someone who managed
to bend one in half.

Still, the new one was less than £100 so can't complain.

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

Wessie spoke:

Nope, babelfish falls over on this one.

--
Rob_P
UKRM(at)indqualtec.co.uk
uppercase(d) BBIWYMC#1 BOG#11? MRO#31 IBCDBBB#1(kotl)
FJ1200, CCM130 Benelli Cabriolet (gone)
Looks like Rab C Nesbit.

 

Try www.babelnige.com

 

One of these decades you'll have to bite the bullet and learn English
instead of relying on these online translators.

 

I have a young friend who's heavily into mountain biking. Everytime he's
broken a frame (which is several times) the manufacturers have replaced them
FOC. You'd have thought a bike frame that cracks is not fit for purpose.

Tim

 

purpose.

I suspect a 2002 bike is a bit old for me to try a warranty claim.

 

Normally I'd agree, & given the relative lack of money involved you
probably won't think it's worth the hassle anyway, but there's plenty
of evidence out there to prove it's a design/manufacturing fault.

It might be worth a letter asking them to cover the cost of parts, but
not labour. Many people got free sprag clutches out of Triumph years
after the warranties expired using that approach, myself included.

 

Is that a closet door I hear a'creaking?

 

Champ spoke:

Yes, much.

Thanks you stuck-up southern ****!

--
Rob_P
UKRM(at)indqualtec.co.uk
uppercase(d) BBIWYMC#1 BOG#11? MRO#31 IBCDBBB#1(kotl)
FJ1200, CCM130 Benelli Cabriolet (gone)
Looks like Rab C Nesbit.

 

It shouldn't be expensive getting it welded back together, but to stop a
recurrence, I'd be very tempted to insert a piece of tubing/rod into the
joint too.

 

It seems to be common enough that it's folklore on the KTM forum. I had
the plastics off earlier and it's clearly a design fault - it's snapped
off on both sides where the side panel retention bolts go through the
subframe. Drilling through a stress point, not a great idea.

It probably doesn't help that despite being white on the outside, the
metal underneath the plastics is good old KTM orange. I was blowing away
bright orange dust when I unscrewed the bolts.

Anyway, **** that. I started stripping it down and got bored after five
minutes. Fingers crossed I win the subframe that's on ebay atm and then
I'll throw it at InMoto to be sorted.

 

If you need it that badly, and you do, I'd suggest lobbing a large proxy
bid at it rather than trusting to luck.

 

To a point, Lord Copper. I have another bike to commute on (which I used
to use 4 days a week anyway) and a mainline/tube station 300 yards away.
Need is a relative term, as it were.

I'll put in a reasonable bid in a few days' time. Whatever happens, I'll
be getting a subframe welded back into shape. The difference will be
whether it's the live one or a spare.

 

Ah, right.