Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2020 KTM 790 Adventure R. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–6 of 6
Rear brakes: the line that leads from the fluid reservoir to the master cylinder has popped out twice (the 90degree fitting at the master cylinder) resulting in a loss of rear brake use.
FRONT BRAKE LOCKED UP ON ITS OWN WHILE TRAVELLING AT 50MPH ON PAVEMENT. HAD BEEN RIDING 10 MINUTES, HAD USED THE FRONT BRAKE VERY LITTLE PRIOR TO IT LOCKING UP. TO GET THE BRAKE TO RELEASE, I HELD PRESSURE ON THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER AND OPENED THE BRAKE CALIPER BLEED NIPPLE TO RELEASE BRAKE FLUID.
FRONT BRAKES SHUDDER AT LOW SPEEDS MAKING THE MOTORCYCLE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AT LOW SPEEDS UNDER BRAKING
THE TFT DASHBOARD HAS A HISTORY OF GOING BLANK WHILE RIDING. I.E. THE SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, WARNING LIGHTS, GEAR INDICATOR, TRACTION CONTROL INDICATOR, RIDER MODE ETC HAVE DISAPPEARED WHILE RIDING. IF YOU CYCLE THE BIKE DOWN BY TURNING THE IGNITION KEY TO THE OFF SETTING AND THEN RESTARTING THE BIKE IT RESETS THE TFT DISPLAY, BUT CAN AND HAS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY. THIS OBVIOUSLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS DOCUMENTED ON YOUTUBE FOR VARIOUS KTM MODELS AND YEAR. THIS FIRST OCCURRED ON MY BIKE AUGUST 5TH OF 2020. IT OCCURRED TWICE THAT DAY AND AGAIN AT A LATER DATE. POSSIBLY A CAUSATION OF THE ABOVE OR A SECOND INDEPENDENT FAILURE IS THAT THE TFT DISPLAY FORMS CONDENSATE ON THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS WHEN CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT. THIS SUBSEQUENTLY INTRODUCES MOISTURE INTO A HIGHLY SENSITIVE ELECTRICAL DEVICE, WHICH COULD CAUSE FAILURES. THE CONDENSATE HAS BEEN BAD ENOUGH TO OBSCURE IMPORTANT DASH DATA WHILE RIDING. I BELIEVE THE CONDENSATE FIRST FORMED IN MARCH OF 2020 AND HAS REPEATEDLY DONE SO EVEN AFTER NEW DASHES WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. I INCLUDED PICTURES OF BOTH ISSUES AND CIRCLED THE AREAS OF CONDENSATION AS WELL AS THE BLANK DISPLAY WHILE DRIVING. THE TFT GOING BLANK HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED (55-75MPH) ON PAVED ROADS, NICE WEATHER BUT SUNNY. THE TFT CONDENSING HAPPENS AFTER THE BIKE HAS SAT, LIKE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. IT SEEMINGLY OCCURS IN THE SPRING AND FALL WHEN TFT DISPLAY CAN GET HOT ENOUGH COMPARED TO THE AMBIENT OUTSIDE TEMP. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO HAPPED IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE TEMPS OF THE TFT DISPLAY AND THE OUTSIDE ARE SIMILAR. IT ALSO DOESN'T SEEM TO HAPPEN IN THE WINTER AS OF YET, PERHAPS BECAUSE THE COLD AMBIENT TEMPS KEEP THE TFT COOL ENOUGH. THIS ISSUE OCCURS BECAUSE OF AIR TEMP CONDITIONS RATHER THAN ROAD CONDITIONS. THE TFT DISPLAY HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH OEM 2 TIMES ALREADY.
THE FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM BRAKES UNEVENLY AT SLOW SPEEDS. IT IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN COMING TO A STOP DOWNHILL. IT FEELS AS IF THERE IS A STICKY OR UNEVEN AREA ON THE ROTORS. IT IS NOT FELT IN THE BRAKE LEVER. YOU FEEL IT IN THE WHOLE BIKE. THERE IS ALSO BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDER THE RESERVOIR CAP. THIS ALL STARTED HAPPENING AROUND THE FIRST 1000 MILES OF RIDING. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO TWO DIFFERENT KTM DEALERS FOR REPAIR. THE PROBLEMS ARE STILL THERE. IT IS NOW BACK IN THE SHOP FOR A THIRD TIME WITH THESE PROBLEMS. I CONTACTED KTM NORTH AMERICA AND THEY SAID THAT THE UNEVEN BRAKING IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF FLOATING ROTORS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 35 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS. I CONTACTED GALFER AND RACE TECHNOLOGIES, THE MAKERS OF THE BRAKES FOR THIS MOTORCYCLE. THEY BOTH SAID THAT THIS IS NOT A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF FLOATING ROTORS AND THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. GALFER ALSO SAID THAT THEY HAVE HAD OTHER RIDERS CONTACTING THEM WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THERE ARE ALSO OTHERS ONLINE (AROUND THE WORLD) EXPERIENCING THESE ISSUES SO KTM KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM. SOME RIDERS HAVE RECEIVED NEW ROTORS AND PADS, SOME ENTIRE NEW WHEELS UNDER WARRANTY. SOME OF US HAVE RECEIVED NOTHING AND HAD TO PAY FOR SERVICE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. SOME OF THE RIDERS THAT HAVE HAD THEIR ROTORS REPLACED HAD THE PROBLEM COME BACK. IS IT BAD ROTORS, PADS, WHEELS? SOME ARE SPECULATING THAT IT IS HUBS OUT OF TRUE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. WE ARE LOOKING FOR KTM TO ACTUALLY SOLVE THE ROOT CAUSE AND COME UP WITH A PERMANENT FIX. WE DON'T WANT NEW PARTS PUT ON THAT ARE JUST GOING TO FAIL AGAIN AFTER OUR WARRANTIES HAVE EXPIRED. THESE BRAKING ISSUES HAVE MANY OF US CONCERNED. MOTORCYCLING IS ALREADY A RISKY ENDEAVOR. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OUR BRAKES FUNCTIONING PROPERLY.
THE FUEL TANK IS NOT VENTING PROPERLY AND GAS SPRAYED INTO MY EYES AND UPPER BODY WHEN I CHECKED TO SEE WHAT CAUSED A VERY HIGH PITCH WHINE WHILE STOPPED AFTER RIDING FOR ONE HOUR. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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