2020 KTM 790 Adventure Owner Complaints

At approximately 14,700 Miles, the motor on the bike shut off abruptly while riding at 60 mph down the road while negotiating a blind curve. The vehicle was catastrophically disabled with no warning sounds, lights, or codes and left me stranded in an area with limited cell reception and in a blind spot for approaching vehicles with no shoulder to safely park on. The bike had not yet seen its first scheduled maintenance interval (manufacturer recommends 18,000 miles) and had received multiple oil changes well before scheduled intervals. No aftermarket modifications were done to the engine, air, fuel or other pertinent systems. Upon disassembling the motor for inspection, there was substantial catastrophic damage to the cam shafts and cam followers. It was concluded by a BMW certified master mechanic that the failure was due to premature wear of the cam followers and cam lobes. The cam follower broke in the motor causing a jump in timing and ejection of valve shims. The force of the malfunction was severe enough to spin a cam lobe 90 degrees out of position on the shaft, bend valves, and other damage. Upon inspecting the air box and oil jets, these components appear in good form and do not appear to have contributed to this malfunction. Upon contacting KTM, I was denied any assistance and have had to facilitate these repairs on my own out of pocket expense (approximately 2500 dollars so far). KTM also denies accountability for what appears to be a design or parts flaw that has been happening to other motorcycles manufactured between 2020 and 2023.

NHTSA ID

11578500

Incident

Jan 6, 2024

Engine requires multiple tries to start when cold due to inadequate fuel supply from fuel sensors or fuel injectors. A recurring issue, this happens upon starting every time the engine is cold. This is a known issue by KTM. When the bike was returned to dealer, they reset the sensors and the bike operated normally for a short time and then returned to faulty starting procedure. The starting issue places an inordinate drain on the battery putting the rider at risk of being stranded.

NHTSA ID

11528245

Incident

Jun 10, 2020

Riding at a constant speed in either 3rd or 4th gear, approx. 30-40mph. Was preparing to make a left turn in the left turn lane so began decelerating by downshifting through all gears until reaching neutral. Once I got to neutral, the engine stalled within 1 or 2 seconds later. Light braking was being applied during this event. Engine stalled while motorcycle was still in motion, approx around 10-20mph. Used brakes to completely stop motorcycle and restarted it without issue. There are lots of discussions about this engine stalling issue in forums online.

NHTSA ID

11522598

Incident

May 1, 2022

The main rear shock shaft seal has failed on two separate occasions causing shock oil to spill all over the catalytic converter posing a huge risk for fire. On both failure instances the motorcycle was being transported on a motorcycle specific hitch rack on the back of my pickup truck. The first shock seal failure occurred when I was transporting the motorcycle to my local dealer for service and the temperature was 16 degrees Fahrenheit during transport. The second shock seal failure occurred when I was transporting the motorcycle to Moab for a riding trip and the temperature dropped down to -6 degrees Fahrenheit during transport. KTM completed the first repair under warranty, which only lasted about 9 months when the shock seal failed the second time. I had to pay nearly $600 to get the second failure repaired by a KTM dealer using KTM parts. Both shock seal failures caused shock oil to spill all over the catalytic converter posing a huge fire risk. At this point I seriously doubt the durability and safety of the shock and I'm considering replacing the shock with an aftermarket one that won't fail and cause a fire.

NHTSA ID

11498129

Incident

Nov 19, 2022

The engine’s intake crank lobe (left side) and it’s follower wore unexpectedly to a point that the engine is unusable without inspection and replacement of internal parts. All manufacturer’s service instructions were strictly adhered to and the motorcycle (and original engine) has little more than 10,500 miles on it. Engine can break down completely if operated in its current state and leave the vehicle’s operator in a position of potential harm, especially during off-highway use, which this vehicle is designed for. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. (Pictures of internal engine damage are attached.) Dealer currently has vehicle; states they will not be able to independently inspect it until 27 September 2022 at the earliest. Problem had thus not been independently reproduced by the dealer, but the attached pictures clearly show the engine damage. Problem first noticed by the owner/operator through unusual engine noise on 8/14/2022. Other than unusual noise, no vehicle-produced information (lights or messages etc.) informed the operator of potential issues. Operator did not know of the engine damage until he inspected the engine — by removing the valve cover — on 8/27/2022 and notified a local dealer on the same day.

NHTSA ID

11481716

Incident

Aug 14, 2022

* Severe camshaft lobe and follower wear at 17,500 miles with very loud valve knock. I have photos of the wear, and the motorcycle is currently at the dealer for work. And yes, it is available for inspection. *Valve clearance check is due @ 18,600 miles. I checked my valves at 17,500 due to a long upcoming trip. Since the valve follower on the intake of cylinder #1 inboard was worn down severely, this could've caused catastrophic engine failure while on the road and possibly caused a sever accident. *The dealer has witnessed the problem and have serviced other similar model KTM bikes for the same issue. *The bad components have been inspected by the KTM authorized dealer. *The only warning was a clicking sound coming from the engine, but one had to carefully listen for it.

NHTSA ID

11475257

Incident

May 16, 2022

The contact owns a 2020 KTM 790 Duke. The contact stated while riding approximately 30 MPH, the rear brake light failed to illuminate unless the brake pedal was fully depressed, not while slightly first applying the brake. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the motorcycle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that nothing could be repaired and that depressing the brake pedal with force was the only option to illuminate the rear brake light. The motorcycle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

NHTSA ID

11464264

Incident

Apr 2, 2022

Mileage

7,000 mi

Motorcycle takes multiple attempts to start and run - minimum 3 at this point.

NHTSA ID

11447076

Incident

Jul 30, 2021

Engine starts then stalls multiple time when cold starting. Problem has existed since the first service at the dealer at 1000 kms at which time the break-in period ended and the computer was updated at the dealer. Bike was returned to said dealer to report this problem and no solution was found. Currently have 13000 kms on the bike with no resolution or improvement to this problem.

NHTSA ID

11445527

Incident

Jul 13, 2020

The vehicle can take 4-6 attempts to start when cold. Following the exact procedures in the Owner's Manual, or attempting other things like putting a hand over the exhaust to increase back pressure or slightly adding throttle during start makes no difference. This has the potential to be a serious issue as these vehicles are often taken far into the backcountry where there are no services. Should the vehicle not start after multiple attempts the owner will be stranded. Owners have been led to believe this issue is the result of KTM trying to meet emission standards, though no other models (other than 790/890 vehicles) exhibit this fault.

NHTSA ID

11445516

Incident

Dec 29, 2021

MOTORCYCLE RIDER WAS CRUISING FORWARD AND IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION AT 15 MPH ON A PUBLIC ROAD WHEN THE FRONT BRAKES EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE AND SPONTANEOUS LOCKUP, THUS PREVENTING FORWARD TRAVEL. AT THE EXACT TIME OF FRONT BRAKE LOCK UP THERE WAS ZERO INPUT TO THE FRONT BRAKE CONTROL LEVER, MEANING THIS WAS A RESULT OF A DEFECTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL FEEDBACK FELT BY THE RIDER TO PROVIDE ANY WARNING THAT THE FRONT BRAKES WOULD SPONTANEOUSLY LOCK UP THE FRONT WHEEL. NOTE: MOTORCYCLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW BY RIDER FROM AUTHORIZED KTM DEALER. INCIDENT OCCURRED WITH ROUGHLY 200 MILES ON ODOMETER. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NEVER MODIFIED OR ALTERED ONCE IT LEFT DEALER LOT AFTER PURCHASE.

NHTSA ID

11378479

Incident

Sep 19, 2020

Mileage

215 mi