KTM 1190/1190Rs Dust Ingestion

Reading through my just arrived issue of Cycle World and they have a heads up article on these bikes and I know some FJR folks have posted having these bikes also. Somebody removed the tank and airbox cover and discovered the throttle body mouths were coated in dust and grime despite a completely clean air filter. Apparently a flaw exists in the airbox design and allowed enough dirt and sand to be ingested destroying the bikes top end. Catch it before warrantys expire. KTM has some fixes.

I did a little research on this when I was bike shopping.

Seems the problem was the intake sucks so hard under full throttle it can deform the airbox allowing air (and dirt) to bypass the filter.

I think KTM came up with 2 fixes. I believe the 1st was a different gasket. The 2nd one, an added brace, actually worked. That is what they are installing on the assembly line now, I believe.

Many owners were springing for aftermarket airbox/filter mods that attach the filters directly to the throttle body.

I believe that there will be more cases of this to appear as the heat build up may be causing the air box to deform! Several folks are now removing thier wing heat deflectors because of this....... Just another case of a manf. not really caring about the quality of the end product. It's only about the money...

Oh yea... I have owned several KTM's....

Many reports of air box issues with the latest 1190s. Sure hope those that get hit with issues are still in warranty...or KTM steps up like Yamaha did with tickers.

OTOH, Tenere air box is a damn robust piece!

--G

Reminds me to look inside my airbox before the warranty expires. On the 1190R (vs. the standard 1190), warranty is only a year. I had a Unifilter on before mile 1, but hadn't heard about the heat issue, and I do have the wings on. So worth looking. They seemed to have redesigned the front airflow a bit different for the 2015, and added a heat shield above the rear exhaust manifold.

So far, knock on wood, Bike has been trouble free but then again I've got under 3k miles.

Rexford said:

I believe that there will be more cases of this to appear as the heat build up may be causing the air box to deform! Several folks are now removing thier wing heat deflectors because of this....... Just another case of a manf. not really caring about the quality of the end product. It's only about the money...

Oh yea... I have owned several KTM's....

Click to expand...

To give KTM the benefit of the doubt, maybe the airbox is suffering from too much attention to lightening the weight and that has made it too weak. A design error, for sure, but not necessarily a cost savings.

K eeps T aking M oney. nuff said.

Wow! Am I ever glad I replaced my deer totaled Tenere with a Tenere last fall. I lusted after the KTM but my gut told me that the Tenere was the safe way to go. The KTM is flashy, fast and fun but I can live with dependable, less flashy, less fast, and more fun to ride than fix.

Just got my 1190R back and they replaced the airbox, plus added some socks up near the front snorkel. Reading the forums, this mostly helps but guys are not taking chances, opting for upgraded filter kits from the likes of PowerCell, Rottweiler, and Uni. I had the Uni which didn't quite solve the problem the first time.

Opting for the Powercell, on its way now.

Abercrombie, I will say the KTM has been far more entertaining than bothersome. My super reliable FJR is now sidelined while I deal with the faulty ignition switch.

All bikes eventually have their issues. Thus far, the Bonneville has been the least troublesome.