This list makes my Adventure look unreliable but I don't think it is.
The very nature of travelling means I cover large distances in a short space of time. So far I have ridden 45,000km in about ten months, far in excess of what it was designed for, so some parts are bound to fail.
I have included a column for cause was a 'Standard KTM' part. It readily becomes apparent that the vast majority of faults are due to my non standard changes.
|
When |
What |
KM |
Cause |
Fix |
Stndrd KTM? |
| Mar 05 |
Front forks very stiff |
53,000 |
overfilled with oil (600cc instead of 420cc) in Sao Paulo |
Disassemble, clean refill with 420 cc. |
No |
| Nov 04 |
Clutch was slipping |
49,000 |
I used synthetic car oil in error. |
Changed oil.
Clutch plates cleaned and abraded. |
No |
| Oct 04 |
Rear wheel rim was cracked in ten places |
41,000 |
Overtight spokes when it was relaced in Cuenca, Ecuador. |
New Excel rim. |
No |
| Oct 04 |
Touratech Panniers cracked in several places |
Two years use |
Vibration over three years. |
Welded |
No |
| Oct 04 |
Rear suspension Bushing Cracked |
40,500 |
? |
Replaced. |
Yes |
| Oct 04 |
Engine - inlet gaps increased again. |
40,500 |
Seized bearing on the inlet rocker arm. |
Replaced rocker arm and camshaft. |
Yes |
| Sep 04 |
Chain - broke because the connecting link fell off. |
39,000 |
Circlip eventually falls off. |
Bodged twice, then replaced by DID Gold X ring chain with no circlip. |
Yes |
| Sep 04 |
Engine - Gearbox output shaft seal. There was orange dust around the sprocket bolt again.
|
37,000 |
The 'O' ring was being squashed. |
Replaced it again.
Amazing proactive maintenance before the Salar Uyuni.
|
No |
| Aug 04 |
Exhaust bracket bolts - disappeared. |
33,000 |
Vibration and no Loctite |
Loctited replacements. |
No |
| Aug 04 |
Sidestand - broke off. |
33,000 |
Weight, wear and tear. |
Bought a new one. |
No |
| Aug 04 |
Front wheel bearings |
33,000 |
? |
Replaced by SKF ones. |
Yes |
| Aug 04 |
Touratech Frame - bolt sheared for the third time. |
33,000 |
Misaligned and/or bent frame? |
Realigned the right frame by putting it above the rear side member. |
No |
| Aug 04 |
Engine Misfire - Engine would not run or rev at all.
|
33,000 |
Circlip vibrated off the needle in the carburettor. |
Reattached using small amount of silicone. |
No |
| Aug 04 |
Starter motor - Failed to work |
32,000 |
The solonoid had been replaced in the wrong position. The feeder wires were touching the side panel. Vibration had snapped off the feed wires. |
Rotated the solonoid so the feed wires did not contact anything. |
No |
| Jul 04 |
Funny noise eventiually traced to missing and broken rollers on the chain |
30,000 |
Original KTM chain. |
Replaced with a second hand one. |
Yes |
| Jul 04 |
Headlights -
Lights fused. |
29,000 |
Vibration wore through the insulation causing a short. |
Rotated the lamp cover 120 degrees anti clockwise so wires no longer near the frame. |
Yes |
| Jun 04 |
Steering - Top triple clamp cracked. |
28,000 |
I think this was caused by over tightening by an inexperienced mechanic. |
Replaced both top and bottom triple clamps to be safe. |
No |
| Apr 04 |
Engine - Gearbox output shaft seal 'O' ring was disintegrating again.
|
26,000 |
I installed the first one dry. |
Replaced it, but this time covered in oil. |
No |
| Feb 04 |
Steering -
The steering head bearings were knackered. There was a big 'notch' in the straight ahead position.
|
18,000 |
I went too fast over thousands of Mexican speed bumps. |
Moto Altavista replaced the bearings.
|
No |
| Feb 04 |
Chain -
The top roller guide under the rear brake master cyclinder disappeared.
|
18,000 |
Vibration. |
Replaced it using lots of Locktite. |
Yes |
| Nov 03 |
Engine -
The gearbox output shaft seal 'O' ring failed.
|
10,500 |
It was installed dry by the factory. |
Replaced 'O' ring and seal. |
Yes |
| Sep 03 |
Engine -
The main gearbox bearings were noisy after 1,500 miles. They had no brand name only the KTM part number.
|
1,500 |
|
Swampy replaced all the bearings that did not have a recognisable brand name. They are still noisy. Maybe it wasn't the right fix :) |
Yes |
