Thai Dealer - KTM Press Release

[Rhodie]

Khun Yut, who many will know, is one of the truly good guys in the Thai biking industry
with particular regard to QC and customer service, thereby giving this new enterprise real credibility.

*** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE ***

KTM Dealership Opening in Thailand 2010.
A deal was signed last week in Austria with a Thai limited company, Kunka Corporation,
to open up a KTM dealership here in Bangkok later on this year.

Kunka Corp. plan to be exhibiting the 1190 RC-8, 990 SM-T, 990 Super Duke R, 990 Adventure & the 690 Duke
at The 2nd Bangkok Motorbike Festival 2010 at Central World 28-31st January 2010.

Kunka Corp expects to be importing into Thailand the 990 Adventure & Motard models, as well as un-plated motocross bikes for racing.

If you are interested in any particular model, or, wanting further information please call Khun Yut direct on 0855186556.

Prices have yet to be finalized, but expect to be announced in time for the Bangkok Motorbike Festival.

For more details on the KTM Model range, please visit:
http://www.ktm.com/Models.6.20.html

Khun Yut is particularly interested in hearing what model interests you,
for example the 690 Enduro is not on the list!
So please call him direct and tell him which model interests you.

 

[mbox999]

this are great news...hopefully the Bikes prices will be not too bad.
mbox

 

[monsterman]

sounds like good news,I like the Super Duke maybe he will do PX unlike Ducati or Triumph dealers then I could have a new bike

 

[Franz]

Finally someone is taking action, wrote to the website in Phuket but never got any answer, hope this guy is gone for good.
If there's a chance Yut is reading this, well:
990 Adventure & 690 Duke R
They would be my choice, both of them naturally :lol: :lol: . Cheers, Franz

 

[Craypot]

Does this explain the questions about the 690E's suitability for Thailand last week?

They are great fun and love this kind of stuff.

 

[a-tecracing]

remember the date you saw this !
I've made the comment ' this seems to be a good social network site
let's hope the KTM dealer has very deep pockets
he'll be hoping all the interest turns into sales
good luck buy/seller alike
too much for me
yamaha wr 250 f with S3 300 convertion, does it for me !

 

[ArborealSod]

Craypot you have a sweet set-up there - is that a larger aftermarket tank?
I am certainly interested in the SM-T as a replacement for the Bavarian barge,
with a 690 Enduro for off-road touring.

However if these guys are to have any credibility they must have first class KTM trained technicians;
too often here in Thailand dealerships of premium bike brands trade off their European reputation
only to give us Thai-style mechanical service.
I certainly would not consider buying from them unless they have a good technical service team in place.

KTM is entering a mature and limited market with a relatively little-known product;
they will need to excel on the service side as well as being competitively priced, if they are to succeed.

I wish them good luck I only hope they have their business properly resourced, managed and staffed.

 

[Rhodie]

2wheels wrote: Thanks for that, Rhodie.
Is there an email address for Khun Yut?

Yut's email is
[email [email protected]][email protected][/email]

 

[Franz]

John, could you advise Yut to please watch this thread. Get's too complicated in emailing and I doubt that he will read all he could receive.
Let's have some comments. The Thai bigbike market needs more suppliers to give us consumers a wider choice. In the end this will bring down prices (After years|) as more and more competition will come up. Currently you see increasing numbers of Thais buying new big bikes, this will not stop.
As most bikes are up to the most modern technology except maybe for some of the inferior shaker twins, technology alone will not be the benchmark but also design AND aftersales service plus availability of spares. Once KTM succeeds in passing the strict emissions control tests, they shall not only focus on Sales-bla-bla BUT on service. Key is to get the best mechanics into their workshop, train them in the Austrian Plant and inject them with some pride in fixing problems quickly and perfectly. No need in paying them THB 6000,- a month which just makes them look out for new jobs on a permanent basis and gives them no incentive to hang on and do their job to their best of abilities.
Reason why I buy Yamaha is mainly the good experience I have with Charoenmotors in CNX with sales & aftersales service and the limited choice we have here in LOS. As I do repair bikes on my own, I do know how much exact work is needed to have them run properly, there's no quick fix nor is there a 'cannot do'.
One of the main problems is training and information, lacking in most workshops is a range of repair manuals and spareparts lists with explosion drawings. Should be organised.
Further on it always pays off to have decent tools and not one hammer and chinese crap spanner. Enough space & light in the workshop is also very often underestimated. Permanent order and tidiness helps. Have seen both Yamaha's and BMW's workshops and warehouses for spareparts, that's how it should be.
Common spareparts should be readily available and not a matter of having to wait for overseas HQ to ship them here.
As for the range of models, make it simple:
offroad - unplated
on&offroad - plated
motard - plated
touring - plated
I think the main bulk of bikes KTM will sell up North, in the Big Smog and down in Phuket. Why motard ? Just look at the masses of D-Trackers on our roads today. I would immediately get the latest Duke 690 with it's astonishing single cylinder 70HP engine. Would even drop the XT660X which I am expecting to buy. Some of us stay on roads and some are offroad therefor the wider choice. By the way, I rode the older Duke back in Austria on some occasions and it's what I need here. So will others opt for offroad and on/offroad versions.
As for displacement I would think something around 450, 690 and 990 would satisfy most of the market there is. 250's are not a good idea right now with Kawasaki holding nearly 100% of the 'new' market and with their pricing no one will be able to compete.
Fortunately KTM is not so much in racers, I think we don't need more, just looking at Suzuki's website, there's more of them to come. Yamaha would have done a lot more sales would they have imported XT's and WR's in the first place, even if pricey, people would have bought them. On Enduro sides we have not much choice still, very costly BMW's or the Duc Multistrada or the small displacement Kawasaki's. Looking at Europe, that's a big share of the total cake Enduro's have there and it won't be too much different here either.
So I hope that these opinions of mine will help a little although they might not reflect other riders wishes or thoughts.
Yut, give it a go and if you need help, PM me and I'll get you my mobile number.
Cheers, Franz

 

[Rhodie]

Franz
Yut is watching this thread and this is most helpful in helping him formulate a service that befits the KTM brand.
Also he is keen reading what models GT-Riders would like to purchase
as they need to formulate their model line-up to import.
Obviously they are conscious of pricing - especially the new Multistrada starting @ 790k.
Cheers
Rhodie

 

[Craypot]

ArborealSod wrote: Craypot you have a sweet set-up there - is that a larger aftermarket tank?

Thats a Safari tank. Gives an extra 15litres (total 27litres >500km range). Safari are somewhere in Victoria Aus and seem to ship their tanks anywhere. They have a website - just google safari tanks.

 

[Rhodie]

Thats a Safari tank. Gives an extra 15litres (total 27litres >500km range).

Craypot thanks for that, it looks just the ticket.
website link here:
http://www.rvaqualine.com.au/page.php?sId=12

Do you have a pannier/rack system or just throw-overs,
and are there any complications re the muffler heat as a consequence?
Anything else about the bike that we should be aware of?

 

[Craypot]

Rhodie wrote:
Do you have a pannier/rack system or just throw-overs,
and are there any complications re the muffler heat as a consequence?
Anything else about the bike that we should be aware of?

It has KTM pannier racks to stop the panniers hitting the wheel. I'm aware of Touratech branded ones as well that are stronger but heavier. I think metal mule may do some also. I have a KTM brand horseshoe rack that comes with a small clip on bag but I fitted a touratech rack (for a BM F800GS) to it. Also have recovered the seat to make it more comfortable. (stock is good for about 30 minutes) and fitted an aluminium bash plate (standard is plastic). I've added some bar risers (mine are KTM but there are plenty others out there).

Issues: The most common problem is the instrument cluster failing. KTM replace this under warranty no questions. I understand the new ones have been fixed. The E instruments are different to the R and the R doesnt have this problem.

Others have complained of breaking the foot brake lever. I fitted a brake snake to reduce the chances of this happening.

Also issues with stalling at low revs. This only happens to me if i havent let the thing warm up.

Others have complained of the fan rubbing through the radiator and the way the radiator guard is attached to the radiator (they suggest replacing the bolts with cable ties) I havent had this problem.

There is a quick detach in the fuel line under the seat that rubs on a bolt. I have protected this with a bit of high density foam.

The side stand switch is vulnerable and is easily broken/moved by using a workshop stand. This can be replaced with a KTM part or simply tape some magnets to it and move the leads out of the way under the seat.

Standard paper air filter is rubbish. KTM Australia sent out replacement foam ones to everyone for free. Even if you don't replace the standard one the rubber seal should be coated with a bit of grease when closing to complete the seal. The usual suspects supply this. Twin Air and Uni Filter plus KTM.

Standard muffler gets very hot because it has a cat in it. There are plenty of options to replace it. I fitted a FMF from the US and have no problems with heat. In hindsight I think a more quieter system would have been better. This one is annoyingly loud, even for the rider.

Some complain that the bike runs hot. It doesn't. its simply that it has a temp guage and you can see the temp rising on the guage. It gets to the top bar but has never hit the over heat warning light. If concerned you can change the temp that the fan kicks in by changing the sensor or installing a manual override switch for the fan. I havent changed mine and its been fine.

Some complain of breaking the tank mountings. hasn't happened to me. There are different bolts made by KTM and others make them as well.

Suspension is set up for 85kg rider. At 93kg, i am at the limit and really should replace the spring. it doesnt bottom out its just not as good as it could be. Its bloody good anyway. Good riders would probably notice it.

For further info there is a huge 700 page thread in the thumpers section of advrider plus a smaller thread in the australian regional section at the same forum.

Here it is on the way to Cape York

 

[Rhodie]

Cheers Mike,
Really appreciate this and another great pic.
If there ever was a bike for touring off-road here, it's the 690 Enduro.

It just goes to show how important it is for the Dealer to know his product.
It sounds as though the guys in Oz understand a thing or two about the bikes,
but also customer service!

 

[David Learmonth]

Have to say I know nothing whatsoever regarding KTM. Can't even remember sitting on one. However, regarding Khun Yut, regardless of the make of motorcycle, he is a straight dealing chap & will do his utmost to see his customers are looked after properly! I just hope this venture is a success for him.

 

[Craypot]

Here's another shot showing the pannier racks and stock seat and without the big tank. Also shows the KTM Tail bag and unsuitable stock Enduro 3 tyres. This time in the Brindabella ranges just outside Canberra, Capital of Aus.

The good thing about the 690 is that it has much more power than any other 650 dual sporter. This means however that they need proper maintenance and servicing, including the proper KTM diagnostics and FI equipment. They also live on high quality and unfortunately expensive fully synthetic oil. Not just the synth, dino blend stuff that lots of companies pretend is synth. If its not costing near $20 a litre its probably the wrong stuff. And for anyone not familiar with KTM they are just a little bit different, eg the LC4 engines have 2 oil filters plus an oil strainer.
Other servicing is pretty straight forward, shims for the valves which are easy to get at once you lift all the plastics but any mechanic needs to take care not to damage any of the FI sensors. There's one leading to the airbox that can easily be broken if the airbox is lifted without disconnecting. If this happens the bike wont work.

What this means is that your service people need to have been trained by KTM so they know what theyre doing. We have problems in Aus and I know of one customer who complained about a dealer enough that KTM Aus sent their mechanics out to provide additional training for their service staff.

KTMs are great bikes but they are not DR650s, they need to be looked after to continue providing enjoyment.

 

[Dazza]

Mark Rossi wrote: I agree with Franz's comments on the importance of spares, service and technical advise.

A prestigious motorcycle soon looses its appeal if the technical backing is not supplied by the dealers network, as Franz mentioned this would be the key to success.

Yes this is vital if KTM want to be taken seriously.

As the owner of a new KTM that's had it share of drama, I can vouch for the fact that technical support really is a must.

You would think KTM would be foolish to do otherwise, but when you consider the fact that the number of bikes sold here would be fairly small, would they want to bother with that type of investment? Personally I think not.

 

[Snail]

For a bike to do everything on it would have to be the 690...any variant would work!
The 950's are way too big and while they might have more prestige being bigger and better the 690 would be more suitable for LOS.
Servicing sounds no better or worse than my Ducati. Cost a bit more money but that's the price of having superior machinery ha ha ha no doubt there'll be a comment after that rash statement

 

[bill]

I'd be most interested in the 690 Enduro .

Excellent writeup Craypot.

 

[pee]

If Khun Yut is keen reading what models GT-Riders would like to purchase I take it as a poll and borrow Mark and Snail's words as they perfectly summarize my opinion and purchase dream (depending on the price tag):

"I feel the 690 SMR (super Motard) has a seat height low enough for Asian builds and many European guys.
The 690 SMC super motard is a little more dirt orientated and could be simply converted to the off-road model with a basic switch of wheels(...)
Importantly: they are simple to work on and the majority of parts are interchangeable between the 3 models."

"The 950's are way too big and while they might have more prestige being bigger and better the 690 would be more suitable for LOS."

Wishing good luck to Khun Yut who brings us good news.

 

[bigjohn]

KTM Thai ! it will never work, first you are going to pay 200% the price you would in the west, and then you get 25% of the service with 10% product knoweledge. BMW has already proven this time and time again.
Buyer beware!

 

[Marco]

bigjohn wrote: KTM Thai ! it will never work, first you are going to pay 200% the price you would in the west, and then you get 25% of the service with 10% product knoweledge. BMW has already proven this time and time again.
Buyer beware!

I would disagree a little bit on BMW side, NOT defending but it all depends in witch Beemer service center one is visitig, Bkk absolutely agreed, service and customer service is zero, but Chiang Mai, Barcelona Motors and Khun Pol for sure know his thing in and out of all beemer motors and has very good communication and service skill's, rest of the dealers i cant comment.

 

[Rhodie]

backdoorphil wrote: [quote quote=Snail]
The 950's are way too big and while they might have more prestige being bigger and better the 690 would be more suitable for LOS.

you're clueless

ROFLMAO.
No doubt you know the LC8 series, but clearly you don't know The Snail & his experience in SEA ... :roll:
The 950s & 990s are great for farang as RobertH has proven these last 4 years,
they do however pose a problem for your average 55-65kg, 1.65m Thais;
and big bike sales in essence is predominently a Thai market.

bigjohn wrote: KTM Thai ! it will never work, first you are going to pay 200% the price you would in the west, and then you get 25% of the service with 10% product knoweledge. BMW has already proven this time and time again.
Buyer beware!

Sadly, as a BMW rider, I largely agree with you.
It may work if KTM are properly resourced and import the right bikes at reasonable prices.
But they will have to surpass the established opposition in terms of service & value
- and as you correctly assess, the bar is set very low in these regards.

 

[gobs]

KTM coming legaly to Thailand is a good news... It's a true performing and creative brand.
And supported by Khun Yut is another good one!..

IMHO the KTM 690s could compete with the BMW F serie, while the 950/990 could compete with the R1200GS...
So why not? Some like it "light" meanwhile some others like it "more expanded"... There are different markets for different uses and tastes... I agree with BDPhil there is a place here for big dual-purpose bikes AS there is another one for lighter ones... Depends what ride you enjoy :roll: We are all different!
Apart this, I've seen Thais bikers riding R1150 or 1200GS (as well as big racers, roadsters or customs), and riding them "brightly" (surely more than me!)... Size or weight are not problems when you get the clue!
I agree too: big bikes thai market is oriented BIG SIZE... They are the dreams of many "young" thai bikers... Just ask them: "if you have the money for, what etc..." and you get the answer.

But as everyone said: service + service + service are the key-words...
As says Craypot: "KTMs are great bikes but they are not DR650s, they need to be looked after to continue providing enjoyment."
A 650 single bike that can deliver 70 hp and weights less than 150 kg, obviously is not a common thing! So it needs to be looked more carefully... Even BMW specs are not so "sharp"! They use a 800cc twin to reach the same power, and are heavier... The "old-hammering" injected 650cc single Rotax "only" delivers 50 hp, even if the torque is about the same 6 mkg...

IMHO prices in LOS are what they are. It's a fact: no need to discuss this... Go or don't! So if someone may go for a BMW, why not go for a KTM?

Well, just some thoughts

Cheers to all,
Gobs

 

[pee]

Kawasaki doesn't plan to sell KLX 650 in Thailand

DR 650 are hard to find

No sign of XT 660 yet even though as Franz says:"Yamaha would have done a lot more sales would they have imported XT's and WR's in the first place, even if pricey, people would have bought them"
Weighting less than the XT the KTM 690 range delivers more power.

There is an obvious hole in the Thai bike market. Strangely we miss the bikes best suited for this part of the world!