Sorry to sound so dramatic, but I am searching all over the Internet for KTM Superduke Forums to try and save SD riders from having the same bad experience I and others have had.
The bottom line is that my front brakes seized on my SD nearly a year ago throwing me down the road, luckily not under traffic as I ended up on the other side of the road.
Myself and others had the same problems and although in the great scheme of things, the numbers are low, it only takes one to go under a truck and make this more serious that KTM are willing to admit.
After many, many attempts to contact KTM and get a response, they totally ignored us.
Eventually we went to the UK VOSA to investigate the problem and they found that there was a problem with the brakes but then said the way around it was to wash and dry the bike after every ride in the winter because the brakes aren't designed to have salt on them and will seize.
This is a quote from one of the other guys who also came off his SD after speaking to VOSA about their response to guys falling off;
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Hi guys, i just Spoke to Martin ( VOSA) on the the phone. seems a sensible chap. This is what was said (if i remember right) He said my bike is different than the rest as mine didn't lock up. 5 others have locked up while the owner was riding. they will not be looking into mine any longer as there is a difference between them. although the info will be sent to KTM. we talked about the test as outlined above and why the problem has occurred.
Its due to crud build up on the pads and caliper piston. this crud Must be washed off before each ride as its not a std road spec caliper. salt and the material used to bind the salt is what holds the extra crud on the caliper. this in turn stops the race spec piston from returning and the brakes lock. race spec caliper are as the are called race spec not road spec. extra care is needed with them.
KTM have issued in our handbook guidelines on how to maintain the race spec brakes and we MUST carry out that maintenance. Hence wash before each ride, hose out the caliper and use the cleaning spray they recommend. if we don't maintain the caliper in the way they recommend its down to us if we have a problem. cos we have been told how to maintain them and have failed to do so.
My view is this. if you notice any extra noise or it feels harder to push , sudden biting or disc looks gray rather than shiny, service the brakes. I don't think I can honestly recommend anyone coming to the forum to buy a KTM for road use, unless they understand its a race spec brake that MUST be cleaned before each ride. If i had known I MUST clean the brake every morning before my 5 o'clock trip to work I would have considered the CBR1000R for sure. may be i need another bike for work? do KTM do a go to work, don't need a brake service model ??? Yam/honda could do well out of this. 5 guys got a poor deal.
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So as you can see they even recommend washing BEFORE a ride as well !
Some of you may be members of the other Forums we've been posting on so apologies if this is old news.
However I will not allow KTM to ignore this, they are not even contacting Dealers or Owners to give them this 'advice' so there is a damn good chance it will keep happening.
Look after your brakes as if it were a Race Bike because at the end of the day, if you fall opff its all your own fault.
Edited: 02/02/2010 at 15:01
