KTM confirm goodwill scheme will cover the costs of all historic and future LC8c camshaft repairs

KTM representatives have confirmed to MCN that LC8c parallel twin models affected by a camshaft wear issue will be repaired under goodwill, whether still in warranty or not. 

“We’re working really hard to support the small number of customers in the UK who are affected by this,” UK Head of Customer Service, Gareth Edmunds told MCN. 

“As with all repairs, a full manufacturer service history is a requirement, but in this instance, we are supporting those who don’t have a perfect service history as well – we just ask that if it has been done externally that there is evidence and receipts, and we will do with such on a case-by-case basis.”

The Austrian marque also added that customers who have previously had to foot the bill for repairs will be reimbursed providing that appropriate service history is present.  

“The dealer will check for the warning signs and if needs be, they will check the cylinder head, camshaft and finger followers,” KTM’s Vice President of Global Motorcycle Marketing, Federico Valentini further added.  

“In terms of repairs and replacements, all those costs will be covered by KTM, and KTM will also reimburse the costs for work already done under the goodwill agreement. This has already been communicated and our dealer network is aware.” 

The reliability allegations relate to excessive wear on the camshaft lobes of predominately pre-2021 790 models. KTM stated that an additional oil screen was implemented in 2020 to improve consistency of oil feed and that changes were made to the finger followers in 2021.  

“The issue affects a small percentage of 790 Dukes and 790 Adventures sold between 2018, 2019, 2020, alongside a small quantity 890 Dukes and 890 Adventures in 2020,” Valentini continued. 

“Of around 55,000 sold over three years globally, there are around 250 bikes with confirmed cases – or about 0.5% of the models sold. There are no known issues with other models, or with current iterations of that platform.  

“We didn’t have a single instance of this showing up in our durability tests, of which we covered thousands of kilometres; this year alone, we’ve done over 3.8 million kilometres so far in total.” 

Valentini added: “The first signs of potential issues were 2019, well after models were in production, and when we found out, we acted upon it almost immediately to implement the changes. We always want to learn lessons, and over the last couple of years we’ve shifted implemented changes in production and quality control alongside dealer support. 

“Although it’s been dubbed a camshaft topic, it isn’t as the root cause is the finger followers. Following investigations over the last few years, we found that the width and the tolerances in production of the finger followers weren’t wide enough and could potentially cause excessive wear on the camshafts.  

“As of 2020 we implemented a wider finger follower and a new improved DLC coating and this solved the issues,” the KTM spokesperson continued. 

“In addition, there were some issues with debris from production processes in the oil duct that lubricates the cylinder head, and in very rare instances there could be excessive wear from a lack of oil lubrication. To solve that, we inserted a unit to keep that oil duct clean.” 

Anecdotal reports, however, suggest some later 790 and 890 models, as well as Husqvarna’s Norden 901 range may be affected.  

Austrian motorcycle engineering and analysis company, Coober GmbH shared images online of a 2023 890 engine earlier this year, showing what they say is excessive wear on the cam lobe – with one of their main business areas being laboratory services for engine development. 

According to KTM, the issue is said to develop over a prolonged period and is said to be accompanied by a noticeable decrease in performance, alongside additional noise coming from the engine and the cylinder head, along with starting difficulties. Owners who experience these symptoms are advised to contact their nearest KTM dealer for support. 

When asked about the possibility of a recall, Federico Valentini went on to say: “As the number of machines affected was so small, we could only deal with it on a single case by case basis, especially with the fact that it isn’t a safety issue.  

“There are also learnings for us as although it wasn’t a big topic at the time, we should’ve maybe gone out with communication earlier to push that message.”