KTM is flailing.
Sales are hella down, the public's view of the company is in shambles after its trashfire statements over its camshaft issues and subsequent "OK, we didn't do them right" reversals, and the company's leadership just haven't a clue. Pierer, KTM's parent company, even just brought the hammer down on the group's board, something that never happens in the business world, as god forbid you cut an executive.
What's worse for the company's future health? KTM's decision-makers just don't understand what the buying public is after. No, they're continuing barrelling along just as they've always done and building, and failing to sell, expensive motorcycles. Don't believe me? I'd like to point you to the absolutely tone-deaf debut of the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo adventure motorcycle taking place ahead of the new 390 Adventure series. You know, a $25,000 motorcycle that only a few rich folks can afford or even want compared to the $7,500 motorcycle that has likely kept the firm afloat.
Talk about an unforced error.
I'll first say this. KTM's new 1390 Super Adventure S Evo is cool. It's tech-forward, makes gobs of power, does blisteringly fast wheelies, and was made to cross continents in a hurry. There's no denying that this bike will be a ton of fun and that its more than capable of handling the street, track, or with some knobbies, a trail. But a ton of fun at the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo's likely eye-watering price point isn't going to move a lot of motorcycles. And with KTM's sales already struggling, putting more emphasis on the 1390 vs. its upcoming small-displacement 390 series is just mind-bogglingly dumb.
