From Dust To Gory
FROM DUST TO GORY
LONG-TERM
WRAP-UP
There has been a lot of buzz about the KTM 1190/1190 R’s airbox ingesting dust and dirt during extensive off-road riding. The fact that the KTM’s second scheduled service interval wasn’t until 9,300 miles—and that access to the air filter requires laboriously removing the fuel tank—kept us from catching the issue any earlier.
While on our Adventure Rally in California last September, Ryan Dudek began experiencing hard starting (due to tight valves), which led him to remove the tank and airbox cover to discover that the throttle body mouths were coated in dust and grime. With 8,020 miles on the clock, the KTM was taken to Orange County KTM to diagnose the issue. Despite a completely clean air filter, enough dirt, sand, and dust had been ingested to destroy our R’s top end.
This is clearly a flaw in the airbox’s design, and KTM repaired our1190’s engine under warranty.
A complete top-end rebuild included: cylinders, pistons/ rings, valve kit, base gasket, head gasket, valve collets, spark plugs, valve cover gasket, and head bolts/washers. To prevent future damage in similar riding conditions the dealer installed KTM’s Dust Protection Kit (part #60306922000, $64.79), consisting of a pairoffairingintake-snorkel inserts that have a mesh fabric stretched over them as a first defense. Also, a better-sealing, highperformance DN A air filter (DNA part #P-KT12E13-01, KTM part #603 06115 000, $124.99) was installed.
The lesson here: If you ride either version of the 1190 off-road in dusty conditions on a regular basis, upgrade to these better lines of defense and check your air filter frequently. If you let it vacuum up half ofthe Baja 1000 course as we did and have experienced issues, get it into your KTM dealer for repairs before your warranty
BC
