Without prior indications, randomly the radiator busted open and it spit hot coolant on my leg. I first felt the burning sensation on my leg and wasn't sure what had happened... since it happened while I was taking off, it quickly cooled down. Thanks to my jeans all I had was a minor burn on my skin (Red and burning sensation) but I suspect that liquid was about 170F to 180F inside the bike as I had been driving for a few hours already thankfully it was morning so weather was not hot. I went online and quickly found out that I was not alone on this issue and a lot of people have experienced it. Enough people had this issue that I believe KTM re-designed the radiator but never recalled the original one. Currently the radiator is still on the motorcycle so the part is available, but better yet there is a video in youtube that in detail explains the problem. Tittle: KTM Super Duke 1290 R 2017 radiator issue! I plan to soon replace my part but I can keep it in case you want to see it. (I lived out of the country for a year so the motorcycle just sat since the incident) While most peoples encounter with this is minor, I strongly believe that if my situation had happened while I was on a turn, it would have put my life at risk.
2017 KTM V-Twin RC8 Super Duke R
Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › cooling system › radiator assembly. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filings1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.