After 4+ years of S10 ownership I've decided to move on. I didn't get as many miles on it as I would have thought, only managing just shy of 12K and apart from a few niggles its been the most dependable bike I've owned.
A few things steered me into swapping it out , these were
1) my local dealer wasn't as close as I'd have liked and they weren't the best at picking up issues or keeping in touch (don't think they ever returned a call , always had to chase them)
2) CCT has started to be sluggish to take up slack during cold start
3) battery was starting to show its age (original) on cold starts
Not a massive amount to whinge about but I was also temped by the Austrian whore of a ride the KTM 1190 R Adv.
Over the time I've had the S10 the following niggles were encountered
Cold /damp weather hesitation at lower revs , dealer never fixed this but I did out of warranty when I replaced the spark plugs and lhs coilpack (corroded so bad it stuck in the head) . if you ride in damp inclement weather I'd suggest removing the coil packs and applying weather proof grease to the seals to try to keep the water out and make removal easier.
Oil leak from rhs case cover -dealer warranty fix
Corroded spokes/bolts - warranty fix (though the new ones didn't look much better after 1 winter- suggestion is to apply wheel wax to these when new/annually. (this is just a climate corrosion issue imo not specific to the s10)
Corroded front water pipe (behind headers) - warranty fix, again new one looked crap after one winter even after being dosed in ACF50.
Corroded headers- warranty fix (same issue after one winter...)
Corroded frame where coating failed at sharp edges, dealer repainted, they wouldn't entertain out of warranty replacement.
I'd been eying the KTM for a while but didn't want to be the guinea pig so happy to join in at the 3 year update stage since they have addressed the crap starter motor/poor starting issue (mine spins over and start super fast) and may have fixed the airbox leakage problem (for my climate at least) .
The bikes ride like chalk and cheese, the S10 being like a Sumo wrestler and the 1190 more like a thorough bred show jumper . That's not a complaint of the S10 as it has it advantages being sumo like but sometimes a change is as good as a rest, which is why I didn't feel a new S10 was the right choice for me. The other big plus of the KTM is the lack of bulk when shuffling it at standstill where the S10 shows its mass .
Anyways ta ta and thanks for the fish ::001::
A few things steered me into swapping it out , these were
1) my local dealer wasn't as close as I'd have liked and they weren't the best at picking up issues or keeping in touch (don't think they ever returned a call , always had to chase them)
2) CCT has started to be sluggish to take up slack during cold start
3) battery was starting to show its age (original) on cold starts
Not a massive amount to whinge about but I was also temped by the Austrian whore of a ride the KTM 1190 R Adv.
Over the time I've had the S10 the following niggles were encountered
Cold /damp weather hesitation at lower revs , dealer never fixed this but I did out of warranty when I replaced the spark plugs and lhs coilpack (corroded so bad it stuck in the head) . if you ride in damp inclement weather I'd suggest removing the coil packs and applying weather proof grease to the seals to try to keep the water out and make removal easier.
Oil leak from rhs case cover -dealer warranty fix
Corroded spokes/bolts - warranty fix (though the new ones didn't look much better after 1 winter- suggestion is to apply wheel wax to these when new/annually. (this is just a climate corrosion issue imo not specific to the s10)
Corroded front water pipe (behind headers) - warranty fix, again new one looked crap after one winter even after being dosed in ACF50.
Corroded headers- warranty fix (same issue after one winter...)
Corroded frame where coating failed at sharp edges, dealer repainted, they wouldn't entertain out of warranty replacement.
I'd been eying the KTM for a while but didn't want to be the guinea pig so happy to join in at the 3 year update stage since they have addressed the crap starter motor/poor starting issue (mine spins over and start super fast) and may have fixed the airbox leakage problem (for my climate at least) .
The bikes ride like chalk and cheese, the S10 being like a Sumo wrestler and the 1190 more like a thorough bred show jumper . That's not a complaint of the S10 as it has it advantages being sumo like but sometimes a change is as good as a rest, which is why I didn't feel a new S10 was the right choice for me. The other big plus of the KTM is the lack of bulk when shuffling it at standstill where the S10 shows its mass .
Anyways ta ta and thanks for the fish ::001::