NHTSA Complaint #11384998 — 2019 KTM 790 ADVENTURE

I PUURCHASED THE MOTORCYCLE NEW ON 11/19/19. AFTER 3K MILES THE FRONT WHEEL AND SUSPENSION BEGAN LURCHING SEVERELY WHEN THE FRONT BRAKE IS APPLIED IN MOTION ON CITY STREETS. AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN/LIGHT THE LURCHING IS WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN ONLY USE THE REAR BRAKE TO STOP THE MACHINE. I HAVE NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS WHEN TURNING ON PAVEMENT AT LOW SPEED DUE TO THE SEVERE LURCHING WHEN APPLYING THE FRONT BRAKE. IF REQUIRED TO USE THE FRONT BRAKE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE CONDITION IS SUCH THAT THE MOTORCYCLE CANNOT BE STOPPED EFFECTIVELY WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL, THEREFORE I CAN ONLY USE THE REAR BRAKE WHICH GREATLY INCREASES THE REQUIRED STOPPING DISTANCE. THIS CONDITION IS INDICATIVE OF WARPED BRAKE ROTORS OR MALALIGNED WHEEL HUBS. THE DEALER SERVICE TECHNITION RODE THE MOTORCYCLE AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME CONDITION AS I. NEXT, HE MEAURED THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS AND DETERMINED THEY WERE SEVERELY WARPED. HE FILED A WARRANTY CLAIM WITH THE MANUFACTURER (KTM) AND THE CLAIM WAS DENIED. I CONTACTED KTM CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 TIMES AND EACH TIME WAS INFORMED THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY CLAIM BRAKE ROTORS ARE "WEAR ITEMS". I EXPLAINED TO KTM THAT I HAVE RIDDEN MOTORCYCLES FOR 40 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A ROTOR WARP OR WEAR OUT WITHIN 3K MILES, INDEED MY 2017 BMW F800 GS BRAKES WORK PERFECTLY AND IT STILL HAS THE ORIGINAL ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS WITH 18,000 MILES ON THEM. WHEN ROTORS "WEAR" THEY BECOME CONSISTENLY THINNER AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE CONTACT SURFACE WITH THE BRAKE PAD, NOT AT RANDOM POINTS ON THE ROTOR SURFACE.