Worst reliability brand

In my experience KTM both wins and loses in fit and finish. Some parts like the billet suspension pieces of clamps are much nicer than the standard cast parts you get out of japan but their galvanized hardware also mostly sucks and I’ve had the weirdest shit break on my KTM’s that I’ve never had break even on my 40 year old vintage bikes such as exhaust flanges and motor mount screws when torqued to spec. 
 

I’ve owned a lot of bikes and like to think that I’m pretty objective about them. All in all I would say they’re all good. 

This used to be easy, kaw and suz, but they seem to have improved, yamaha was top notch, but they've had some pretty serious issues the last few years. 

Besides freak failures or random defects, we're pretty spoilt nowadays.

Guys who had to regularly re-weld their frame and do legit fabrication to keep riding wouldn't believe how good we've got it 🤣

Can only vote from my experience from the 90's and I'll never buy another Kawi.

The last one I bought (96 KX250) had some manufacturing process fk-up and was missing a heap of electrofusion from the inside of the barrel.

Kawi said "Fk you".

If Australia had the consumer laws we do today I would have been able to say "nah fk you", but I had to pony up for a new barrel.

Oh boy was I mad.

I was mainly Honda when I raced and never had an issue with any CR I had.

KTM wasn't really a thing back then, the early ones were complete garbage...pissing fork seals that had to be replaced after every ride...a couple of mates had them it was nuts how often they had the front end off the bike.

Stark.

My last 3 Yamaha 250Fs have been bulletproof, RMZ before that was the toughest bike I've ever owned. My 2014 CRF250R was a total turd performance wise but it's hard to be Honda quality. I've never owned a brand new KX250F but I flipped a 2012 KX250F and the fastener quality was terrible. I know their plastic and plastic parts (sliders, guides, chain rollers) are junk too. They get my vote, but in todays day all of these bikes are great compared to where we were 15-20 years ago. 

Two different categories imo: one being fit & finish, and the other reliability.

Kawi being the worst for fit & finish.
KTM for reliability.

Tell us you don't have a relevant answer without telling us.

Here's my experience on 2020 and older. Best to worst.

Honda

Yamaha

KTM

Kaw

Suz

If I believe what I read KTM would be the worst hands down.  With that said there are a lot of orange bike sold/in the market.  Only believing part of what I read, KTM is still worst for reliablity.  Late model YZF’s and Honda R sure seem to be solid.  Same for Suzuki RMZ, solid.  Green bikes last few years must be better than past years if I believe what I read.  

Other than rare issues, no bikes have issues the first 20-30 hours. 
 

after that, Kawasaki’s by far have the most issues. Not even close. 
 

prior to those hours, first year Honda’s have had more issues than the rest. 

What data are you basing this on?

Reliability is up to the mechanic, fit and finish, well maybe not.

As far as newer bikes go, I think the fit and finish of my 2023 Honda CRF450RWE is superior to my 2022 KTM 350XCF Factory edition, the Bolts are better, the bike feels more solid and it shifts through the gears like greased lightning.  Both have been super reliable, but I think this Honda is the best put together bike I've ever had. 

To those that actually use bikes and work on them themselves I don't see it even being a contest. My family, friends, and I put huge hours on scooters, and Austrian bikes are pretty bulletproof. Most are pretty good, but Austrian bikes take a pretty good amount of hours.

facts. Its not even close.

I've got 150 hours on my 19 yz450fx without opening the engine. It's been flooded in a river crossing and after the water drained passed the rings I started it and rode it 2 miles back to my truck. A gallon of rotella later it was good to go, that was at ~35 hours. Meanwhile my riding buddy has had his KTM 2-stroke in the shop several times, his clamps do look trick though!

So you don’t own a KTM TBI… 

I do actually.. that’s one model year and mine hasn’t had any issues (but is not as good of a bike as any 250SX I’ve owned. Which is every gen post 2013). But they do have a huge issue; no question.
 

My 17 CRF450 had the case cracking issue, then my 2018 CRF250 had the valve issue (floated valve). Which was pretty common. My 21 CRF250 came with a loose cam retainer. 
 

I have had 2 Kawi’s are both were roached at 30 hours. Their pistons also don’t last nearly as long as any other bike I’ve ever owned. 
 

I’ve got a Triumph coming in a few weeks, can’t wait to see how they are. 

Mid 90's  MID 00's CRF250R's. Valve eating seat recessing clutch slipping junk. Everything else Ive ever owned has been pretty good but those 94-96 04-06 250's really sucked for me. 

Best part, I gave the 95 05 away it was so bad, the kid I gave it to got it running and won a set of gear from El Hombre in a eat shit contest on Instagram.

EDITS, too many head injuries 

First CRF 250 wasn’t released until 2004. 
Mid 90’s? CR’s had the most durable clutches. 

I don’t get why people STILL perpetuate that KTMs are unreliable.  Yes, they used to be POS, but really for the past 10 years they’ve been really good, in terms of reliability.

Not perpetuating anything, that’s just my experience including 20 years as a bike mechanic.
Their new two strokes seem to be having some catastrophic engine failures that I’ve not seen in new bikes since the early days of the transition to four strokes in the early 2000s.

$20 say’s half the folks that voted Kawasaki never owned one.

I reckon Kawi have closed the gap a lot recently. The new 450 seems to have gotten better again.

Most things have their little niggles, they're competition machines, not daily drivers.

As for KTM, recent weirdness and two stroke screw ups aside... we all know loads of people have 250's/350's still unopened after a couple hundred hours, never mind the 450's... Yeah the bolt finish is weak and the frame paint seems a little soft, but mechanically they're usually dialled.

$10,000 says you own a Kawasaki 

Truth hurts, huh?

Kawasaki's are definitely the worst bikes for reliability wise I have owned.  

What where the issues?

Poor quality bolts, buttery soft engine cases, components designed badly etc. But that's just my experience. Everyone has their own perspectives and Kawasaki has always known how to build fast engines though