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Was that the same week that Anderson done a disappearing act DV??
Everyone that said it was signed got downvoted, then DV came along. At least you guys believe someone.
Makes sense
Same!
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I'm not surprised. Why on earth would their old suppliers continue working with them like old days when they were offered and got 3 cents per 1 €?
It will take a long, long time to find new suppliers that are willing to work with them and/or re-do contracts with old suppliers.
So true. I work in the motor racing industry and the best/most reliable payers are the ordinary individual racers paying out of their own pocket, and the worst are the big teams and manufacturers. The big glossy facade of those guys is often off the back of money gained from unpaid bills..
Recently retired from owning a business for 45 years. Costs do come fast and steady, and income is erratic and comes in waves. You are so correct. One day you are rich, the next you are praying for a miracle to make payroll. Yet you still have to fulfill your obligations. When you have lots of cash you cannot blow it all because hard times are coming and you still have your responsibilities to your staff and suppliers. This shit is what separates the men from the boys. And this is also why not everyone owns a business. This why I resent companies like KTM for shitting on their staff and suppliers. These people were counting on them; they were depending upon them to be responsible. Yet KTM let down many, many people. I can see cutting back on orders because there is less need, but to put yourself in a position to just pay 30cents on a dollar is shitty.
The big companies think they are saving money by not paying for months at a time. I am pretty sure suppliers just quote a higher price to customers that pay 120-180 days after invoicing.
Anderson disappeared and AP announced he had signed extension with KTM at basically same time..... looks pretty obvious in hindsight.
If that was the case, and why Anderson went MIA. Pretty shitty move on his part. Find out your not going to be ther next year and then be like “I’m not showing up anymore”.
I got downvoted to Hell when I speculated Anderson bailed because Chase was working with Kawi. Doesn’t seem so unreasonable now that we are a month down the road.
Maybe the uncertainty of next season spurred some mentals for JA21. That’s understandable. Not the way I would have handled it, but I’m not the one risking my neck for a team that doesn’t want me back. I’ll be shocked if JA21 returns with Kawi for outdoors.
Roughing thru injuries to show loyalty for the contract extension.
Doesn’t happen, tours of Triumph and a vaca to Italy to help with recovery.
I can’t say what goes on in Europe but in the states. Companies that file bankruptcy/restructure will stiff suppliers and vendors big time. In some cases legal will have them cancel corporate purchasing agreements for lability sake. But end up having to renegotiate purchasing agreements. Some vendors that get stiffed big money won’t play nice. Therefore supply chain issues. I can’t say that’s the case with KTM but not out of the question.
If I were a supplier that got stiffed like that I might do business again but on a cash and carry basis. There would be no 120-180 days to pay bs. I might also want to increase prices a little to make up some of what I lost due to the bankruptcy.
Funny how every PM/KTM AG production pause these days feels less like mismanagement—and more like flat-out ignorance of a Changing World. (Hint: The Great Awakening…)
We all ride because it moves the soul, not just the dirt. But PM/KTM AG? They’re looking stagnant—and in this timeline, that’s a death sentence.
I’ll ride whatever comes next, but my gut says the next wave won’t just be faster—it’ll be freer.
Timeline’s changing, boys. Stay light on the bars.
That’s insight 95% don’t see. Almost all of us don’t see the risk that business owners take on.
I hope KTM bounces back but it looks more impossible everyday. The shock of what is happening is starting to set in. How does a manufacturer this big just disappear, or go belly up? The former employees in shock, thinking “How could this happen?”
The night Ando didn't ride I commented on a FB post that he didn't show because he was pissed about them dropping him and signing Chase. A guy called me a fucking idiot 😅
Pit Row
It defies logic though. Anderson if probably costing himself several hundred thousand dollars by not showing up. If he is pissed at his employers he could display it in far better ways than taking his ball and going home. I really have a hard time believing he would hurt himself so much when in the grand scheme of things Kawasaki is an international multi-billion-dollar company, he is not really hurting them at all. I can't imagine anyone would be so foolish.
Jason might be like a ton of pro riders who have never had opportunity to mature and learn how to live life on life's terms. If he really walked away suddenly because he was miffed at Kawasaki, and the factory covered it with the "family emergency" story...it shouldn't be a huge surprise.
This is exactly why "Tomac in talks with KTM" is complete nonsense.
Chase winning or losing the title won’t make fuck all difference to ktm. Most of theirs sales are enduro bikes. And chase losing the title won’t sell less 65’s.
The guy is a multi-millionaire himself, with other income streams.
I doubt he’s overly fussed about the money.
People become multi-millionaires because money concerns them. You don't start not giving a shit about $200,000 because you have $10m, you have the $10m because $200,000 does matter to you. And that doesn't just turn off and on, that is a life habit or characteristic. I am not saying Jason didn't just walk off and pout, but that I find it uncharacteristic.
production delayed until July according to this article.
https://www.gpone.com/en/2025/04/24/moto-news/bad-news-from-austria-ano…
With Jason out, Kawi has an opportunity to focus solely on Prado for the remainder of the current season, before Sexton’s arrival in 2026. Meanwhile, Jason gets family time and an opportunity to re-set the table and fully sort his next program. Everybody wins.
What are the odds on Ktm starting production again in July? Would seem without an angel investor, they are done.
Saying that, once it gets cheap enough, someone will buy them, just a question then of the strategy of the new owners. Eg, move production to china, India etc? Maybe the best outcome for keeping the soul of Ktm (cutting edge dirt bikes made in Europe), is BMW. it has been rumoured for a while now.
It’s just a waiting game for most of us to see how it plays out. I feel for all their employees, dealers etc though, who have a lot more to lose than the average dirt bike consumer.
Plus sitting out isn’t helping him find a ride next year. There is a reason you don’t see guys just sitting out when they know they are not coming back to their current team.
Has there been an accurate / believable breakdown of the Models of Bikes that are left unsold?
I've seen wildly different Numbers being put about for the unsold units, from around 140,000 to far, far more.
Then, you'll see "it's the Indian made bikes / it's the Chinse made bikes / it's the Austrian made bikes.
It would be interesting to see at least a somewhat believable account of what may be unsold.
The way things are going, I believe that the major owners of KTM etc, may well end up being Bajaj, or another Indian company. Bajaj, it would take but a couple of percent - I wonder what they got for their reputed further recent investment? I've not gone into it enough to know if Pierer Industries (?) are set to go down with KTM, if KTM does go down completely.
Far better Indian control, than it becoming Chinese owned, I feel.
This is all a sad, sad situation - especially for those employed / formerly employed, and, the soon to Not be employed, Plus the numerous smaller companies that have been damaged, or have to close from this.
Hubris, and the Mismanagement that can arise from it, is a terrible thing.
Look man, you’re going have to change your profile avatar, it’s not going to be blue. 😅
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