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A lot of parts that are made in China are quality, but even more are not... Of my 34 dirt bikes 17 have been KTM, but this is definitely making me wonder.
I do love my '24 KTM, but this certainly makes me wonder about future bikes. Time will tell. (Dear Japanese manufacturers, one of you please make a competitive 350.)
I've yet to find a consumer/mechanical item that I know is made in China that I'd classify as a "quality" part compared to American- or Japanese-made items. And I've seen/heard of plenty of things that are laughably bad in quality coming from China.
If I were a KTM-brand aficionado I would not welcome this news at all.
Has anyone prayed for Tomac today? I don't doubt that KTM made a statement that he was very "fast"
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China has the ability to manufacture high quality items. We don't see them in the US often because companies importing from China to the US are chasing a lower cost.
A lot of the higher quality Chinese manufactured goods sold in the US are branded products and the country of origin is either minimized or obfuscated by packing/assembly in a different country.
It's never a good sign for a company to reduce R&D and racing expenditures. Not only for the short term in the racing programs, but overall development of the bikes over the long haul. Taking the Suzuki model 🤨. Part of the valuation of the company is the R&D investment. When you start to reduce R&D investment, you send a signal to the investment community. And the moto community if you see slower progress.
Well your Japanese bike probably has a surprising amount of Chinese sourced parts on it.
It's really just comes down to this, if you're big enough, China will do things YOUR way. You'll get quality parts, if that's YOUR way. If you're small, well that's another story. If you're lucky, they'll tell you how they're going to do it whether it's what you asked for or not. If you're not so lucky, they'll do whatever they want and then provide fake certs indicating they did it your way.
whatever happens KTM deserves it. I have never seen such stupid mismanagement.
As soon as they started releasing the huskys and gas gas along side ktm my alarm bells were going off. Then having 2 more factory teams and then lastly the motogp effort. bit off way more than they could chew.
any chance of me ever buying a ktm is kind of out the window. wouldn't surprise me if the company hard pivots toward the third world moped market.
Looks like I'm buying all the 25/26 350's I can find and storing them up 🤣
This.
So many people are completely ignorant regarding the manufacturing capabilities in Asia. The Chinese will make exactly what the Japanese, European or American CEO/CFO wants them to make.
Is it a good thing that KTM will make more and more models and parts in China? No. But it doesn't automatically result in worse products. It's up to PMG/Bajaj and their teams to ensure that they work with the right factories with the proper QC controls.
This puts the aluminum vs steel frame debate to rest. Chinesium is the way forward.
They just came out of bankruptcy and need to show costs are being controlled.
How do you think investors would feel if KTM announced an increase in R&D spending while continuing to operate at a loss?
Here are a couple of real-world examples of firms that major manufacturers like KTM, Honda, or other OEMs might engage with (or emulate in-house) to maintain quality control (QC) and compliance when sourcing parts from China or other offshore suppliers:
1. Asia Inspection / QIMA
Website: www.qima.com
Overview:
QIMA (formerly Asia Inspection) is one of the most prominent third-party quality control and supply chain compliance firms operating across China, Vietnam, and India.
They work with global automotive and powersports OEMs to:
Audit and certify factories before production.
Conduct in-process inspections and pre-shipment verification.
Provide metallurgical testing and materials traceability — crucial for components like frames, castings, or engine parts.
Relevance to KTM & motorcycle industry:
Motorcycle OEMs can use QIMA as a liaison between European R&D teams and Chinese subcontractors to ensure supplier adherence to ISO/TS 16949 and IATF 16949 automotive standards.
2. Intertek Group plc
Website: www.intertek.com
Overview:
Intertek is a multinational inspection, product testing, and certification company headquartered in London with extensive operations in China.
They’re used by automotive and aerospace manufacturers to:
Certify supplier production runs.
Conduct destructive testing on metals and composites.
Perform ongoing Supplier Performance Monitoring to prevent drift in tolerances.
Relevance:
KTM (through Bajaj or Pierer Mobility Group) could use Intertek for factory audits and material validation if shifting component production to new Chinese or Indian plants.
3. SGS SA
Website: www.sgs.com
Overview:
SGS is the world’s largest inspection, verification, testing, and certification company, Swiss-based with deep roots in Chinese and Southeast Asian manufacturing.
They serve:
Automotive OEMs, heavy equipment, and electronics.
Offer end-to-end supplier verification, metallurgy, weld integrity, and fatigue testing.
Relevance:
SGS often serves as a contracted QC interface for Western OEMs that do not maintain full-time staff in Asia. For KTM, they could ensure frame weld consistency, alloy specification adherence, and supplier certification.
Summary Table
Firm
HQ
China Presence
Core Services
Used By
QIMA
Hong Kong
40+ cities
Factory audit, inline & pre-shipment inspections
Consumer & mechanical OEMs
Intertek
UK
25+ labs
Materials testing, supplier compliance, certification
Automotive, aerospace
SGS
Switzerland
Nationwide
Metallurgy, verification, audit, certification
Heavy industry, OEMs
That trio (QIMA, Intertek, SGS) covers the full spectrum from factory-floor inspection to materials traceability and certification, so you can safely assume most Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers working with KTM or Bajaj interface with one or more of them — either directly or through in-house QC teams modeled on their systems.
China is a country not a company.
Like every country, there are good companies in China, that will do what you ask, even for small businesses, the great companies will tell you if they can't achieve what you asked and offer alternatives to achieve what you want.
You need to stop dealing with bad companies from any country.
An Open Mind is the Most Valueable Item One Can Have
https://www.tiktok.com/@rob_berger/video/7564029404091829535?kref=vGWRd…
China is a country with very different cultural norms that profoundly impact business dealings.
Pit Row
None that I've seen. And probably not likely since it was made in 2005!
Except all the replacement parts.
At this point, I think my 73 Maico has plenty of Chinese parts.
History has shown the US's cultural norms have a significant impact on business dealings...
For sure, we have our bad apples. Enron was a huge customer of ours at the place I worked during that time. Between them and some others our revenue went from 27 million per month to 48 per year in no time.
Causing someone to lose face or get embarrassed is taboo in China. Because of that, they aren't used to getting called out. They'll tell you that they made your parts already and give you a tracking number, only to find out later they never started your parts and the tracking info is just a number they made up. Phoney certificates of conformance stating they used a particular brand part which they didn't really use, or agreeing to specifications they never intend to meet is also common. These aren't isolated incidences, this is pretty standard business practices. It's improved a lot since the 90s, and you can find some suppliers who understand or culture now and won't pull that crap, but those are inherent traits in their culture. Keep the peace, allow someone to save face, let them lie to do so.
Aerospace in western culture has some really bad traits too, nobody has any intent on meeting your cost, timeline, or specification targets. They just take your order, then start dragging things out. From my experience, almost 40 years of it, this isn't pervasive in all western manufacturing but it certainly is in aerospace.
"These aren't isolated incidences, this is pretty standard business practices."
No they are not, you need to be more selective in who you do business with, there are good and bad companies in every country.
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