KTM SX-E 5 Reliability Issues?

MotoDad22
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MotoDad22
Edited Date/Time 6/28/2021 12:14pm
Our brand new 2021 electric 50 has not been reliable, leaving my son without a Moto to ride on 2 of the 5 days we had planned to go riding. We returned it to the dealer the first time after experiencing the problem and will now have to again. Not confident in what the outcome might be at this point. Looking forward to the dealer’s and KTM’s response however, the lost opportunity and disappointment caused is not what I bargained for.
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Crash217
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Crash217 3/8/2021 9:33am
3/8/2021 9:33am
Can you elaborate on what has gone wrong with yours?
MotoDad22
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MotoDad22 3/8/2021 11:31am
3/8/2021 11:31am
Push the button to turn it on and the display lights up with a flashing yellow light at the top and a continual beep. Will not allow you to engage the power levels by depressing them or roll the grip forward to gain throttle
Denn700
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Denn700 3/9/2021 1:20pm
3/9/2021 1:20pm
I have had that happen to mine once. It may be a coding issue. They can fix it easily at a KTM shop. I left it alone for a few days and recharged it and it never happened again. Put it on a stand the first time you hit the button. That could be bullshit but someone told me that so I do it. I have had my sons a year almost and that is the only problem I ever had.
1
dayton925
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dayton925 4/28/2021 11:20am
4/28/2021 11:20am
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race bike daily, the cost of maintenance has been impressive. The only cost has been chain lube, and a thimble of fuel in the generator for a full charge , while away from a power source. We had a charging issue a couple months ago, and it was very difficult to trouble shoot. I brought it to the dealer, and they diagnosed it as a broken charger. Ktm replaced it for free, after a year of owning it, and riding it daily. I can’t say enough positive about this bike. My son has elevated his riding skills to the next level with it, and has managed to pull a couple holeshots on it as well. It’s a fast as anything out there, and way easier to ride in all conditions, and gives you the ability to throw a leg over it every day, regardless of where you live, and the confidence of racing the same bike you can ride in the front yard. I’m sorry you have had issues with it. I’m sure KTM will help you with the issues you’re having, then you can have confidence in riding it day in and day out. Good luck
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Brad460
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Brad460 4/29/2021 6:10pm
4/29/2021 6:10pm Edited Date/Time 4/29/2021 6:10pm
dayton925 wrote:
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race...
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race bike daily, the cost of maintenance has been impressive. The only cost has been chain lube, and a thimble of fuel in the generator for a full charge , while away from a power source. We had a charging issue a couple months ago, and it was very difficult to trouble shoot. I brought it to the dealer, and they diagnosed it as a broken charger. Ktm replaced it for free, after a year of owning it, and riding it daily. I can’t say enough positive about this bike. My son has elevated his riding skills to the next level with it, and has managed to pull a couple holeshots on it as well. It’s a fast as anything out there, and way easier to ride in all conditions, and gives you the ability to throw a leg over it every day, regardless of where you live, and the confidence of racing the same bike you can ride in the front yard. I’m sorry you have had issues with it. I’m sure KTM will help you with the issues you’re having, then you can have confidence in riding it day in and day out. Good luck
What kind of run times are you seeing?
dayton925
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dayton925 4/30/2021 7:05am
4/30/2021 7:05am
dayton925 wrote:
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race...
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race bike daily, the cost of maintenance has been impressive. The only cost has been chain lube, and a thimble of fuel in the generator for a full charge , while away from a power source. We had a charging issue a couple months ago, and it was very difficult to trouble shoot. I brought it to the dealer, and they diagnosed it as a broken charger. Ktm replaced it for free, after a year of owning it, and riding it daily. I can’t say enough positive about this bike. My son has elevated his riding skills to the next level with it, and has managed to pull a couple holeshots on it as well. It’s a fast as anything out there, and way easier to ride in all conditions, and gives you the ability to throw a leg over it every day, regardless of where you live, and the confidence of racing the same bike you can ride in the front yard. I’m sorry you have had issues with it. I’m sure KTM will help you with the issues you’re having, then you can have confidence in riding it day in and day out. Good luck
Brad460 wrote:
What kind of run times are you seeing?
It depends on where we’re riding. On the track, turned all the way up, he’ll get about 30 minutes out of it. Riding off road, he will de-tune it a bit and we can run anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours. If I’m on my mountain bike it’s closer to 3. Once it dies off road, we take about a 40 min lunch break, then ride again.
2
wisconsinracer24 5/2/2021 5:09am
5/2/2021 5:09am
Not to take away from the ops thread but our 2020 has been solid. Only beef was getting replacement grips and the front sprocket.
2
wisconsinracer24 5/2/2021 5:13am
5/2/2021 5:13am
dayton925 wrote:
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race...
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race bike daily, the cost of maintenance has been impressive. The only cost has been chain lube, and a thimble of fuel in the generator for a full charge , while away from a power source. We had a charging issue a couple months ago, and it was very difficult to trouble shoot. I brought it to the dealer, and they diagnosed it as a broken charger. Ktm replaced it for free, after a year of owning it, and riding it daily. I can’t say enough positive about this bike. My son has elevated his riding skills to the next level with it, and has managed to pull a couple holeshots on it as well. It’s a fast as anything out there, and way easier to ride in all conditions, and gives you the ability to throw a leg over it every day, regardless of where you live, and the confidence of racing the same bike you can ride in the front yard. I’m sorry you have had issues with it. I’m sure KTM will help you with the issues you’re having, then you can have confidence in riding it day in and day out. Good luck
Brad460 wrote:
What kind of run times are you seeing?
dayton925 wrote:
It depends on where we’re riding. On the track, turned all the way up, he’ll get about 30 minutes out of it. Riding off road, he...
It depends on where we’re riding. On the track, turned all the way up, he’ll get about 30 minutes out of it. Riding off road, he will de-tune it a bit and we can run anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours. If I’m on my mountain bike it’s closer to 3. Once it dies off road, we take about a 40 min lunch break, then ride again.
We get the same results. This bike really shines on hard pack and technical riding for a mini rider. My son will take the electric every time over his sx.
3
MotoDad22
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MotoDad22 5/2/2021 10:55am
5/2/2021 10:55am
Since getting the bike back from the dealership we have had about 6 rides on it without any issues whatsoever.
3
dallas_mn
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dallas_mn 6/1/2021 6:28am
6/1/2021 6:28am
Just finished a very wet and muddy weekend of racing. Unfortunately a ton of these E-bikes had issues from Code 73 to front sprocket locking up due to rocks trapped under the guard. Nearly everyone there spoke of blink code issues from time to time with these bikes. One bike got to the starting gate and then had the Code 73 and the poor kid was unable to race.

After we got home and washed the bike we now have blink code 39 which isn't even listed in the manual or anywhere online.

Will be taking it in to the dealer today but I'm pretty disappointed with this bike after hearing and seeing so many issues this weekend.
1
Mini-Dad
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Mini-Dad 6/16/2021 2:18pm
6/16/2021 2:18pm
dallas_mn wrote:
Just finished a very wet and muddy weekend of racing. Unfortunately a ton of these E-bikes had issues from Code 73 to front sprocket locking up...
Just finished a very wet and muddy weekend of racing. Unfortunately a ton of these E-bikes had issues from Code 73 to front sprocket locking up due to rocks trapped under the guard. Nearly everyone there spoke of blink code issues from time to time with these bikes. One bike got to the starting gate and then had the Code 73 and the poor kid was unable to race.

After we got home and washed the bike we now have blink code 39 which isn't even listed in the manual or anywhere online.

Will be taking it in to the dealer today but I'm pretty disappointed with this bike after hearing and seeing so many issues this weekend.
Curious what the dealer told you about the error code 39?We’re having the same blink code
1
dallas_mn
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dallas_mn 6/16/2021 9:30pm
6/16/2021 9:30pm
I called the dealer who was very nice but he basically said they had never heard of it before and couldn't provide much help.

After that I decided to start taking things apart and after removing the motor housing on the right hand side of the bike, water actually came pouring out. I then blew compressed air all over and around the exposed circuit board and let the bike sit in with the cover off in the hot sun for 4 hours. After that I turned it back on and it worked.

To get the old error code to go away, I initiate the start up sequence, shut it down and do strange things like holding the button down, and turning it off in the middle of the startup sequence about 5-10 times before it will finally "reset" itself and try again without just throwing the same old code as the time before (this could all just be superstition too but it works for me).

After getting the bike to run again, I talked to an electrical engineer at work who told me how to clean the circuit board.
1.) Move bike to room in house with dehumidifier (I got the room down to 30% relative humidity for 24hours, the lower the better)
2.) Clean circuit board (used 91% isopropyl alcohol in a small spray bottle and sprayed it all over)
3.) Let dry for a couple of hours
4.) Spray circuit board with a conforming coat aerosol spray (419D-340G)
5.) Let dry and replace motor housing
6.) Take apart all connections, clean with isopropyl alcohol and wire brush, then apply dielectric grease to all of them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwAKR5kJuHk --> Link I used to figure out how to take everything apart)

After doing all of that, I have occasionally gotten an error code 73 and as I understand it, that could be from dirt in the charging plug or on the battery port. But, after blowing both of them out, making sure the bike is fully charged before removing the charger & turning the bike off before unplugging the charger - I have not had any more issues.

It's a shame that these bikes have so many electrical blink code issues because aside from those they are great. I just wish KTM had actual support for us so we weren't stuck trying to figure all of these things out on our own.

Last, there is a Facebook group for these bikes "KTM SXe5" that many people belong to and share all sorts of information, I'd highly recommend you join. I've also posted the majority of what's above to that group as well in case someone else runs into the same issue as me.
Mini-Dad
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Mini-Dad 6/17/2021 4:25am
6/17/2021 4:25am
dallas_mn wrote:
I called the dealer who was very nice but he basically said they had never heard of it before and couldn't provide much help. After that...
I called the dealer who was very nice but he basically said they had never heard of it before and couldn't provide much help.

After that I decided to start taking things apart and after removing the motor housing on the right hand side of the bike, water actually came pouring out. I then blew compressed air all over and around the exposed circuit board and let the bike sit in with the cover off in the hot sun for 4 hours. After that I turned it back on and it worked.

To get the old error code to go away, I initiate the start up sequence, shut it down and do strange things like holding the button down, and turning it off in the middle of the startup sequence about 5-10 times before it will finally "reset" itself and try again without just throwing the same old code as the time before (this could all just be superstition too but it works for me).

After getting the bike to run again, I talked to an electrical engineer at work who told me how to clean the circuit board.
1.) Move bike to room in house with dehumidifier (I got the room down to 30% relative humidity for 24hours, the lower the better)
2.) Clean circuit board (used 91% isopropyl alcohol in a small spray bottle and sprayed it all over)
3.) Let dry for a couple of hours
4.) Spray circuit board with a conforming coat aerosol spray (419D-340G)
5.) Let dry and replace motor housing
6.) Take apart all connections, clean with isopropyl alcohol and wire brush, then apply dielectric grease to all of them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwAKR5kJuHk --> Link I used to figure out how to take everything apart)

After doing all of that, I have occasionally gotten an error code 73 and as I understand it, that could be from dirt in the charging plug or on the battery port. But, after blowing both of them out, making sure the bike is fully charged before removing the charger & turning the bike off before unplugging the charger - I have not had any more issues.

It's a shame that these bikes have so many electrical blink code issues because aside from those they are great. I just wish KTM had actual support for us so we weren't stuck trying to figure all of these things out on our own.

Last, there is a Facebook group for these bikes "KTM SXe5" that many people belong to and share all sorts of information, I'd highly recommend you join. I've also posted the majority of what's above to that group as well in case someone else runs into the same issue as me.
I will definitely join that group. I called KTM before I took mine to the dealer to try and find out what the code was because like you said it’s not in the manual, they didn’t know but called me back and said the battery needed to be replaced and that was under warranty so I took it to the dealership. Somehow once it got to the dealership that same code KTM is telling them that means the motor has to be replaced which isn’t under warranty and is gonna cost me 2 grand. I asked KTM for help, they told me take a hike essentially because it’s out of warranty. These bikes are what, 6,000 roughly out the door with taxes and dealer fees and I’ve literally only had it a year man that’s tough to swallow. Like you said the bike is awesome for my son he loves it but man us parents definitely feel like the test dummies right now.
wisconsinracer24 6/22/2021 11:41am
6/22/2021 11:41am Edited Date/Time 6/22/2021 12:10pm
I'm assuming there are mosfets on the right side of the motor (throttle side) that would need thermal transfer material (I initially wrote paste but not sure if that is the best method for this application) to complete the transfer to the the heatsink on the cover. If the cover has been removed and the board cleaned it would be telling i guess if this material is needed and re-applied before reassembly.

Also, for everyone that is looking for it you can now get repair manuals here.

https://print.ktm.com/

That being said the motor is not intended to be serviceable and there is no information in regards to removing the right side cover and reinstalling the cover.

I thought I once saw a cutaway on the motor when this bike was released and that would give some more insight on what is all going on but I'm assuming the the speed controller is housed beneath that cover.
dallas_mn
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dallas_mn 6/22/2021 12:22pm
6/22/2021 12:22pm
You are correct there is a thermal transfer material, when I removed the cover it stuck to both the cover and the circuit board. I did not remove any of this material when I performed my cleaning process (spraying isopropyl alcohol on the board several times) and I also left it in place when performing the conforming coat process.

This obviously is not the most desirable situation BUT since cleaning & coating the board as well as taking apart all connections I could find and applying di-electric grease the bike has ran great and I have had almost no blink code issues.

Here is a link to a picture of the motor (here). The blue color you see is the thermal material.

I am not an EE and know very little about what I am looking at on the circuit board, but felt like I was playing with house money performing these processes so all in all I'm pretty happy with how things have worked out so far.
wisconsinracer24 6/22/2021 12:30pm
6/22/2021 12:30pm
Found the picture



Again everything above is just speculation as I am not an electrical engineer but it seems there is some type of interface material above in blue.
wisconsinracer24 6/22/2021 12:41pm
6/22/2021 12:41pm Edited Date/Time 6/22/2021 12:48pm
dallas_mn wrote:
You are correct there is a thermal transfer material, when I removed the cover it stuck to both the cover and the circuit board. I did...
You are correct there is a thermal transfer material, when I removed the cover it stuck to both the cover and the circuit board. I did not remove any of this material when I performed my cleaning process (spraying isopropyl alcohol on the board several times) and I also left it in place when performing the conforming coat process.

This obviously is not the most desirable situation BUT since cleaning & coating the board as well as taking apart all connections I could find and applying di-electric grease the bike has ran great and I have had almost no blink code issues.

Here is a link to a picture of the motor (here). The blue color you see is the thermal material.

I am not an EE and know very little about what I am looking at on the circuit board, but felt like I was playing with house money performing these processes so all in all I'm pretty happy with how things have worked out so far.
Cleary don't hit the refresh button enough... was it a paste or was it solid/cured? Also, was there a o-ring or gasket on the cover? Just curious because now the mech engineer in me wants to take my sons right side cover off and poke around.

Also so everyone is aware of it there is a wash plug for the battery. Nilhilo Concepts sells it.

The Nihilo E-Bike Battery Vent Wash Plug was designed to keep unwanted water out of your battery. There is a small vented bolt on the back of the battery that allows air to get into the battery box, and the problem is if water gets in that vent it can do permanent damage to the battery. Nihilo developed these wash plugs for the KTM Junior Supercross bikes and has also made them available to the public.

Complete with a “Remove Before Flight” tag to remind you to remove it before riding. This simple little device will eliminate expensive battery damage and provide peace of mind that when you are washing the bike, water will not be able to get inside.

O-ring: KTM part # 0770170200

I searched the manual over after I saw this part and no mention of it is made in the 18 section of the manual. Just the generic language to avoid electrical components and connectors.... The whole bike is electric....
dallas_mn
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dallas_mn 6/22/2021 12:50pm
6/22/2021 12:50pm Edited Date/Time 6/22/2021 12:51pm
I did not touch any of it with my hands to avoid depositing any oils on it, but to me it looked like it was cured on and reacted more like a cured silicone than say toothpaste when I was spraying it with alcohol from a spray bottle.

Pit Row

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wisconsinracer24 6/22/2021 2:59pm
6/22/2021 2:59pm
Its a gap filler then which makes total sense considering the application.... I wonder if TC 5515LT would be a good solution if the cover has to be removed. Seems like it was designed for applications like this... Going to have to keep digging into this now because I can't let it go for some odd reason.

Thanks for the info!
Mini-Dad
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Mini-Dad 6/28/2021 12:14pm
6/28/2021 12:14pm
dallas_mn wrote:
I called the dealer who was very nice but he basically said they had never heard of it before and couldn't provide much help. After that...
I called the dealer who was very nice but he basically said they had never heard of it before and couldn't provide much help.

After that I decided to start taking things apart and after removing the motor housing on the right hand side of the bike, water actually came pouring out. I then blew compressed air all over and around the exposed circuit board and let the bike sit in with the cover off in the hot sun for 4 hours. After that I turned it back on and it worked.

To get the old error code to go away, I initiate the start up sequence, shut it down and do strange things like holding the button down, and turning it off in the middle of the startup sequence about 5-10 times before it will finally "reset" itself and try again without just throwing the same old code as the time before (this could all just be superstition too but it works for me).

After getting the bike to run again, I talked to an electrical engineer at work who told me how to clean the circuit board.
1.) Move bike to room in house with dehumidifier (I got the room down to 30% relative humidity for 24hours, the lower the better)
2.) Clean circuit board (used 91% isopropyl alcohol in a small spray bottle and sprayed it all over)
3.) Let dry for a couple of hours
4.) Spray circuit board with a conforming coat aerosol spray (419D-340G)
5.) Let dry and replace motor housing
6.) Take apart all connections, clean with isopropyl alcohol and wire brush, then apply dielectric grease to all of them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwAKR5kJuHk --> Link I used to figure out how to take everything apart)

After doing all of that, I have occasionally gotten an error code 73 and as I understand it, that could be from dirt in the charging plug or on the battery port. But, after blowing both of them out, making sure the bike is fully charged before removing the charger & turning the bike off before unplugging the charger - I have not had any more issues.

It's a shame that these bikes have so many electrical blink code issues because aside from those they are great. I just wish KTM had actual support for us so we weren't stuck trying to figure all of these things out on our own.

Last, there is a Facebook group for these bikes "KTM SXe5" that many people belong to and share all sorts of information, I'd highly recommend you join. I've also posted the majority of what's above to that group as well in case someone else runs into the same issue as me.
You saved me 2 grand, thank you sir!

I decided to bite the bullet and told the dealer to go ahead and swap the motor but the bearings were on back order until August 25th so I just went ahead and picked it up seeing there was no point of just leaving it at the shop until then. When I got home I did just as you did, took the right cover off the motor and it was wet inside. Blew it out and put it in a room with a dehumidifier and the code’s disappeared!

Now I just need to be able to find a front sprocket 😂
dallas_mn
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dallas_mn 7/15/2021 7:49pm
7/15/2021 7:49pm
Glad to hear that it helped! Also the cleaning with Alcohol and re-spraying with the conforming coat were measures I took to make sure that corrosion did not set in on the circuit board since I could see the beginnings of it after I finished with the compressed air.

Thanks for the heads up on difficulty finding a front sprocket, I put two on order shortly after reading your post.
achase166
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achase166 9/19/2021 2:44am
9/19/2021 2:44am
Hey guys, I have a 2021 that I bought back in April. Bike been great had and error code once sense I had it. I plugged it in a few days ago and once it’s fully charged it shuts off. I unplugged it maybe a day and half on the charger and it had no life to it all. No battery life. No lights anywhere when hitting the Power button nothing. I took it all apart making sure it was something stupid. Pulled the battery can’t seem to find anything. Plugged it in all night again nothing. Need help on this one. Thanks
achase166
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achase166 9/19/2021 3:13am
9/19/2021 3:13am
dayton925 wrote:
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race...
I have had a ktm sx-e5 since February 2020. The bike has been awesome. Besides the fact that my son is able to ride his race bike daily, the cost of maintenance has been impressive. The only cost has been chain lube, and a thimble of fuel in the generator for a full charge , while away from a power source. We had a charging issue a couple months ago, and it was very difficult to trouble shoot. I brought it to the dealer, and they diagnosed it as a broken charger. Ktm replaced it for free, after a year of owning it, and riding it daily. I can’t say enough positive about this bike. My son has elevated his riding skills to the next level with it, and has managed to pull a couple holeshots on it as well. It’s a fast as anything out there, and way easier to ride in all conditions, and gives you the ability to throw a leg over it every day, regardless of where you live, and the confidence of racing the same bike you can ride in the front yard. I’m sorry you have had issues with it. I’m sure KTM will help you with the issues you’re having, then you can have confidence in riding it day in and day out. Good luck
When you say charging issue. Was the bike just not charging up? Mine is completely dead with no sign of life and can’t get anything to light up.
crawfishoo 11/12/2021 8:15am
11/12/2021 8:15am
We got an E5 in January and have roughly 40 hrs of run time on it now. It has been great so far, with one minor hiccup.

One of the main connections was not fully clipped together, it was deceiving because it had a ziptie from the factory still tight around the connector. One day it would'nt turn on so I checked all the connections and found the one was loose but the ziptie was keeping it from completely separating.

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