Don't have any experience with your bike model, but that looks too clear to be bike fluid. Looks more like rain or wash water. Maybe check tank(water) drains?

 

I don’t own this bike yet, but I’ve been investigating it online and I found this video yesterday. Looks like this guy had a very similar issue.

 

Thanks both of you for replying so quickly. Appreciate it.

Mohawk, Definitely not water. It has the viscosity of baby oil. definitely feels a bit oily to the touch.

Wgeorge1376, That definitely looks pretty promising. Fluid looks similar and the clamp that the guy in the video replaced looks to be directly above where mine is leaking. Went ahead and sent it to the service department.

 

I have the same issue…look on the right side and trace the drips up to the right-angle of the water pump. That is where my issue is. The 1290 were shipped in the past with this piece as an oval, but thought KTM learned from this….my guess is they had to pull some old parts or didn’t remove all the bad parts from inventory in the past.
At any rate, that piece might be shaped like an oval and no matter how tight you get the clamp, it will drip. Need to order a new part and inspect that it is true-round and replace…..mine is on order.

Let me know if this is where it is leaking from!

 

Looks like i have a similar issue with me brand new SAS
did you get it resolved?

 

No resolution as of yet. KTM responded with “this is not a known issue”, yet in the same formal response, they are looking through inventory to find a round one to send. There is another customer that has the same issue that they just put two hose clamps on last week to see if this solves the issue and waiting to see if this is a ‘fix’.

If KTM doesn‘t pay for this and or acknowledge this, I am buying a new part (let me know if anyone knows of a billet aluminum part as an ‘upgrade’) and I have also ordered the Samco hoses for the full 1290 SAR kit. If I am going to be taking the waterpump off, I am replacing all of the hoses as well with the upgrade as these have been known to fail, so might as well replace at the same time. The Samco have some tighter clamps that might do the trick.

This will be the only way to show KTM that their piece is oval and not round. They have even refused to admit that this was an issue in the past (which is able to be debunked by an internet search). The fact that two at my shop have this and you on this site have these issues, I find it also hard to believe that this is not a ‘known issue’ by now.

Not sure why KTM is not being helpful here, but it is starting to get frustrating.
Here is one video with proof from a 790: www.YouTube.com/watch?v=KB08LIG0wN8
This clearly shows the oval vs. the corrected round connection that KTM is stating they have never hear of????
Here is a quick overview of the Samco hoses and why I am going to them: www.YouTube.com/watch?v=POj7-dyBmkg

let me/others know if anyone gets a resolution or service bulletin released in this process, I will do the same. My fear is that I will have to be out of pocket until I am able to get the part off the bike, take a picture and prove that it is deformed. I don’t want to have to do this, but I might pay to have this done, so KTM can’t say that I deformed this on my own and it was due to not using a service tech. For that reason, I may choose to have them take this apart and install the hoses just to ensure that there is not an excuse that KTM can use, as well as once reimbursed it will all be at the dealership vs. compensating for personal time (Not sure if they could even do this)?

At any rate, I will be partnering with the dealer on this and taking their advice as I don’t want to end up spending hundreds of dollars, only to have them state they won’t cover it. It is like a chicken and egg problem. You can’t get the part covered unless you can prove it is defective, but to prove it is defective, you have to perform the work and remove it. Then, you need to ensure that the new piece is true and not defective, so you have to order this ahead of time, which will not be covered as they currently are ‘unaware of this issue’.

Is this just KTM, or is this a standard problem with all motorcycle issues that come up with warranty? If this was a car, they would order a known good part, once it comes is, perform the repair, then have it covered under warranty regardless if this was the final fix or not. They will have eliminated this possibility of the root cause and then move onto the next if there is still a small leak. I am rambling as I am frustrated….sorry, but if I find the fix, I will share as I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with the circus of lack of accountability that I am going through. Please also share if you find the key to the puzzle.

Best,

 

see my picture attached of where I see the dribble!
also the hose I suspect is causing it
same as yours?

 

@Cedricthebrave yes, exact same as mine, coming from the same spot and then dripping down the ribbed portion into the pan. I find it odd that it is exact if there is not a known issue….Thanks for the pictures, this confirms (to me at least), that it is indeed the same oval issue at that right-angle that is not allowing the hose to seal properly there.

 

Same issue with mine... Same location... Took it to the dealer and they couldn't resolve it... I move the clamp closer to the end of the hose and installed another hose clamp... 1000 km later and no leaks..

 

@Mtk 01 thanks, good to know that the ‘2 clamp’ method is actually holding up (this is what they are doing on another customers bike at my dealership). Question: did they/you look at the right-angle when reinstalling the clamps to see if the plastic housing is warped, or did you just slide one down and slap another on that doesn’t need the hose removed to be installed?

Although it is good to know that the 2-clamp method works, it is still a band-aid fix and not a solution in my opinion. I am going to keep pushing until I find the root cause and solution that doesn’t need a work-around. Because if one fails, the second will eventually fail as well, not to mention the additional wear on the hose over time that I would like to avoid a catastrophic blow-out when I am in a place that is not conducive to a fix. Murphy‘s law will always come true and it will be fixed…..until it is not; or holding….until it doesn’t.

 

@Mtk 01 thanks, good to know that the ‘2 clamp’ method is actually holding up (this is what they are doing on another customers bike at my dealership). Question: did they/you look at the right-angle when reinstalling the clamps to see if the plastic housing is warped, or did you just slide one down and slap another on that doesn’t need the hose removed to be installed?

Although it is good to know that the 2-clamp method works, it is still a band-aid fix and not a solution in my opinion. I am going to keep pushing until I find the root cause and solution that doesn’t need a work-around. Because if one fails, the second will eventually fail as well, not to mention the additional wear on the hose over time that I would like to avoid a catastrophic blow-out when I am in a place that is not conducive to a fix. Murphy‘s law will always come true and it will be fixed…..until it is not; or holding….until it doesn’t.

To me the factory clamp looked like it wasn't straight...i just moved like and 1/8 of inch closer to the end and found a similar clamp... Same dimension and double clamped it... Had to remove the tank... I know it's a temporary fix... I just couldn't wait for the dealer to resolve it... Riding season is so short here... I'll get looked at again this winter... But definitely think there's something wrong with the housing...

 

After riding this evening, I noticed a puddle of fluid below my 2022 KTM 1290 SAS. It isn't water but a thicker oily fluid. Also, I noticed some dried spots on the engine. Here is a picture.

 

@CharlieMac , looks like you Have the same issue, unfortunately. Follow that right-angle up to the hose and you should notice that the drips start from that point if you have the same issue…..this seems to be wide spread and KTM is going to have to start to address this at some point.
Does anyone have a good contact, or email for KTM that we can reference this thread and see if we can get a service bulletin issued to the dealers and have them develop a solution? At some point they won’t be able to claim “it is not a known issue”……I don’t know what else to do but open to suggestions and happy to support a better idea.

 

Straight from KTM techs. This is a problem that we have seen. There is a casting flaw on the water pump cover. Remove hose, file down casting flaw, top and bottom, paint it and re-install. Did one this morning and the leak is gone. And the factory uses clear bulk coolant to fill these bikes, not pink.

 

Just relayed that to my tech and they said they need a service bulletin to start filing, they also wonder why you would paint a plastic part….if you can relay to KTM to send out instructions to everyone (USA also please), at this point, this seems to be the only way my shop will take this on.

 

The water pump cover is not plastic. KTM wants it painted because they are worried about corrosion. It is a time consuming job as you have to remove the fuel tank to access the hose that needs to be removed. Our shop is currently talking to KTM about warranty time coverage. Will keep you's updated as more info comes in, but it doesn't look like it will be a recall. Will be covered only if people complain, if enough people complain a recall may be issued in the future.

 

@KTMtechRICH that would be fantastic. If you find out warranty information, would you mind PM’ing me so I can connect you with my tech so they can talk to you on how to go about the process? That would be greatly appreciated as you are the first tech that I have seen that has undergone this and is looking to have it covered by warranty and my shop is at a loss…

 

I just picked up a 2022 1290 SAR last week... rode 3000 miles home from Olympia Washington to Tulsa Ok. The first few days I saw leaks just like the ones described here. I do not see leaks now, but I have to refill the coolant reservoir every morning. Can someone show more detail on the 2" clamp solution? Do you have to remove the tank to make this repair?

 

Yes the tank has to be removed.

 

mine was collected by my dealer today. they said that KTM UK have recognised the issue and new thermostat housing will be fitted

 

@Cedricthebrave that is promising news!!!

 

He also said they had 18 cases reported for this fault

 

Ok so my 1290sas is now fixed.
The issue is the casting see the image of the cast thermostat housing with the unfinished bit pretty obvious
New item fitted was smooth

 

598 miles on my SAR, it's going in for the break in service on the 31st, can't get it in sooner.
Anything I need to tell the dealer about this issue? I have the exact same issue with coolant leaking down the right side of the pump.

 

I would just give them the link to this thread

 

In July, I had mine fixed for this issue. However, the fix was temporary. After riding yesterday, I noticed it began leaking again.

 

My 2022 SAS is leaking coolant, I don't have puddles, but I can smell it, & the Reservoir is empty now.
The dealership says it's the water pump seal. They are talking to KTM about if it's covered under warranty.
It'll be (supposedly) a couple weeks before they get the new seal.

 

i had zero coolant issues on my 2018 SAS until I swapped my hoses for Samco hoses, and then I was getting leaks and coolant smell. took something like 6 tries for my mechanic to finally connect the hoses bleed the system properly. Now there are no leaks from the connections, no coolant pools under the bike, but I still smell coolant and the overflow tank level does lower over time.

I am going to investigate this water pump seal thing... could be it.

But, moral of the story for me at least, is don't mess with the hoses if they aren't giving you any issues.

 

Well, finally taken care of by warranty (due to documented from the beginning). Had to go through filling, ordered replacement water pump cover (had to pay for), but they covered the coolant flush and hours. There is a bump on the water pump cover and KTM finally has a service bulletin on it, they have to file the bump flat and refinish the raw metal and then reinstall and fill. Two clamps never worked for me and can now have the confidence of it not leaking.