Well, it’s happening…
New KTM is coming with all options enabled for 1500 km’s and then they get switched off.
Then, as per BMW, you will have to pay a monthly subscription to enable them again…
It was on the TMF monthly paper review (parish notices) for the December video on Youtube.
For me, that would f "?k me off enormously tbh.
Thoughts?
Hi there. @Octoberon , this could be on “this yanks my chain” i suppose but i thought i’d get lost in the conversation. Please move if you think it should be!
Just fine as a new topic as people will be more likely to find it. It’s bike oriented though so I moved it out of the Speakeasy, which is meant for off-topic posts.
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If it’s rent only then that would piss me off enormously, to the point I wouldn’t buy one.
However if it’s also available for a one-off fee then I don’t have a major problem with it - it’s no different to ticking the option boxes on a new order form. In fact having the option to try before I buy might actually be useful.
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The only thing i can see as a bonus is buying a second hand one as you can let someone else take the hit and then you can tart it up?
But, Not sure if you can just pay for everything in one hit as there’s actual money to be made (for ktm) as a second hand bike (new market) also and they would want to keep that I suppose?
It’s a bit like crapple phones… Do you ever actually own them as apple can turn it off/brick it if they want to…
I guess this something that all manufacturers will move to in the future 
For me it does turn me off looking at buying a new bike.
I’m a big KTM fan, I think they’re some of the best bikes currently. But having to subscribe? Nope, bloody angers me that does 
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It’s good voicing opinions here but we should all make sure the dealers are aware of our displeasure so they can pass it on to the manufacturers. If they hear nothing they’ll assume everyone is ok with it.
So what subscriptions are there on BMW bikes then as I’ve never paid any on my last 3 tractors. The only subscription I have paid was year 2 for my tracker, but that was direct to Datatool and nothing to do with the mother ship 
Likewise my S1000XR, Datatool tracker subscription but not really anything to do with BMW.
And what are KTM going to switch off?
Sorry, i meant the car bmw model they had for this.
They even started charging for car play and android auto but stopped it due to customer revolt.
Not done any further research but i think that its quite common now in the car world.
You had me worried for a bit 
Blatant cynical capitalism, they can fk off and when they get there they can fk off some more.
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I’ve done a bit of googling on this. Subscription is a bit missleading. I cant find anything that says you have to pay a subscription to activate or keep options. From what I can see, the new bike comes with all the options activated before you pay for those options. After 1500km those options then turn off and you decide which ones you like and want to keep, then you pay for them to activate them again. Its a ‘try before you buy’ and just means you dont have to decide which ones to tick in the showroom, your getting them all for free for a while before you decide.
If this is the case then it could be a good thing. But it is opening the door for things like subscriptions so where will it lead to in the future?
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Subscription isn’t necessarily all bad as long as you can dip in and out (bit like Netflix). You may only want heated grips for three months of the year.
Not for me. Not for me at all.
Just let me specify the bike I want and stop bugging me…!
Fecking about subscribing to this , deleting that…Nope. not at all.
Hideous idea for the consumer. More complications on what should be a simple pleasure.
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After 900 miles, you haven’t even got used to the bike, takes 3k miles at least.
Its still better than trying to decide what options you want in the showroom. KTM are saying, here, take all the available options and try them out, then decide which ones you want to buy. There is no subscription. They’re calling it demo mode.
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So you buy a KTM that is shipped with equipment in theory that you have already paid for. Heated grips as mentioned, then to use them pay again?
Curiously what other options do KTM deactivate after 1.5k?
I understand a charge for online services such as sat nav, or tracking.
I’m assuming its all electronic stuff such as modes and features like hill hold, slip adjust, slide, wheelie etc etc. The quick shifter is probably part of it too as KTM uses sensors inside the gearbox instead of on the shift linkage. A brilliant system by the way because it knows when the gear is engaged so no false neutrals! When I had my superduke, the heated grips were a bolt on accessory and not part of any of the electronic packs. I don’t know if this is still the case though.
Hopefully, someone with a laptop can crack it.
However, i wonder if ktm found out that it was cracked, would they shut the bike down (even if you are not the original owner?)
And, if you bought it second hand, could you then add the options (presumably yes) but ktm could then charge whatever they wanted on top of what you paid for it second hand.