Hi guys, today I was riding at the track (2007KTM 450SXF) and a friend of mine let me try his 950 , what a great bike that is off road. I was surprise to do not see much people talking about it for long travel , I own a R1200GS and even if I like the bike I will not be very happy to take it for some serious off road,on the other hand the 950 was a blast. Is there any serious problem with the bike or what. I can see travelling two up on this kind of bike even if the road stop this bike should handle many trail before giving up .

Just curious to know

Hi there,

Yes you are right,the bike is amazing,much lighter then any other twin bike,but for deep offroading I think is a bit heavy.
As a off-road enthusiast rider with XR650R and CRF450X for my long distance traveling just decide to buy 950 adventure earlier this year,which bike I found here as a model of 2005,but brand new(old stock with a good discount),yes I was happy.
For the first 5K kilometers,I was disappointed with some problems wich you can find here bellow.

1.I had a loose ring play of a 5th gear in the gear box(spent one week to delliver the ring from Austria to Bulgaria and fixed by the local dealer).

2.Down cylinder of the clutch,near the front sprocket was leacking,so at a time I lost clutching....wow(thanks god the spare cylinder was in stock and now repaired).

3.Unused bike for a two weeks-flat battery,you need recharging,so I will change,the bike is still with guarantee.

4.About 350-400 mll oil per 1000 km

Otherwise,the bike is really powerfull,good handling and 100% funn.

Enjoy it,

Simon

Look at this site... long distance on a 950. www.slowbikes.com/Past TripZ
I used to have one. Fantastic bikes and I will get another in the future.

Just give them a good shakedown and make sure that all the mods have been done to whichever model year.

John

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Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

One thing to also remember that the more you load the 950 down with luggage in the rear(even light stuff), its behavior off road changes...dramatically.

I tried the 950 in Mongolia with/without luggage and it was noticeably different.

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Now if you're one up, the 640 is an excellent bike off road even with luggage...

The Africa Twin on the other hand, was very well behaved...that's worth considering.

If I had a choice between the AT, the KTM and the 1xxxGS, hands down the AT...no bones about...

edde

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edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

I have used a 950 for several big trips over the last 4 years the bike has had very few problems and is great for two up mile munching but like all these big trail bikes it is a handful when fully luggaged up on gravel and mud. I would rather use a smaller bike if solo. However mine has 45000 miles so far and other than general wear and tear (1 set of head bearings, 1 set of front and rear wheel bearings and a battery (Just replaced before they fail when it inconvienient) a pair of chains and 3 sets of sprockets. Then the usual service stuff. Clutches last about 20000 miles mine is due its second replacement now as its getting snaggy. The weak point on the bike is the clutch slave cylinder which fails often and will leave you stranded so carry spares or fit an Eveluzion billet one that wont let you down. The other issue seems to be the water pump seal (mainly on US models)that seems to need replaced fairly often on some models - however mine has never been a problem. Tyre changing is a hell of a job at the roadside due to the rim construction you need to perfect a method of doing it also Access to the engine is more long winded than many bikes and servicing straightforward but takes time due to access- the bike also needs oils that are not available everywhere in the world and parts can be a problem. Would I reccommend it YES but get to know your way round it make sure its well sorted before you set off on the beaten track. Oh bye the way with Hepco becker crash bars and luggage fitted the bike is a veritable tank if you crash it, it will bounce very well without sustaining to much damage.

I think Jake has laid it out pretty accurately.
I've ridden the bike off and on road. Fantastic. Rides like a 650.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I can back up what adventure950 has to say about the bike - both from personal experience and from speaking to other riders and dealers. Dealers I've spoken to are seeing bikes with big mileages on now without significant problems. The engine in mine gets stronger and smoother the more miles I put on it.
Mine's upto 22k miles and the only issue I've had is the weak clutch slave cylinder at 19k. KTM has updated the part, so hopefully failures should be less common now. Even so it's only a 15 minute job to replace and the parts small enough to carry on a long trip if it worries you.
The water pump issue is widely scaremongered by certain members on the ADV Rider forum, but it seems to be the case that if there's a problem then it will show up early on.
Off road handling is brilliant for this sort of bike. Unloaded the bike rides like a bike enduro bike (which is basicaly what it is). Loaded up it still goes well, it just takes a bit more effort. Mud and very soft sand can be hard work, but not impossible. On hard, rocky ground you can maintain rediculously high speeds and the suspension just soaks it up. It's a lot more capable than the big GS's or the AT on the rough stuff.
I do all my own servicing and after you've done it once it's a doddle to strip down the bodywork to get access to the engine. If you're confident working on your own bike then it's not an issue.

I had so many problems with my 950 (an early one), that I would never buy another KTM. Head gasket went twice, and after 5months in repair, it had to have a new engine.
Service interval were only 3,000 miles apart, BM's are 6,000.

Mony 63, your battery going flat every 2 weeks - check that the carb heaters are connected to the main fuse. If they are connected through the 'aux' fuse, it is on all the time, and the heaters will come on when it gets cold, even with the ignition key removed. KTM UK connected mine up wrong and my battery kept going flat. You can check this by taking both fuses out when you park up, see if battery still goes flat.

I was surprised by how light the bike feel and two up the bike was still better off road than my R1200GS, the fact is I love riding off road but when you load a bike with luggage or a pillon the performance are very different. I use my XR650R for many trip and my klr or R100gs were great but I am always looking for a bike light powerfull reliable off road ready ,the ktm look a bit like that. Just for fun I price the update to do on my GS to make it very ready for off road travel and it came to be about $5000 .

Humm I think I will keep it on gravel road at the most.

Good point BUT loaded I still had a better experience in Mongolia with the AT than the 950...no comparison...

Unloaded the KTM is the beast between the 3 off road.

On road, the GS is at home...a Chelsea tractor with no comp...

Maintenance wise, the AT has the least number of issues and the GS/950 compete for second place...unfortunately, not being availbale in North America...the AT won't have as much blurbs on ADVRider...

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edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

A few early models had a problem with the head gaskets - a warranty update was issued involving fitting new head bolts and washers and retorquing them. All early bikes should have had this sorted by now, for late bikes it's not an issue.
Service intervals are every 4500 for oil and filter, 9000 miles for full service.

Yes it's more time consuming to service than a 650 single, but compared to a typical japanese 4 cylinder sports bike it's a doddle.

I know the AT is a great bike but in the US we didn't have any luck and when I left France I should have brought my Tenere , this was too a great bike for travelling on and Off road. I hope to see some new bike coming to state in the 08 and 09 . but I have not too much trust in seeing the EU model coming to the US.

Too Bad

I have just brought one these with a view to practise for a 2 years prior to a trip Africa. That seem nice and big for 2 up riding. I wondered if anyone has done extensive travelling on one 2 up?

Craig

Just joined the club with a 990 ready for collection next month. The performance and handling sounds very encouraging - you never hear a bad word said against this bike on these grounds. However, I am a little concerned about the temperamental mechanical nature of the KTMs. Are there any current common problems.

I have a (soon to die) Africa Twin with 70000 miles from new, 40000 of them hard in South America. It never let me down on that trip despite infrequent servicing. Still on the first clutch I would mention. Honda's approach to the AT has led me to leave the fold and look elsewhere for a similar machine. I have no doubt the KTM will be a better bike on and off road from a rider's perspective but guess I will get to know the mechanics well at the KTM dealership.

Anyone know if there is a big KTM following in the UK? I don't see too many around Guildford.

Cheers.

Matt

Now still in Africa at 36000km's on the '04 ktm. riding serious offroad with luggage is perfect, as long as you load it perfect.

I dont understand the problem story's at all. NO issue's so far, with proper maintanance of course, did a rally with it to, hard.

Met one other guy now, 38000k no problems on an '05, know several other bike's with 50.000+ k's without real problems!

YES i take it rtw, happily. when i'm back home i estimate the bike at 60k km.