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Any opinions BMW/KTM Any opinions BMW/KTM
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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 24 Jun 2007
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Any opinions BMW/KTM
I am not a seasoned RTW pro but I have done my share of riding. I have owned Suzuki's, BMW's and Kawasaki's. In 2000 I rode a Suzuki 650 Freewind all over Europe and hit the Atlas Mtns pretty hard in Morocco (no problems). I admit the allure of these new beautiful bikes is tough to get around and I am trying to decide between the KTM 990 Adventure and the BMW 1200 GS. any opinions?
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  #2  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rossphoto View Post
......I am trying to decide between the KTM 990 Adventure and the BMW 1200 GS. any opinions?
For what use, going around Antarctica, up and down K2, or to pick up hot chicks?
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  #3  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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Hot Chicks for sure
RTW from America down SA to Africa Asia on... Probably mostly tarmac but I do like to find off road adventure. Probably gone for a year plus???
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  #4  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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The big bikes will be cushy rides on good, fast roads. And they can haul a bunch of junk along with a rider.
The big loaded bikes can be a pain when trying to explore off road. What usually happens is that the rider realizes it's no fun picking up the heavy bike and/or handling it in precarious situations, and then he/she stops exploring more of the off-the-beaten-path places. If it hurts to scratch your butt, you stay away from that pleasure...
What we call a mid-size bike, 400-650cc...?, is known in many parts of the world as a big bike. The reason why is that they do not need a bike of that size to run their local roads. Overkill.
I predict that we will see some mid-size bikes marketed towards adventure riding in the not so distant future. Not a new idea, just new ads for an up and coming market that's been mislabeled.
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  #5  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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Hmmmm...
I ee your point. As I mentioned I rode a 650 freewind around Europe and morocco and it was fine. I even rode two up for two weeks with a very hot chick that visited me in spain. All my gear and her stuff. I was more of a novice then and it all seemed fine. Now It seems maybe for ego I want a bigger engine. In the 650's are there any better than others in your opinion? KTM BMW Suzuki??? Thanks
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  #6  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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Wink "smaller engines"
Interesting that the thread has already moved toward the smaller engines: there is lots of support on other forums for the Suzi DL650, but sticking with the theme here, the Beemer and KTM to consider are the 800GS parallel twin (arriving on the market later this year) and the KTM 690 single engine which is getting good reviews as the successor to the 640 single. Far too early for me to have any opinion on the relative merits of these two, but if you are not departing very soon then they are both worth considering?!

Life is full of choices!

Dave

ps Get the bike that pulls the hottest chick!!
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  #7  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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Yamaha XT660
No one mentioned the XT, certainly worth a look. It recently attained the highest altitude ride and then then went on to win the Raid de himalaye !with very little extra prep.
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  #8  
Old 25 Jun 2007
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There are compromises with all bikes.
Understanding your travel needs before buying saves from the bike defining what you will be doing.
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  #9  
Old 1 Dec 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rossphoto View Post
I am not a seasoned RTW pro but I have done my share of riding. I have owned Suzuki's, BMW's and Kawasaki's. In 2000 I rode a Suzuki 650 Freewind all over Europe and hit the Atlas Mtns pretty hard in Morocco (no problems). I admit the allure of these new beautiful bikes is tough to get around and I am trying to decide between the KTM 990 Adventure and the BMW 1200 GS. any opinions?
Have you ever seen a KTM with high mileage, test ride them both for at least half a day and see how you get on.
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Old 1 Dec 2009
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+1 for the XT660 (R or Z) - if you're living in the US it'll be the Z.

I currently ride a KTM 990 ADV and can say hand on heart it's the best bike I've ever had, but (and it's a big but) there's no way I'm taking it on our big trip next year. It's being sold to make way for an XT660R cos it's too expensive (for carnets & parts), too heavy (no good for softer roads and if you drop it which you will), too complicated (to fix when you have a problem - have you seen the dealer networks for Euro bikes in the developing world?) and is far too flashy.

I'll be selling my KTM and buying the XT for a third of the price, meaning that even after kitting it out I'll still have a couple of grand in the bank for the trip.
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