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28 Feb 2011
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Honda AT vs KTM 990 adventure
Anyone wants to share his or hers experience on the weak and strong points of the KTM 990 (or 950)?
Deciding whether to take my trusted but rather dated '93 Africa Twin or buying the KTM. Will be doing at least 3 months in either SA or cross Asia (Russia/Mongolia). Will be substantial parts off road.
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28 Feb 2011
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My $0.02: If you're doing a lot of off road, keep it light, sell the AT and buy something no bigger than a 650 single, preferably even smaller cc's than that.
Big bikes are fine for 2 up long distance but quickly become a huge pain in the ass in loose sand/mud etc.
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3 Mar 2011
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ditto
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeS
My $0.02: If you're doing a lot of off road, keep it light, sell the AT and buy something no bigger than a 650 single, preferably even smaller cc's than that.
Big bikes are fine for 2 up long distance but quickly become a huge pain in the ass in loose sand/mud etc.
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5 Mar 2011
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Even if yours has been good and my brothers was bad this is still only two machines and at best, anecdotal evidence. Chatting with the engineers working at a KTM dealership put me off from ever buying one and my brother quickly got rid to buy a Jap 650. Not as quick but it never did let him down. The common consensus is that KTM are riders bikes, great engines, great frames but what lets them down is they're designed to perform, not with maintenance and durability in mind. This is a major problem to me when you're considering an adventure machine. The fuel consumption is also a black mark. It cuts range down considerably and increases weight over a 650.
Ok, it has a bit more power but it's only useful at higher speeds, illegal in most countries except on motorways and it's not the kind of bike built for those roads and is not being bought for that purpose.
The 650 class bikes, (ideally singles for simpler maintenance, durability, weight, range and torque) are more useful all-rounders and come into their own when the road surfaces turn into fire-roads or trails.
I've had them all ad can say my current 650 is the only one I would trust to go travelling on.
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5 Mar 2011
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JTW000, I aint arguing - your right a 600 makes much more sense some would say a 125 makes more sense (Birdy for instance) as it happens I actually prefer the Bilge pump (my r80gs) she is simpler in every respect and she is well sorted and we have done quite a bit of touring to far off places and I would not hesitate to set off anywhere again on her at the drop of a hat, she is easier to ride, more comfy for my wife, and for me the one I would choose to go away on - but that does not take away the experience I had when I toured on the ktm to various places - the bike and the experience of riding her was overall - very good. At the end of the day it really does not matter I suppose - if Groot want a KTM and takes one then he will build his own experience and that may be great or terrible - but it will be his experience. All part of life's little ups and downs.
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5 Mar 2011
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You'll no doubt have noticed not many KTM twin owners tend to hang out here, which is a shame but understandable even considering the posts in this thread alone.
For anyone considering these bikes, there is lots of information, good and bad in the Orange Crush forum on Adventure Rider Motorcycle Forum. You don't need to have a KTM to ask questions, if fact you don't even need to have a brother who had one.
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28 Feb 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Groott
Anyone wants to share his or hers experience on the weak and strong points of the KTM 990 (or 950)?
Deciding whether to take my trusted but rather dated '93 Africa Twin or buying the KTM. Will be doing at least 3 months in either SA or cross Asia (Russia/Mongolia). Will be substantial parts off road.
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IMO, the KTM is better in every aspect (engine, suspension, brakes etc...) but the reliability. If you plan to go to isolated places, reliability may come on the top of the list. So I would keep the AT and maybe upgrade the suspension and make a big tune-up on it.
My 0.02$
Now, I know KTM aficionados may argue that their Adventure is extremely reliable and so on, but whatever is the brand, a modern bike is much more difficult to fix on roadside than old one.
__________________
Fred, Airhead Lover
BMW R90S 74 & R100GS 93, Ural Patrol 06
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2 Mar 2011
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Mike and Fred, thanks for your replies.
The AT is indeed heavy but I think I will give it a solid upgrade and use that. The main elements of the bike are still really good, although I must admit that the frequency of minor issues is increasing.
I still aim to get the KTM 990 for driving around at home though. Bit of a paradox that the thing looks so rough but is not really suited for remote off road. IMO it is still better suited than the BMW GS, and don't really understand why anyone would take that off the road.
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2 Mar 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Groott
I still aim to get the KTM 990 for driving around at home though. Bit of a paradox that the thing looks so rough but is not really suited for remote off road.
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Someone should tell these guys quick before the hurt themselves!
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2 Mar 2011
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I also found my AT would run on almost anything, not sure of the KTM would be so happy...
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2 Mar 2011
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Not really off road, that's just crap roads. Any old bike will do though and the AT will be fine, I've done big trips on big bikes and smaller bikes and given the choice, I'd do it all again on a light bike. We just had Austin Vince in town giving a couple of presentations at the weekend, he'll be on a Serrow 250 for his next trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by frinch11
Someone should tell these guys quick before the hurt themselves!
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2 Mar 2011
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I think video 5 highlights the problem with bigger bikes. never impossible, but tiring if you're riding solo on remote trails.
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2 Mar 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Groott
Anyone wants to share his or hers experience on the weak and strong points of the KTM 990 (or 950)?
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Sorry guys I thought this was a thread about sharing experiences of the KTM 950/990. As I've owned one for 5 years and travelled a to a few places I thought I had a good idea about the merits of the bike, didn't realise I was surrounded by so many experts.
Same old same old.
Anyway, it's good that you saw the video, at least you know what one looks like now.....
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2 Mar 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by petesonhisway
Same old same old.
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exactly, there's nothing unique about them... all big bikes have their off-road limitations, all small bikes have their on-road limitations. take your pick. colour is irrelevant.
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3 Mar 2011
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KTM 950 excellent bike, owned one for 5 years done about 40 odd thousand much of it two up on all kinds of terrain. Never let me down when I was away. Build quality excellent, reliability excellent,ride quality excellent and for two up riding its excellent. The downside are its a bit labour intensive for servicing and to maintain (roadside problem solving and repairs are a bugger due to poor access to the engine and main running parts), parts are expensive and can be a problem to obtain and its quite a handful when the going gets challenging more so when loaded up heavy.(like most big bikes) - my r80gs is easier to ride in all the above conditions - far simpler to work on or maintain, but is slower and not as much fun as a riders bike. Like Dougie said take your pick it what your happy with at the end of the day and live with the downsides - they all have up and downsides.
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