KTM 950/990 Adventure (2003-current)

This is my 3rd adventure bike the XT600 Tenere i still have and the XRV750 i traded on the 990. I live in NZ and have miles of great roads and tracks on my back door. I wanted a bike that was better than my Africa Twin and weight was a big part of the equation. The XRV is about 220kgs the 990 200kgs. Also the weight is lower down on the 990 and you notice this when picking the bike up and in the twisties. Off road the bike is very much above average, probably the best handling big adv bike out there. but it is sill heavy. The 990 has great handling and on a bumpy minor road you can do more than just keep up with a sports bike. The WP suspension works very well and the Scorpion rubber is very grippy in the dry and wet. Its just so easy to scrub them all the way to the edge. The motor is vee-tastic and well suited to this sort of bike, there is plenty of usable power all the way to the redline. The throttle action is bad, worse than my SP1 in fact, but fine when motoring but bad a low speeds. Did i mention that its bbbbaaaad!!!!. The brakes are not the best out there but are very good at what they do and have good feel(ABS should be turned off when riding tracks if you want to stop). For a big adv bike the brakes are above average you just cant compare them to a sports bike. The bike is comfy and comfy two up. The pillion has a seperate pearch which stops them sliding down the seat. The wind protection is average with the standard screen. With bad buffeting at around 100ish kph if you are tallish and wearing an ADV helmet with a peak, regardless of make.. trust me on this one. All that goes if you wear a normal helmet but the touring screen is the way to go for longer rides. This bike has for me beaten my XRV stupid the only area that i have my reservations is long term reliability cos its a Honda and the KTM ain't. But the 990 was the only bike that could part me from the XRV the BMW's do it differently again and were not my cup of tea maybe when i hit 90. Great bike overall the throttle can be made much better with a power commander and a G2 Throttle. Everything else is just fine will be keeping this one for a while.

Having spent the last 14 years riding GSX-R's I took a 990 out for a test ride, not really knowing what to expect. An hour later I came back with a huge grin on my face and a week after that I was the proud owner of an orange 990 courtesy of the brilliant and highly recommended guys at Sideways motorcycles. The engine sounds suberb thanks to a pair of Akropovics and the bike pulls like a train in any gear and will happily keep up with the sports bike boys. The WP suspension is fantastic and gives a smooth ride yet still provides plenty of feel, the handling is agile and accurate. The riding position gives great all round visibility and the bike excels on motorways, twisties, touring and in town whether solo or two-up. So if you're looking for a bike that'll do anything you want, that puts a grin on your face everytime you ride it, that goes like a train and makes the GS-boys stare with envy look no further. One word of advice though, don't go for a test ride unless you're prepared to buy!!

Very comfy bike, especially for tall people like me. The engine is superb, and it handles quite well off road too. A very fun bike to ride. I well recomend a test ride on one if you haven't already.

Hired KTM950 adventure in NZ fitted with givi top box and side panniers. 10 days 2800 miles. Loads of twisties, coast roads, mountain passes, inland routes - KTM soaked them up. Suspension was so smooth, engine just burbles along, accelerates when asked, cornering so fun even with knobbly tires and luggage, easy to pick up when dropped (once).

Had it a year, 2004 model bought from Premier in Didcot. The only problem was the clutch slave cylinder failing about 40 miles from didcot!, Premier bought it back and changed it, a rare fault they say. Its been fine every since, other than the back brake needing bleeding every 2 months (no leaks?), mainly used for commuting where, like the GS, it is easily seen by car drivers and has a good high rider position. Round town fuel is poor at about 35mpg. Fitted a Scottoiler and never adjust the chain between yearly service, should be fitted at birth!! Would be nice to have ABS (which the 990 has) and heated grips etc, old GS habits die hard. Quality is the best, I ride all year and it gets all the salt etc, only the spokes and nipples let the side down, why people put up with seized brakes every year on brand new bikes is beyond me, vote with your feet and maybe the Japs will get this good. I would have bought one years ago but reliability stories scared me, things seem much better but clealrly some people still get duds. My advise is buy nearly new, 12 - 15k miles, residual warranty with the first big service paid for (about £350 if valves need doing), it seems like most that have done 10k or more are either sorted or obvious basket cases. Its different, rare and a talking piece, have fun!! and yes the 990 is jerky in comparison!!

I bought my trusty Hopper about two and a half years ago. I went out on a test ride and that was it. I liked the unique styling, it still gets admiring looks wherever you park it. The ride is fantastic, the suspension is as adjustable as you need. Once you push the start button, the big V twin booms into life. I have fitted Skorpion end cans and as well as helping the beast breathe, it sounds mighty fine too. Remove the baffles and it really is wild. Sitting high up you get a great view of the road ahead, and potential hazards that lay ahead too. It is very good on long runs, easy to ride for hours at a time, touring is a total pleasure. It is also a mighty fine performer through the twisties too. Many a time I have 'embarrased' riders on large capacity sports bikes. The quality of the beast is excellent too. I have never had any issues with it at all. OK the rear brake isnt the sharpest in the world, but heck, its mainly used for balance anyhow. The lights are good at night, offering good wide spread of light, The mini fairing keeps a good bit of wind off too. The punchy motor is like a swss time-piece, it never misses a tick, and repsonds immediately with a turn of the throttle. It is a motorcycle that every time you ride, you cannot help but smile, It offers everything. Comfort, Speed, Power, Presence, Reliability, It holds its value better than any other motorcycle I have ever owned, and it still turns heads! For touring I have added the Ventura luggage rack. Ideal for long trips, ok not for around the globe type, but they are available if you wanna go n show what Charlie n Ewan missed out on! So my reccomendation is to find a good KTM dealer (Premiers in Didcot are ace) book a test ride and take your wallet!

I've only covered about 600 miles but so far but up to now I'm extremely impressed! This is the best handling bike I've ever ridden and is a joy on 'B'roads with its excellent WP suspension. I've also tried some 'green lane' riding and have not fallen off as yet! The bike came with panniers and a tank bag so I'm looking to tour Scotland and Ireland in 2007. Strengths: Handling, first and foremost. Comfort is good, as is wind protection. Looks grow on you quickly, lights are good too. No reliability problems so far - I had a long chat with the previous owner and the service center- no reliability issues at all so far, the bike having now covered 5200 miles. 
Weaknesses: Perhaps fuel economy could be better - 200 miles from the 22 litre tank but only if ridden with care! No fuel gauge.

On the whole not too bad - clutch seal needed replacing - not good on a hydraulic clutch, heavy bike to push! Also chain adjuster bolt seized, KTM dealer had to re-drill the swing arm - Cheapr than a new swing arm. However, since then, happy biking.
Strengths: Storming engine - ride that torque wave! practical, comfortable (once gel seat fitted) - genueinely different and very orange. Akropovic cans sound lovely.
Weaknesses: Ease of maintenance - everything has to be done a certain way. Clutch becomes stiff when hot.

I bought this bike 6 months ago and loved it from the off - great riding position (1000 miles in a week no problems), huge fun in the twisties (went past a R6 with my topbox on), lovely big v-twin noise. Then things started going wrong. Oil light came on the morning after I got it back from the dealers (in mid-Essex). They kept it for a couple of days, then returned it saying there was no problem. Next day, same thing. 2 weeks to sort out. Headlight and spokes needed doing under warranty (only because I found that out - the dealership wouldn't have offered). 3 weeks. The back brake stopped working, and as I couldn't be bothered to send the bike off again, I asked for the bits to be sent to me so I could do it. That took a week. Then it started overheating - after having it for 3 weeks they told me that it was the water pump which took 3 weeks to fix. To top it all they offered me an sh1t trade-in against a 950 supermoto 'as it's had a few problems'. Can't wait to sell it.
Strengths: Riding position, comfort, handling, attitude. Weaknesses: All of that's useless when it's sat in the workshop. A brilliant bike let down by arse reliability and a worse dealer network. I might as well have a Ducati.

For a bike that's meant to be 'Enduro' it's anything but. Now done 4000 miles (January 2006) since new, got the bike mid October 2005. Given it's pedigree, it's a complete let down. Constant problem with back break, slow speed breaking the break howls and vibrates back thro the foot break lever, change of break pad cured this. 2000 miles later problem has started again. The front break is now starting to squeak and vibrate up thro the forks when breaking. BIG PROBLEM: Engine cut out when changing down at any speed/gear. It nearly threw me off on a motorway roundabout! Running like a sick dog at the moment, carbs, plugs, valves???? seems to needs constant setup, unlike a Jap machine. It's back at the dealers again, lost count how many times it's been in now When it runs ok, it's great, wow in fact, but unfortunately 80% of the time it's so un-reliable. I would be interested to hear from other KTM riders who have experienced similar problems, please email me. Strengths: When it runs OK, it really is WOW "Grin Factor". Weaknesses: See my comments.