MCN: Onboard with our KTM Adventure 990

[waryo]

Usually I shift down gears one at a time to decrease speed, but here he shifted down several at once. Makes me think if he's doing the shifts correctly.

[Trick202]

@Drumybum you've got good eyesight if you can make out the speedo in this footage. Can you prove how fast they were going?

[Hoothate]

1:21 - was close to crash :S

[suzukiholdenman]

How much of this was legal? Hahaha

[MultiSkidoo]

Ive rode a GS 1150 and really liked it , ive owned many sportbikes and enduro's , this year i bought a 2010 KTM Adventure 990 ,and well there's NO going back for me now, been wanting one for many years ,test rode a 950 a few years back and liked it too, lovin my new bike.

Cheers all

[mrsandman818]

I havent rode the bmw yet, but I just bought a 950 ADV and its an amazing machine with what seems like unlimited power. Plus it has the hooligan status of a dirt bike while haveing street bike speeds and road manors... when you want it to

[mrsandman818]

I havent rode the bmw yet, but I just bought a 950 ADV and its an amazing machine with what seems like unlimited power. Plus it has the hooligan status of a dirt bike while haveing street bike speeds and road manors... when you want it to

[Brainiac83]

I love the resolution..Simply amazing.

[Helladius666]

BMW's r indestructible battleships? don't think so...my previous bikes were bmw's (a 1200gs and 1200gsa) and were both far from perfect. 1st one consumed oil like it was milk and cereal (like 1,2 lt per 1000km) and the GSA nailed a piston with a valve that failed + FD failure (bearings). My 09 990 is just perfect so far and A LOT better ride overall, I mean this is a real dual sport bike, it does everything and does it with ease.

[mistralk09]

@slangkam...

I never tried a BMW but i'm agree with u that a KTM keep's you alive and give's a lot of fun to the rider! When u try 1 after that orange blood flows in your body :)

[axinos33]

you were running like posesd by the devil man...

[deelee74]

Sounds like a looooonnnnngggg, wet fart

[puponicons]

ahahah

just LOL

[VIPKINGsStalker]

...i think i now know what i'll be getting with my reenlistment bonus :)

[Busabug]

For those that trying to slag off the brand. Done 47,000km on a 07 KTM 990 Adv over a year touring around Australia, including Cape York (twice) and 1000kms across the outback including the Simpson desert.. It's been from snow to 45+ deg days. Basic maintenance while touring by me and one major service at the shop. And not once did it ever fail me. Bike is rock solid. And it still looks (apart from some battle scars) and runs like new. The best bike and best brand I've ever owned.

[colin362]

True, true mate. I also got the 07 KTM 990 adv, its the best by far!!!

[Pwn00b]

@Busabug How did you do only 1000km across the outback? The Simpson alone is better than 500km across (depends on how close to the French line you stick). Are you counting off-road sections only in that 1000km? If so then it sounds about right for the Mt Dare - Birdsville run and good on you for making the trip. So you only needed to do 1 major service in a year of touring? You didn't find it hard to do the adjustments and so on while on the road? That's good news!

[roflastc]

You know this is the only proper MCN video i have seen in a long time. Normally those tea poofs just talk n talk n talk

[GunBoTT]

sry, but its true what he wrote.

"Do NOT buy a 990 adventure! Insane gasoline consumption, quality sucks, service intervalls sucks, spare parts are expensive, unconfortable on long trips, KTM's service mind is a joke. Again: DO NOT BUY A KTM 990 ADVENTURE"

[cutepape]

Seems like you dont really know what you're talking about at all.

Gas consumption is a lot better then most bikes in its class. Quality sucks? Do you own one? HAve you had it for a long time? Didnt think so.

[GunBoTT]

i had one, now i know, never ever KTM!

Now iam ridin a BMW F800GS.

[lcrickett]

What is the comparison between the F800GS and the KTM as far as how they handle?

[slangkam]

I don't own one of them but I test drove both of them - that makes me no expert, but neutral. there's nothing wrong with the BMW, it feels pretty perfect. That's how you end up - perfect ride, but no grin. Getting on the KTM was like riding a wild mustang, more vibrations, more torque, more life, way more fun. And I felt it was much easier to handle. With the KTM you end up with knowing you're alive, having had a great time, enjoying life - and most importantly, with a big grin on your face...

[aukanmeister]

That is exactly how I feel as well!

I now own the 950 Adventure

[BicycleWorldTV]

@slangkam

Well said slangkam! You nailed it..I have ridden many bikes in the past and have recently been test riding both the BMW GS, The new Tiger 800 and the KTM 990 Adv R. While both bikes are excellent, I got off the KTM and said, "Wow, that was fun" and I knew which bike would make me want to ride it everyday....so much life in that bike...

[phili878]

dude, the gas consumption really depends on how you ride your bike, come on, this is elementary school knowledge. BMWs are great technological master pieces that add some great new gadgets to the streets but a KTM is a KTM, it really doesn't care on what type of ground it rides on or how long it can stay in the air :)

[GunBoTT]

Yes thats true, but take a look on the service intervalls for example: 500km, 1000km, 5000km,

BMW: 1000km, 10.000km,

Guys, its only my personal experience with this brand. I had one and my opinion is that the quality sucks. Sure its fun to ride a KTM, no doubt on that, but if all the time something is wrong with the bike it doesnt make fun anymore.

[phili878]

it seems you have been unlucky with yours. Like my sister's new mini cooper that falls apart day by day (the exhaust pipe fell off in the highway) and I went to research and supposedly mini coopers are such great quality and hard to break down. Please bear in mind that the BMW has a more technologically advanced engine too, in fact they are famous for that so that can explain the service intervals where in the KTM the engine is used more harshly since most its riders ride it harsher, KTM fans ;)

[GunBoTT]

ok, that could be a possibility. Maybe i was really unlucky with my bike.

But one more thing regarding the "harsh riding"... Please watch the movie "long way round" with Ewan McGregor. Its a must! for all real bikers and a great movie i really enjoyed watching. They drove !30.395! km in 115 days. Theres a very interesting scene where KTM declined to provide Bikes for that trip, then they called BMW and got two fully equiped 1200GS-Adventures. I think this reactions tell their own tales ;-)

[roflastc]

The one you don't see in the movie is how they had to fix Ewan's and his friends bike a bunch of times.

Anyway: a bike for its driver. IF you want an indestructible battleship it's BMW. But if you're a gnome and like to tinker it's a KTM

[crofrog]

And they went through a few rear shocks. KTM doesn't give bikes away.

[rideswift]

Hows the longevity and reliability of the KTM as compared to the beemer? I will be buying one of these in the future. As for now, I'm buying a KLR 'cause I don't wanna sell my CBR......not just yet! 2 bikes are better than one.... right?

[cacoespejo]

y la sacá de chucha?

[cutepape]

No wonder you say that. Since you totally sink you bike in water and probably doesnt take care of it afterwards... "normal" driving on tarmack and gravel roads fuel consumption is excellent.

[freebiker75]

how's the 990 go in off road situation????(i mean real off road, not gravel road)

[pubmotor]

what would be better saving for the more expensive ktm 990 adventure (or adventure s) or just buying a kawasaki klr 650, honda transalp, or something like that? i really love the ktm but want a bike before april 2008. Is it 100% worth the wait? or will i get similar performance on another cheaper bike?

[Hitlad47]

I'd wait tbh, if you really want the Ktm. Unless you need the bike for school or college or something... definitely wait- although the transalps are really nice

[jiannis72]

get an elefant

[XPLORRgs]

you didn't even spell it right shut up

[jiannis72]

You must learn more about motorcycles.The bike i was talking about is a cagiva elefant dude,spelling is perfect.

[maximumhastings]

I test drove KTM 990 A and R1200GS - both good bikes - but the KTM won hands down on the smile factor and so I bought it and just finished an awesome 15000km expedition across Africa for 2 months. I changed exhausts to Akropoviks and they sound brilliant. The handling - even with all my kit - was superb on and off road. Oh and great clip - brings back happy memories.

[xtamhor]

Hi Max.. How much biking experience did you have before opting for the 990?. I am considering going for one but little in doubt if that big size isn't too much to handle. I am not a small guy, bu I ride a small 650 Suzuki SV and toured around New Zealand on a rented V-strom (nice to ride but uggly as hell)..The cool of the KTM is very attractive. Any thoughts?

[partetimouti]

ugly as hell indeed!

[9fifty5]

HP-2?? $27000 on a fat arsed dirt bike with a peanut tank?....good luck! ( an SE 950 would own it! )

[captinktm]

Yo, take a look at my vid's and see how a KTM should be used. I have riden and raced a 950 and guess what? never been past by a bmw they're junk! and simply an exercise in being different for the sake of it.

[widz82]

The bmw is ugly&the engine sticking out each side defeats the object of ridin; to cut through traffic. Of course, only old farts ride bm's, who dont overtake anyway!

[loiq]

well if you wanted to have a look at my BMW video I have 1150gs which i use for work, went around the baltic in the summer around 3-4000miles on knobblies for a laugh, I've ridden the HP2 plenty thanks, both with road and offroad tyres, I did change the fork oil in the front for a heavier viscosity to stiffen the front end up as it was too soft I tried the KTM on on test ride got pulled by the police.

Horses for courses I guess, you say you don't like the boxer, I however love it!

[loiq]

Get a BMW HP2 much more fun than the KTM bacon magnet...

[newmanr19]

are you serious?  much more fun? how?? have you ridden or owned either bike? I've owned the 950a and a 2004 1150 GS and while the GS has some road advantages over the 950 (i.e. the telever suspension) the HP2 doesn't have the telelever; plus, I simply never got used to, or liked the feel of the horizontall cylinders on the boxer motor; others might, but to say it's "much more fun" makes me doubt you've ridden both; (or either)

[xpat666]

That's what KTM's sound like!

[newmanr19]

no, they don't - the sound on that clip is crappy; too much wind noise from the mic

[nawitus]

Bad sound quality