KTM ADVENTURE

[magwa]

Hi Folks,
Well I went to the NEC BIKE show, couldn't find anything I liked to replace my AT with next year except the
BMW and the KTM
the more I read about the KTM the more I fancy one instead of the BM

Anybody give a better opinion on the KTM?

Whatever i ride has got to be big ( cos I am)
reliable (cos I'm not)

The AT fills all my needs at the moment as ride solo most of the time, but pillion ( her that must be obeyed) very occassionally.
So any coments appreciated. :idea:

I shall be looking second hand with as many extra's fitted that I can find for either replacement ( BM or KTM)
until then the AT is mine:-


below is my bike before I went on the E bay spree!



Thanks

Magwa

[russh]

Best to take one for a test ride. I took one out and found I couldn't focus above 60 /70 mph due to wind buffeting caused by the screen, this put me off buying one. A bit more here- http://wwwusers.brookes.ac.uk/p0071629/bike.htm

apart from being useless above 70 is was great!

I ended up going for a new TA.

BTW, I'm 6'2" tall

[piguglyshandydrinker]

At the recent HU meet at Allenheads, two KTM 950 broke down on the first day - one had a recurring problem with a circlip dislodging form the rear brake, rendering it useless, the other wouldn't charge, and eventually wouldn't run.
Another, a KTM 640 never made it to the end of the street on the way to Allenheads, and had to be returned home.

Draw your own conclusions.....

Phil

PS Of all the bikes there, only the Hondas didnt break down!

[magwa]

Err Thanks for that, that makes me think my 33k AT is best kept
'The devil you know!'

Magwa

[matthelliwell]

Hi Folks,
Well I went to the NEC BIKE show, couldn't find anything I liked to replace my AT with next year except the
BMW and the KTM
the more I read about the KTM the more I fancy one instead of the BM

Anybody give a better opinion on the KTM?

Whatever i ride has got to be big ( cos I am)
reliable (cos I'm not)

The AT fills all my needs at the moment as ride solo most of the time, but pillion ( her that must be obeyed) very occassionally.
So any coments appreciated. :idea:

I shall be looking second hand with as many extra's fitted that I can find for either replacement ( BM or KTM)
until then the AT is mine:-

Well I've got a 2004 950 Adventure - favourite bike I've ever had. It was even better when I bought a second set of wheels so I could have one set of road tyres and one set of knobblies.

The two main downsides are
1. twitchy throttle due to the fuel injection on the 990. 950 is fine.
2. buffeting from the screen. How big a problem this is will depend on how high above the screen your head is. I'm 6ft and the buffeting caught me squarely in the face. I solved this by lopping off some of the screen with a dremel.

Don't believe the doom sayers about the reliability. Most people, including me, have no problems at all. Have a look at http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34 for lots of stuff about the big KTMs.

[magwa]

Well my problem has always been my physical size!
I'm 6'02" with a long body and short legs ( 31" inside leg) but with size 12 feet and XXXL hands ( scary but women always seem to look!)
The AT has been a perfect bike for me to date but I retire on good old superannuation next year and fancy a change. :idea:
I don't like the Valdero image nor styling ( no offence those who do!)
I like the KTM and the BM in equal proportions but don't fancy the BM price ( even second hand!)
I have ridden the BM/GS and don't find any of the 'foibles' a problem
( having ridden BM's as works bikes for many years and had three of my own ...no problems but all road going versions)
However the KTM seems to me what the AT should have become if Honda had carried on the production.....
hence the dilema.
The 950 looks the best to me judging by what others are saying about running/ carbs versus injection
Or I shall go the route that everyone else seems to take the 'Safe option BMW GS'


Mmmmmmmwell have to see.

Still I will have a nice AT for sale in the spring one way or another

Thanks

Magwa

[Muckybill]

Got 2 pals with 950`s and they love them only problem I have heard from them is some connector to the starter motor going on one.
All bikes will have some problems you just have to search this site. If I was going to buy a @ i would be put off by some of the problems posted on this site but I know better.

Bill

[Richardg]

For what it is worth I own both an AT and a KTM adventure so I have first hand comparison of both.

I love both bikes for very deferent reasons, The KTM is defiantly Hard Core by comparison to my AT, it goes like hell and handles very well, when you ride it you will notice the extra power (30+ bhp) and the suspension is far better than the standard AT stuff. On the other hand my AT is a very nice smooth more sedate ride, when the mood takes me for a gentle run out then I always take the AT. The KTM also uses far more fuel that the AT, It sits higher and is a bit more windy in the cockpit area (my AT has a tall Givi touring screen fitted). Build quality on the KTM is fantastic, and the trick components are all there, WP suspension, Fantastic wheels with double butted SS spokes, Brembo breaks, Braided hoses, Gell seat etc etc.

Long distance I would say the KTM is better (within europe), however, if you want to go further (say south america etc) then I would take the AT. The reason is that the KTM is a bit more complex to service and keep going than the Honda.

The KTM does have a few niggles, on the 990's they have a slightly snatchy throttle at around 4-5K rpm, the front mudguard is far to short and the cats in the silencers make the pipes run cherry red hot which is a bit alarming at first (I have fitted the Akroprovics which sorted this out). also there is a problem with carb icing on the 950's that was never properly sorted by KTM. The headlights are not as good as the AT either (I have fitted HID conversion to mine which is fantastic, problem sorted)

In conclusion then, the KTM is a ten year newer bike than the AT so it shauld be better in a lot of ways (and it is), however, if like me you sometimes just want to potter around locally then there is still a lot of life left in the AT.

If you want to call me for more info then mail me at:

richard.graham@hydro.com

[DaveS]

Richard would be good to see some pics of both steeds.

[matthelliwell]

The headlights are not as good as the AT either (I have fitted HID conversion to mine which is fantastic, problem sorted)

I was thinking about improving the lights on mine now I'm riding in the dark again. Do you have details of how you did the conversion?

Thanks