2013 KTM 990 SM-T ABS review (Initial impressions and musings)

[Windblown]

Hope the info proved helpful. Nice looking ride you got there.

Yep. The SM-T needs a fender mod to handle mud. I suspect mud trapped between the fender and front wheel contributed to my prior oops in the mud.  

Almost took mine out for a spin on Monday but shady side roads were still icy so I took out the lil'ktm instead.

[Sport-Touring]

[skicanon]

Hi, just reading your post from 2014. Do you still have the 990 SMT ? How was it on the track day? I'm looking for a do it all bike as well: track, long distance with the wife, city and twisties ... Thanks !

[Windblown]

Hi, just reading your post from 2014. Do you still have the 990 SMT ? How was it on the track day? I'm looking for a do it all bike as well: track, long distance with the wife, city and twisties ... Thanks !

Hi!

The bike got sold.  I will say that the SM-T was quite possibly the most fun motorcycle I've ever owned.  I wouldn't consider a SM-T a great long distance bike for 2-up though.  IMHO it's built and designed for a rider, not a rider and passenger.

It was very capable on the track & street, and very comfortable as well. However, the little niggles/irritations that seemed to frequently crop up with the bike combined with an increasing personal interest in off-pavement riding were the main factors in selling what was a truly grin inducing package.  

I say the KTM was the hot looking high maintenance super-model. These days I prefer the lower maintenance "girl next door" types.

13 year old FZ1 for smooth fast fun. Triumph Tiger 800XC for a go any where, any time machine. And my KTM 525 for when I just know I'm going to be doing something stupid.

[groundhogday]

I'm actually bike shopping right now, and the SM-T is on my radar.  Could you elaborate on the niggles/irritations?  My biggest fear with a KTM is that if there are frequent niggles/irritations, it's going to eat up time and money.  Plus I don't have a dealer nearby.  Judging by an earlier post, it sounds like an exhaust and tune are essential.

[Hotbrakes]

I'm actually bike shopping right now, and the SM-T is on my radar.  Could you elaborate on the niggles/irritations?  My biggest fear with a KTM is that if there are frequent niggles/irritations, it's going to eat up time and money.  Plus I don't have a dealer nearby.  Judging by an earlier post, it sounds like an exhaust and tune are essential.

Since Windblown is lost in the Rockies right now on his new 1190 Adventure R, I'll talk about his beloved Tiger that gave up the ghost somewhere in Indiana I believe, prompting his mid trip purchase of the Adventure.  British tea cannot replace Orange Koolaid.  

[expatbrit]

Since Windblown is lost in the Rockies right now on his new 1190 Adventure R, I'll talk about his beloved Tiger that gave up the ghost somewhere in Indiana I believe, prompting his mid trip purchase of the Adventure.  British tea cannot replace Orange Koolaid.

I desperate want to disagree with this, but I have sold the Trumpet and keep getting Katooms.

Crap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[garry]

In the mid-2000s, Triumph seemed to really hit their stride on making cool bikes that enthusiasts wanted to ride. I would say that KTM has passed them up once the various 990 bikes came out (Super Duke, Adventure, SM-R, SM-T).

I found my 950 to be reliable for the 70K miles I put on it aside from the crappy fuel pump. I don't recall if the 990 used the same part, but I suspect it did. There is a well-known fix for the issue. There was also a water pump shaft/seal issue in my 2007 that was fixed with upgraded parts, so that probably wasn't an issue on the 990s. I think it's a solid, over-built engine, with a few well-known niggles and well-known solutions.

[groundhogday]

One of the things that makes me leary of an SM-T (or any plastic tanked Euro bike) is peoples reports of tank swelling.  

But the main thing is this:
I used to really lust after the Super Duke.  It was what I thought I really wanted to replace my SV650 with.  When I got to where things were going well enough financially for me to consider a new bike, I wound up with the GSX-R 750 because I got a good deal on a leftover.  It wasn't exactly what I wanted.  Just exactly what I wanted if I were to buy a supersport.
Then, last year a friend bought a used Super Duke.  He didn't like the engine, but he'd gotten it cheap enough that he'd have no trouble flipping it at a profit.  So, I test rode it.  Every complaint he had about the engine was true.  If you were much below 4000 rpm, it was completely useless.  The only thing comparable that I've experienced was a Duc 696.  It would shake and shudder in protest if you tried to accelerate outside of its happy place.  Which meant shifting a lot to keep it above 4K.  And it was geared so tall you had to be going 65+ mph (iirc) before even thinking about using 6th gear.  Above 4K it was very stout, but you had to work more to keep it in its happy place.  Keep in mind this bike was bone stock, and who knows how well it had been maintained prior to him buying it.  
I found my 750 to have a far more flexible engine.  Sure, it doesn't start to pull with any kind of authority until you're above 5K, but if you could still lug it a bit and it wouldn't protest if you got into a corner in too tall a gear.  Realistically, it had a good 9,000 rpm range of solid, useable power regardless of what gear you were in.  I shifted more for keeping noise down than the bike actually needing to be in a different gear.  If I chose to, I could have ridden almost every bit of all my favorite local roads in 3rd gear exclusively.  But I used 3rd through 6th to keep the intake from howling like a banshee.  
If what I experienced was the norm for a 990, I really don't want one.  But an SM-T came up for sale at a great price on Craigslist, so I thought I'd research it.

[Silverbird]

https://denver.craigslist.org/mcd/5681137728.html

[Hotbrakes]

One of the things that makes me leary of an SM-T (or any plastic tanked Euro bike) is peoples reports of tank swelling.  

But the main thing is this:
I used to really lust after the Super Duke.  It was what I thought I really wanted to replace my SV650 with.  When I got to where things were going well enough financially for me to consider a new bike, I wound up with the GSX-R 750 because I got a good deal on a leftover.  It wasn't exactly what I wanted.  Just exactly what I wanted if I were to buy a supersport.
Then, last year a friend bought a used Super Duke.  He didn't like the engine, but he'd gotten it cheap enough that he'd have no trouble flipping it at a profit.  So, I test rode it.  Every complaint he had about the engine was true.  If you were much below 4000 rpm, it was completely useless.  The only thing comparable that I've experienced was a Duc 696.  It would shake and shudder in protest if you tried to accelerate outside of its happy place.  Which meant shifting a lot to keep it above 4K.  And it was geared so tall you had to be going 65+ mph (iirc) before even thinking about using 6th gear.  Above 4K it was very stout, but you had to work more to keep it in its happy place.  Keep in mind this bike was bone stock, and who knows how well it had been maintained prior to him buying it.  
I found my 750 to have a far more flexible engine.  Sure, it doesn't start to pull with any kind of authority until you're above 5K, but if you could still lug it a bit and it wouldn't protest if you got into a corner in too tall a gear.  Realistically, it had a good 9,000 rpm range of solid, useable power regardless of what gear you were in.  I shifted more for keeping noise down than the bike actually needing to be in a different gear.  If I chose to, I could have ridden almost every bit of all my favorite local roads in 3rd gear exclusively.  But I used 3rd through 6th to keep the intake from howling like a banshee.  
If what I experienced was the norm for a 990, I really don't want one.  But an SM-T came up for sale at a great price on Craigslist, so I thought I'd research it.

What you state here is true, they are geared tall and gutless below 4k rpm.  A simple sprocket change of -1 front or +1 rear is all I've had to do to my 990's to make 6th useable.  The painful shuddering below 4k rpm is due to the lightweight/short stroke of the moving parts in the engine to yield a fast revving twin that is capable of high rpm.  Sounds like you would be more interested in a cruiser...

[garry]

What you state here is true, they are geared tall and gutless below 4k rpm.  A simple sprocket change of -1 front or +1 rear is all I've had to do to my 990's to make 6th useable.  The painful shuddering below 4k rpm is due to the lightweight/short stroke of the moving parts in the engine to yield a fast revving twin that is capable of high rpm.  Sounds like you would be more interested in a cruiser...

Tis true that the 9x0 engines like to rev and not be lugged. I went down a tooth up front and added a couple in the rear on my SM-R as I don't ride over 80 MPH very often and avoid interstates like the plague. Worked great for my needs/use.

[groundhogday]

Sounds like you would be more interested in a cruiser... :lol

Nope.  Just enjoy a flexible engine.    

[Windblown]

Since Windblown is lost in the Rockies right now on his new 1190 Adventure R, I'll talk about his beloved Tiger that gave up the ghost somewhere in Indiana I believe, prompting his mid trip purchase of the Adventure.  British tea cannot replace Orange Koolaid.  

Talking about me in my absence. Tsk tsk...  

Yep, couldn't stay away from the Orange Cool-aide.  

As an aside, you can tell the 1190 motor prefers 4000+ rpm just like the 990 does, but it is head and shoulders smoother and pulls better below 4000 rpm than the 990 mill which makes it a more versatile package IMHO.  So far it's been 99% grins with the new ride, but in typical KTM fashion it hasn't been without it's moments.  In all, I'm digging it alot. And since I didn't spam the ride report section here with my trip I'll just throw in a couple of pics instead! If anyone wants the story of how I ended up back on team orange the story is here: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/getting-out-west-15-years-in-the-making.1165297/

[Silverbird]

Keep us informed if you find the newer KTM as finicky as your SMT

[Windblown]

Keep us informed if you find the newer KTM as finicky as your SMT

7000 miles on the ODO so far. I hate to admit it but the damn bike just keeps growing on me. Quirks to date have been minimal. It really is just a big powerful dirt bike that will tackle anything the rider is ballsy enough to twist the throttle and hit, and then turn around and ride 400 miles home afterward. It ain't for the timid though, I have to put my game face on to get the best out of it. When I'm too old to enjoy it it will be scooter time.

[Oilhed]

Where's that?  Looks like PA

[Windblown]

Where's that?  Looks like PA

Reddish Knob on the VA / WV border.

[Oilhed]

Reddish Knob on the VA / WV border.

Thanks, It's now on my list!

[zigzag]

My 990 SD certainly became more user friendly below 4K after doing the O2 sensor removal mod.