First Ride on My New 990 Adventure (initial thoughts)

[R Doug]

I just took the Adventure out its first dual sport ride.  I did 180 miles with 35 of those miles being in the dirt.  I didn’t have a lot of time today, or I would have put in more dirt miles.  I really wanted to get a feel for the bike on long sweeping back roads, tight twisties, smooth gravel, hard packed dirt, and semi-gnarly large rock base / packed roads.  

My first takeaway from today is how amazing the suspension is as the bike can transition from twisties to flying over a gravel road very naturally.  In the twisties, I feel as if I could keep up with just about anyone I ride with if they’re on a sport bike.  The Adventure is very confident inspiring and it takes bumps mid corner better than any bike I’ve ridden.  Where the Super Duke will fell twitchy in bumpy corners, the Adventure allows me to ride right over them with ease and without slowing down.  

On gravel and dirt packed roads, I feel very comfortable with the bike.  Though I don’t feel as I could go as fast I do on the DR 650, I can maintain a decent pace.  When I’m in larger rock sections, I’m not nearly as confident as I am on the DR.  First, the twitchy throttle comes into play, especially since the bars aren’t quite high enough for me while I’m standing on the pegs.  Second, I’m running road tire pressure (i.e. 35 lbs) instead of what I would normally run on these roads (i.e. 20 lbs).   And finally, there are the facts the 990 Adventure weighs at least 137 lbs more and costs 267% more than the DR 650 (replacement cost).   The cost factor comes to mind when I have the thought of nailing the throttle mid corner and power sliding my way though it.    I do it all the time on my DR and have never lost control.  But, I’m not going to be too upset if I dump it power sliding around a corner.   But, I may shed a tear if I do that on the Adventure.    

Given the amount and type of dual sport riding I do, having the Adventure and the DR in the garage provides a good bit of overlap.  The DR is listed for sale.  If it does sell, I will miss how much quicker I can go off road on it than on the KTM.  But, I’m sure I’ll get more comfortable w/ the KTM over time.  And, I don’t need to be doing a “hair on fire” pace when I’m riding off road alone anyhow.  I would still like to keep a smaller dual sport in the garage, but I’m thinking nothing bigger than 400cc with 250 being ideal.  

For street riding, this bike is nearly perfect for me.  I can keep the pace I want on any paved surface.  The seat is a bit narrow in the place my butt tends to naturally rest.  But, the seat is big enough that I can move around to either a narrower or wider part.  Highway miles are an ease with the bike.  And though I don’t plan on much highway-type mileage, I’ve always found longs bits of slab to be taxing on me while riding any of the bikes I’ve owned.  So, given the fact I feel as if I could ride slab all day and still be comfortable speaks volumes to how I’ll feel on this bike after long days on country back roads.  

Wind buffeting is present at the top of my helmet, but it’s mild.  It’s nothing a slightly larger touring screen can’t fix.  The overall wind management is very good.  I can’t wait to try it out in the rain and cold.  Well, OK, I can wait.    But, it will be interesting to see how it will feel.  

The motor is absolutely brilliant!  Torque is what the LC8 is all about.  It is not very picky about what gear I’m in to roll out and pass someone.  The bike takes off with ease.  The only thing I’m not going to like about the motor is oil changes.  I’ve always thought the oil changes were awkward on the LC8 in my Super Duke.  But, because it’s a naked bike, accessing the two drain plugs, two oil screens, and oil filter are fairly easy.  HOWEVER, with the Adventure, you have to remove one of the bike’s two gas tanks to access one of the two oil screens!  And, you have to remove a small lower fairing to access the other screen and oil filter.  I’m told to be ready to invest 2 hour hours and a six pack of beer for when I perform the initial oil change!    Another odd thing to the bike is its two fuel tanks.  They are linked as the two exiting fuel hoses eventually hook up.  Mine are draining equally and I do like that you can open both at one time with a single key (you don’t have to leave the key in the gas cap while it’s open).  But, for off road use, the dual skinny tanks will help offset the feeling you would get with a 5.8 gallon fuel load sloshing back and forth.  

Despite its quirkiness, the bike is wonderful.  I can’t wait to farkle it up with the center dash GPS mount, aluminum panniers, cash bars, and a touring screen.  I’m already planning on taking the Adventure to the 2011 National in South Dakota as I tie the national meet in with a planned cross country trip on the bike.  

 

Near Tunnelton, WV




Snake Road





Stemple Ridge Road



Tannery - Crane Road

[black hills]

I'm 99% sure it will be my next bike

[squeezer]

That's just like, you know, twisting the knife.     Seriously, it sounds awesome.

[canban]

I’m already planning on taking the Adventure to the 2011 National in South Dakota as I tie the national meet in with a planned cross country trip on the bike.  

Doug do you realize that would be almost 2 entire years with this bike?

Unprecedented longevity of ownership on your part.

[st2sam]

A strange man on a strange bike.    "You-da-man" Doug, and your wife is a saint!  
Best of luck with her.  

[R Doug]

Strange bike, I'll give you that.  Strange man?  I thought we were friends.  

My dearest friend up north, you do realize I have owned the Super Duke for two years now.  And, I don't have that desire to let her go.  I believe this KTM will be a keeper too.

(well, that or I'll need a good divorce attorney).  

[alphabet man]

That is one sweet looking bike and no I am in no way biased at all   . Some things you might think about ,
scrap the scorpions and try some TKC 80s, much nicer in dirt and suprisingly good on tarmac, though playing Dakar racer and spinning the back tire on dirt at ridiculous speeds may result in high rear tire consumption and sore facial muscle's, but dang it's fun
I added 1" bar risers, it made a world of differnce (should have gone higher though) I am comfortable standing up at most speeds
16T front sproket, G-2 throttle cam and removing those pesky secondary throttle valves gives you a much smoother ride when putting around slow on the trails, always warm it up to atleast 2 bars  before riding
The motor well you know  
I boought mine in May and have 16,000km on it with absolutly no issues  and shit I still grin every time I twist the throttle

Edit to add: Your assesment of the suspension on this bike is spot on it is the most noticable feature on the bike
Then

now

[R Doug]

Thanks for the tips!  

[alphabet man]

Thanks for the tips!  

 Check out the OC hall of Wisdom http://www.ktm950.info/ if you haven't already

[R Doug]

I've pretty much lived on that site, as well as, the Orange Crush board over at ADV for the past year.  

I just picked up my bike this afternoon from the shop after getting the initial 1,000 kilometer check up (including oil change).  It set me back $399.  I can live with that.

Now all I have to do is sell my Suzuki DR and buy more farkles for the 990 Adventure (Hepco crash bars, KTM luggage rack and bags, gel seat, touring screen, etc...)  

[ksann]

I just picked up my bike this afternoon from the shop after getting the initial 1,000 kilometer check up (including oil change).  It set me back $399.  I can live with that.

Jeez, and people complain about BMW prices  


Curious, who makes the forks/shock?



Great write-up, very enlightening. Thakns.


ken

[R Doug]

   Well, the 1K check up did include a valve check (and a slight adjustment).  

The suspension on all KTMs are made by WP Suspension.  It's KTM's in house suspension shop.  

[Rincewind]

Awesome pics Doug - it looks like a freaking tank (in a good way).  I look forward to your continued reviews.  I don't think I'd want to deal with those oil changes, but this is a very special bike.

[alphabet man]

Awesome pics Doug - it looks like a freaking tank (in a good way).  I look forward to your continued reviews.  I don't think I'd want to deal with those oil changes, but this is a very special bike.

Oil changes really are not that much trouble I can do mine in about an hour, besides the amount of rough use (dirt) a lot of these bikes see it gives you a good chance to check over everything, look for loose nuts and bolts and such

[1KPerDay]

Sweet! congratss

[alphabet man]

By the way Doug, excellent review  

[R Doug]

Thanks guys.  

I like to do reviews to reciprocate to the others out there who do reviews.  Before I purchase a bike, I like to read what others like / dislike about it.  Though I know I won't agree 100%, I do know there will most likely be some overlap.

I hate it when I can't find good personal reviews on bikes.  I purchased the FZ1 w/o finding a good review and leaned quickly the suspension (rear) sucks.

[XLR8]

Awesome  

I will never not own one unless they quit making them. Interesting what you say about your DR. I had a TE 610 and although I still miss it at times, I couldn't justify keeping it around after getting the 990. It's fantastic. FWIW, I run a knobby on front and the stock scorpion in the rear and it works very well.

For me the VFR and 990 make great stable mates.

[faststage1]

Thats is one ugly bike . And here's a pic of my ugly bike:



I tease my dealer relentlessly that he sold me an ugly bike. I too am very pleased with it. My Tiger1050 is sitting looking very lonely in my garage. You nailed it with saying that it is extremely confident in a corner regardless of the road condition. I'm very sure that I'm quicker through the twisties than I was on my Tiger. Put a passenger on and its just as confident. I'd happily challenge a sport hooligan even with a passenger. One criticism would be that the brakes lack the power of a sport bike and the added engine braking is taking some getting use to.
Bring on the farkles.

[Rincewind]

Very nice faststage1!  I could see how your Tiger is getting lonely, that's some tough competition.  I have only sat on the KTM Adv's - they seem to have a lower COG then the Tiger.  When you say you feel faster in twisties, is it the better handling and suspension, or the engine as well?  Seems like a very livable mount, except for the additional maintenance costs.  Enjoy.

[faststage1]

Suspension.
The Tiger suspension always felt uncertain unless the road was perfect and the tires were new and it always felt like it wanted to push out wide, not as wide as my ZZR1200 mind you. The KTM loves tight roads. I've dragged the pegs on it feels like it wants more.

The 1050 motor of Triumph's is a fantastic motor. I wish the KTM had the same feel.

[sagerat]

lalalalala...not reading this...lalalalalala

Cripes, between you and XLR8 I'm barely holding off the 990 demon.

I love the KLR and think that and and used Viffer or Strom to keep the Ural company would be the perfect stable.  Then my thoughts stray back to the 990 and how much I enjoyed my test ride.

Thanks for the all the solid info and write-up.

lalalalalalalala....  

[R Doug]

Well, I can say for touring the 990 Adventure does have an Achilles heal.  The stock seat.

After 300+ miles in a day, I am ready to get off the bike.  In contrast, the seat on the Super Duke is all day comfortable.  The difference between them is the seat on the Adventure is way too soft.  It just doesn't support my bum.  

I have a Renazco seat on order (w/ the suede top).

[XLR8]

lalalalala...not reading this...lalalalalala

Cripes, between you and XLR8 I'm barely holding off the 990 demon.

I love the KLR and think that and and used Viffer or Strom to keep the Ural company would be the perfect stable.  Then my thoughts stray back to the 990 and how much I enjoyed my test ride.

Thanks for the all the solid info and write-up.

lalalalalalalala....  

 

[R Doug]

There was another thread on STN which got me thinking of what was my most favorite bike and what did I like about it so much.  That bike was my Ducati ST3.  For the longest time, I deeply regretted ever selling my Ducati ST3.  That was the first sport bike I've ever owned and I acquired it off a 10 year long hiatus from riding (what used to be old 80's JSMs and a few Harley Ds).  Shortly after going though a few bikes after the ST3, I realized either how lucky I was picking that bike or how much my homework paid off before its acquisition because, as mentioned,  I have missed it dearly.  

Well, after having over 3K miles on the 990 Adventure so far, I can say I have finally found a bike that I like better than the ST3.  Granted, the ST3 was a much better looking bike (depending on how you define those things), but the 990 Adventure gives me a great twin motor, wonderful handling, comfortable all-day-long ergos, and a good build quality with nice touches like high end suspension, brembo brake components, etc..  

The thing which sets the 990 Adventure apart from my old ST3 is I no longer have to go by a beautiful looking dirt road and think, "I wonder where that goes?"  

I'm going on my 3rd year of ownership with the Super Duke and that is a record for me.    

I wholeheartedly believe this 990 Adventure will be with me for quite some time.  

[alphabet man]

There was another thread on STN which got me thinking of what was my most favorite bike and what did I like about it so much.  That bike was my Ducati ST3.  For the longest time, I deeply regretted ever selling my Ducati ST3.  That was the first sport bike I've ever owned and I acquired it off a 10 year long hiatus from riding (what used to be old 80's JSMs and a few Harley Ds).  Shortly after going though a few bikes after the ST3, I realized either how lucky I was picking that bike or how much my homework paid off before its acquisition because, as mentioned,  I have missed it dearly.  

Well, after having over 3K miles on the 990 Adventure so far, I can say I have finally found a bike that I like better than the ST3.  Granted, the ST3 was a much better looking bike (depending on how you define those things), but the 990 Adventure gives me a great twin motor, wonderful handling, comfortable all-day-long ergos, and a good build quality with nice touches like high end suspension, brembo brake components, etc..  

The thing which sets the 990 Adventure apart from my old ST3 is I no longer have to go by a beautiful looking dirt road and think, "I wonder where that goes?"  

I'm going on my 3rd year of ownership with the Super Duke and that is a record for me.    

I wholeheartedly believe this 990 Adventure will be with me for quite some time.  

 I absolutly understand I feel the same way.
Did you buy a new seat, if so which one, I'm thinking Renzco

[R Doug]

 I absolutely understand I feel the same way.
Did you buy a new seat, if so which one, I'm thinking Renzco

Oh yea, Renazco all the way.  I've already sent in my money and am on the calendar for mid February.  

[Punchdude]

R Doug and others - Could you give me a sense of the service intervals on the 990 Adventure?  I was aware of the first 1,000km service and the tune of $399 sounds right. I test rode one last week and I was quite impressed with basically everything but the seat.

How frequent are the scheduled services thereafter..particularly valve adjustments? I was told by what I believe to be a very knowledgeable dealer that the 990 ADV should have a major service every 4k miles?

I did some research on Orange Cursh and it seems to say that valve adjusts are not required until 15k km or ~9k miles and that the initial adjustment can possibly be skipped now, depending on who you believe about water pump/water jackets. That makes more sense and is not that far fetched. Can you confirm?

I've conjured up your old threads on when you were comparing the 990 ADV and the R1200 GS. Very helpful by the way.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[R Doug]

The service manual from the factory says every 9K.  For me, I'll do what I did on my old Duc.  I'll stick to the factory suggestions during the warranty period and increase the major service interval to around every 12K (like many others do).  I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, but that's what I'm going to do unless I find out the valves were way out of spec at my next 12K service.  

Good luck on your decision.

[black hills]

I'm 99% sure it will be my next bike

correction, 100%  thanks for pushing me over the edge, this thing is amazing!!!!

[R Doug]

Nice R.  I'm glad you like it!

[bubba zanetti]

correction, 100%  thanks for pushing me over the edge, this thing is amazing!!!!

Thats a beauty     Maybe my bike can meet yours in Custer ? !

I just did my 30,000 km valve check and they were all well within spec and no need for shims. Gotta love that.

[black hills]

Maybe my bike can meet yours in Custer ? !

Definately!  perhaps a ride is in order? let me know what type of terrain you prefer and I will find a fitting route