the_wes
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
- Messages
- 8,751
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Brackenfell, Cape Town
- Bike
- Harley Davidson (all models)
I'm looking to the future. Baby is due in Jan/Feb, so by this time next year mommy's going to want to ride, and the XChallenge is not going to cut it anymore. What to do? So many ideas, sell the XChallenge get a F800GS, keep the XChallenge, get a second hand 1150GS, etc etc. Or, sell the XChallenge and get...
A KTM 990 Adventure...
So last week KTM Cape Town were kind enough to let me thrash one of their demo 990s for a couple of hours. I've been very keen to ride the 990 ever since I took Mark's 950 for a spin (twice) so I was quite excited when handed the keys. Visually I've always found the 990 stunning - it's a tall, angular, mean looking machine of a bike. I like anything that looks like it came from the future to kick some ass, and the 990 fits the bill. The promise of competition level suspension etc etc has also held my attention for quite some time.
Swinging a leg over, it took some getting used to for me ergonomically - after coming off the XChallenge where you sit almost on the bars on a flat seat, I had to get used to reaching for the bars and sitting "in" the bike. Still, it didn't take long to get used to. The route I had planned was to go up through Paarden Island, head for the refinery, turn right towards the N7, get onto the N7, turn off at Vissershok, do the usual Annandale road and Occultdale road, back to Durbanville and home.
Starting off in Paarden Island gave me a chance to familiarise myself with the bike, as well as it's "in town" handling. I must say, the 990 is a lot nimbler than it looks, though it took me a while to get confident enough to toss it around. When I did though, it didn't dissapoint. It also gave me a chance to test out the bike's acceleration and "torque-i-ness" which is, in a word, awesome. The fuel injection, along with the twin Akro's the test bike was fitted with (why do they do that? aftermarket pipes on a demo... makes it hard to buy the bike without them - great sales trick) made the bike feel and sound great - brutish, but refined.
Pulling onto the N7 gave me a chance to test out the top speed, and I wasn't disappointed, as the bike sat very comfortably at 160-180, and saw an indicated 205 on the clock before I backed down. Crazy stuff for an "Adventure" bike, and part of the appeal really. Here's a bike you can enjoy a breakfast run on with your road going riding buddies.
From there, it was onto Vissershok road for some nice big sweeping corners. Again, the 990 rose to the challenge, gracefully eating up corner after corner. I quickly turned onto Annandale and Occultdale roads to put the 990 through it's gravel paces, and quickly discovered how this bike likes to be ridden off-road - the same way it does on the black stuff - HARD. Whack open the throttle, feel the back wheel slide out, whack open the throttle even more, shoot up through the gears and off you go. In first and second it's complete insanity as the wheel just struggles to find grip, in third it bites and off you go. From there on in you just hold on for dear life and enjoy the ride.
Heading back into Durbanville I took the opportunity to hit a few small trails in and around Uitzight, which gave me the chance to test the 990 on some very uneven terrain, ruts, bumps, and even a little sand. I was initially worried that all the suspension talk was just marketing babble, but my scepticism was quickly laid to rest, as the 990 soaked up everything I could throw at it with not so much as a "clank" or "clunk". Unfortunately, riding it in this terrain also revealed it's biggest weakness - the quirky fuel injection. Unfortunately the engine mapping is such that this bike needs to be ridden with an open throttle - anything less is met with spluttering protest. This makes it hard to crawl over obstacles at slow speed, or enjoy any sort of technical riding. Ergonomics came into play again, and I found it a little uncomfortable standing and riding after a while - even with handlebar raisers. Again, this is after coming off the XChallenge (which has the perfect off-road riding position, standing or sitting) so perhaps I'm being harsh.
Returning to the dealership with a smile on my face, Peter and I had a chance to review some of my thoughts on the bike: power - check, handling - check, suspension - check. Ergonomics - not so sure, but don't take my word for it, I've just climbed off an XChallenge so may be expecting much. Fuel injection - great with an open throttle, not so great on the slower stuff.
At this point Peter decided to solve my ergonomics and fuel injection issues, and said "sounds to me like that's what you're after" while pointing past me. I turned around and there it was...
The KTM 950 Super Enduro.
A bike I'd never given a second thought to, because of my obsession with the BMW HP2. A bike that's lighter, tighter and more focussed than the 990. A bike that, when you climb on, feels like a big enduro - seat where it should be, handlebars where they should be - a bike you sit "on" rather than "in". And pillion pegs, nogal.
"Why don't you take it for a spin?".
I didn't need a second invitation, we wheeled it out, started it up and off I went. First order of business - play with that throttle, see how low you can go... as low as you want, there's no quirky fuel injection here. Ok, now let's whack it... whoa! No problems there. The 950 feels like it has less power than the 990, but that's just the lack of fuel injection, and the quieter sound (no Akro's). Upon closer throttle inspection, there's plenty of power. I urban enduro'd my way through the busy streets of Paarden Island until I came to the canal, where I pointed the nose of the 950 onto the little trails that run alongside it, and opened her up.
The next few minutes were spent blasting up and down that little trail with a grin so big I think my helmet was holding my head together. The littlest bump or blip of throttle would get the front off the ground, get the rear squirming, but the bike never felt out of control. Just on edge. Constantly. I returned to KTM Cape Town a converted man. This big, ridiculous machine has me hooked.
So what of the HP2? I don't know. It's close, I remember the same ridiculous feeling when I rode it, but that was a while ago... It also has a light chassis and ridiculous amounts of power, but the boxer engine and shaft drive ensure that the power delivery is totally different to the 950. I'll need to ride them back to back somehow. But thankfully, I'm not buying anytime soon, so I have plenty of time to make my mind up :deal:
A KTM 990 Adventure...
So last week KTM Cape Town were kind enough to let me thrash one of their demo 990s for a couple of hours. I've been very keen to ride the 990 ever since I took Mark's 950 for a spin (twice) so I was quite excited when handed the keys. Visually I've always found the 990 stunning - it's a tall, angular, mean looking machine of a bike. I like anything that looks like it came from the future to kick some ass, and the 990 fits the bill. The promise of competition level suspension etc etc has also held my attention for quite some time.
Swinging a leg over, it took some getting used to for me ergonomically - after coming off the XChallenge where you sit almost on the bars on a flat seat, I had to get used to reaching for the bars and sitting "in" the bike. Still, it didn't take long to get used to. The route I had planned was to go up through Paarden Island, head for the refinery, turn right towards the N7, get onto the N7, turn off at Vissershok, do the usual Annandale road and Occultdale road, back to Durbanville and home.
Starting off in Paarden Island gave me a chance to familiarise myself with the bike, as well as it's "in town" handling. I must say, the 990 is a lot nimbler than it looks, though it took me a while to get confident enough to toss it around. When I did though, it didn't dissapoint. It also gave me a chance to test out the bike's acceleration and "torque-i-ness" which is, in a word, awesome. The fuel injection, along with the twin Akro's the test bike was fitted with (why do they do that? aftermarket pipes on a demo... makes it hard to buy the bike without them - great sales trick) made the bike feel and sound great - brutish, but refined.
Pulling onto the N7 gave me a chance to test out the top speed, and I wasn't disappointed, as the bike sat very comfortably at 160-180, and saw an indicated 205 on the clock before I backed down. Crazy stuff for an "Adventure" bike, and part of the appeal really. Here's a bike you can enjoy a breakfast run on with your road going riding buddies.
From there, it was onto Vissershok road for some nice big sweeping corners. Again, the 990 rose to the challenge, gracefully eating up corner after corner. I quickly turned onto Annandale and Occultdale roads to put the 990 through it's gravel paces, and quickly discovered how this bike likes to be ridden off-road - the same way it does on the black stuff - HARD. Whack open the throttle, feel the back wheel slide out, whack open the throttle even more, shoot up through the gears and off you go. In first and second it's complete insanity as the wheel just struggles to find grip, in third it bites and off you go. From there on in you just hold on for dear life and enjoy the ride.
Heading back into Durbanville I took the opportunity to hit a few small trails in and around Uitzight, which gave me the chance to test the 990 on some very uneven terrain, ruts, bumps, and even a little sand. I was initially worried that all the suspension talk was just marketing babble, but my scepticism was quickly laid to rest, as the 990 soaked up everything I could throw at it with not so much as a "clank" or "clunk". Unfortunately, riding it in this terrain also revealed it's biggest weakness - the quirky fuel injection. Unfortunately the engine mapping is such that this bike needs to be ridden with an open throttle - anything less is met with spluttering protest. This makes it hard to crawl over obstacles at slow speed, or enjoy any sort of technical riding. Ergonomics came into play again, and I found it a little uncomfortable standing and riding after a while - even with handlebar raisers. Again, this is after coming off the XChallenge (which has the perfect off-road riding position, standing or sitting) so perhaps I'm being harsh.
Returning to the dealership with a smile on my face, Peter and I had a chance to review some of my thoughts on the bike: power - check, handling - check, suspension - check. Ergonomics - not so sure, but don't take my word for it, I've just climbed off an XChallenge so may be expecting much. Fuel injection - great with an open throttle, not so great on the slower stuff.
At this point Peter decided to solve my ergonomics and fuel injection issues, and said "sounds to me like that's what you're after" while pointing past me. I turned around and there it was...
The KTM 950 Super Enduro.
A bike I'd never given a second thought to, because of my obsession with the BMW HP2. A bike that's lighter, tighter and more focussed than the 990. A bike that, when you climb on, feels like a big enduro - seat where it should be, handlebars where they should be - a bike you sit "on" rather than "in". And pillion pegs, nogal.
"Why don't you take it for a spin?".
I didn't need a second invitation, we wheeled it out, started it up and off I went. First order of business - play with that throttle, see how low you can go... as low as you want, there's no quirky fuel injection here. Ok, now let's whack it... whoa! No problems there. The 950 feels like it has less power than the 990, but that's just the lack of fuel injection, and the quieter sound (no Akro's). Upon closer throttle inspection, there's plenty of power. I urban enduro'd my way through the busy streets of Paarden Island until I came to the canal, where I pointed the nose of the 950 onto the little trails that run alongside it, and opened her up.
The next few minutes were spent blasting up and down that little trail with a grin so big I think my helmet was holding my head together. The littlest bump or blip of throttle would get the front off the ground, get the rear squirming, but the bike never felt out of control. Just on edge. Constantly. I returned to KTM Cape Town a converted man. This big, ridiculous machine has me hooked.
So what of the HP2? I don't know. It's close, I remember the same ridiculous feeling when I rode it, but that was a while ago... It also has a light chassis and ridiculous amounts of power, but the boxer engine and shaft drive ensure that the power delivery is totally different to the 950. I'll need to ride them back to back somehow. But thankfully, I'm not buying anytime soon, so I have plenty of time to make my mind up :deal:
