990 Adventure

[Pytheas]

Hi Fellow Travellers,

I am considering buying a 2010 990 Adventure, and have come to "the source" (HUBB Forum) for advice.

In addition to the 990 being one of the best adventure bikes, how is the bike as a daily commuter? Any particular reliability and service issues?

I'm located in British Columbia and there is not a huge dealer network in the province.

Thanks in advance for sharing your advice/experiences.

Cheers.

[Jongosi]

I have one, bought it new 2 years ago. Wonderfull bike, best bike I have ever owned. No problem with comuting with it, BUT (IMHO) there are other bikes that shall cost you less to comute with.

[Pytheas]

Thanks for the feedback. Before I bought my F800Gs I read so much stuff about stalling, vibration etc. that it made me think twice about buying it. In the end, I have had no problems with my bike at all.

I guess the same holds true for the KTM. But I love that bike, so will probably bite the bullet and buy one for next season.

[QatarRider]

Take one for a test ride before you commit, the wind buffeting if you're 6'1 to 6'3 is horrendous and for me at least, no variation of screen size fixes it. A constant battering on the head makes for a very tiring day, not enjoyable at all. Then again, if you live in Qatar and are looking to buy, I have one for sale!

[Pytheas]

I'm waiting for the release of the 30th Anniversary Dakar Edition. Love that blue colour scheme.

The KTM just has so much more character than the other adventure bikes.

Cheers.

[Bobduro]

Hi Pytheas,

I owned a 990 for 2 years before heading off on our RTW. I'll agree with the above and say it was without the best bike i've ever owned (I came from a sportbike background). It's as quick as you like (maybe even quicker than you want!) when you want to have a bit of fun, and will embarress alot of 'fast' bikes without breaking a sweat, and all whilst you sit in comfort.

It's brilliant for commuting, allowing you great visibilty over cars etc, and with a pair of akros fitted it'll cleat people out of your way.

The only issues i had were fuel consumption was a little high (partly because you tend to give it the beans all the time!) and servicing was expensive, and doubly so when the service intervals are only about 4000 miles.

I sold it for the RTW (too expensive, too heavy, too complicated etc) and bought an XT660R but i do miss the KTM.

Get it, you won't be disappointed!!...

[fabriziot]

I currently own a 2005 KTM 950 Adventure, I had used it as a daily commuter for the last 2 1/2 years in Buenos Aires as well as for riding long distance in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay.
Great all around bike!!! Gets you ahead of traffic, give you awesome throttle response and on gravel or of road is agile and dependable.
On the other hand has a tendency to overheat when too hot, and does not like rush hour.
Any how what I like the best is the grin on my face every time i ride her.
Cheers

[Pytheas]

Thanks for the feedback. Can't wait till the Motorcycle Show next weekend to have a look at the bike in real life. The more I think about it, the more I'm sold!

Does anybody know whether the Ergo seat is actually 20mm (advertised) lower than the stock (sculpted) seat?

I'm a bit apprehensive about the seat height, although I have gotten used to riding my F800GS with the low seat and I think that the Adventure with the Ergo seat will be about the same height.

Cheers.

[MAXVERT]

Check out advrider.com

The Orange Crush forum has all the info you need on these bikes.

Max

[Katoom990]

Picked up the 990 Adventure last weekend. My first KTM. Love it!!!!!

[Katoom990]

I just picked up the 2011 990 Adventure dakar two weekends ago. Never having ridden a bike this large (and tall), I opted for the factory Gel seat which is approx. 1/2" lower than the standard seat.

Feels great and the slightly lower seat height works for me.

Btw, the suspension travel on the dakar edition is the same as the standard ABS equipped Adventure. Only real change was the 115 hp.

[UKbri]

A friends 2009 fuel pump went for no reason. It was only a couple of months old and he had real problems getting hold of a new one. Something to keep an eye on.

[mac1054]

A friend is waiting on delivery of a replacement screw before he will be able to ride...........I think the screws are made somewhere in Outer Mongolia!

[Katoom990]

The fuel pump on my 2011 Dakar started to develop a slow leak during a recent trip down the Oregon Coast. Luckily the bike ran fine, and I was able to complete the trip and bring her home.

The dealer claimed that they had never seen a 990 with a leaky fuel pump. Water pumps, yes. But not fuel pumps.

Turns out that the entire pump needs to be replaced as a unit, which is fine with me since the bike is still under warranty.

Bad part is that it has to come from Memphis, TN.

Haven't been able to ride for two weeks now, waiting for the pump.

Scheduled to go in this weekend to have it replaced.

The price of pedigree!!!

[mac1054]

Sure glad it didn't fail on our trip. I would have felt bad having to haul you to a KTM dealer on the back of my BMW.