Ktm Adventure 950
KTM Adventure 950
CYCLE WORLD TEST
KTM doesn't make just dirtbikes anymore
JIMMY LEWIS
ROAD TESTS ARE NOT IN THE OFF-ROAD Editor’s job description. If a bike rolls through the CW offices without knobbies or a spark arrestor, it doesn’t really register on my radar screen. But you-know-who was first in line when the new KTM 950 Adventure showed up. KTM’s most ambitious project to date, bred and nurtured in African rally racing, this V-Twin is poised to take the once-small dirtbike manufacturer into the streetbike market. For real.
KTM claims it wants to be the biggest non-Japanese bikemaker, and that can’t be done on dirtbikes alone. After sampling the 950, my assessment? Watch out, BMW, Triumph, Ducati and Aprilia!
Homologation for the American market has left KTM Sportmotorcycle USA a little behind the 8-ball, though, meaning the first stateside 950s will be here around August, listed as 2004 models. For those of you with deposits down (most, if not all, of the U.S. allotment of 950s has already been spoken for), breathe easy and let the money ride! You won’t be disappointed. Though first impressions can be a little iffy for inseams hovering around 30 inches.
Climbing on, the first thing that strikes you is the seat height. At 34.8 inches, it isn’t the just the altitude, but the accompanying width that’s off-putting, nixing a straight shot at the ground. Tippy toes, then, for all but 6-foot-plus riders. Not a real big deal, and you’ll appreciate the added rock clearance off-road.
Carburated with a set of Mikuni 43s, the LC8 Vee (two LC4 Singles, get it?) comes to life with a flip of the choke and a punch of the button-there is no kickstarter. Nice rumble, not that far off an Aprilia note, with quick, crisp revs settling down to a stable idle accompanied by a light mechanical hum. Unlike many carbed bikes these days, warm-up is quick and you’re soon ready to roll. A hydraulic clutch with a smooth, fairly light pull combines with easy gear selection, no clunks, no jerks from plate drag. All very refined-feeling. There’s not a lot of brute torque or heavy flywheel effect happening at idle; you’ll need to open the throttle a bit farther than with a Suzuki V-Strom and a lot more than a GS Beemer to get moving. As soon as the revs climb, though, power and torque start to multiply. From just above idle to about 4000 rpm, it’s a smooth ride-calm, collected, almost tranquil. But within the next 500 revs, the 75-degree, 942cc motor really gets going. KTM’s knowledge of shrinky-dink four-stroke Singles has led to an interesting, compact Twin. Utilizing a “multi-function shaft” that drives everything-counterbalancer, water pump, engine breather, electric starter, camchains-from between the cylinders. Camchains run up to another gear that spins the double-overhead cams in opposite directions. Camchain tension is controlled by oil pressure.
Back to that power surge, running right up to 9000 rpm, it’s meaty all the way. For lack of a better term, the powerband has a two-stage delivery-the lower portion you use most of the time, and the upper part that really excites. In fact, the 950 starts to rip about the same time it leaves any sort of single-cylinder dual-purpose bike in its wake. The only glitch in the power is some light surging during steady-state cruising at freeway speeds. Such is the price of clean air. An unlit display icon on the KTM’s dash has the letters “FI” underneath. You wonder what’s next?
A large curved radiator keeps temperatures in check.
The cooling fan never came on during street riding, but in slow-and-go off-roading it stayed on constantly, though the temp gauge never got into the danger zone, a sign the fan really works. Under the radiator is a reservoir for the 3 quarts of oil the dry-sump motor lives on. The tank is mounted just above the battery box (that aluminum skidplate-looking thingie up front). Thought went into keeping the heaviest stuff low-even the majority of the fuel is carried in the bottom portions of the twin tanks. This bike is not topheavy at all.
With a turn of the key, the seat comes off to reveal a storage area for the toolkit plus more-we stuffed a rain jacket in there easily. And the airbox is easy to get into for servicing. There’s a nice compartment right where a central gas cap usually would be. It holds the fuse box, with enough extra space to stash a GPS, small bottle of water, extra set of gloves, glasses, no-fog, beef jerky, toll change or a map-or a list of reasons why you got back so late from your ride, honest Honey.
Vibration, a KTM specialty served shaken, now is only a faint stirring in the LC8, though near redline the bodywork gets to humming. Most of the time, even by streetbike standards, it isn’t bad at all, a big improvement over the LC4 Singles. Banging through the gears, it’s easy to lighten the front end through the first three cogs, but then the Adventure settles down and takes long, smooth strides through fourth, fifth and sixth. This isn’t a Superbike V-Twin, but a nice power package for all occasions, especially considering it might have to shove those 92 ponies over something looser than just bad asphalt.
Which I know a little about since the first thing I did after a brief street ride was mount a set of Dunlop D606 knobbies for a photo shoot in the sand dunes. I can say that there is absolutely nothing like riding a 90-bhp dirtbike! Seriously. Helping harness all the horsepower, the KTM’s suspension is stiffer than anything else in the dual-purpose realm. Good stiff, in that it doesn’t bottom at the first sign of bumps in a dirt road. The linkageless PDS shock is very progressive.
We had the adjusters backed out to the softest positions for quite some time before the shock broke-in and began to move more freely. We then returned to near-stock settings, which delivered a firm, planted ride, almost sportbike-like on the road, and just right for off-road jaunts.
The fork is well-matched, also on the stiff side, which for a bike of this weight-453 pounds dry or 493 full of gas-is a good thing. Better to have suspension willing to put up a fight rather than blow through its damping and bottom. But the suspension’s adjustability will give this bike many faces, especially with such sensitive and wide-reaching rebound control.
Back out in the dirt, I was impressed with what the Adventure is capable of, and this isn’t even the longer-travel “S” model. It’s about as close as most mor-
tals will ever come to riding a true Dakar Twin. KTM has left more of the roots in this pseudo-rally bike than you can imagine. Yes, we even tried a few tough single-track trails; carefully, I promise. Tight, rocky, root-strewn switchbacks are best avoided.
Back on its round tires and out on the road, the KTM isn’t the most comfortable ride in the world. Blame the seat. Keeping with another KTM tradition, it is firm, not a place you’ll want to spend more than a couple hours at a whack. Maybe with time the foam will break-in and be more comfortable, but the gas tanks’ capacity held out longer than did my butt. Speaking of gas (the bike’s...), smart locksmanship on the part of KTM allows the key to be removed from one open gas cap so the other can be unlocked, making fill-ups that much easier. Too bad there isn’t a fuel gauge on the instrument cluster. Besides the dual tripmeters and a clock, there is a countdown feature that notes miles from the time the bike hits Reserve (about a gallon’s worth), but give us a gauge over this any day. Wind protection behind the tanks is pretty good, but the windshield falls a bit short, especially at the speeds this bike likes to gallop-126 mph on top!
Not that you’re worrying about the above-mentioned snivels while riding, ’cause the KTM takes on a life of its own. The 21-inch front wheel had some of the faster street riders on staff wishing for a smaller hoop, complaining of front-end push. Pucky! I was flopping the Adventure back forth like a fish out of water and I didn’t feel the least bit concerned. I found the tall upright riding position and dirtbike-style stance of the Adventure more exciting and fun (not to mention comfortable) than any repli-racer. In with those wide bars and a low eg, I’m betting the would embarrass more than a few sportbike jockeys when squiggling through ess-turns. Plus, that big front wheel laughed at bad asphalt and potholes, and its narrow contact patch stuck fine within sane riding limits. About the only down point to the handling is the bike’s turning radius. Steering stops kick in too quick-thoughts of a Mack truck in a stripmall parking lot come to mind.
Brakes are a strong point, maybe a bit too strong out back, but you get used to it. The front stopper can overpower the tire if you really romp into it, but at this point the rear wheel may be off the ground, anyway. Hooliganism isn’t a problem. The 950 just begs to be ridden, hard or easy, you choose.
Still, I doubt many will venture off-road with it. Shame on you if you don’t get it muddy! It’s dirt-worthy. Also in the works is a line of hard luggage and a whole catalog of bitsn-bobs to Adventurize your Adventure. A centerstand is even offered, though we think it should come stock.
So, what is it? A dual-purpose bike, a streetbike, an adventure-tourer? Think of the 950 as a “multi-purpose” bike. Sure, it’s big, but to me it seemed easier to ride off-
road than the old single-cylinder 640 Adventure, especially with knobbies. And on-road, this thing does everything the Single does-and it’s just getting going when the one-lunger is all done. For a first-year effort and its first real streetbike, KTM has surprised us. Right now, this bike has no direct competition in terms of versatility. Yep, there are better dirtbikes and better streetbikes, but when it comes to dirty streetbikes (or sport-touring off-roaders), this KTM is king.
KTM ADVENTURE 950
SPECIFICATIONS
$11,998
