The KTM 990 Adventure it is one of the sexiest motorcycles of the 1920s of the new millennium. I say this without fear of denial. It is not beautiful in the most classical or canonical sense of the term, but it's fanny. You always turn to look at it, look at it a little’ eat a pornodiva, born recognize the silhouette against the light. And on this it is unique.
When you start to understand it you fall in love with it. One says that when it was introduced he thought it was almost a joke, than in KTM e in Kiska Design had gone mad. It looked like a motorbike drawn with a ruler.
Yet years later I fell in love with it. Because? Because I understand it. I understood what it was, what he could do and why it was like that.
Apparently it is something that happens to many since it is a motorcycle that despite the passing of the years continues to enjoy a certain attraction. There are still many on the second hand market and the prices are still good.
They were when I bought it used in 2016 and I am today that I sold it with a small depreciation after going through it 30.000 km.
Great bike but… leaves you on foot. Vero?
Yet in addition to the reputation of great motorcycles it also has the reputation of being unreliable.
I am often asked: “ma la KTM 990 Adventure is reliable? I'd like to buy one, but everyone tells me to leave it alone, to take a BMW GS or a Yamaha Super Ténéré…“.
Me too, listening to the usual bar talk / forum / Facebook group before buying it, I asked myself. There is no shortage of cases of various breakdowns or discontented people. Come sempre, however,, one should go and see case by case and focus rather only on the recurring problems of which, it is good to remember that, no motorcycle model can be said to be totally immune.
Then I thought of my friend Alessio who has already traveled a trillion and a half kilometers doing everything and certainly not saving it and that he would not change it for any other bike (or so it says) and I concluded that it shouldn't be so unreliable. So I bought it. (Yup, Alessio, it's also your fault)
And I enjoyed driving it, because it is really the only bike you can travel with even two and loaded, go strong in mixed and off-road. Provided you have some’ by profession, because she is not an easy girl. Remains (and I believe it will remain, given the direction taken by the houses) one of the most demanding bikes I have ever ridden.
This does not mean that it is difficult to drive, it means that to guide it properly you must always work hard. You can't let your guard down, she is always there to remind you that you are riding a thoroughbred.
Unreliability: legend or truth?
I think this story of unreliability was put around by some rosic jessist who found the sand between his teeth.
Battute a parte, it is certainly a very bike more delicate compared to the famous German competitors in the sense that it requires more attention. This does not mean that it is an unreliable motorcycle! But that must be treated with care, that the chain should be stretched, which should be heated, which must be serviced as much as possible.
The separate lubrication engine is a gem that derives from racing and therefore kicks, heats, and rude, should be heated. It has nothing friendly.
And the guy with the GS above mentioned it when he lost sight of you on the horizon: among the maxi enduros it is the only maxi enduro. All the others are touring bikes that also go well on dirt roads, la KTM 990 Adventure (the Super Enduro) it is the only one that really derives from off-roading and is also strong on the road.
At the time in KTM they concentrated much more on the engine and chassis than on the level of finishes. That's why the construction looks a bit’ approximate when compared to motorcycles like the GS which has other volumes behind it. All this is now understandable seeing the remarkable growth in quality of KTM tourism products. When the 950 and then 990 KTM had no experience in large-capacity motorbikes for tourism. But she started from an exaggerated engine and made some great bikes. The rest came later.
The manufacturing quality gaps are therefore evident in some sectors: plastics that peel easily, the windscreen that crack with vibrations, the saddle that can be unstitched and above all the undersized electrical system. Except for the latter, everything else is trivial.
Therefore, what problems I had?
In questi 30.000 km in addition to the oil change and oil filter (always done among the 7 e i 10.000 maximum km), when changing tires and tablets and candles, I changed a transmission kit. The large engine pull tends to tear so I was in having to often adjust the chain tension, something that in my laziness I don't particularly like to do, but that in itself is not a problem or an indicator of poor reliability.
I had it too, however,, inconveniences.
Il primo, ridiculous, was the failure of a gearbox seal ring. A small seal that caused oil leakage. I knew it happened to many.
The second drawback, more annoying, it is also quite frequent and concerns the electrical system, in particular the voltage regulator. It is a very cheap piece that when you jump leaves you on foot because the battery no longer charges. It gives you some warnings first though: some start-up difficulties – just because the battery is running low and it doesn't have enough strength – the display that resets itself as when you replace the battery until some shutdown. That's when it goes out is better to run for cover because it is not said that you can restart.
Perciò It is a good thing to keep a spare voltage regulator at home. If you take the original KTM it costs if I'm not mistaken 80 Euro, but in reality it is the same Asian-made spare part used by Piaggio scooters such as the Beverly so it is not impossible to find it at even much lower figures.
Replacing it is not complicated, but since you are sure that the cables are in good condition because they tend to cook over time. And in case I had to change the cables the matter is much more complicated. Tranquillo, it is rare.
Other owners have complained about problems all’clutch actuator, but I have nothing to say as far as I'm concerned.
Finally I point out what is not a reliability problem, but a design flaw: rear brake lines and pump are very close to the exhaust manifold and with heavy use (mountain or off road to say) the brake loses effectiveness. It was clear to me once after a long gravel descent and, while having no consequences, it wasn't fun. I know of owners who have moved everything by hand. I limited myself to replacing the oil, but a similar situation has never happened to me.
But ultimately, why you sold it?
First of all because they always make bullshit. The second reason is that in the last year and a half I have used it little for various reasons (motorbike under test, less chance of travel). The third is that even before coronavirus isolation, in this beginning 2020 I already knew that I could use it a little for a mix of work and family issues. I find it a contradiction to leave a motorcycle that still has appeal on the market stationary. The fourth and final reason is that it is no longer (if it ever was) the right bike for me. The fact that it is one of the best bikes of the last twenty years and certainly in many ways the best I have owned, does not mean that it is the bike that I need and that I identify with (we can say so?) in this period of my life. I want something more contained in size, even less exuberant, even more basic and classic. Last but not least you will touch the ground with your feet.
So in the end you recommend it or not?
If you like to travel by putting in any type of road you come across, if do a little’ of maintenance amuses you rather than scares you, if you have a good handle and you like the idea of having a kick on the back every time you open the throttle, if you have long enough legs, if you pay attention to lust and not to finishes, if it's dirty for you it's nice, so yes.
In this case, the amount with which you can buy a KTM 990 Adventure you can't buy better.
In case you want a placid travel endurona instead, comfortable and non-grumpy, then maybe you should evaluate other valid alternatives such as Yamaha Super Ténéré or Suzuki V-Strom as well as the usual BMW GS.
But if your doubt is solely that KTM 990 Adventure is reliable or not, the answer in a nutshell is that you have no reason to fear as long as the specimen you are purchasing is in order and has been maintained. This One, however,, applies to any motorcycle. In this regard, I share below an old video of mine with some tips that always apply when you are buying a used motorcycle.
I am convinced that an informed motorcyclist is a more aware motorcyclist and in his own small way he will act for a better world. For this reason, the articles and videos that I publish on Motoreetto.it are accessible to everyone and without advertising banners because the information must be open and shared.
I am doing it independently and it is allowed by the people who have decided to join my CLAN.
It would be fantastic if you also considered being part of it.
1 comment
Comments are closed.