KTM 990 Adventure
By creating the 990 Adventure, KTM intended on giving the normal rider a feel of what a Paris Dakar pilot experiences during the exhausting race. I reckon the Austrian manufacturer did a damn good job both winning the Rally many years in a row and riding the streets and the wilderness, the goal being to reach your house’s front alley, not a truly challenging finish line. First introduced in 2003, the KTM 950 Adventure S (yes, it started with the “S” and then got rid of it, producing in parallel two models) was an incredible entry as it featured the reliability, performance and style of the racing motorcycles that inspired its creation. The LC8 V-twin engine was a must from the very beginning and it displaced 950cc. A true on-and-off-road machine, the 950 Adventure’s engine developed an impressive 98.00 HP (71.5 kW) @ 8000rpm while maximum torque (95.00 Nm) was reached at 6000rpm. Color was KTM Orange. |
It sure doesn’t have many competitors, but sometimes a single one is enough to get things going in a whole other direction that the manufacturer anticipated. Even though great fun, awesome performing and orientated towards style and comfort, the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 doesn’t manage to dethrone the 990 Adventure. That would mean beating it at its own game. Usually when I imagine a Dual Sport motorcycle I tend to miss the fairing part which is so defining in this case. But my brain seems to be still denying the presence of all that covering plastic which looks like molded on and modified in order to look aggressive and kind of cool. This is how you’ll explain the sharp lines encountered only on the 990 Adventure and Adventure S.
Last weekend I was overwhelmed by the Adventure’s impressive abilities both on and off the road because the sensations that it delivers are truly unique and worthy of bragging words. When I got the bike it was so clean and shiny and although I knew things weren’t going to stay that way for too long I preferred keeping it on the pavement for a while. Here I noticed that the bike is pretty effective even when used in town. The 98bhp of the LC8 engine can be harnessed with a little bit of effort and the bike will remain properly balanced even at slow speeds. But when it comes to slow speed maneuvering, that’s where you have a problem because it tends on losing stability. KTM built the Adventure for being ridden hard in any kinds of conditions so being a bit tall and pretty demanding doesn’t help a lot between sitting cans. Well, you can always choose to make your own road and take it between the blocks and through deserted areas on the outskirts. Passing from street use to off-road hardcore exploiting has never shown a prettier face than the KTM’s 990 Adventure and I bet it won’t do it for a very long time ahead. My reasons are simple and very clear: no other manufacturer has the potential or the experience to deliver the performance (in the given category) of the filled-with-heritage Adventure and nobody (except the decent V-Strom) even tries it, so why worry? Just go for the best. . |