KTM 990 adventure 2008

"The KTM has a blend of qualities that no BMW GS offers; agility, raw, torquey power and a stronger sense of purpose."

The big KTM 990 Adventure is one of the most versatile bikes that money can buy, with a punchy V-Twin engine, optional hard luggage and excellent rider comfort. Is it a true rival to the BMW R1200 GS Adventure? Alastair Walker reports.

The "Ewan and Charley" effect has been one of the great masterstrokes of motorcycle marketing; put a genuine Hollywood star on a motorcycle, then follow him and his best mate around the world. It’s proved an inspiration for thousands of riders in the UK, helping to make the big Beemer the top selling machine of 2007.

That BMW salesmanship must be a bitter pill to swallow at KTM, who have successfully defeated their richer, more Germanic rivals in events like the Paris-Dakar, Dubai Rally etc. You’d think that off-road Rally success would sway experienced riders more than some travelogue TV show…but no, celebrity endorsement seems to win over hardcore race results.

Fact is, on the road is where most middle-aged bikers do their riding, not the dunes of the Sahara. On the pot-holed streets of our cities, or the back lanes of rural Britain, the KTM isn’t quite as easygoing, as satisfying, as the GS Adventure for some riders.

Why? Well, a BMW GS is a touch more relaxing, more "touring" in its nature, whereas the KTM 990 Adventure needs more challenging terrain, plus more rider input, to feel truly alive and giving its best. The KTM 990 isn’t so roomy as a weekend break bike for a couple plus their kit - the GS also has a new low seat option, which makes it the only choice for those with a 30 inch or lesser inside leg.

You see, the KTM is that bit more hardcore, but the motorcycle market in the UK is becoming softer, older, more conservative than every before. But riding a motorcycle isn’t all about logic. There’s a thing called the human spirit, an intangible, integral part of every person that needs some kind of TLC at regular intervals - it sets us apart from animals more markedly than speech does.

We need our daily experiences to somehow translate meaning in our lives, and for me, a KTM 990 does that better than any BMW can manage. It reminds you of that old adage; a life without adventure is a life half-lived.

Sporting Life

I’ve ridden both the road version and the Adventure variant 2008 BMW 1200 GS, and been impressed by both. They are excellent touring bikes, with the GS Adventure having the edge in terms of gritty, urban warrior looks, acceleration and feel.

But the KTM has a blend of qualities that neither BMW GS model offers; back roads agility, raw, torquey power and a stronger sense of purpose. There’s a determination here to build something that’s fun. It is that sheer exhilaration, the way the KTM almost feels like a jet-ski carving its way along a wet road in the Brecon Beacons, that sets it apart.

The KTM’s LC8 engine plays a huge part in this. The 999cc 75 degree, V-Twin kicks ass, feels brutal at first as it warms up, then becomes simply lumpy at tickover. By comparison, the BMW is highly civilized, docile even. It trickles off the line at traffic lights with a steady ticking beat, not the gruff, staccato bark the KTM emits. But I like that KTM edginess, it suits the looks and the image of an adventure touring bike.

More importantly, the power the KTM delivers is attuned to the real world, where van drivers glance at you, then pull out at roundabouts. So you annihilate them on the next short straight, blatting past with a few seconds of deep bass exhaust noise and front end lightness. It puts a grin on your face.

The KTM 990 has instant lunge, a smooth, fuel-injected stream of power that starts at 2000rpm and rockets you forwards. The 999cc incarnation of the motor features twin throttle bodies within the fuel injection system, which KTM say increases the torque at low rpm, and boosts the overall response.

Out on a twisty road, clear of traffic, you begin to play with the KTM, revelling in its adroit, predictable handling and the finesse it offers. The front end has WP, upside down, 48mm forks with multiple adjustment. Another WP shock is at the back end, offering a firm, yet compliant ride.

There’s loads of feedback and you soon trust the ABS-enhanced brakes as you ride the bike harder into corners. You begin to see why KTM make a 990 Supermoto using much the same basic engine/chassis package, it feels sportier, infinitely more ’chuckable’ than the BMW.

Sounds like a little difference, but it’s huge - the KTM makes you laugh out loud where the BMW just puts a grin on your chops. The KTM has spirit, soul, likes life on the ragged edge, whereas the BMW stays neutral, insulates the rider from full contact with every bump and dip in the road that’s rushing beneath your wheels.

For me, the KTM has pure adventure in its DNA, just like BMW, but the German bike hasn’t got the power to electrify its rider quite so easily. It can go fast, it steers and brakes with quiet efficiency, but the BMW requires more precision, more planning, to thread the bike through sequences of blind corners. The KTM encourages you to ride by the seat of your pants - risk a little bit of safety margin by counter-steering your way into a turn and waiting for a chance to nail that aggressive, twin-cylinder motor as you exit.

I absolutely loved that feeling. More to the point, I actually need it in any motorcycle I own, it can’t be too sensible, too sanitised.

The nuts and bolts of escapism

OK, practical stuff; the KTM has chain final drive. The chain stretches easily because of the torquey motor too, I had to adjust it within 800 miles, (of mainly wet weather riding) so it doesn’t take much to hammer the links.

The BMW wins that argument with its shaft-drive, undoubtedly more convenient and less of a pain on long tours. Lifting the seat on the KTM 990 reveals precious little room for anything more than the toolkit, so your chain-lube will eat up valuable pannier space.

Talking of panniers, the Hepco items on the KTM open topside, like the ones on the GS Adventure, and are of the fashionable ’album box’ style. I like the fact you can squeeze stuff in better with that design, rather than side opening cases, but the KTM’s plastic panniers don’t look as trick as the aluminium ones on the BMW.

It’s good that both machines have ABS as standard, it would be nice if heated grips, sat nav and a multi-position front screen also came as standard. Both the KTM and BMW retail for a huge sum in basic form, with extensive - and expensive - optional extra lists, but some everyday functions should be included on what is an ’adventure tourer’ surely?

Rider comfort? For 2007 KTM improved their saddle, long renowned for its plank-like firmness. It is much improved, but I still think the BMW has the better accommodation, especially two-up. You kind of sit ’in’ the BMW a bit more than you do on the KTM, which feels better somehow.

One final detail; the KTM’s twin fuel caps are set at angles, so it’s very easy to spill fuel as you fill up. Also, you can’t fill them to the brim, because of the angled filler caps - a basic design flaw which restricts the range. The KTM is thirstier on fuel as well - about 40mpg to the BMW’s 45-47mpg average I would estimate.

Now let’s talk serious money. The BMW costs a bit more than the KTM, but remains arguably the one motorcycle, this side of a Harley Electra Glide, which has a queue of would-be buyers waiting once you are ready to trade-in. The big GS is, in essence, very cheap motorcycling, for you can travel 25,000 miles on a GS and only lose about 3-4K in depreciation. Try that on a GSXR1000 and you’d be lucky to get offered 25 shares in an Icelandic bank for your motorcycle.

I am not sure that the KTM 990 will hold its value quite so robustly, mainly because it isn’t so pillion-friendly, and I think middle-aged women are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to buying expensive motorcycles - new, or used.

Cards on the table then, which would I buy? Has to be the KTM 990. I love its raw, lairy power from that big V-Twin motor, the sport bike type suspension and the way it feels over-engineered, ready to race to Timbuktu next Tuesday. I know that the BMW is a more sensible financial choice, and that it offers a smoother, less dramatic ride for my wife on the pillion. But I can’t resist adventure, a little risk in my life.

It’s why I started riding those crazy, dangerous things called motorcycles, over thirty years ago. So why stop now?

Get KTM motorcycle insurance for the ktm 990 adventure 2008.

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