Found out this morning that a friend of mine from down in Florida is going to be stopping by next weekend on his way up to Montana.

He's riding his new KTM 990 Adventure bike, and he want me to take it out and see what I thought.

I'll probably end up killing myself, if so it's been nice 'chatting' with you all over the past couple of years.

Did some checking on the internet, and these 'dual sport' bikes appear to be real monsters. It has a LC8 999cc V-Twin engine (98 horsepower in stock condition), fuel injected, ABS brakes, 6 speed, and the thing only weighs 438 pounds. Suppose to have a top speed of right in the 150 MPH area, and with 100 horsepower and a weight of only 438 pounds no doubt the acceleration is something I'm not use to...

I found a video of a couple guys running their KTM 990's down the road through some twisties, and it's pretty impressive....

This could be interesting.. LoL...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ_oNuQjBHk&NR

 

Looks like a very cool bike! Should be a screamer... The power to weight ratio is a little less impressive than the Buell XB12X Ulysses (103 bhp at 400lbs). The Buell weight I gave is dry though... And in all fairness, it is a 1203cc.... If the KTM rides anything like the XB12X, then hold on to your azz!!! Have fun.

 

In a way I'm really looking forward to riding this rocket, but then again, I'll be totally out of my element.. [8D]

Guess if I don't try anything crazy (like riding off-road) everything will be okay...

(Famous Last Words)..

 

Hmm, never been fond of the way KTM bikes look. They look so... angular. No roundness to 'em. Yeah, dual purpose bikes are neat. My Yamaha XT is a dual purpose. It's a 6 speed, but only 223cc... but the killer part is it weighs 240 pounds. It handles practically like a bicycle LOL Then again, that one you're going to ride is more a street bike. My XT is more a dirt bike.

Oh, and the average crotch rocket today makes around 120hp+ and weigh only around 350 pounds. So if you can believe it, the bike you're about to ride is actually mediumfastness.

 

Yeah but your 'talkin' with someone that has spent the past 35+ years riding nothing but Harley's...

I did put a 100 miles or so on a Kawasaki KLR 650, which is the same 'dual sport' type bike, but it weighs more than the KTM 990 and was only rated at 37 horsepower. It was interesting, and would cruise at 75 MPH without any problems..

For some reason I just can't picture me on a 400 pound bike with 100 horsepower.

(And it doesn't even have forward controls)..

 

Have fun, OFG!

I've ridden a friend's Suzuki SV-1000 "Dual" purpose bike and it hauls on the road. Kind of lacking in the off-road department, and I think they have a nerve calling it a "Dual" purpose machine.

That style bike is not my cup of tea, but my friend loves it and put over 40,000 in just under 2 years of ownership. He's anavid camper and has gigantic aluminum "saddle" bags on it with a big T-bag, powerlets all over for cell phone, GPS, MP3, Bluetooth, etc. and he has had a ball with it. He's been to Nova Scotia, Toronto, Quebec, Georgia, Kentucky, and a myriad of other places.

Whatever floats your boat, I guess...

 

Just about anything with two wheels and a engine is cool in my book!

 

Just before you get on to ride...

DON'T SAY:

"Hey y'all, watch this!"

Trust me.

 

I've already made a reservation with the nearest hospital so everything will be ready and in order when I arrive at the emergency entrance..

 

Yeah, I've never been on anything faster thanmy Sportster. You're going to have a blast, no doubt!

That's because it's not the dual purpose you're thinking of. In this case, they mean dual purpose as in a combination ofstandard bike /sport bike / sport touring -- not the combination of a dirt bike / street bike. At least that's how I've always thought about it.