990 advice

[Uncle Champ 116]

Just looking for some reality based advise:

Seriously considering a big bike capable of two up, after riding the 640 two up it has been decided that the next logical step is to the 990. What year and setup should I look for ? Not pulling the trigger tomorrow but gathering info so as to be ready.

Thanks. 

[Mikey777 44]

Uncle Champ:

I regularly two up with the GF on my 990, including dirt (mostly easy dirt roads so she won't freak out).  The 990 makes a great platform for that, plenty of room and plenty of power.  Plus, it is a great big bike if just you are riding and want a bike that does really well off-road. I would consider upgrading the seat to a Seat Concepts seat since the stock one is pretty hard and has little padding for your passenger.

I put a Dynamic Accessory rack and seatback on the bike so the GF has something to lean back against.  Otherwise, she is too far up on the seat and it makes riding difficult for me, especially in the dirt.  The seatback comes off very easily with four small bolts when not needed.  We have put a lot of miles on the 990 two up and bike camping.  Here are some pics of the seat and how we set up the bike for two up camping rides.

As far as years, there is a lot of information on the interwebz about certain problems with certain year models.  Do some googling.  You can find 990's from 2010 and newer under 20,000-30,000 miles for under 10k.  The "fun value" return on your investment will be worth it.

You really need to practice two up riding...especially off roading.  It can be challenging.

 

 

[paulmbowers 236]

The finest motorcycle ever built for the public is a tie between the 2011 KTM 990 ADV and the 2014 KTM 500EXC.

 

With the 950/990 there are a few choices- the first is carbs or injection. This is a religious choice, and I'm agnostic for my friends and have a deeply-held personal belief in injection. Certainly there are trade-offs (well, scratch head- wtihdemcarbs you cun fix her on the sydotheroad if ye git yerself in trubble) but if your faith runs to carbs, a 950 is what you want. I believe the cutoff for carbs is 07- but you can check at the Bible of All That Is LC8: www.ktm950.info


The 990 Baja (as seen in Mikey's post above) is an appearance package, and the bike is essentially the same as previous years. I like the look, but for me it's not a decision point for choosing a bike. 950 and 990 are the same displacement.

I'm beginning to see some deals on these bikes as they are aging, but I'd expect to pay at least $7500-$8500 for a good one. You will need to fix the suspension for most larger riders and especially 2-up. Very soft springs- bent my front rim in the first two weeks after bottoming out. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my weight.

[Bagstr 287]

Note the Chopped wind shield. Clean Air on these is much better than stock tornado!  Anyone who spends their hotel money on good riding gear ( Dainese ) is to be listened to.

[paulmbowers 236]

[Afry 1]

8 hours ago, paulmbowers said:

The finest motorcycle ever built for the public is a KTM 950SE after that it's a tie between the 2011 KTM 990 ADV and the 2014 KTM 500EXC.

Fixed it for you PMB!

However for two up the SE seat is a bit lacking ...

[Mikey777 44]

8 hours ago, Bagstr said:

Note the Chopped wind shield. Clean Air on these is much better than stock tornado!  Anyone who spends their hotel money on good riding gear ( Dainese ) is to be listened to.

+ 1 Shorty windshield was a must.  The stock windshield creates so much buffeting that it felt like somebody was kicking me in the head all the time. As for the leathers, they don't really go with an adventure bike and dirt riding, but we are on slab a decent amount and two-up on my other street bikes. Having full leathers was the only way I could convince her to ride with me.  I count myself lucky that she does. 

One other note about the Baja, it has no ABS.  The concept was to be more dirt specific. I actually find that to be a plus since I don't have to turn the ABS off all the time when transitioning to dirt.  Less to break and the gives you more storage under the seat because the ABS box is empty.  Great for stuffing your small spare parts into.  Other than that, it is mechanically the same as the other year bikes as Paul mentioned. 

Since it has no ABS, adding a high fender kit to it is easier also. 

 

[556baller 0]

I wanted a 640 Adventure but went with a 10' 990 Adv. I thought a 640 might not be enough bike with gear and 2 up. The two best things I've done to it was have the suspension redone, and add a second fan. I'm up in the high desert now were all there is to do is ride.  I have a pretty good list of mods but the suspension was an absolute game changer, and the fan was necessary because it's 110+ degrees here during the summer. 

[Uncle Champ 116]

Thanks for the info,  went two up in the cold mud weekend before last, (Sheepshead), north of Buckman Sps. Rd., slick spots and huge puddles are a bit tough with streetish tires and two up. Still looking to up grade from the 640.

[556baller 0]

Here's one thing I would consider, when the 1190 was getting ready to hit the market I couldn't wait to go check one out. My wife is a moto junkie, she was possibly more into the idea of an 1190 than I was. Long story short, I thought the 1190 was a nothing like a 990 so I never gave it a second thought. Fast forward a few years, my wife and I are the KTM Adventure Rally in Deadwood SD and nearly everyone is sporting the 1190. Still the 1190 doesn't do anything for me, until I spend the weekend riding with some pros and they are riding 1190's. The 1190 is a solid bike and seeing what it can actually do blew my mind. I watched guys whipping around them like they were riding trails bikes. 

[KTMrad 508]

950 or 990...can't go wrong with either one.

Once u learn how to handle the big bike, u will have so much fun.

Great 2 up bike.

Adventure awaits when u get one.

[carguy 1]

I think 06 was the last year for carbs. You can find low mileage bikes pre-06 950's for less that 7k. 

[Wierdrider 187]

This looks nice on ADVrider, 

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/2004-ktm-950-adventure-as-good-as-they-come.1198275/#post-31273022