All Test Drives – Test KTM 990 Adventure: Ready to Travel! – Summary: Adventure … it’s adventure!

Posted on by admin

KTM 990 Adventure test: Ready to Travel !

All Test Drives - Test KTM 990 Adventure: Ready to Travel! - Summary: Adventure ... it's adventure!

If the KTM road bikes are more oriented Ready to Race in accordance with the slogan of the Austrian manufacturer, the Adventure 990 invites more to travel. MNC verified this in the South between sea and lavender, among cyclists and motorhomes. Test.

Conclusion: Adventure … it’s adventure !

The motorway may be quick and practical, but we quickly tire of passing Polish trucks and Batavian caravans: like us, the Adventure prefers to cut the road … or rather the roads! The big, the narrow, the good, the saggy, the viroleuse, the trapping … Everything suits him !

In this little game of 1000 road markers, the Austrian is damn bluffing. Despite her "mixed" pneumatic riding, she is capable of kicking at an impressive rate. thanks to the quality of its suspensions and its impressive overall balance, it has little to envy in pure efficiency to the GS, reference in the category.

Do not ask questions !

At the beginning, it must be admitted, the tester has a tendency to shit and thinks that with this tire so thin at the front, "it will never hold" … And yet it passes every time! So we add more, again and again, and we end up having really fun riding the KTM.

This large orange grasshopper is never taken aback and allows the most total improvisation! Always available, the engine and gearbox are also prime assets. The twin is certainly less demonstrative than on the 990 SM and Super Duke, but it is hardly less efficient.

Besides, no need to whip it in the towers as it offers pleasure between 4,000 and 8,000 rpm. Fishing, torque and a nice extension with just the right amount of engine braking: happiness is guaranteed !

Diving…

When at the bend of a bend, a peloton of cyclists pass a Dutch motorhome – yes, they love small roads too! -, you have to crash everything and you manly grab with two fingers the short front brake lever – typical KTM – to avoid all these beautiful people.

The braking is then shown to be rather effective, but we would have liked the fork to dive a little less. Suddenly, the ABS tends to trigger quickly enough on the rear wheel, but nothing serious. Anyway, fans of trapper braking will only have to fall back on the 990 SM R !

The Last of the Mohicans

The Adventure’s off-road potential is undoubtedly the highest in the family of big road trails. However, it will take a hell of a job to risk jumping and putting a machine of 100 hp and almost 230 kg across. !

Moreover, even with its orange "crash bars" at a little less than 200 €, the slightest fall can quickly become expensive … very expensive! The lambda pilot will therefore be satisfied with the beautiful rolling tracks which can be swallowed at a good pace, while the most demanding can easily disconnect the ABS to control the rear brake..

In a market where big trails are gentrifying and turning their backs more and more on the earth to devote themselves to asphalt, the KTM Adventure 990 is resisting. Not everyone will recognize themselves in this choice, but big backpackers with a good background in TT will be satisfied. !

There remains the rather generous price of € 13,150 with ABS: if we add the some € 1,400 of accessories that make this KTM a super traveler, we are not far from € 15,000 … enough to afford a good streamlined 600 roadster and a beautiful 450 cc enduro !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *