In keeping with the defections...

MoDog · 12-08-2008, 09:01 AM

I brought a new bike home from Colorado yesterday; it looked like it needed a home.

The 990 rocks. It handles rutted trails, winrows of dirt and gravel, and cattle guards like they don’t exist. It feels very light and is quite snorty. It has about the same hp as the R1100S, but is lighter and is geared a bit lower…so yeah, the thing absolutely scoots. Change is good.

It will get even snortier after the 1000 mile checkup when I get the Akrapovics and the new FI map installed…he,he,he…and in case any of you are thinking about buying one, Orange is definitely the faster color!

wswartzwel · 12-08-2008, 09:14 AM

I have been watching the classifieds for a year now....But with one kid in college and 2 more in line, it ain't gonna happen for me anytime soon *envy*

Congrats!!!

MoDog · 12-08-2008, 09:24 AM

I have two at UW right now, but they're just about finished, so yeah, I feel your pain. It's a good thing I had my pennies saved from selling my other two bikes; with the 990, I'm down to one bike until the boys get off the dole and get jobs. I was kind of waiting for the F800GS, but upon riding the BMW and the KTM back to back, the decision was easy...besides, with the economy the way it is, I got the '08 990 for less than the F800...there's no better time to buy a bike in the northern rockies than winter time.

Rapid Dog · 12-08-2008, 10:17 AM

Here's a very sweet one...

Steve Carlton · 12-08-2008, 11:11 AM

Rapid Dog · 12-08-2008, 11:23 AM

wswartzwel · 12-08-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Hey if you put a beard on that guy....

Rapid Dog · 12-08-2008, 11:52 AM

...I see what you mean...

jduke · 12-08-2008, 12:07 PM

Sorry guys, but that's one ugly bike and seeing it in person doesn't help either. Be honest, you know the picture of the black R1200S that RD posted is a much prettier bike. Nothing personal and I'm sure there are other reasons to buy the KTM, but looks couldn't be in the top 5 reasons.....

MoDog · 12-08-2008, 12:39 PM

The KTM is a classic statement of function over form...

The more I ride it and read about it, the more I like it...gas tanks at axle level, battery behind the skid-plate, ultra lightweight frame and engine, incredible pwr to weight, etc...everything is designed with low cg, superior handling, and outright performance in mind. I bought it to ride the byways and trails of the American and Canadian Rockies; I don't care how it looks.

Besides, it's an absolute blast in the backcountry; I can't believe how much fun that bike is.

Rapid Dog · 12-08-2008, 12:43 PM

...right on Mo', you tell'em. I looked real hard at the 950's before I came actross a GS I could afford. I could have picked up Peter Egan's black 950 if I hadn't had an S to sell first.

I think they're righteous rides, and I bet much more fun in the dirt!

wswartzwel · 12-08-2008, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoDog

The KTM is a classic statement of function over form...

The more I ride it and read about it, the more I like it...gas tanks at axle level, battery behind the skid-plate, ultra lightweight frame and engine, incredible pwr to weight, etc...everything is designed with low cg, superior handling, and outright performance in mind. I bought it to ride the byways and trails of the American and Canadian Rockies; I don't care how it looks.

Besides, it's an absolute blast in the backcountry; I can't believe how much fun that bike is.

Please stop....

shreddr · shreddr's Garage

sorry MoDog, I don't believe you even bought that thing, you are just looking for attention...

ckcarr · ckcarr's Garage

Congratulations!

So I guess you can come here for a steak next year...

I just about fell on the floor when I saw that cockatoo!

Maybe black is best...

R1100SPORTour · 12-08-2008, 03:17 PM

Have fun with it,MoDog!
Depending on how much you saved it was worth buying it over a R1200GS,or not...

How much?Does it have ABS?
For the same money as for a F800GS I would have gone with the KTM,too.
Even if it is heavier and uses more fuel.The KTM looks like more of a quality bike with more expensive components like White-Power suspension stock.
The Fuehrer would have approved...

MoDog · 07:20 PM

Yup Sporttour, it has ABS but with no linked brakes...easy shutoff for dirt...and probably $5K cheaper than the GS...money wasn't an issue; I was ready for something different...incidently, the Fuehrer was dangerously inbred and more than likely the result of a father who just didn't bear down hard enough at conception; I doubt he'd be proud of me.

Why yes Craig, I'll make a few trips to the Wolf this summer; I'm already charting a few backroad adventures to Saratoga (over mostly dirt), then to Slater and down to Steamboat via the Hahns Peak Road, etc...lots of good back country to explore in these parts...gawd, I could sure use a Saratoga soak and a steak at the Wolf...and it's only December. But then there's always a Targhee Christmas to take up the slack of wintertime mc doldrums.

Summer will be cool, but it took me buying a new bike to finally make the snow fall...win/win really.

sfarson · 12-08-2008, 08:54 PM

Congrats MoDog. Rented one in Chile to see what it was all about. Now I know. It took me everywhere, from Chilean cities and backroads to waaaaay off road up high in the Andes and down low to lonely sandy beaches. It overdelivered everywhere. The engine rocks as you already know. It is a hoot of a bike. The trip/pics/vids...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240376

markjenn · 12-08-2008, 09:09 PM

Congrats, gorgeous bike..

Absolutely love these KTM 990's, but a while back I bought my last CRT, my last VCR, my last carburetor, and my last traveling bike with tubes in the tires. And this KTM has a reputation for having beads that are nearly as hard to break as a tubeless, which is not good on the side of the road. This disqualifies the F800GS too unfortunately. I don't understand why the tubeless spoked designs of the 1200GS aren't becoming universal. Bicycles are going tubeless for heaven's sake.

- Mark

dee jones · 12-09-2008, 04:01 AM

Modog, Looks like the perfect machine for the beautiful area you live in. The Saratoga, area is just plain gorgeous. Would certainly like to explore some of the backroads in that area if we ever get moved in that direction. The paved roads aren't to bad either. great choice!!

BTW, I knew you would'nt be away from scooters to long. Glad your back to motoring.

MoDog · 12-09-2008, 06:25 AM

Thanks guys...yeah, I've been riding by myself since I was 11 and since I could walk with my dad, so I knew I'd be back if I could find something to suit my interests. I had a KTM 504 and a BMW GS before the S, and I always kind of missed that dual sport versatility. I can hardly wait to sneak up to some of my favorite fishing holes in the Big Horns this summer. There are a lot of cool dirt roads and two-tracks around here that I've lately found myself missing...and Markjenn is right; the only thing I'm not super-stoked about is the tubes, but being a Catholic I tend to enjoy suffering.