New "General Purpose KTM'ers thread"...

The stuff that sold me on the 640 Enduro was:
Electric Start
Great Suspension
Big Brakes
Light Weight
Power
Nice Engineering
Reasonable Seat

This is my only bike, so I wanted maximum versatility, which is a different thing for everybody. For me the combination of the above features lets me do the standard ride to work, backroads hooning & adventure touring duties that all of the thumpers in it's class will do well, and also have the ability to easily ride the 4x4 roads, forest & single track encountered in the trail rides that are so frequently organised in my area.

Oh yeah, I think I have almost assimilated another inmate into the Advrider Thumper Collective - My bro in law has put his RF900 up for sale and is looking for a DR650 roll on summer!

Cheers
Clint

well i guess what sold me on the KTM was primarily the engine. puts out more ponies than any of the comparable models. big tank is almost a bigger factor than the engine, as are the top-shelf components. and the fact that it actually stops. brakes are good.

and it's goofy looking. (i have an 02 adventure) i like bikes you don't see every day. i've only seen one other in all my travels.

but most of all, it does what i do better than any other bike i've looked at or ridden.

Ok, decloaking!!
Hi AZKLRGirl, Your question, sparked my imagination, so I thought I'd jump in and add my comments.
I've got a 99 640 Adv. Why? Well long history, when I was much younger, poorer, and a lot more crazy, I use to compete in national enduro championship. I ran mainly IT Yamahas (175 right though to 490's) plus a mix of many other brands. Those with the money ran KTM's, Husqvarna's and some Macio's and Bultaco's (did I say it was a while ago ). I looked longingly at those machines particularly the Husky's and KTM's. I could regularly wipe the floor with them (modest huh!!). Though this was an issue of the rider not the bike. Ie. the top 1%ers, geezz it didn't matter with those guys, put' em on 50cc kids bike, 1 gear, no clutch, flat tire, and one arm tied behind... etc, They'd still blitz the rest of us..... Anyway, I digress.

For me most bikes out there are good. Each with there own pro and cons KTM's included. But for me riding the KTM, I feel that this bike is uncompromising. I feel that this bike is not pretending to be anything else than what it is, a dirt bike designed to be quick off-road. That doesn't mean that the bike doesn't do other things good, ask my mates when I blitzed then over a tight mountain pass, and them on their mega horses sports bikes Hmm.. Digressing again...
Why 640 not 950? Weight, manovability, the fact I can mussel the bike out of tight situations. I like being able to say I wonder where that goes, what's up/down there?? Gets a bit hairy at time but that's the adventure. Also I have the luxury of having a 2 wheeled barker lounge (BM R1100RT) for touring. I've done 400+ mile days on the 640, yeah you can do it but at the end of the day you know what you did, after 3 days!! . The RT is lots nicer for that, but that's what its design for. If I had to have 1 bike? I guess a 950 or GS would look good but I like my stable of thoroughbreds...
Back to lurking and laughing at antics of you guys... Keep up the good work...
Cheers
Robert

Good replies all, keep it up. Is there anyone out there that looked at the same parameters and came to a different solution-KLR,DR,Dakar, Honda? What made you go that way? Thanks.

Jurgen

What sold me on the 640 Adv. was the fact that JimJib let me take is to the Burning Liberal Festival. I essentially had an all day test ride. I loved the bike. Plenty of power, the suspension was great. The vibes didn't bother me.

So........I bought it.

My only gripe was with what I can only assume is my lack of dirt riding experiecnce, or tires or both. The bike wanted to wash out in the corners. Maybe I was't sitting far enough forward. Maybe there was too much air pressure in the tires. I know I need more miles under my ass before I make any conclusions.

S.C.

pssst - KTM'ers thread...

There ya go getting all denominational on me.

Jurgen
frickin orangemen

It was all that talk of clicks or cliques in JM that made me start the territorial [CENSORED] urinatin'.

There are a few threads around that compare those bikes, but I can't say you will find them with the search engine: KTM, BMW, 650 etc. all no good.

I'm in the clique, but not sure I want to be there.

Plausible deniability

You think you are not; therefore, you are not.

http://www.evanscooling.com/

Lifetime coolant eh? Well 500K is lifetime for most things. no water - no pressure needed. freezing point below -100 and boils above 350...

Sounds like a miracle!

Anyone interested? Some fellas around here have trouble with cooling in the hot areas (Florida)

Here is the only thread I found on site:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53747&highlight=evans+coolant

I think the bikes which have a very similar focus to the 640 (Enduro anyway) are the DR650 & the Husky TE610. My mechanic & riding buddy basically said I was dead to him if I bought a Husky - I totally respect his opinion so that ruled out the TE610. If the budget had been a bit lower I might have got a DR, but the out of-the-box dirt ability of the KTM seemed well worth the extra coin.

Cheers
Clint

As a so-called re-entry rider, I wanted a dirt bike that I could ride on the street, and carry enough gear to travel in Mexico. I almost bought a neighbors XR650L, but someting just wasn't right about it. Not comfortable enough for how poor the suspension was, maybe? The DR 650 got a look, but the suspension needed upgrading, as well as the tank, and handlebars, and...

I ended up buying a KTM Adventure sight unseen, but I had read a fair bit on the beast. I wanted something that could go fast offroad, big enough for the highway, strong enough to carry touring payloads, and not require much additional spending, as my wife would be pissed. I have bought different sized countershaft sprockets, a new chain, new rear sprocket, tankbag, oil & filters. Thats about it. I just got Pastrana FMX bars that I haven't put on yet. My buddy bought a brand new DR 650, and he dropped far more coin on his big tank & skidplate in his first week of ownership. The bike still needs help (not bashing!) compared to mine, but it suits him well.

A lot of bike for the money .

So AussieRob, ever find paint for your luscious blue beast? I want to repaint my tank & mask someday, so I hit up everyone with a "good looking" Adventure.

Dunno if you remember Australia II winning the America's Cup, but I just saw my old mate Grant Simmer this evening here in Houston. He was the navigator in 1983.

Cheers,

Paolo

As I've mentioned many times in this site, I love my LC4. I have yet to find a bike that is a better overall package. With that said, I can't wait to see what KTM is going to bring us with the new LC4 package. Hopefully less weight, a 6-speed, and less vibration. Then, and only then, would I consider selling my bike and upgrading.

KTM if you are listening, bring out a new and improved LC4 enduro and Adventure. You have a lot of loyal customers that would buy!!!!!!

I hate my ADV and my Duke sucks, I think it's time to get a KLR............

When will the new LC4 package appear? mid 2005?

Jurgen

my magic 8-ball says "don't count on it"

Very interesting and useful information. Thanks guys!

Seeing that the Duke 990's US release has been pushed back to 2006! I doubt a new and improved D/S is much of priority, and even if it is, IMHO, KTM is unlikely to dedicate their seemingly limited/overtaxed production capacity to this bike. (At least here in the USofA the dealers I have talked to, are frustrated with their inability to get ahold of current models.)

I'm interested. I am going to try and sort through my cooling problem this weekend (when its cool!) and once I get that sorted, will likely go with the stuff. Similar stuff is in both cars (OEM.) They sell another product to prep your cooling system if you are switching over for the first time.