My Life With A 990 Adventure R, Or Drinking The Orange Kool-Aid

... And Giving Up The Shaft,

Cue Steppenwolf,
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I’m primarily a commuter, less than 1% of my lifetime mileage has been logged on unpaved roads, trails, single track or untracked terra firma. But, I ride nearly every day. The commute is 60 miles round trip from the inland edge of the Orange Curtain to just about a mile off the coast. Southern California traffic. Lane splitting supercars, landscape trucks and pretty much everything this side of a rodeo every day. Keeps a guy on his toes and out of cars.
So, why the adventure bike? Why not the typical old man big boat touring rig?
I got through the wonderbus touringboat phase in my youth. Nobody told me the rules so I did the big stuff first, and then when I was older moved on to sportbikes, trackdays and silliness.

In a former life I'd been introduced to adventure bikes though we didn't have that term yet. The original R80 G/S and then the 100 that followed it, Adventure gear had yet to be discovered in my closet.

Textile gear back then was waxed cotton.
Anyway, Adventure bikes came along again just in time to catch me coming into mid-life as my body slowly creaked and snapped it’s way to semi-dysfunction.
First adventure bike was what you’'d expect from a guy who had spent too many years wearing out tires to the tune of big opposed cans. The BMW 1150 Adventure. Yes, I hiked up my skirt and jumped on the LWR wagon. That was fun, most fun bike I owned up to that point. Big, and heavy and complex. Expensive to get to 100,000 miles and beyond. We got almost to 200,000 miles and I called it quits. Sensing the changing of the guard over on the orange side I jumped ship to find a lightly used example of the 990. None were about, but luck and being in the wrong place at the right time paid off. Or cost me? History will judge the final outcome as we’re deep in the hoopla now, so no time for second guesses or buyer’s remorse.

September 24th, 2013 I bought this 2010 990R Adventure with about 2,200 miles on the clock.


So, here I am a little over a year later I find myself having not burned through as many miles I did in my youth in a similar amount of time.
Circumstances and priorities have both played their cards, tilting the board in favor of time over mileage. I’'ve picked up a few lucky rolls of the dice along the way too. Again, it will be left to later to determine the winner. I’m in this playing for the long game. Right now, I’m ahead on points.


The plan is to document my trip down this road for my own history with the machine as well as a possible next guy. At this point that doesn't seem too likely. I'm in no mood to let a next guy have a shot. This thing is fun. I find I have slowed my daily commute to make the ride last. I'm that happy with the ride.
I'll be back here from time to time as work, mileage and time progress. So, far it is a great ride.

First up I got rid of the top box, I felt it was way too big and floppy. I didn'’t like it for my uses.
I replaced the OEM battery with a new Anti Gravity. The original battery was almost 4 years old and had too much garage time to show for it, so its ability to hold a change for longer than a couple of days was suspect. Something I confirmed after I let the bike sit for a weekend of non-riding.

New Touratech Zega-Pro cases all round. Better for my mobile office.
Then came a side stand re-location, eliminate the side stand switch. Swap out the coolant, clutch slave got upgraded as well. Fresh clutch fluid and brake fluids, new rear pads came next with a new set of tires.
I swapped the OEM Scorpions to Dunlop 908RR front and rear. After wearing off the front in one direction I flipped it around and wore it in the other. Finally I changed to a TKC80 front and new 908RR out back. That felt better. My new favorite dirt oriented combination.
I pulled the ABS cover out of the tool tray since there isn'’t any ABS to cover. This gave me a huge toolbox.
Added bleed buttons to the top of the forks.
The fork springs were replaced with some heavier springs from Super Plush Suspension. I’ll have to go look up the numbers.
G2 Throttle cam tamer, and a second fan and lower temperature switch.
Stuck a Snap-Out in for a little less fiddly servicing. As long as I had the glovebox apart I stuck an accessory plug in there. Very handy for charging things off my USB.

Now here we sit a year later at about 20,000 miles.

How has it gone?
We got the fun started with the usual.
Accessories:
Kakao Throttle lock – don’t use this much, mostly adjusted off.
G2? Throttle cam took care of that snatchy throttle.
Weld 86 Bash plate
CJ Side stand re-location
Touratech Luggage racks and boxes, stickered to look the business.
SAS blanking plates, and the canister fell off.
Some power into the glovebox, and dual Switched USB at the dash in place of the OEM.
OEM flyscreen, enough wind protection for me and no buffeting. Doesn’'t need cut down.
Relocated the RHS mirror, and swapped to Double Take Mirrors
Oberon Clutch slave
CPR snap out glove box
ACC outlet in glovebox
Side stand lock out switch eliminator
OEM reflectors front and rear fell off
Fork bleed valves
SPS fork springs

Maintenance Items:
Dunlop 908RR Front and Rear
Dunlop RR Rear/ TKC80 Front
Pirelli Scorpion MT90 A/T front and rear
Oil, filters
Fuel filters
1 Tappet shim/s
Brake pads, rear/front
Air filters
Fork oil
Chain lube

Fun Stuff:
Orange crashbars and a few stickers

Use:
Too much commuting, and too little dirt. Need to plan more trips. A few hundred miles of unpaved travel some forest roads no single track.

Longest day in the saddle, 500 miles. Tired butt, but riding the next day was not a problem. The stock saddle stays for a while longer.

I've been slowly collecting each years work and travel summaries at a blog site, with the list of each posting here:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/my-l...-orange-kool-aid.1025332/page-6#post-42313322

nice looking bike! I wish I could put more miles in but with a kid and one on the way I feel I will get less miles

Order a 16t for the front. Brings the bike alive.

I'm sure it does, but how does it feel at 75-80 on hiway? Is it turning too many revs at that speed? Thanks

Very close to the 17/45 you have ordered I think

I prefer a 17 front as I change the rear depending of what I do. I have two rear sprocket on two separate carriers.

I run 17-45 when riding around and 17-42 for long higher speed rides/trips (better MPG).

17-45 is the lowest I'd want to go if highway is in the plans but that´s my opinion, some guys like it otherwise.

I think the stock CS tooth count is 16 on the 990R-

I beleive all 990 (07 and up) have the 16T sprocket from factory.

Doing that to mine this weekend!

You need to plan a ride, all work and no play makes the Orange Beast a dull boy!

So, where would you take it given the chance?

I'm heading up from L.A. to see Lyndon also. I'll be riding a bunch of dirt both there and back. Carrizo Plains an Clear Creek up. Skyline to Mt. Madonna, Mendo ridge, Pozo road heading back. Hope to say hi at Piston & Chain.

Just need a CPR intake and a Brittania Composites Voodo Fairing!

Glad to see you at the Races To Places presentation this weekend.

Not much time to chat but a big thanks for the rally fleece.

Ride home safely. And hope to see you in So Cal for a ride!

that Cadillac dirt do sound nice...

is that image a sample of ones mentioned. ?

^^^ Mine-'12 990-R 16t-42t. Did you switch from stock ratio? Saw your post on Galfer rear disc. What pads do you run? Better set-up? Oem coolant or Evans waterless? Ride on!

Found 44t supersprox from powercell perf. Hope to mount soon and switch between 16t and 17t. Ratios not too drastic either way. - cheers

So I just found this thread in going through the "show off your 950/990" thread. You've been around even a lot longer than me, but always thought you were one of the "old dogs" on ADV commanding respect.

Anyway, quite a few parallels between us in terms of the years commuting and such. I also have/had 1200 GSA that was just killed violently while commuting.

To the point, I'm picking up a 990R on Saturday. Like you, time is an absolute luxury for me these days so no more distance rides. Now it's for the day or maybe overnighter blasts. Unlike you though, I previously drank the Orange kool aid and have had a couple RFS machines. Also, I've gone further and further into harder core dirt riding.

That said, the 990 is an itch I've always wanted to scratch, and based on its dirt chops, I'm pretty excited to get it.

I think I've resolved to my full time commuting days being over based in the folks in the Bay Area just being too stupid for me these days, so it will basically be a big dirt bike and for the occasional canyon strafe (when the Sumo wheels aren't on the RFS) or over night run in the Sierra. Either way, it will be fun to see how much further you go on this adventure (pun intended).

[/QUOTE]To the point, I'm picking up a. I've gone further and further into harder core dirt riding.[/QUOTE]

If not too late you might want to focus on the 950 Super Enduro. That's a big plated dirt bike where as the 990 Adventure is a big dual sport.

To the point, I'm picking up a. I've gone further and further into harder core dirt riding.[/QUOTE]

If not too late you might want to focus on the 950 Super Enduro. That's a big plated dirt bike where as the 990 Adventure is a big dual sport.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I've long known about the SE, but that bike honestly and truly scares me. I know my way around turns in being a former slow A at the track, but I'm not that good in the dirt. Shoot, the 450EXC is even a bit much at times.

So if I still bounced, I'd probably have looked into one, but since I'd still to be able to do mild tours, the Adventure is best. For anything truly gnarly, I'll be taking the 450 as it is fully set up for me.

nice!!! do you run the CJ oil line for quicker oil changes?