This new Nine Ninety thread-venture...

This is day three.

Day three of owning my dream bike, the KTM Nine Ninety Adventure R. A 2012 fresh from the dealer.

I thought it would be cool to write a thread to capture my adventures, misadventures and modifications with this now new bike and record its evolution into whatever it becomes.

Photos from day 1:



I hope this doesn't suck.

My first priority is to learn to ride this incredible machine. Going from a KLR to the 990 is like going from battle mule to a war horse.

Originally I was planning on keeping the KLR as a mid range bike that I would not mind thrashing about on some tougher trails. Now that I have a few miles on this new bike it is pretty safe to say that I will be letting the KLR go in the near future.

My new plan is to keep my KTM 400 EXC as my alternate bike and do a few things to allow it to run some longer trips.

Next on the docket is to get the 990 kitted for touring. I have SW-motech racks on the KLR with Pelican Storm cases, so the most inexpensive route for me is to transfer the cases to the new bike. I ordered the racks from TwistedThrottle.com and they should be in next week.

I also picked up the SW-motech bar risers to get the bars up to where I could reach them without looking like I was running across the Notre Dame rooftops.

Installation was a snap. Except for the part between when I started and when I finished. The new risers install between the lower bar clamps and the upper triple tree. To reach the nuts holding the bolts in place required all of my 3/8" extensions and several yoga positions. I finally found that squeezing a shorty 11/16 SAE wrench (I currently do not have shorty metric wrenched) in at an angle did the trick.

Once I had the bolts loosened and I removed the lower clamp I watching in slow motion as not one, but both of the metal washers that cover the bushings fell into the gap in the plastic covering the engine. Fishing around with a magnet did not come up withe the prize so I was forces to remove the storage box to get at the cylinder head where I found both washers mocking me.


(the right bushing still mocks me)

I am 6'1" and the one inch risers put the bars in comfortable reach while standing as well as a nice riding position while sitting.

Today I set my sights on moving and wiring the GPS from the KLR to the 990. The GPS is a Montana 650 with the AMPS mounts and RAM arm.

I feel like I am picking the bones of my old KLR, but I will need to get over that shit quickly.

On the KLR I had to build my own relay and run the wires from the battery to create a power block in the fairing. The 990 has two accessory power supplies already fused and ready to go.

One is the ACC1 and always hot circuit and the other is the ACC2 circuit that is energized with the ignition. That is the extent of my knowledge going into this.

After opening both side panels of the cowling I found that on the 990 the ACC1 wires are plugged into the 12v outlet on the dash and the ACC2 wires are hanging loose, tucked behind the dash and found closer to the riders right side. It is clearly marked with a white label and the red wire is hot (positive) while the brown is ground (negative).

For this picture I rerouted the ACC2 wire to the left side as that is where I want my wiring to be.





I like to use charger plugs on the bikes for accessories because they are pretty universal, cover the hot lead, are pretty weather resistant and most of all inexpensive.

The ACC2 wires are both females so I needed to solder male blades to the plug. I marked the hot wire with yellow to keep track of it.



Once I got the plug set up I attached a new RAM mount to the bars, popped on the GPS, ran the power wire, plugged it to the new plug and tucked the wires away.

Will be interesting to follow your mods on the big ADV

That happens a lot, and always right as you button up the bike from working on it, something falls down and it requires taking a tank off to retrieve it again...

You'll get used to it.

Improve night vision greatly.
Welcome in O.C.
Cheers.

Congrats mate, killer bike

awesome just picked mine up as well last thursday, such an awesome bike isnt it? heres mine ill be subscribing maybe ill start my own adv thread

I want that bike soooo bad. I worked a deal on a 12' 690 Enduro R but I'm hesitant because I really want the 990 Adventure, the only thing is I just dont want to spend that much on a bike that I'm not sure I will like. I've never owned an adventure bike.

Look in Rox Risers.
You can get the same effect in height (and then some depending on which ones you go with) in addition you can move the bars fore and aft to change their positioning as well.

I consider that a better alternative to the method you used for more flexibility. If you are going to install a damper then you have to raise them the way you did regardless and the point is moot.

Just my .02

Thanks Night Falcon. I hope I do not disappoint.

Maybe I should look into buying ten of these:

You know, I went with the SW kit for the risers because they were inexpensive and the Rox seem to take up room, but after a week of constant riding, I am wishing I had the ability to tweak the bar position a bit more. Doh.:huh

I am going to try a few more adjustments but I am also concerned about the tension the new height is putting on the throttle cables. May be worried about nought, but I am wishing they had a bit more slack. I may open up the engine compartment to see if there is some rerouting or slack that can be found.

So after 6 days of riding and a very sore butt I have to say this is an amazing bike. The handling and throttle response is incredible. It is like the grown up version of my 400EXC.

I am trying to resist modifying the bike until I have developed a very good sense of its stock abilities, but I did have to order a new seat. The stock is comfortable, but is too round for my liking, so a Corbin is on the way.

I have started a list of possible changes down the near road.

Skid plate. Am leaning towards the BDCW. I have the SW-Motech plate on my KLR and though it is holding up it has folded and bent in every imaginable way. I think the curved design of the BDCW should hold up better.

Gears. I like lower gears as in smaller counter sprockets and taller rear sprockets. The stock 16:42 seems a bit tall to me, so I am exploring my options for a better ratio. Shooting from the hip I would think that 15:42 would be perfect, but I am not seeing too many 15t counter sprockets for the 990 so I am wondering why. I am guessing interference with the swing arm but I do not know. Quick Cal states that one tooth up front is like three in the back so I may have to go with 16:45 as a compromise. If I go that route, I may pick up a 17t front for long distance rides, so I do not have to stop every fifty feet for fuel.

Fuel. Which brings me to the fuel range of this bike. Not what I am used to in the KLR, but there are only a few situations where 150 miles is not enough to get from station to station. I like the Safari tank and I will probably go that route, but in the mean time I am considering an auxiliary fuel source like Rotopak or a bladder for long trips into the north.

Kick stand relocation. BDCW has a nice looking setup and I will probably go that route.

Heated grips. I have a few months before I need to worry about this, but I am opting for the same KTM heated grips I had on the KLR. Simple three position dial switch for on, off and way too fooking hot. I have been very happy with these and plan to wire them direct with a ignition controlled relay to give them the full power they need.

High Fender. Big debate on this one, but I like the idea of the high fender. I have seen a lot of options for this on the 990 but until I can find one with a solution for the brake lines that I can embrace I may just look into raising the low fender a tad for now.

Knobbies. The stock Scorpions are good, but I like the grab off road of knobbies. I have been running Dunlop 606 rear and Pirelli M21 front on the KLR and like that combination. Not an option for the KTM, I am considering the M21 front and rear. I am going to wait for now in order to learn to ride with these tires in the mud first, but they are definitely on my short list as well.

That is all for now...
Ernie

This is gonna be fun

I did the same with the bushing washers on my risers And I do need to extend my bars more, so may look at the Rox.

You can raise the front fender just a bit? it looked like the crossover brake line was too tight. Is there a link to htis (slight) mod?

Good luck, and good looking bike!

Thank you... here is the post from http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=772522&page=4

The nice thing about Touratech is that by the time your order arrives on the East Coast, it is like opening a present from someone else because you cannot remember what you ordered.

My Touratech extended rear rack was delivered by my favorite brown truck today. Luckily the instructions were included:
That's okay I can't read german either...:huh

Installation was a snap.
1) Four bolts off.
2) Keep track of them and keep them away from the slotted openings around the engine.
3) Locate and remove the tiny stock rack.
$) Install the new rack.



Comparison to old rack:


The new rack has angled steps as shown

First Rob, now you! I may have to start looking at the current black market value of kidneys since I would love an upgrade from my F650 but there are not many bikes I'd consider an upgrade that's worth the $ aside from the big KTM's, and I can't afford the big KTM's!

Get a skid plate and some engine guards on that beast and lets go for a ride! (so I can take it for a short test ride obviously!)

Thanks for the writeup. When my GS needs to be replaced, it'll be with something orange and this gets me excited.

How tall are you guys who add risers like this?

I'm 5'10" and if the bike had any more rise i'd be damn near standing straight up? How do you get an aggressive forward position with that much rise?