I might get one of those and drop some knobbies on it, but I'd really love a lightweight offroad twin! Well, you know, like the Aprilia, but lasting more than 100 hours at a time and short enough to climb onto without all the nose bleeds.
OK I have been part of a minority complaining over the harshness of the front suspension. Wrongfully concluding that nobody rides these things off rd, I apologize for my wild accusations. Reading through the owners manual last night I noticed there is a definite sequence of steps to attaching the fronts wheel to the bike. Do you supposed the dealer did not read it either? This a.m., I loosened all the axle pinch bolts, bounced the front suspension a half dozen times and torqued to spec. Went for a test drive on my favorite bumpy road and wala, a transformation. Not world class but a whole lot better. I also had put an O ring on the right bar weight and screwed back on until it provided a slight amount of friction on the throttle. Between the O ring and the suspension, not one misapplication of throttle on the route down and back. I know I was not the only one complaining, so there is something you should check.
To "itsatdm" for the tip using an o-ring between the right bar end and the throttle grip! I tried it and it cures the snatchy throttle I was experiencing only while riding in the desert here near Las Vegas, NV. I also have a Kaoko throttle control on order from Adventurer's Workshop, which should work great too ! I'll replace the o-ring with it. Another tid bit that I tried...fill the handlebars with small lead balls. It definitely reduced bar vibes. Not that it was that bad to start with IMO. I also replaced the stock tires with Cont. TKC80's. Great ! No noticeable degradation in the ride quality from the stock tires, and off road, well they're great , period ! I have a F800GS since I forgot to mention above. It is a great bike mainly because of it's versatility IMO. Now if someone could figure out why almost all of the BMW accessories are on B/O !!!! The bike has only been out in Europe for over a year now.
Only since March 2008 and they're on B/O here too! There's a bottleneck somewhere and my guess is Touratech.
I visited Munich 2 weeks ago and called at TT shop - there were a lot of twinGS bits on the shelves ready to go. Bought some small things/radiator cover, headlight net protector,bend brake lever and adjustible gear level, reservoirs covers etc/ as to carry for the flight items like ZEGA cases seemed not too easy. The guy at the shop said they had no backorders there - normal delivery time.:huh
What's "normal"? You're right about much of it but try to get panniers or windshields from either BMW or Touratech and they simply cannot confirm an accurate delivery date. I've had a touring windshield on back order since June and still no sign of it.
If they were all as "up front" as you it wouldn't be a problem. It's the "I'll check and get back to you" followed by no contact that creates the impatience.
What blows me away is that all dealers have the same communication software to keep their customers up to date...why they don't use it boogles my mind....I can tell you this, they lose customers that way.
Ok so I have ridden the 950 Adventure (better throttle response than the 990) and the F800 GS. The KTM does get the nod for suspension but I chose to put my money on the BMW. Right now we have 990's for under $12 locally so price was not an issue. In fact I spend more on the GS than I would have on the KTM. Why? the BMW felt lighter, my first impression was it felt as familiar as my DRZ400 the KTM never let me forget I was on a BIG bike. Second was power delivery, the BMW was very trackable, third was maintenance. Neither is cheap but the rotax motor is a little more user freindly if you DIY and requires less frequent service. Both are excellent bikes and I would have been happy with the KTM also but the BMW just felt right. I also really like the people at Ride West BMW where as the KTM dealers all felt like a hondakawasuki dealer. Not picking on them as I own a bunch of Hondakawasuki's but they are mostly a buy and ride experience rather than being more personable.
