The Daily Dose - '08 990 buildup.

Feet are sensitive things. I kinda always knew that - girls really like foot massages, good-fitting work boots are a workingman's best tool, and you'd never take a long hike in brand new shoes. But nothing ever opened my eyes to how many nerve endings are in a person's feet more than getting a bunion fixed on my left foot:


As you can see, the biggest mistake was having the KTM HardParts catalog, a credit card, and internet access at home to peruse while I gobbled up painkillers and iced my mended appendage...more on that later...but I've had some injuries, bone and soft tissue - and this one takes the cake for pushing the pain threshold. I was a grumpy bastard for the first ~5 days, and not much better for the following week. I'm lucky my girlfriend is a very patient person...

Fast forward to 5 weeks ahead: the doctor gives me permission to lose the infernal, stinky airboot that I've been hobbling around in, and I wander out to the garage to get a group shot of some of the goodies that I ordered in a Percocet-induced stupor:



What to do with all of this stuff? It seems like it's all for a KTM 990 Adventure...so I guess the next logical step would be to go get one of those, since they don't exactly come mailorder. Having pawned my "old" '07 990 and all of its acutrements to Johnny_5(my caretaker during this ordeal) while my foot was out of comission, I headed to Bernies Cyle Service for KTM's latest and greatest to do it all over again. Hmmmmmm...I think I'll take...:



...this one!:


Take care of some paperwork:


...have the mechanics give it the final once over:


...haul it home on the trailer, and get a picture, because it will never be this new or the same again:



So , with exactly o miles on the clock, I set about tearing into it with Loctite, antisieze and dielectric grease in hand to be sure it wouldn't rattle appart. I also installed all of the accessories in the process, and this thread will chronicle each install with copious photography and explanations. I'll try to do them every other day, but I can't promise that some riding or racing won't put it off a day or two.

EDIT: Similar to the Team Double Barrel race report thread, I've composed a list of the items that will go on the bike, that will probably change as more is on the way. Here is the list(look for it to evolve...) in no particular order:

• SuperPlush Suspension .64 kg/mm Forksprings
• SmartPerformance Vibration-Absorbing Fork Fluid
• SuperPlush Fork revalve & massage
• BlackDog Cycle Works bomb-proof skid plate
  
• KTM HardParts Fork Bleeder Valves
• 16t countershaft sprocket
• 42t DirtTricks.com Ironman sprocket(prototype)
• G2 Ergonomics Throttlecam System
  
• KTM Euro H7/H3 headlight
• ZipTy Racing Front Axle Pull
• Fastway F.I.T. Version 3 Handguards
• Fastway Extreme Weather handguard plastics
• KTM 950/990 Longpegs
• Pirelli MT21 front tire
• Dunlop D908RR rear tire
• Bridgestone UHD Inner Tubes
• GPR V2 Underbar steering damper and top tripleclamp
• ProMotoBillet Rear Cargo Rack
• Jesse Saddlebags(hard luggage)
  
• Touratech GPS Mount for Garmin 476
• Hardwiring for Garmin 476 & Valentine One R/D
• ABS permanent on/off switch
• Rekluse Z-Start Pro
• CJRacer AL/Ti/Polycarbonate see-thru clutch cover
• Behind-the-fairing Lanechanger mirror

Subscribe and enjoy!

Congrats! I'm partial to the black ones myself

i would be willing to make the necesary sacrifice to break it in for you

Ahhh...Black, Black is starting to look like the new Orange! Nice, thanks for thinking of us and taking us along.

This thread needs some theme music ala Extreme Makeover Flanny Addition.

Very nice. Can't wait to see more. Good luck w/ a fast recovery and enjoyable buildup.

Cant wait...

Im orange, but as said black is becoming the new orange!

Black is the best color, but short boingers and ABS???

ABS is a Choice and Long Boingers are overrated.

An '07 to an '08...So, you buy a new one when the tyres wear out?:huh

CRACK!!!!!! first hit's free...right Ganshert?

Oh yes... this is what I've been waiting for. Bring it on

.

Preach on, brutha BAGSTR! Do I hear an AaaahhhMEN?!?!?!

sadly, yes

now my daughter gets one less semester of college

maybe she can go to cosmetology school

I'm looking forward to the build. Are you going to put wider pegs on it? I got a set and they work really well.

The original thread is now updated with a list of the goodies, that I'll link to each individual "dose" post as the thread evolves.

That said, lets get going! For the first install, we'll break out the ProMotoBillet rear rack. It's a very easy bolt-on, with only 4 bolts required and easy access. After removing the stock "rack,"


...which is really just a stamped plate that doesn't hold much beyond the KTM tailbag, you can see how much bigger the PMB one is:


...withoutu being cumbersome dangerous to the rider in a crash, etc. There are NO sharp edges anywhere, on either side, and it actually makes a good place for a passenger to brace themselves with during acceleration or braking, too.

It includes 4 longer bolts, and these spacers:


..that fit nicely in the place of the stock plate and countersunk capscrew heads:


The shorter spacers go in the rear, and this spaces the rack so that it sits more horizontal than the stock one:


For the stainless-steel bolts that are included, I use anti-sieze on the threads as they are large enough to be really torqued down to prevent vibration loosening, but they are also stainless - prone to galling. Besides, in this case, there's a good chance I'll be taking them back off soon to install other stuff. Zip them down with the cordless impact, finish torque by hand, and the finished part fits really nice, and looks even better IMO:


The curved portion that wraps nicely around the seat means the seat comes off as easy as with the stock rack, but you end up with enough area to lay a backpack flat on and tie down without worrying about the heat from the exhaust melting anything. Since this rack sits up higher and flatter than the stocker, it makes routing a strap underneath it or through it much easier for larger hands, too.

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm all about functionality - and this rack fits the bill perfectly. (the non-functional sticker went on after the rack was installed...)

Up next is somethign I consider MANDATORY after the last ride with LesPrice - scroll there untill you find the part about his kickstand mount ripping the centercases wide open....

Top fo the list tonight: the BlackDog Cycle Works skid plate. The thing is built like a tank, without the weight:


...and the paint scheme leaves nothing to be desired bolted on the "dark" version of the 990 Adventure.

Removing the stock skid plate (which is an assembly of plastic and cast aluminum...) is as simple as zipping four flange-head and shouldered specialty bolts with 10mm hex heads:



...the above photo is of the aft bolts.


After dropping the stock skidplate, you have to remove the rubber grommets:



...that isolate it from vibration and keep resonance and vibration noise to a minimum:


...and they swap directly into the slots on the Black Dog skid plate:



Unfortunately, it appeared during disassembly that the KTM assembly folks had sampled a little too much vino the night before, and one of the aft bolts was crossthreaded:



...so a M8 x 1.25 threadchasing operation was launched:




Simple enough. The finished product is show-worthy, and VERY functional to boot - FULL clutch cover protection as well as full underside protection:



As you can see from above, it provides wrap-around protection and includes a sweet little guard/deflector to prevent the known-vulnerability of the centercase-mounted kickstand from being snatched by an errant rock or edge during bottoming and aggressive riding:



This thing is literally bulletproof. If there was one criticism that you could give it, it's that aside from the Black Dog sticker, it blends in almost too well. It is a quality item to be sure - and a permanent resident on this new 990!

I can see this is going to be a favorite thread.

Nice work on the close-ups. A good example of photo-illustration.

??????...is that a pink teddybear on the back of that couch laying face down...??????

hmmmm...we need to talk...you didn't do anything....well, can I put it this way -- no, no, wait....hmmmm

Oh, Never mind - I'll just check out YouTube


nice pic's and a very hip skid plate BTW..!