How long will a 990adv last???

The buyer is coming tomorrow to pay me for my R1100GS. The one I just used for a 96 day, 10,300 mile trip from Mississippi to Panama and back on. That makes four motos I have sold since I returned home April 4!

My only moto is now the 2007 990ADV. I have had it for two years, but have only put 15,000 miles on it. It turned over 20,000 last Saturday and had 4,900 on it when I purchased it. I have averaged riding 42,000 miles per year for the last 10 years. I have my house for sale now and will be living on the road and in Mexico, so the yearly mileage for the KTM is going to increase rapidly!

I would like to hear from folks that have 50,00 miles plus on their 990s. First hand information please. There is all kinds of rumors and folklore out there. As far a durability, not including comfort, my moto has the side stand reallocator, SS oil filter and crashbars. I have a box of the various valve shims, I have a CJ Racer oil drain line ordered along with the crank shaft pin. I also have chain and sprockets orders, as the OEMs are still on the moto. What are problems that the higher mileage 990s have encountered? Are spare fuel pump/filters kits needed? Water pump kits?

This moto will go to South America within the next 18 months. It or its replacement will be in Europe within the next five years. For the foreseeable future, I will be traveling at least 50% of the time, with most of the other time being in Mexico. While I have not done a lot of maintenance on this moto other than oil changes, tire changes and the checking of the valves once, I generally do my own maintenance. Usually with a lot of help from the forums on ADV!

Please speak up you high mileage 990 owners! I need your wisdom!

Look up Crash Master, he's got a few miles on his 990 from San Deigo to the tip of South America and back...

Yes, I followed his RR in South America, but that is only one 990, I would like to get more input. Maybe I should have titled this thread "40,000 miles per year on a 990ADV"? :huh

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=813023

Thanks! I have read that before. But there is still only a handful of folks with 50,000 miles plus that offered data. The 200,000 plus miles is very impressive! I just sold a Goldwing with 242,000 miles! I would like to think that most 990ADVs can reach the 150,000 to 200,000 range without much problems. It seems that the 990s don't have the water pump and fuel pump problems the 950s are known for. But, that is what I am trying to better understand.

There are Harley's with a million miles on them. Yes, they've been rebuilt 15 times, but they are still running. With regular maintenance and the occasional teardown the bike will last indefinitely.

Wow! Harleys with over 1,000,000 miles! Maybe I should have purchased one of them! I know of an Australian couple that have over 500,000 kilometers before the total engine was replaced on their Harley Classic touring rig. But they are not even close to the folks you know with a 1,000,000 plus miles and still going. I have only ridden 700,000 miles in my entire life! I am definitely going to pick the pace up a bit!

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Also, have a look at these threads:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=633576

That was was purchased at 89,000 miles on it. Pressure check turned out fine, so the ADVer did some basic things to it and started riding it.

Also, have a look at Pyndon's thread: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147440

Pyndon eventually had to rebuild his because the engine started leaking where the cylinder mates to the case. A few bikes have seen the same thing. His post at #1134 shows that the leak started at nearly 70,000 miles. His rebuild showed that the engine had very, very little wear internally.

You can also see Aurel's post, where he and a friend traveled the world on 990s: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=564699

So, can they last? You bet. Like anything, you have to take care of it and address potential issues before they become problems. But yes, they can last.

Thanks! I have them bookmarked and will read them.

<H5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft='{"type":1,"tn":"K"}'>I sold my BMW moto a little while ago. That is the moto used for the recent trip to Panama. I have sold four motos since I returned home April 4 and now only have the KTM 990 Adventure.



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It undoubtedly will last you forever- it's your wrenches that will wear out.

Dang! This orange koolaid is strong!

Clutch slave cyl has become more rare. Seems mots people have an aftermarket installed. Fuel pumps and filters have some occurences, I believe maintenece could include filter replacement. Also Clutch master cyl have failed on some riders. Rear brake master cyl a few times, the key barrel gets worn, the swingarm slide needs attention or replacing the securing bolts with longer ones passing through. Clutch lever wears and need replacement after some 70k kms. A large service including swingarm bearing replacement, steering bearing replacement, suspension oil etc. Nothing else I can think of. If loaded and riden hard, there are some occurences of broken rear subframe.
Cheers.

My 990 had the waterpump problem at 58 000 km. Unfortunaly I bought it at 55 000 km so that was a cost I never planned...

Apart from that, I share your hope of doing 200 000 km on it cause I love the machine...

The point was that if the hillbilly engineered hog can last that long, our precision Mattighofen machines will last until the end of the earth...

Here's a link to proof of a million mile harley-http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/568/3.../Harley-Davidson-Million-Mile-Motorcycle.aspx ​

Although I don't have the 50,000 miles you're looking for, my bike will be hitting 40,000 this week. It's an '04 S model that I've owned since 2007. I purchased it with only 2500 miles on it so I know nearly all of its history. I replaced the water pump shaft and seal at about 14k miles and my last (and only) valve adjustment was at about the same time. It's left me stranded twice and both times were due to a failing voltage regulator. I was not able to diagnose the problem until after the second failure. The fuel pump has never let me down although I do carry a spare. I suspect this is because I loathe riding in wet and muddy conditions and am less likely to have moisture corrosion issues. I still have the original clutch slave cylinder because I can replace the o-ring for pennies compared to the exorbitant expense of the aftermarket slave. I'll have to admit to machining a replacement clutch slave cylinder piston with tighter tolerances to promote o-ring longevity. Since doing that I have not had to replace the o-ring. However, it's only been a few thousand miles.

I ride the bike very hard, especially offroad since it's a rally bike at heart and there are few feelings that rival a standup sweeping gravel road corner with your head out over the front wheel and the throttle pinned. I'll admit to having neglected the bike for the last 20k miles as I have too many projects. It gets regular oil and filter changes but little more. I feel that it's overdue for a valve clearance check and possibly another water pump shaft and seal (I've had the radiator overflow tank coated with oil residue for some time now). My biggest problems right now are the degrading fuel lines due to the ethanol in the fuel and what appears to be a bad throttle position sensor circuit. Once I check the valves and replace the water pump shaft/seal, I'll know if 26k miles is all the poor thing can endure.

Gona watch this one.

It had 4,900 miles on it when I purchased it two years ago. It has 20,000 miles now. But it has been one of five motos and now it is my only moto. I have averaged riding 42,000 miles per year for the last ten years and 89,000 in 2011 and 2012. My only trip this year was on my R1100GS and was 96 days, 10,300 miles. I can assure you given good health and no bad accidents, this KTM will not out last me!

But I am trying to get a better idea of how long it might last and what issues I should expect as the miles accumulate. I am referring to continuous traveling with down time limited to maintenance and an occasional issue. This moto will not experience yearly tear downs when riding season is gone and there is snow on the ground. This moto will be near 100% of my transportation. I will have my truck parked in the US, but when I am not traveling, I will live in Mexico, with the KTM as my sole transportationn.

BTW, this moto will be ridden as an Adventure Moto, not a Dual Sport. It will see significant action south of the border, but very little off road.

I often think about how long a bike will last too. And its quite a concern for me. My ninja 250r has 76k, if a 250 can do 76k then a ktm 990 can easily do that as well and beyond.

I just wish bikes didnt require so much maintenance.