Kazoom!!! First thoughts on the KTM Adventure

boyscout · 06-10-2002, 01:27 PM

Picked up the bike on Friday and put about 315 miles on it over the weekend.

Started out playing in the dirt off of Summit road. The suspension on this thing is amazing. Ruts and holes that would have bottomed out my R100GS weren't even noticeable on the KTM, literally. It's going to be a long time before I use this bike to 50% of its offroad abilities. One big difference is the rear brake, it has one. My one drop came from stomping on the rear brake going down hill on a somewhat exposed gravelly fire road. Rear end came around so fast I found myself pointing off the road and didn't feel like getting on the gas to try and save it. I should probably have aired down before hitting the dirt, but didn't have a pump and was planning on riding some road so ..... It sure is easier to pick up than the GS though. After that I spent the rest of the miles doing mostly twisties with maybe 80 miles of flat freeway riding.

Thoughts:

It has a really wide powerband. Pulls comfortably at 3K yet has juice all the way up to 8K.

The vibration is noticeable but not bad at all and it seems to be smoothing out the more I ride it (or maybe I'm just getting used to it). My right arm did hurt though and I had to stop fairly often to stretch it out. This may have been aggravated by the vibration, but I think was more due to the off pavementing I did. Something like a throttlemeister would be nice so that I can stretch it out while riding.

The strong engine braking and slop in the drivetrain ( chain drive vs. driveshaft) make some downhill twisties a bit of a chore.

The seat is definitely not very comfortable. I think that it may brake in some more, but I'll be investigating other options very soon.

Cruises at 80 - 90 mph without straining. Wind protection is as good or better than the R100GS with stock windscreen. I miss having the cylinders to rest my feet on on the freeway.

Overall, I love the bike and love it more each mile I put on it. Even over the few miles I've been on it, the engine seems to be opening up. Can't wait to get the new exhaust.

-BS

RocketJohn · 06-10-2002, 04:52 PM

Excellent! Congrats on the new bike...

Comfortable Cruising range depends on a few things...
1) Gearing
2) Wind
3) Where on the seat your are sitting

The bike rocks... the fact that it can handle like a sportbike in the twisties and still hit hard jeep trails, still boggles my mind... oh and that you can go long distance riding, if you aren't a big puss... :P

Keep riding... I put 3,005 miles on, in my first 7 weeks... as of this morning's commute to work...

It just keeps getting better...

RocketJohn
'02 Katoom Adventure R (for Really F'n Radical)
IBA #11079 (on the KTM, of course)

Rad · 06-11-2002, 07:54 AM

Congrats on the new scoot.
Glad to see your ride'n again

06-10-2002, 04:52 PM	#2
RocketJohn Hook em' Horns! Joined: Apr 2002 Location: Denver Metro Oddometer: 11,035	Excellent! Congrats on the new bike... Comfortable Cruising range depends on a few things... 1) Gearing 2) Wind 3) Where on the seat your are sitting The bike rocks... the fact that it can handle like a sportbike in the twisties and still hit hard jeep trails, still boggles my mind... oh and that you can go long distance riding, if you aren't a big puss... :P Keep riding... I put 3,005 miles on, in my first 7 weeks... as of this morning's commute to work... It just keeps getting better... RocketJohn '02 Katoom Adventure R (for Really F'n Radical) IBA #11079 (on the KTM, of course) __________________ RocketJohn™ 1974 Honda CL350 / 2013 Yamaha Super Tenere Smugmug Coupon Here / SuperTune Motorsports in Denver My SuperTenere Blog

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06-10-2002, 01:27 PM	#1
boyscout ^OP sittin' down Joined: Oct 2001 Location: Cascadia Oddometer: 1,319	Kazoom!!! First thoughts on the KTM Adventure Picked up the bike on Friday and put about 315 miles on it over the weekend. Started out playing in the dirt off of Summit road. The suspension on this thing is amazing. Ruts and holes that would have bottomed out my R100GS weren't even noticeable on the KTM, literally. It's going to be a long time before I use this bike to 50% of its offroad abilities. One big difference is the rear brake, it has one. My one drop came from stomping on the rear brake going down hill on a somewhat exposed gravelly fire road. Rear end came around so fast I found myself pointing off the road and didn't feel like getting on the gas to try and save it. I should probably have aired down before hitting the dirt, but didn't have a pump and was planning on riding some road so ..... It sure is easier to pick up than the GS though. After that I spent the rest of the miles doing mostly twisties with maybe 80 miles of flat freeway riding. Thoughts: It has a really wide powerband. Pulls comfortably at 3K yet has juice all the way up to 8K. The vibration is noticeable but not bad at all and it seems to be smoothing out the more I ride it (or maybe I'm just getting used to it). My right arm did hurt though and I had to stop fairly often to stretch it out. This may have been aggravated by the vibration, but I think was more due to the off pavementing I did. Something like a throttlemeister would be nice so that I can stretch it out while riding. The strong engine braking and slop in the drivetrain ( chain drive vs. driveshaft) make some downhill twisties a bit of a chore. The seat is definitely not very comfortable. I think that it may brake in some more, but I'll be investigating other options very soon. Cruises at 80 - 90 mph without straining. Wind protection is as good or better than the R100GS with stock windscreen. I miss having the cylinders to rest my feet on on the freeway. Overall, I love the bike and love it more each mile I put on it. Even over the few miles I've been on it, the engine seems to be opening up. Can't wait to get the new exhaust. -BS __________________ Who me?

06-11-2002, 07:54 AM	#3
Rad Just me Joined: Sep 2001 Location: Santa Cruz, Calif Oddometer: 12,130	Congrats on the new scoot. Glad to see your ride'n again