I have mixed feelings about orange

[Mellowtonin]

Motorcycle Maker KTM Passes Harley and Aims at Kawasaki

KTM as a brand to me has always been about taking risks, unafraid to make niche motorcycles and trail blaze new markets. Just look at how fast they were able to churn out the 790 Adventure versus the more conservative Yamaha approach Yamaha had taken with the T7 project.

Of course some would argue that this is a double edged sword...rushing unrefined products to market with half an expectation for their consumers to sort out the kinks by themselves...

But it looks like this more daring approach has been paying off!

I mean, this was just spotted 24 hours ago: Spotted: New 2021 KTM 790 SMC Out Testing In The Wild

Discuss...is KTM teh best or...?:laughing

 

[Charmed]

I definitely wouldn't agree they're "rushing unrefined products to market". Their ADV bikes and their 500 dual sports (among others) have been taking the top spots in comparos for years in spite of the competition taking their time.

 

[stan23]

that should be called SMT, not SMR! That's just a Duke 790 with longer suspension.

I'm a big fan of KTM. They seem to make riders bikes. Not the fanciest, or prettiest, but your money goes to quality parts and good suspension out of the box. They also seem to make bikes that makes no sense to 90% of the riding population, but here we are. Like the Super Enduro R, or the Duke.

I've only bought 5 new bikes in my lifetime, and 3 were KTM. Their latest generation stuff is good.. overall fit and finish is good. Just look at a 790 ADV and compare part for part, component to component to the Africa Twin. No contest. Even when KTM specs non adjustable suspenders on their bike, they really pay attention to valving.

Ever looked at a standard KTM bolt? 2 ways to loosen in case you strip it.

 

[augustiron]

I love that KTM is making the bikes many of us hoped for ie: quality middleweight adv & sumo, great range of dirtbikes (always), nice touring advs, even showed they could make a kick ass unique superbike.
I loved the 990smt and would have bought one back in the day except for what I thought was too short of range. I want 200 miles at a minimum, 250 ideal for my touring bike.
I'd love to have a 790adv, but don't really need it at the moment.

 

[Map8]

I've really enjoyed my 2006 450SMR. Its easy to work on and a blast to ride. That new 790 engine is damn cool. I'm hoping to see it make a big impact in the AFT Twins class if KTM gets serious about competing with Indian, HD and Yamaha.

 

[Blankpage]

Time for a new X-Bow

 

[augustiron]

Time for a new X-Bow

Yeah that was a swing and a miss.
Actually, to miss, it is assumed there is something to hit, so let's just call that a swing.

 

[KooLaid]

Yeah that was a swing and a miss.
Actually, to miss, it is assumed there is something to hit, so let's just call that a swing.

I would love an X bow but not at $100,000. $60,000 yes, but $100k is a lot of chedda.

 

[banshee01]

After owning 2 huskys I will lean heavy towards a ktm for my next bike. Really wanted the hypermotard but I am now very intrigued on this ktm 790

 

[ScottRNelson]

...Just look at how fast they were able to churn out the 790 Adventure versus the more conservative Yamaha approach Yamaha had taken with the T7 project.

What? It took them forevvver to get that thing out and it will still be another year or two before I can actually buy one. I can't call that "fast".

I thought KTMs were interesting but never actually consider buying one until I took a test ride on a 990 Adventure. I wasn't even out of sight of the dealership before I was saying to myself "I need to get me one of these!"

I seriously looked at many other brands of adventure bikes before buying my 1090R last summer. My concern was that I would be disappointed with how the others behaved off road. When I found that I could get the 1090R for less than an Africa Twin I bought it and haven't regretted it for a second. I've since put many hundreds of miles on it off road with a lot more to come.

KTM makes bikes that serious riders can enjoy riding. I can't justify the added cost of a 500 EXC or a 690 Enduro R over my tough and reliable XR650L, but I certainly could for the bigger bike, because nothing else currently available would meet my needs in that area.

 

[stan23]

What? It took them forevvver to get that thing out and it will still be another year or two before I can actually buy one. I can't call that "fast".

I thought KTMs were interesting but never actually consider buying one until I took a test ride on a 990 Adventure. I wasn't even out of sight of the dealership before I was saying to myself "I need to get me one of these!"

I seriously looked at many other brands of adventure bikes before buying my 1090R last summer. My concern was that I would be disappointed with how the others behaved off road. When I found that I could get the 1090R for less than an Africa Twin I bought it and haven't regretted it for a second. I've since put many hundreds of miles on it off road with a lot more to come.

KTM makes bikes that serious riders can enjoy riding. I can't justify the added cost of a 500 EXC or a 690 Enduro R over my tough and reliable XR650L, but I certainly could for the bigger bike, because nothing else currently available would meet my needs in that area.

The 790 Adventures are out already. You can buy one now.

 

[SFMCjohn]

enjoyed this review on ADV:

KTM 790 Adventure Review (Part 1: The tech)
"The KTM 790 Adventure is an all-new bike with some very interesting design details."

5.2 fuel-injected gallons, ftw! :toothless

love rooting for KTM against Honda in Moto3 ... arty

 

[U26A1]

Discuss...is KTM teh best or...?:laughing

As someone who just bought their first KTM (Super Duke GT) pretty recently, a couple things have jumped out at me:

• Thoughtful design of maintenance. Where a Ducati will require taking apart the entire bike to change a taillight bulb, or a Honda will require 7 special tools to do a valve check, with the KTM I continually find myself delighted by the nice little touches in terms of the maintenance part of the ownership experience. They've clearly put a lot of thought into trying to make working on the bike pleasant.
  
• Lack of farkling needed. I'm sure this is a bit specific to the 1290 series as it's up there in price, but honestly other than some crashguards I really couldn't come up with anything that's 'required' to do to the bike. Most all other bikes I've owned even at this price-point have usually required something in terms of aftermarket setup. (Haha ok well I guess the Powerparts seat is a must-buy.)

 

[ScottRNelson]

The 790 Adventures are out already. You can buy one now.

Not in the state where I live. All of the ones they have coming in are already spoken for and the dealer can't get as many as they want.

Is there a dealer near you that has one that isn't already pre-sold?

 

[banshee01]

Not in the state where I live. All of the ones they have coming in are already spoken for and the dealer can't get as many as they want.

Is there a dealer near you that has one that isn't already pre-sold?

I would imagine we might be able to find a non R model here in the bay that inst spoken for but who would want that???

 

[RightCoastBias]

KTMs timeline vs Yamaha's is a silly comparison. Yamaha totally fucked up and dragged their feet on getting the T7 to market.

They debuted the T7 concept at EICMA 2016 and we won't see it in the states for over a year. Total fuck up.

Usually bikes are shown at EICMA and come out the following year, or concepts the yeah following that.

From what I've heard, most mfgs take 3 years to go from concept to production. That means KTM likely had the bike in the works at the same time as Yamaha, or got on it right after the T7 blew up. Plenty of time to develop a bike.

 

[PrincessFalafal]

I definitely wouldn't agree they're "rushing unrefined products to market".

I mean, the 690 Enduro had a list of flaws as long as your arm that you basically needed to "Fix" as soon as the bike left the showroom floor. They quietly updated the parts and fixed it in later revisions, but never quite issued a recall.

Exhaust melting the body panels and turn signals, rocker arms mulching themselves, fuel pumps failing, injectors clogging, shitty gas cap design, weak fuel tank bolts, shock preload collar stripping out, impossible to adjust preload without taking the rear of the bike off, electrical problems due to lack of reinforcement in the wiring, etc.

I say this as someone who owned one, loved it, and will likely buy another one again soon . . .

 

[kuksul08]

Every single KTM owner I know personally has had their bike break down or have catastrophic failure at one point or another, often multiple times. Though they absolutely rave about how amazing they are at the same time, so maybe the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[Jalopyshoppe]

Every single KTM owner I know personally has had their bike break down or have catastrophic failure at one point or another, often multiple times. Though they absolutely rave about how amazing they are at the same time, so maybe the pros outweigh the cons.

That sounds so much like Harley owners...

Interestingly, Harley is the benchmark that KTM just surpassed. I guess that sort of demonstrates the reality of most motorcycle owners.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Every single KTM owner I know personally has had their bike break down or have catastrophic failure at one point or another, often multiple times. Though they absolutely rave about how amazing they are at the same time, so maybe the pros outweigh the cons.

If you don't count flat tires while riding and dead batteries, I've never had any breakdowns or catastrophic failures.

Maybe you just don't personally know the right kind of people. :x