So now with the coming of the new 1190 i was wondering if it would be better to wait on that or try to get one of the out going 990 at hopefully a great deal. Would waiting for traction control and the extra power be worth waiting for? Would really love to hear some thoughts. Cheers
Almost an impossible question. My opinion FWIW - I would wait and then test ride each one in turn. Decide what you want out of a bike and then check the bank to see if you have the money The 'Old' Adventure is proven to be one of the best bikes out there if you intend to exploit it's possibilities......but I guess you could say that about ayn bike ever made because it all depends on whether you want what it can offer you.... I doubt you will go wrong with either
Just had the same problem here in the UK.........after much thought I decided to go for what is possibly one of, if not the last new unregistered 990R in the country, an excellent deal (well I was happy) from InMoto in London came out at £8995 including KTM hot grips and a set of Orange crash bars fitted and on the road. Consider the new R will be £13100+ here inc taxes etc and thats a saving of over £4000 GBP.... almost 50% less. I think the new model will be a different bike, more power and lots of electrics etc to play with but in years to come I do think these old 990's will hold their value, and possible become collectable one day.
Michael Guy (WSB reporter, not a road tester) for MCN ran a 990 for 18 mths has ridden an 1190R for a couple of hours and was amazed at how much better it was, the non R is available UK without the electronic suspension pack, it doesn't come with the R, You got a fair deal considering the price dif, Trouble with waiting and riding both is a gamble that any 990's will be left, if your not interested in doing dirt the new 1190 is going to be hard to beat, I'm waiting on the 1190, a lot of cash but you only live once Sent from my Sony Ericsson arc s using Tapatalk 2
I was amazed at how much lighter the 1190 looks in this vid, compared with the PR stuff from KTM. I suppose because in the PR vid it was loaded up. <iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TgpuwjMm2M0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Uploaded with ImageShack.us Just got a deal on this beast £9000 for the bike with scotoiler fitted and top box with mounting kit. Just need some less icy weather to get out there and run it in 150 miles done though and loving it after trading in the Superduke!
I think you made a good choice for three reasons: price, exhaust placement and tank(s) line. What I want to say is that I'll never understand why KTM decided to put those pipes underneath the engine, some accessories will probably solve that and the fuel tank hump is a potential hurting point (aka. ouch my balls). I don't think that power was the thing this bike was lacking, so more power... why? Probably for street use (& marketing) because for off-road use it was too much to begin with. I have a 950 and there were moments when I realised that it was too powerful for the technical stuff when you need to be able to open quick (in short bursts) without sliding allover the place. My 2 cents.
I just bought a new 2012 990 R on New Year's Eve, so it already out of date. A year old and never ridden! My wife and I rode a 2004 950 on many dual sports and local mini adventures. No other continents or sand dunes. I think the 990 captures the imagination and possibilities. Just by looking at it. It looks exactly like a PD Rally bike. I think the 950/990 design is stunningly beautiful and that the new design 11xx looks like a cross between a V-Strom and a Multi Strada. (No offense) Surely it's an excellent bike and probably much better than my just purchased out going model, but for me the 990's looks seal the deal. Plus it's what I've owned and ridden for the last few years just a newer version. Same basic maintenance, seating position, luggage, tires, heck practically everything. I'm more than a little concerned about all of the electrical issues I've been reading about here with the smart key, and FI response. I have akro's to put on but concerned about that messing up the mapping so will leave stock for now. The old 950/990 will go anywhere. Don't believe me? Spend a few minutes watching you tube videos. I've taken ours some pretty extreme places, most by accident, and this bike (950) is almost unstoppable. The new R model is a towering beast and even at 6' tall I can tip toe only, or lean to one side. I was sitting on the 990 pretending to ride other day while on the center stand ( since I don't have ice studs in the tires to get out of my "lane" ),and reached down to pet the German Shepherd, and couldn't reach him! Lol. My wife was practicing mounting (the bike), and has discovered that the proper mounting technique is like getting on and off a horse: left foot on the peg until all the way on, left foot on the peg until all the way off. She is 5' small. I'll try to keep some updates on the 2012 990R vs the old 2004 950. At this point all I can say is it sure looks pretty. Btw, I need crash bars, wait.."brush guards", and a low gel seat ( stock on most ) if you know of any used ones...Thanks!
This is my bike to.... Only two White ones made it to Oz, so that makes it even more Special. Looks even better with the Renazco Seat & Akros !!!
My Dad was a farmer. His advice in buying complex machines was simple: "Never buy the first model of any new combine." He would always buy the outgoing model because that model had been field tested. The first 950 ADVs had issues, and the first 990 ADVs had issues. I'm pretty sure the first 1190s will have some issues that just need a little field testing to resolve. So, would you rather ride, or would you rather field test? I'd rather ride.
i see where your coming from but the 1190 motor shouldn't have any issues as it's been tested in the RC8, only problem area I can see is gremlins with the electronic suspension pack, standard in the UK but you can order it without, I bought the first Triumph T595 out the showroom, never had an issue with it, had it 10yrs,
If you are looking for a more leisurely approach to motorcycling the new style 2013 with the bigger motor may actually be smoother from a throttle and rapid shifting point of view. This is where you need to be honest with yourself: ride a 950 or 990 and see if you can deal with the right here right now acceleration. These bikes are on or off and they are bored if you are not on the gas. And they show it. I've had both and they are not like BMW's. they will go places no other big ADV bike will go but at the cost of some street bike like qualities. MAYBE the new bikes with the bigger motor will have this BMW like quality where you can just leave it in whatever gear you are in and ride. Top gear for instance. I've test ridden 1100GS bikes and they are just like my old R1100RS in that they make pretty good street bikes. I sure as hell wouldn't want to take one off road though. If you honestly want a radical dirt bike look no further than the 990 style bikes. And for sure hold out for a test ride on the ugly new ones. They may be more your cup of tea. Just trying to give an objective opinion based on my experience and not a critical OR favorable opinion. It is what it is, all bikes are a compromise. Weigh them all or get one of each : )
One guy, Joe Pichler, is currently testriding the new 1190 through East-Africa. According to his sayings http://www.josef-pichler.at/ the throttle control is much smoother than with the previous 990. On the other hand the ground clearance is reduced. Might be a reason to wait and test, as this are really two issues to consider. I'm owing a "R" and am really happy with it, especially the clearance helped a lot on previous trips, while the (relatively) rough or better direct throttle needs to be handled.
The GS series can be ridden in some fairly rough stuff once you become a better rider, they are just not near as much fun as our KTMs though.
True, with the skill and Braun, and tires a manly man could wrestle one of these beasts around off road. I have two old injuries, two wrists shattered thankfully at separate times!, and the weight of these GS bikes is not for me. My 990 is fine off road. We've done some accidental hero sections (two up) that were poorly marked on the roll charts and found muddy hill sides littered with BMW's. I have gruesome pictures of the scene. We wove around them all, sure as hell not stopping half way up a muddy single track on stock Pirelli Scorpians. Some of the GS's were fitted with knobbie s and still upside down. I'll never forget the sight of the carnage. I'm sure they were not experienced off road riders and a good rider would have done much better there is a significant weight difference in the KTM 990 950 vs GS 1100 1200. They dropped a bunch of weight I thing from the GS when they went up in CC. I remember a pic in a mag article about a blue barrel filled with 60 or 80 pounds or kg of water, and the BmW designers and technicians design the new bike had to move it every day. That's how much weight they had to take off that bike and did succeed. That was a long time ago bi put I lol ways think when I hear a bike that weighs 100 pounds less than another...wow that's a large horse feed bag full! Can you imagine adding that feed bag to your bike? In retrospect maybe the passenger I had gave me a little traction on that muddy hill side but I thing lighter is righter. Wouldn't it be great if bikes could be as light as a 200XC? Oh well off topic unless the 1190 is much heavier than the 990. Sorry for rambling about weight....
