Beefeater Steve is seeing red, and maybe a little orange.

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by Beefeater Steve

Phil is charging the new battery while I type, bless his heart. He's as patient with my nagging as my wife.

That's a new bike.


Yes, I know, it is actually a used bike, but ... WOW


It doesn't get any better than that.


If the test ride is a positive experience ( and if you are
the sort of rider who likes performance it will be )
I wouldn't mess around and let this Dakar get bought
out from under you.



I suppose it is obvious, but the story of your acquisition
of this bike and your conversion from blue and white to orange
( assuming you do buy it ) should be something which can find
its way into Motum.



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[Deviant666]

Originally Posted by It'sNotTheBike

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It's hard to get much detail from that single photo, but the bike
appears to be in showroom condition.

By the way, those plastic side cases are less likely to break your leg
than the sharp-cornered metal cases, which can cause point loading
which easily exceeds the compressive strength of human leg bones.
What I'm trying to say is that if you insist on having hard cases
these plastic cases are worth keeping.


Now if Phil can just get his bike running, we can see how this saga
turns out :-)



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+1 on those cases...imho if you like aggressive riding you'll love the KTM if not the GS could be more satisfying...

[It'sNotTheBike]

The bike I checked out was a brand new 2012 model
with the lower suspension and the seat which has
been sculpted to help lower the ride height. This
bike is basically the same bike as the Dakar version
you're looking at minus the saddlebags.


The seat height was actually lower than I'd prefer, and
I am not a large human. My inseam is 32" and I am
a shade under 6 feet tall. I found the bike felt a bit cramped
ergonomically. But for someone slightly smaller than I am it would
be close to perfect. I did not ride the bike but only sat on it, but I did sit
on it for about 20 minutes, in order to get a good feel for the
ergonomics of the bike.


I also sat on a new Yamaha Super Tenere. The Super Tenere feels
spookily similar to a BMW 1200 GS when sitting on it. I would bet Yamaha studied
the GS very closely when they designed the Super Tenere. Those of us of
a certain age will recall that many Japanese products made a few decades after
WWII were amazingly good copies of originals which were designed and made in Europe,
and it would appear that Yamaha has not forgotten that modus operandi entirely, though
obviously there is much about the Super Tenere which is nothing like the BMW
GS.


I liked the seat on the Yamaha better than the seat on the KTM but the
overall "feel" of the KTM was much more to my liking. I'd buy the taller 990
Adventure myself ( the one without ABS ) because I like the way I can stretch
out on the taller bikes and I don't feel the need to have ABS on a motorcycle.


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[unaweep]

Steve- you're gonna kick yourself in the balls if you don't buy that 990, NOW. Fuck- I may go down there it buy it out from under you and I have 990R!

As for seat height- don't worry about it. I' 5'-8" with 30" inseam and love my 990R and also ride an SE.

Jump on that bike. That's a good deal. Lemme know if you don't- I may just go pick it up anyway.

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by unaweep

Steve- you're gonna kick yourself in the balls if you don't buy that 990, NOW. Fuck- I may go down there it buy it out from under you and I have 990R!

As for seat height- don't worry about it. I' 5'-8" with 30" inseam and love my 990R and also ride an SE.

Jump on that bike. That's a good deal. Lemme know if you don't- I may just go pick it up anyway.

Like I said, BeefeaterSteve, don't hesitate buying that bike or
someone who knows KTMs will swoop in like a flying monkey
in The Wizard of Oz and snatch that 990 up and it will be GONE !


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[unaweep]

I don't think old Steve recognizes how close he is to making a mistake he will regret by not jumping on this thing.

You will NOT be disappointed with that bike, Steve.

Seriously-if you don't buy it, pm- I'll buy it tonight!

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by unaweep

I don't think old Steve recognizes how close he is to making a mistake he will regret by not jumping on this thing.

You will NOT be disappointed with that bike, Steve.

Seriously-if you don't buy it, pm- I'll buy it tonight!

Mr. Unaweep knows his stuff ^


What has not yet been said is what a boring overweight
slug the BMW 1200 GS is. It's a freaking 2 wheeled Buick,
for Christ's sake. I've been riding for over 40 years and I
have never been more disappointed when I test rode a bike.
I guess the reason some people buy those things is that they
just don't know any better. Well, some of us DO know better.


I attribute the popularity of the BMW GS boxer bikes to a
sort of mass hypnosis phenomenon. The films made by
Ewan and Charlie helped that along immensely, but good lord, if I
was forced to ride a BMW GS I would quit riding, period.
And if you watched Long Way Round you know that Charlie
Boorman ( who was the guy who can actually ride a bike
in that film ) wanted KTMs and it was clueless Ewan the
pampered ( and vertically challenged ) movie star who wanted
BMWs. The irony of people wanting to mimic the choice Ewan
made is extreme. Ewan can't ride a motorcycle worth a damn.



I am just being honest here. The whole BMW GS thing is
like a living example of the old fable of "The Emperor's
New Clothes". The truth is that the GS is a heavy poorly
suspended overly complex beast with an awful transmission
that feels like something you'd find on a Gravely mower.
And then there are the reliability problems. Final drive failures,
CANBUS hassles, etc. There are better bikes, and Yamaha and
KTM are selling them right now.


BeefeaterSteve, the above rant is NOT directed at you, and I mean no
disrespect by posting this in your thread, but the BMW GS is a sham and
it is time someone told the truth.



/ end rant


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[unaweep]

Originally Posted by It'sNotTheBike

BeefeaterSteve, the above rant is NOT directed at you, and I mean no
disrespect by posting this in your thread, but the BMW GS is a sham and
it is time someone told the truth.



/ end rant


.

It had to be said.

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by unaweep

It had to be said.

Yeah, that's what I thought, so I said it


Indeed, the truth is not always popular, but it is no
less the truth because of its lack of popularity.


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[bikepsych]

STEVE---DO IT!!!! Don't let her get away. Its like the beauty model who comes on to you...you may think twice now but will regret letting her get away when you find out she can COOK too!!

BG

[rattis]

rant!!
If the Bavarian was such a piece of shi.e, as you alledge it to be, how come that they sell them in such vast quantities?
The fact that you don't like them does not make it a bad product but maybe you're a little troll
Whatever makes you tick
By the way I have a 1200 GSA

































and a 990 ADV

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by rattis

rant!!
If the Bavarian was such a piece of shi.e, as you alledge it to be, how come that they sell them in such vast quantities?
The fact that you don't like them does not make it a bad product but maybe you're a little troll
Whatever makes you tick
By the way I have a 1200 GSA

Of course you have a GSA. I knew that by the way you wrote your
ego-driven knee-jerk reaction and your personal attack on me rather
than any attempt to use meaningful facts in a rebuttal.


By the way, mister know-it-all, the correct spelling is "allege".


I already explained why the GS sells. Some people don't know any better
and a lot of people do what they see other people doing. This is not
unique to the GS : a lot of people drink Budweiser and a lot of people eat
McDonald's "food". Only a fool ( I'm looking at you, rattis ) would try to claim
that something is good because a lot of people do it. If anything, the opposite
is true. Most people are stupid and following their example is a bad idea.


As for me being a troll, thanks for the laughs, all you've proven is that
you cannot argue your way out of a wet paper bag when you resort to an
"ad hominem" argument Here is a link which explains what an ad hominem
argument is, because based on what you wrote I doubt you are educated enough
to know this :


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem



If I actually was a troll I'd post the comments I wrote in my previous post in the BMW section.
I'm not going to do that because I know the people there are brainwashed by
marketing BS and in love with the ego-linked fantasy that they ride the best bike
in the world. I don't care in the least what any of them, or you, "think" or ride.



But the truth is that I am not a troll and I am trying to help the OP of this
thread make a good buying decision. I don't suppose that thought even
entered your brain, because you were too busy making laughably absurd statements
in an childlike attempt to justify your position. Post all the retorts you like, but your
input in this thread is no more worthwhile or meaningful than dust that blows across a
field, because this thread is about a KTM, not about how "wonderful" BMWs are.



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[rattis]

That hurt
As farr as speling goes yo got me, but thenn again English izz not my first, not from lakk of educasion .
But some of us foreigners may make the od speling mistake, haffing to chooze between four or five different language that some of us speaq.
Have a najs daj!!

[Beefeater Steve]

OK, fellas, take it easy now . .

Good grief, I turn my back for a day while I paint my house (my wife could pop any second!), and my thread turns into a grudge match.

I'll post my review / thoughts in a few minutes--just need to type them.

[Beefeater Steve]

I was painting my house yesterday when Baja Phil called me.

"Hey, I'm outside your house. . . on the bike."

So, he parked the 950 in the garage and took my MKVI GTI. Aside: I love knowing people I can trust, and that trust me, too. Makes life so easy.

REVIEW DISCLAIMER: This bike review in no way reflects my core Christian values or implied moral flexibility.

✧ The BMW GSA will always have a special place in my heart. I love the charm, history, and overall utility of the bike. Honestly, I think I prefer the standard GS for the kind of riding I do, but the pricing is nearly the same (used) and I feel like there's more value in the GSA--and it looks more impressive than the standard GS. Since I do a mix of street and dirt (80 / 20 respectively), the GS/A is a better fit for my needs, but that doesn't mean I'm putting my chips down.

✧Succinctly, the GSA is the kind of bike you write poems about. The bike you take home to mom and dad; the one you make-love to face-to-face.

✧The KTM is the kind of bike you take behind the middle school and get pregnant. It's the kind of bike that, from the moment you light the fire, you know is downright nasty and makes you want to meet in the Burger King bathroom and lick its butthole.



Now that we got that bit of business out of the way, here's a slightly more refined review:

After Phil left the bike in my garage, I had to keep painting for a couple more hours. When I was done, it was dark and there was a light, misty rain coming in intermittent waves. Our baby is due on Monday but usually our kids come 1-2 days early, so it could really happen anytime. I got paranoid about having the bike and not the car, as if my wife might wake in the middle of the night causing me to haul her to the hospital on the KTM--or at least back to Phil's house to swap for my car. So, I went for an hour long ride. The downside is, the asphalt was wet and the temp was dropping (it was mid-thirties at the time), so I couldn't really flog it. Also, the bike had knobby tires making the traction more iffy in the rain.

I put on my RP3 jacket and started the bike--from that very moment, the twin REMUS pipes sounded mean and throaty as if overhearing Bigfoot take a dump in the woods on a quiet night.

Phil had warned me that he owned the "S" version, so it's definitely taller than the standard 995/990, and boy was he right. I kicked my leg over but felt as graceful as an offensive lineman doing ballet. Once I had half my butt on the seat, my other right foot was still 2' off the ground as my left was grounded.

TALL.

Some things I noticed right away: The KTM is nothing but a dirt bike on steroids. But that's a tired metaphor, so here's a better take: The 950 is the product of an unnatural union between a standard LC4 and the Great Satan himself, conceived after a narcotic fueled night with members of Congress and half the NBA. The dash layout is minimalist and easy to read and access to the key requires an hand in the shape of origami.

Overall, the ergos were good, the seat slightly hard but fine, the windscreen was stout and adequate, and the bike--though tall--was easy to manage and felt quite stable.

This 950 looks like a vehicle from Mad Max since Phil had the front fairings Rhino-lined. This dystopian look added to the coarseness of the experience--the inherently primal nature of the bike.

The power was great. I noticed the bike has more horsepower than the GSA, but definitely a drop in torque. The sound of the chain was a new experience for me, but not a bad one.

Here's my breakdown (winner) by area:

✧Aesthetics: BMW. Yes, it looks like an appliance, but overall it's a well rounded package.

✧Horsepower: KTM, no doubt.

✧Torque: BMW.

✧Comfort (tarmac, wind, etc): BMW.

✧Suspension: KTM by a mile.

✧Road handling: BMW, but only because I'm more confident on it. I'm sure in dry conditions with different tires, these two bikes would be VERY close.

✧Price: KTM.

✧Resale: Even.

✧Ease of Maintenance: BMW (again, more history for me).

Sex appeal: KTM.

Overall package (fuel economy, fuel capacity, load capacity): BMW.



So, here's where I am: I sent the dealer a message this morning asking him to split the cost to ship the bike here--it's only about $230--and once he agrees (I hope it does), then I told him I'd give him a deposit over the phone and then wire the money on Monday.

But the dealer who screwed me in Oregeon (on eBay) has promised that he'll find me a replacement GSA for the same price as the one we previously agreed upon. But I have no idea how fast he'll be able to find one and I want a bike now, by damn.

The last "?" I have with the KTM is how different the EFI 990 rides compared to the carbed 950. I figure if I can get the KTM shipped at the price I hope to pay, I can ride the bike for $6 (30 day temp permit without registering / titling the bike), and make a final decision then.

Anyway, thanks everyone for weighing in.





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