Riding 2-up on the 9x0

Thanks!

I found a 2006 950 with some suspension mods. The current owner says "modified suspension with 11 inches of travel but can be put back to stock 9.3 inch travel if preferred". Is this the "S" spec suspension?

Sounds like maybe he was imagining or fumbling numbers. From the HOW:

2003-04: 9.0" (230mm) - "S" 10.4" (265mm)
2005-06: 8.3" (210mm) - "S" 9.65" (245mm)
2007-08: 8.3" (210mm) - "S" 10.4" (265mm)
2009-10: 8.3" (210mm) - "R" 10.4" (265mm)
2011: 8.3" (210mm) - "R" 9.65" (245mm)

IMO pillion space is guite limited on a LC8 adventure. Kind of reminds me of the old Africa Twin i used to have. There was a lot of more space on my old gs too. And also pillion pegs are quite high so knee angle gets a bit cramped (she's about 171cm tall).

On a plus side suspension is far better than in any of my old bikes.

What’s the HOW?

Google search "KTM hall of wisdom". HOW is the acronym for Hall Of Wisdom.
That site will have pretty much whatever info you need to know.

I went to look at the 950 yesterday... OK I think I'm starting to understand why people like these bikes! The newer KTMs are more travel oriented, the 950 really is just a bigger dirt bike. But having said that, yes it's quite feasible to ride two-up comfortably. I'm pretty impressed!

Not sure if I would go for this specific bike, but I'm definitely including the 950 / 990 in my search.

It sounds like you are on the right path! I have a 2007 990 that I have logged oh....30,000 miles on two up. I absolutely love it. We have done 6000 mile trips, and some 700 mile days on it. Tons of off pavement riding, including a good bit of fairly challenging off road stuff.

• My wife has long legs ( ) I installed some aftermarket lowering footpegs for her comfort.
• Overall seat length front to back, is a bit less than other bikes - for example, my old Vstrom 1000 was more roomy. However, by fabricating a bracket to shift rear rack back a bit, it made a huge difference. It gives her a bit more room between the two of us.
  
• She uses a Air Hawk seat cushion. With that, she could care less what seat I use - be it the stock seat or the Seat Concepts Two up.
  
• shock spring rate is pretty good for two up with luggage - just dial in some preload. Fork springs on the other hand are a tad soft. I went up a couple of spring rates.
• I use a KTM Touring Shield which is mounted following the "super ricardo" mod - - http://www.ktm950.info/how/Farkels/adventure/double windscreen/cyborg.html Fantastic!
  
• Others have mentioned the throttle response 950 vs 990. Stock, early model 990s were abrupt. Install a G2 Throttle Tamer, and load the "Zuber 3" map on the ECU. Dramatic improvement! Cheap and easy mods to do.
• I also have a Rekluse clutch on it. Amazing mod for technical stuff. Amazing mod when it keeps dear wifey happy because you dont bobble and drop the bike with her on it!
• Tons of luggage options, hard and soft. OEM or aftermarket. I started with Trax hard panniers and a hard top case. Have since went with soft luggage - Giant loop Tillimook tail bag, Round the World Panniers, and a Wolfman tank bag. We can load up full camping gear for more than two weeks of riding without trouble with the hard or the soft luggage.

Get out and enjoy some fantastic ride time with your wife!

Mike

Great info! Thanks Mike.

My wife is also pretty tall. Where did you get the pegs? What brand?

I've been looking into fork springs, the Racetech calculator says I need 0.66 kg/mm springs but they're not available. Where did you get yours?

I got mine from Slavens racing. Call him, he is super helpful. I got 64 kg/mm from him for $140 usd. Can't remember if shipping was on top of that or not. It ended up doing seals, oil, and I cleaned it all up while I was in there. Ended up costing me about $350 for everything including all the tools since I didn't have those.

I'm really happy with the spring rate I got. I'm 220 lbs, 5' 10". I ride about 25% dirt and very aggressive on the street. Mostly without a passenger.

I think these are the pegs, though I can't find them for the 990:
https://www.twistedthrottle.com/mfw...0-super-duke-gt-17-19-rider-black-or-silver-1

I bought my springs from another ADV inmate used, but Slavens is a good source. Some higher rate springs require the plastic part of the damping rod to be turned down. I don't recall what rate mine are but they fit without modifying rods.

The 64 kg/mm that I got did not require any modifications to the plastic part. It was super close though.

Could you please post some detailed pics of what you have on your bike? My leggy klingon is 5'9" so this is something I've been hunting a while for.

I will get some pics most likely this weekend. Between the pegs and shifting the rack rearward, it really made my wife much more comfortable. When we have the tail box on or a duffle on the rear for her to lean on, she can lean back a bit more and not feel so smucked up tight against me due to the sort of short seat length. And its not that she is a larger lady, she is actually a skinny mini sort, she just didnt like it being more cramped together than other bikes we have had. Also, I think the Seat Concepts is a bit taller for the passenger. Combine that with an Airhawk cushion, you gain even more leg room. Your leggy one is taller than mine - I am certain it would be a very welcome modification.