Is a 950 SMR any good ?

harley-metisse

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Hi guys,

I'm fresh from 3 years ownership of a HP2 Megamoto, but having looked around on the secondhand market, I'm stuck on what to have next. Initially I was thinking a F800GS or a Tiger 800XC, but I've tried them, whilst they're ok, they don't really float my boat, maybe in a few years when I want to grow old more gracefully.

So after all that, I find myself thinking again about a 'supermoto', what a small world I hear you think.

The 950 runs carbs, the 990 is injected, but what's the whole story ?
Will they tour (they will need to, two trips in two years, two planned for this year alone - luggage requirments are just a tank bag) ?
What's the fuel consumption like ?
How comfortable are they ?
Are the Akrapovics worth having ?
What about the so called Gel seat option ?
Anyone know of any for sale, 'good ones' only mind ?

Any other points that I've missed, that you think of yourselves, that may be relavent, please feel free to answer as well.

Thanks
 
They ARE very good, Better than the 990 , well my 2005 950 was better than my 2008 990 SM. Great power delivery fast ,could tour with a small fly screen, The SMR has a smaller tank than the standard SM so range is slightly less. Early bikes had delaminating fuel tanks causing plastic bits to block the carbs which was the only problem I had. I still lust for a 990SMR but am told the fueling is no better. Get the 950 , wish I'd kept mine:thumb
 
Hi,

Thanks for that, can I ask, what is the difference is in range from the 950 sm to the smr ?
What mpg are we talking about with these anyway, do I remember reading about low forties on here recently ?
 
My 950 used to do 11o miles before the light went on ,so the SMR probably slightly less , you cant help but ride it like a twat !! 40mpg would be about right used hard :thumb .
 
I sold my 950SMR about 12 months ago and she was a minter

About 95 miles to the fuel warning light coming on. Mine came with a Corbin Gel seat which I found no more comfortable than the stock seat and certainly not worth the £300 they cost

Mine had been modded by the previous owner so it had a 1 tooth smaller front sprocket and had alreadu had the EPC & SAS mods done. The bike was running Beowulf cans which sounded great

The brakes and handling are awesome, you just think and it goes round the bends like it's on rails :eek:

I wouldn't ride one too far though as they're a literal pain in the bum gel seat or not

All in all a fantastic bike although if you are going to be traveling any distance on it you may be better off with a 990SMT? :thumb
 
SMT

Three letters for you....SMT thats the one you want,i run a 990 adv,brother in law has a 990smt,holy shiiiiiiit that thing is a beast,lifts the front in second gear off the throttle,tours all day long comfy and handles like a sports bike...
 
I have a 950sm,best bike i have had. I have put a small screen on also ktm gel seat which i find a big improvement.Also Akro cans on.
I find it fits me perfect,distance from pegs to seat /bars i,m 6ft. Tnk range varies but its easily possible to get 150miles from a fill,unless your really ragging it.To compare the 950sm with a 990smt ,a photo taken last year ,we did 420 miles that day quite comfortably.
 

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I was at Premier Bike Didcot today and they had a 950SMR come in this morning as a P/Ex

It had Akras on it as well :D
 
Robbo1200ADV said:
They ARE very good, Better than the 990 , well my 2005 950 was better than my 2008 990 SM. Great power delivery fast ,could tour with a small fly screen, The SMR has a smaller tank than the standard SM so range is slightly less. Early bikes had delaminating fuel tanks causing plastic bits to block the carbs which was the only problem I had. I still lust for a 990SMR but am told the fueling is no better. Get the 950 , wish I'd kept mine:thumb
Click to expand...

I've just sold my '08 990 SM due to not being able to sort out smooth fuelling. Tried all sorts. Spent a small fortune - Akras, power commander, motohooligan airbox, throttle cams... still hated it around town (i know it's not a town bike, but I really wanted day-to-day bike I could live with). Spectacular performance on the open road, but I was planning on getting it kitted out for doing a bit of touring. Decided to chuck it in and get something else in the end.... Jon
 
cherokee said:
Three letters for you....SMT thats the one you want,i run a 990 adv,brother in law has a 990smt,holy shiiiiiiit that thing is a beast,lifts the front in second gear off the throttle,tours all day long comfy and handles like a sports bike...
Click to expand...

Pricey said:
I've just sold my '08 990 SM due to not being able to sort out smooth fuelling. Tried all sorts. Spent a small fortune - Akras, power commander, motohooligan airbox, throttle cams... still hated it around town (i know it's not a town bike, but I really wanted day-to-day bike I could live with). Spectacular performance on the open road, but I was planning on getting it kitted out for doing a bit of touring. Decided to chuck it in and get something else in the end.... Jon
Click to expand...

No,you don't want a SMT.

Ok,it's a nice bike until you ride the 950 and realise that the fuelling with carbs is in a different league to the crap,snatchy 990 FI motor,though SMTs seems to have a slightly better delivery than other 990s

I just love my 950 SE with obviously the same motor as the SMR.

The difference is I can tour on my SE with a 30 litre Safari tank,panniers,Renazco seat etc.

Best bike I've ever owned,and I've owned a few,including over a dozen different KTMs.


So go for a 950 !!
 
I had a 950SMR that I bought from Captain Pugwash on here. On a good day I'd get 100 miles out of a tank and on a bad day (or a good day depending on how you look at it :cool:) 80 miles which actually was the most my arse could manage in one go on that seat anyway. Suffered from carb icing in the cold or damp and that included really early spring or autumn mornings, not just in the winter. Rear tyres rarely lasted more than 4k and fitted sliders to the pegs to stop them wearing away :eek Main dealer services cost an arm and a leg.

I've recently bought a Superduke R to get back some of the fun that I missed but it's just not the same and it'll be going before long.
 
Agree

Well i kind of agree Arsey,but i gotta say bruv in laws 10 plate 990 is'nt that snatchy at all,and i ride an 07 990 adv so i know as you do the agro getting these right,my one has throttle cam 16 tooth front sprocket and it runs along at 30mph filtering all day.But im really liking the SMT and for sure your beast is fantastic,but you have to put some money into that bike to be able to use it like you do,tanks etc,whereas the SMT is a full on distance bike out of the box.The other thing Arsey,is its real real hard to find a bike like yours around.:Motomartin
 
Hey, Harley-Metisse, something for you to consider :-

I bought an SMT last July, 2011 models with the bosch abs, I absolutely love the fekkin thing :D:D:D
All of my mates who have ridden it, get off it with a big smile and sayjust one word "Awesome!" :eek:

It has all the dynamic riding qualities you are looking for, after all it is the Super Moto Travel, but what you also get is a 19 litre tank ( giving you 150 miles before reserve light ), a small nose fairing to take the sting out of 90 mph cruising, and the natty little rack which makes it so much easier to bung luggage on and bungee it down.

The 115 bhp motor is an absolute peach, all this talk about crap fuelling is just complete bollocks, what it is however is an almost digital response to your right hand movements, in other words, if your clumsy with it, you'll get clumsy drive back.
But it will pull 4th gear down to about 28 mph and then just open the taps and get perfectly smooth drive from it, power everywhere, no flat spots:thumb2

Here's some more info for you, first post is when I'd just bought the bike

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274942

This post is a nice day ride I had on it

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=281496

Got 8,500 miles on her now, and I've loved every one of them, she's never missed a beat, real addictive brawny power!

From what you describe your needs are for the bike, this would fit the bill perfectly, plus KTM have got a test ride week on next week I believe, get in touch with your local dealer for a demo ride - try an SMT before you buy anything else - my guess is you will love it!!

Cheers,

Poucher
 
I,ve had a 950 and have now got a 990sm. The 950 is a little smoother mostly because they have a lot less power and torque at low revs (and all revs!) I've tweaked mine to smooth out the low speed fueling that people moan about and can do 30mph in forth gear without problems. It will also wheelie off the throttle in third and with a little tug in forth gear :eek: Great fun bike :thumb2
 
Is a 950 smr any good ??

Hi again guys,

I need to confess, and admit that I should have closed this thread perhaps, I have bought a 'standard' 950 Supermoto. From a fellow tosser, Dee Tee, of this wonderful forum.

It's not really standard, as those of you who follow this forum will actually know, but in my humble eyes, it's all the better for it anyway.

Our annual summer trip is already booked, Roscoff, central France, Millau, Andorra, along the french side of the Pyrenes and back home via Santander. Can't wait, the seat is already ok for a couple of hundred miles a day (tried that already), have a tank bag and a rucksack, so bring it on.

I already have a 'pants plan', which is, - I keep all my pairs of nearly worn out pants (you know the ones, the pants that have almost seen better days, not too 'holely' - or if they are, only small holes!! ), a rough rule of thumb, if they're too embarrasing to hang on the clothes line after washing for the neighbours to see, they're prime for the trip. Socks, those follow the same rules, and all year I have been quietly packing these in my rucksack awaiting taking them on their last holiday, wear'em and bin'em, as the days go by, the trusty rucksack gets lighter.

Cheers.
 
Pant plan

I use the same plan, tea shirts as well
Not too nice for the maid to find when they clean the room :augie
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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