Did you also test the KTM 950 Adventure?

[RobC]

"bmw finish was rank on my bike and totally inadequate for a wanna be ride all year adventure bike."

You've never had a Kawasaki then? Every winter I need to cover it in WaxOyl and every spring I need to touch up the rusted bits. I'm hoping the BMW will be much more resilient to corrosion.

 

[BBB61]

love the way so many threads on here get nasty arsey when they dont comform to licking the left hairy one of mista bmw.

Can't say I've noticed too many getting nasty. Mind you, I do remember when some complete dickhead made an utter fool of himself when trying to compare the labour rates of BMW dealers with a backstreet mechanic he had found, and when it was pointed out to him that it was not a direct comparison, he started to send abusive private messages to one of the other members. Does that ring any bells Robee??

Now, that is getting arsey.

Bob

 

[Fanum]

*fingers hover over the 'move posts to R&B's rant area button*

 

[Chris G]

fight fight fight

 

[robeekay67]

bob.

you deserve all the stick you get you total zed.....when are you ever, and i do mean ever, gonna post something on this web site that interesting?anyway, switch me off please.....please....please stop boring these people..go and eat another pie??

and whats all this back street mechanic????? ehhh????check out the latest actually useful european law that lets you get your car/bike serviced by a mechanic who, so long as he's vat registered he can stamp your book for you and make warranty claims.........and do a darn sight better at looking after your bike than the official people........unless of course your name is bob in which case, you dont need a mechanic.......hmmmmmmmmmm

lights..camera......

 

[SpyInTheCamp]

I have to say that I am bit puzzled as to how I may have started something here.

FWIW, I have to say that the KTM is preying on my mind. It was a short test ride, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Definitely a case of trying to fix up back-to-back test rides with the 1200GS.

However, my concerns about the KTM are that it is perhaps too biased towards offroad ability for me. I tend to do a mix of riding form commuting, touring and weekend blasts. I also like B roads and there's plenty of them in these parts! But it is unlikely that I'll go offroad much. Then again, I may just like it.

I like the idea of the BMW because of things like the telelever / paralever suspension and the new (ABS) baking set up. Oh and it is a comfy bike too. I really enjoyed the test ride that I did earlier this year and if I had the money I would have put in the order then.

Strangely enough, the KTM misses out on most of the above. It handles very well, has a great motor and the brakes are good. But...

Ho hum!

Seconds out. Ding, ding ...

SITC

 

[robeekay67]

spy you started nothing.......as ive realised life would be duller if people like bob didnt exist..mind you, get a bmw and these are the sort of people you'll be nodding your head to........ho hum

Can't say I've noticed too many getting nasty

..thats cos you're not very bright.......

 

[BBB61]

spy you started nothing.......as ive realised life would be duller if people like bob didnt exist..mind you, get a bmw and these are the sort of people you'll be nodding your head to........ho hum

What's the difference between Robeekay and a sperm???




















A sperm has a one in a million chance of developing into a decent human being!

Bob

 

[GSAde]

Maybe Bobs right

Come on Robee...

.mind you, get a bmw and these are the sort of people you'll be nodding your head to........ho hum

Lets not start casting aspertions on all bm riders, I'm sure there are arses in all camps, you'll be proving Bobs right if you come out with comments like the above. I've loved all my GS's (and have had loads of other bikes over the years) Doesn't make me a tosser tho', unless of course you know better, having never met me!

Friendly banter is fine on this board, but general abuse is not fun, friendly or clever.

Ade

 

[BBB61]

Re: Maybe Bobs right

Friendly banter is fine on this board, but general abuse is not fun, friendly or clever.

Ade

Ade,

Robee distinguished himself here several months ago when he started to complain about the labour rates some BM dealers charged (a legitimate point infact). However, he then made the claim that the labour rates for other bikes was half what BMW dealers charge.

This claim was disputed comprehensively when one of the members posted up the labour rates of some of the other makes, having obtained them by ringing round a few dealers.

Robee then went on to say that he was quoting the labour rate of a back street mechanic he had found. This was immediatley challenged, and rightly so. Comparing a independent mechanic with a dealership rates is not a direct comparison.

Robee then had a bit of a hissy fit, accused people of being boring (myself included) because we were producing EVIDENCE to challenge his claims. It seems he likes to make claims, but gets upset when people produce the evidence that debunks his claims.

He has now bought a Fazer 1000. He is also a self appointed expert on what a crap bike the 1150GS really is and regularly tells us all what fools we are that we ride a GS.




Bob

 

[BBB61]

and whats all this back street mechanic????? ehhh????check out the latest actually useful european law that lets you get your car/bike serviced by a mechanic who, so long as he's vat registered he can stamp your book for you and make warranty claims.........and do a darn sight better at looking after your bike than the official people

According to the AA, this new law is full of loopholes. In theory, you can get your car/bike serviced by any mechanic and get them to stamp your book. But the crunch comes when you might need to make a warranty claim. The manufacturers could insist on making sure your mechanic is up to date on the servicing courses for your vehicle, as well as having any special tools that are needed to service it properly. Any hint that everything with the mechanic is not up to date, or has not been serviced in line with their recommendations and they could be turning down your claim.

It seems with this EU directive, as usual, that everything is not as cystal clear as it first appears.

Bob

 

[Mike_swe]

I had a short test ride on a KTM yesterday. To do it any justice, I should give it more time and do it back to back with the 1200GS.

Has anyone here done this? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

It has been alsmost 5 months since I tested the 1200GS, but I reckon that for me it is still the better bike. For a variety of reasons.

SITC

I test rode a KTM950 before I decided to buy the GS. A short test ride (on tarmac) won´t do the bike justice, but it was enough for me to choose the GS. The comfort, the chassis and brakes, the smooth engine (I was expecting the KTM to have a smoother engine, it feels kind of harsh compared to say a Ducati V-twin) on the GS feels better. The KTM is probably better offroad, but for me the GS is a much better bike.

 

[theclowncrusty]

I had a KTM 650 Adventure before i bought the GS. I found the bike itself to be good fun if a little tall,(and i`m 6ft 2in tall!) What made me get rid of was
A: the servicing costs. Service every 3K miles? Thats no good for a comuter/all rounder bike.
B: KTM are shite at after sales service!!!! I broke a spoke in the front wheel after a couple of weeks, no big deal in itself i hear you all say. And no it wasnt till i took it back to the dealer. dealer took one look at it and said "No problem, warranty claim, well get it sorted for you" KTM demanded the wheel, fork leg,caliper were sent back to the factory for testing!!!! WTF?
I ended up on a dealer curtesy bike for six weeks. Finally got it sort out. But got rid of the bike in the end as my local dealer stoped selling them as they were fed up of people slagging them off for parts that were not sent. They ended up with 4 bikes in the showroom that they couldnt sell as they had been butchered for parts to get customers bikes back on the road.
Dont normally get on my soap box but this is one subject that have had some experience with.... The Clown

 

[Deadskin]

I had a KTM 650 Adventure

A: The KTM 950 service intervals are every 4650 mls

B:My experience with KTM has been on a par with bmw
where by some dealers are better than others,
getting spares and warranty claims have not been a problem.


BTW
I bought the KTM now because the 1200 wont be here till spring

 

[HMR]

However, my concerns about the KTM are that it is perhaps too biased towards offroad ability for me. I tend to do a mix of riding form commuting, touring and weekend blasts. I also like B roads and there's plenty of them in these parts! But it is unlikely that I'll go offroad much. Then again, I may just like it.

I like the idea of the BMW because of things like the telelever / paralever suspension and the new (ABS) baking set up. Oh and it is a comfy bike too. I really enjoyed the test ride that I did earlier this year and if I had the money I would have put in the order then.

Strangely enough, the KTM misses out on most of the above. It handles very well, has a great motor and the brakes are good. But...

Ho hum!

SITC

I did back-to-back testing (950S -04) both before and after I bought the 1200GS. My experience is very similar to what you describe above. The KTM is a winner offroad but the BMW engine, chassis, brakes, comfort, etc makes the GS a winner on all kinds of ROADS.

To my opinion the KTM 950 is always wrong. On roads the 1200GS is better. Offroad the KTM LC4 is better.

 

[DavidHolmes]

To my opinion the KTM 950 is always wrong. On roads the 1200GS is better. Offroad the KTM LC4 is better.

So I have a choice then, ride a KTM 950 to Ronse/Kasterlee/Lahinch etc on roads, then ride it off road when I get there, or, ride there on a a 1200GS, and then ride off road when I get there on an LC4. Which presumably was in my top box......

That was the whole point of the original G/S concept - not the best off road, not the best on road, but usable on both.
By your reasoning then, I figure the KTM 950 is the true inheritor of the G/S concept.

 

[gasman]

Robeekay: god knows I'm no great fan of Bob S's irate "old-man" tirades, but you are starting to get a bit boring. Try finding some new material.

So perhaps 'finish' comes down to rider care and attention.

Couldn't agree more. I wash mine less than one a year, and I mean ANY kind of wash at all. It's bubbling and rusting but do I care? Do I F**K.
I've got better things to do with my life than clean motorbikes. It will last me until well after I'm bored with it and want another, and the resale value will be irrelevantly small whatever I do.
Get over it, nerdlingers.

 

[HMR]

So I have a choice then, ride a KTM 950 to Ronse/Kasterlee/Lahinch etc on roads, then ride it off road when I get there, or, ride there on a a 1200GS, and then ride off road when I get there on an LC4. Which presumably was in my top box......

That was the whole point of the original G/S concept - not the best off road, not the best on road, but usable on both.
By your reasoning then, I figure the KTM 950 is the true inheritor of the G/S concept.

I did the same reasoning as you do but came to a slightly different conclusion.

Yes, the KTM 950 is the true inheritor of the G/S concept. It has the robustness, large wheels, and the 300 mm suspension travel required for offroad. I could imagine using one for "continent crossing".

But when I compare with the alternative, a KTM 640, I find that the smaller bike can do everything that the bigger can. But the lighter bike is superior when the "gelände" gets rough.

One reasons with the brain but make decisions with the hart. In reality I had two alternatives; The 1200GS or the 950S. I bought the 1200GS just because is looked nicer....

 

[BBB61]

Robeekay: god knows I'm no great fan of Bob S's irate "old-man" tirades,

With a bedside manner like that, it is abundantly clear why you became an Anaesthetist. The patients that you come into contact with must be grateful that your spoken communications with them are kept to a minimum.

Bob

 

[gasman]

A fine example of what I mean. Bob, I've got just the stuff for you. You'll be feeling very sleepy in just a minute....