KTM950

  • Thread starter Thread starter andrew taylor
  • Start date Start date
If you are interested I've got a post on the 12GS forum aout why I chose the 12GS over the KTM 950. The short version is that I didn't reject the bike I rejected the factory backup, in Canada mind. The BMW factory backup is better since there is BMW Canada compared to KTM who had KTM Canada and have since pulled out and now only have KTM USA. Whether it was a buyout by KTM USA or just closure due to poor sales, it's redundant since now it is that much harder to get parts. On advrider.com the Americans there complain of the KTM parts being hard to get. Not all the time but it was a factor in my decision. It seemed to depend on which dealer you dealt with. Finally the fact that you had to be an authorized 950 dealer, in Canada, to service the 950 limited where I could get service even more. That said I'm still considering the KTM as a second bike. I'm considering buying it this winter if it still does something for me. It is an awesome machine and if you can source out a good dealer with good connections with KTM you can't really go wrong.
 
yeaaahhhhhhhhhhh big bad bob is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey this means he couldnt keep away from me and he's switched me back on cos no one else will speak to the fat old git (he admitted to being a porker in a previous post so its not me being personal!)

bob, any more pics of your summer trip? ill be your friend and talk to you..............




:D
 
jnrobert said:
Didn't you have one :confused: (the one you were all secretive about why you sold :D )

wrong time (skint)
wrong bike (S too tall)
Wrong dealer

right time (loaded)
right bike (non S in orange )
right dealer
 
andrew taylor said:
So who's all tried the KTM and decided to stick with their GS?
Has anyone tried the 1200GS but decided to go for the KTM?

Just wondering what folks opinions were as I rather like the look of the KTM.

Haven't bothered with either, a lack of fuel range on both counts them out. I am sticking with the 1150 GS Adv. I need 400km but would prefer 500 - 600km. I get 500km from the GS Adv sans panniers 450km with them, when it's slower going off road ie 2nd & 3rd gear all day, I still get about 450km

I still have to carry a 5l fuel cannister on the back when I travel (outback Oz trips) I am a buy a bike and ride it kinda guy I don't want to frig around changing all the bits out, mine is stock, panniers aside. The GS Adv is fairly close to the best bike for me at the moment. Look at the riding you're doin', then chose the bike.
 
I had a 1150GS for nearly 5 years but got a bit tired of the poor gear change, corrosion and jumping out of 6th gear. Then my trusty BM dealer, C.W. motorcycles in Dorchester opened Sideways Motorcycles at Crossways near Dorchester. They sell the entire range of KTM's, have a mechanic I trust, a parts department that know what they are talking about and each time I walk in the welcome is really nice.

Well, one Saturday when C.W's didn't have any trousers I liked I went to Sideways, bought some trousers and the 950.

The 950 rides like a trail bike in town, a Supermotard in the mountains and like an RT on the motorway. After two weeks of running in we did 2,000 miles down to the Stella where it got lots of interest from GS riders. The ride was done two-up with camping gear, I was most suprised how well the suspension worked with so much load, better than a GS on Ohlins. (If you know anybody who wants a pair of Ohlins, a Y piece and a tank bag for a 1150GS).

Pillion comfort is WAS not as good as the GS, the sloping seat meant my wife kept sliding forward. This I've stopped by making a foam wedge that levels the seat, this allowed us to do 380 miles across France in a day without pillion complaint.

To go with the poor pillion seat, the other thing that does not match up to BMW is the recovery/breakdown cover we get in the UK. The RAC recovery only covers the UK, it cost an additional £135 for 12 months European RAC cover, BMW's comes in the price.

But I love the bike, it's the bike I've wanted for the last 5 years.
 
tony..ktm does rock for sure..only you wont find many people here agreeing!!! ktm is superior in every dept bar the seat which can be sorted with an aftermarket one. and the cash you save at the initial outset lets you go mad speccing it up!!!
 
robeekay67 said:
tony..ktm does rock for sure..only you wont find many people here agreeing!!! ktm is superior in every dept bar the seat which can be sorted with an aftermarket one. and the cash you save at the initial outset lets you go mad speccing it up!!!


Bugger, and there was me with my mind up to buy one.
 
Tony Summers said:
I had a 1150GS for nearly 5 years but got a bit tired of the poor gear change, corrosion and jumping out of 6th gear. Then my trusty BM dealer, C.W. motorcycles in Dorchester opened Sideways Motorcycles at Crossways near Dorchester. They sell the entire range of KTM's, have a mechanic I trust, a parts department that know what they are talking about and each time I walk in the welcome is really nice.

Well, one Saturday when C.W's didn't have any trousers I liked I went to Sideways, bought some trousers and the 950.

The 950 rides like a trail bike in town, a Supermotard in the mountains and like an RT on the motorway. After two weeks of running in we did 2,000 miles down to the Stella where it got lots of interest from GS riders. The ride was done two-up with camping gear, I was most suprised how well the suspension worked with so much load, better than a GS on Ohlins. (If you know anybody who wants a pair of Ohlins, a Y piece and a tank bag for a 1150GS).



Pillion comfort is WAS not as good as the GS, the sloping seat meant my wife kept sliding forward. This I've stopped by making a foam wedge that levels the seat, this allowed us to do 380 miles across France in a day without pillion complaint.

To go with the poor pillion seat, the other thing that does not match up to BMW is the recovery/breakdown cover we get in the UK. The RAC recovery only covers the UK, it cost an additional £135 for 12 months European RAC cover, BMW's comes in the price.

But I love the bike, it's the bike I've wanted for the last 5 years.
Hi Tony
Did you get a good deal ?
Send an email as i can't send you one :confused:
 
KTM 950

this is mine, and like everthing i own, it could be yours...
 

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bmw vs ktm

Just a quick one... oooeeerrr missuss.

the one thing that puts me off ktm is.................... chains!!!!!:beerjug:
 
Me too. Until I read all the posts of collapsing rear drive shafts. All of a sudden a chain appeals.
 
I'm not sure whether this is anything to go by, but on my way to Er Rachidia last Christmas (to see the Paris-Dakar) I hardly saw a single beemer, but the KTMs were like a plague.

Now, maybe that's just because orange is this year's colour (especially at the P-D) and the wealthy European biker set tend to change their bikes with their socks... it'll be interesting to see what happens long-term.
 
There will be at least one enormous GS at the start of the Barcelona Dakar 2005! Thats for sure!:D
 


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