+ Click to Enlarge DIRT DIGGER: The KTM 950 Adventure is more off-road orientated than anything else in its class - the more so since it bears a close resemblance to the multiple Dakar Rally-winning 950 Rally. For a screen-filling version of this picture, e-mail dave.abrahams@iol.co.za with "KTM 950" in the subject field.

November 15, 2004
By Dave Abrahams

KTM is best known for off-road machinery; as far back as 1956 Egon Dornauer won gold in the International Six Days Trial on one and Russian Gennadij Moiseev took the company's first 250cc Motocross World championship in 1974.

So when the Austrian bikemaker built its first big dual-purpose machine in 2003 it came as no surprise that the 950 Adventure was more off-road orientated than anything else in its class - the more so since it bears a close resemblance to the multiple Dakar Rally-winning 950 Rally.

It's tall and slim with classic wasp-waisted off-road architecture and a long, narrow, hard, flat saddle that's 860mm off the deck at its lowest point – and this is the lowered "street" version!

I was expecting an overgrown motocross race bike – rough-edged, uncomfortable and vibratious, with soft, long-travel suspension that only works properly on rough ground at insane speeds and makes you seasick on tar.

What I found was not only the easiest thing in its class to ride (at any speed!) but also the most accomplished, a superbly balanced package that seems to combine the best of all worlds.

And on top of that it's a better sports bike than most of its unashamedly tar-biased competitors, a real surprise.

Ashley Baud of KTM Cape Town took pains to warn me that the bike is very, very tall and that I should be careful about where I try to put my feet down.

Make sure you're standing on a flat surface, he said, or you won't reach the ground – with dire consequences. He also made the point that the bike nosedives under hard braking – sometimes hard enough to lock the front wheel.

I've never been so intimidated by anything other than an MV Agusta – but for different reasons.

Within an hour, however, I discovered that the 950 Adventure is an absolute pussycat – the combination of superbly usable power right from idle, centralised masses and ballerina-like poise makes it incredibly easy to ride in traffic.

It's stable right down to walking speed, narrow enough to go through gaps that some scooters can't and from that commanding saddle you look right over the cars – hell, if you stand up on the pegs you can see over the taxis!

And when you need to be somewhere else right now a twist of the wrist is all it takes; this bike pulls like a locomotive from under 2000rpm. On the way home one night I got it to pull fifth gear at 1100rpm, bumbling down my suburban street at about 20km/h.

Granted, when I tried to accelerate all I got was ferocious power-thudding, but it would happily hold a steady throttle at that speed – if you have a very steady right hand.

One of the few things I didn't like about 942cc 75º LC8 V-twin was its pronounced "slamming door" spritzer effect that makes the bike very jerky at small throttle openings.

It also has a high-speed problem: if you shut the throttle from wide open and immediately crack it again, there's often a noticeable hesitation before the power comes on with a bang – which can be unsettling as you change down for more drive into a long fast sweep.

I was all set to deliver a diatribe about "primitive first-generation fuel-injection systems" – until I compiled the spec sheet and discovered this thing has carburettors. Oh well, the criticism stands; I assume that the carb diaphragms have been lightly damped – if at all – to speed up their response when the bike is used in anger.

Linear power delivery

The power delivery is almost linear – it starts off strong and just gets stronger; above 7000rpm the motor begins to vibrate harshly despite the balance shaft in the V of the cylinders - common with narrow-angle V-twins – and the motor note becomes distinctly aggressive.

To further the feline analogy, this pussycat has claws; 72kW and 95Nm are enough to launch the 950 down the road like an F14 off a carrier. Rev it hard in the lower gears and the front end gets very light indeed – I'm sure more adventurous riders than me (sorry about that!) would find huge wheelies no problem at all.

The power is fed through a typical off-road clutch - smooth, progressive and seemingly bulletproof – to a six-speed gearbox with a light, positive but rather long lever throw. KTM has many years' experience in building tough, compact transmissions and this one is also remarkably slick-shifting.

This no-nonsense power train is slung underneath a very straightforward 1970s Verlicchi trellis frame welded up from chrome-molybdenum steel tubing, with the swing-arm pivot running through the gearbox as well as the frame for rigidity in this crucial area.

The rear sub-frame, by contrast, is fabricated from square-section aluminum tubing bolted on in four places.

The suspension is unremarkable but very high quality stuff from industry leader WP; no surprise there, KTM bought the Dutch suspension specialist company in 1995. The front wheel is guided by fully adjustable 48mm upside-downies while the rear end is taken care of by a piggyback monoshock with no linkages – it's bolted straight onto the swing-arm and the upper subframe mount.

The swing-arm is straight out of the motocross wish book – aluminium extrusions tapered in every direction and welded together around a solid lower shock mount. Everything is simple, durable and of the best quality available

The 11-litre fuel tanks (one on either side with separate filler caps) extend right down to crankcase level where they are bolted to bosses on the outside of the separate oil tank which doubles as a bash plate.

There are also substantial black plastic bumpers, held in place by the same bolts, to protect the metallic orange paintwork from minor off-road spills and to take the worst of the impact if the bike falls off its stand.

That keeps two of the bike's three heaviest components (the other one is the rider) below seat level and well forward, which plays a major part in the bike's superb stability and sensitive handling.

Playing dirty

After I took the photographs I took the Adventure to an extensive area of rough ground near where I live to see how well it would handle bush and, particularly, soft sand.

I've never been comfortable on big bikes in sand – few riders are – and I was astonished by how soon the KTM put me at my ease. The front wheel tracked perfectly on all but the deepest drifts and I always had the feeling that I was in control.

This is the only dual-purpose bike I've ever been comfortable on in sand, which says a lot for the chassis geometry.

The ride, firm but supple, became a little harsh on rocky ground – so I just stood up. The 950 has been designed for that and I was able to keep my back straight and my knees just slightly bent, perfectly positioned with my weight well forward, even changing gears effortlessly while standing up.

For my money it's the best big off-roader I've ridden – not surprising, really, considering its ancestry. But how would it behave at loony speeds on tar?

The next day I headed out into the country to my six-kilometre test straight and favourite corners, where the speed soon built up from a cruising 120-140km/h to a downright silly 160-180.

The flat-nosed, almost upright screen does a superb job of pushing the air out of the way without buffeting or turbulence, which also makes the bike less sensitive to cross winds than some of its heavier competitors.

Although my bum started complaining after a couple of hours on that flat, narrow seat the bike is a surprisingly comfortable tourer – Baud and his wife did a 4000km trip to Namibia with no ill-effects immediately before I got the bike – and its road handling is a revelation.

Superb handling

Most off-roaders get very twitchy at high speeds on tar, due to rider input from their wide bars, poor aerodynamics and the limitations of narrow, knobbly tyres on hard surfaces. I wasn't surprised, then, when I dived into a long, long downhill right-hander that the 'bars began to weave gently in my hands.

Then I glanced down and saw the speedo reading 185km/h!

On the tighter stuff I was able to throw the KTM around like a delivery bike and soon learned that you can brake really hard without upsetting the bike's stability as long as you squeeze, rather than grab a handful of front brakes.

There's more ground clearance than the tyres can use and the only limit to how hard it can corner is the rider's nerve – when you start off 860mm above the tar diving into a tight corner is like falling off a wall!

Tempting detour

At one point on my usual test route there's a dirt road that heads off into the wild blue yonder – for the first time this bike tempted me into a detour so I rode about 13km down a well-maintained gravel road until it ended at farm gate.

I soon settled down to my usual 55km/h dirt-road cruise, with the 950 droning along at 2400rpm in fifth.

Even though it's built for much higher speeds the KTM seemed as happy as I was doing the touristi thing, checking out the scenery and enjoying a perfect early-summer morning.

Back on the tar it was time for the top-end runs. After a couple of trial runs at around 200km/h my first full-tilt boogie yielded 211km/h, backed up by 209 going the other way, almost exactly on the power peak at 8000 revs.

Next time out I held fifth until it topped out at 215km/h, just shy of the redline at 9500rpm; when I popped it into top the bike slowly gained to 217 at 8200rpm.

I suspect, however, that the KTM was receiving significant assistance from the south-easter on this run because going the other way it was reluctant to go over 205.

For the record then, this bike's top speed according to motoring.co.za is the average of the first two runs: 210km/h, which is more than acceptable for a litre-class dirt-digger.

Designed, not styled

The Dakar influence shows everywhere; the bike is designed and for easy maintenance and repair – even the instruments have replaceable covers, the first I have seen on a motorcycle since the Ducati 450 of 1972.

Everything has been kept simple and straightforward, although top-drawer components are specified in all departments; it's a superb example of production engineering with no gadgets and no gimmicks – it's your basic kick-ass big dirt bike.

The styling is angular, almost austere, clearly intended to showcase the bike's design philosophy; you like it or you don't.

As an engineer, I find it both elegant and understated – although the bright orange metallic paint is anything but! At least Mr Ford Fiesta driver won't be able to say he didn't see you.

My taste runs to compact little sports bikes; this is the first dual-purpose machine on which I have been completely at ease. Durability and build quality are superb – its talent for hooliganising is a bonus.

Test bike from KTM Cape Town; the 950 Adventure costs R114 000.

KTM 950 Adventure specifications