950 ADVENTURE – REDUX

It just feels so right.

Sometimes it just all comes together. The sun is shining, the leaves on the trees around you ablaze in fall splendor and that sharp gravel-strewn left-hander has the bike sideways and the rear wheel spinning up a cloud of white dust.

Okay, to most of you asphalt-locked motorcyclists that last bit would be the moment that you almost bit the biscuit, kicked the proverbial can or even terminated yer mortal coil. But if you're perched upon KTM's monstrous 950 Adventure (shod with knobbie tires with the best part of a day's acquaintance under your belt) then this is a magical moment.

By the laws of physics this machine shouldn't be letting you do this. With 198 Kg of dry mass it should be bucking like a frantic bronco, trying to spit you off just so that it can body slam your pertinent arse into the ground – where it obviously belongs.

But it doesn't.

Instead it talks to you like a consummate partner in crime – eager to try the next ridiculous maneuver, ravage the next rock-bespeckled descent or flip the bird to the next water crossing. KTM have done the impossible in making a big, powerful machine think and act like it's a regular dirt bike.

However, despite achieving the unthinkable by making size and power so controllable, ultimately the laws of physics have to apply and doing a maneuver that would have you eating dirt on any other well-made dirt bike, will result in the same carnage here – only with more mass-times-acceleration to make the dust-clearing moment all the more unpleasant.

During the Cloyne ride, the 950 was fully dirt tested ... CMG style.

Still, it kinda adds to the fun, doesn't it?

Alas, I only have a small amount of space here to natter about the virtues and yes, flaws of the 2005 Adventure, so I’ll get to the point.

We already tested the 950 last year, but KTM have made some changes in '05 and it only seemed right that we took another look at their flagship bike to see how these have affected the beast. Okay, so the idea of a free ride at Rally-Connex's superb annual Cloyne ride may have entered into the equation, but what's the point in being the editor of the world's ninth* biggest motorcycle e-zine if you can't work backwards every now and then for the sake of a good ride?

2005 CHANGES

It seems that KTM are a company that actually listens to criticism, as they seem to have addressed pretty well all the complaints. A stronger front wheel rim, re-shaped seat and lower suspension are the main mods, with increased rider protection from engine heat, wider rear rim and improved rear brake to boot.

All relatively minor updates, but if you'd even ridden an '04 you'd know that the seat was a plank, the seat height tall (even for the 'arris' of the world) and front rims that would dent with relatively minor whacks. Oddly, for some reason our 2005 tester came with the 2004 seat so we can't comment on that, but by dropping the front and rear suspension by 20 mm the seat height is much more reassuring (still a big 860 mm though).

New rims are still susceptible to denting in hard use.

Unfortunately KTM still seemed to have missed the mark on the front wheel rim, which was looking rather hexagonal in shape at the end of the weekend's ride. I'm not sure why they seem to have difficulty getting the rim strong enough, but I suspect that the combination of a skinny, large diameter (21") wheel, on a heavy bike that can be ridden hard in very rough terrain is beyond the abilities of mere aluminium alloy.

Is it time for Titanium Mr. KTM???

Over the Cloyne weekend it also kept cool enough to resist overheating (a problem we experienced with our tester in 2004), although it did use some oil and required the better part of a litre to top it up at the end of the weekend's ride.

Otherwise, the 950 Adventure is still on its own when it comes to a big bike being able to feel at home in the dirt. The suspension and motor still shine, the brakes are well balanced (although a gentle hand is needed with the powerful twin disc set-up to prevent frontal lock-up in the dirt) and the bike just handles.

* Self-estimate by self-important, selfish, cell phone selling, single-celled, salesmen-sent, sentinels of CMG.

SPECIFICATIONS

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