Buyer Guide: KTM 950 & 990 Adventure

2002 Original 950 launched: A poke in the eye aesthetically, but it goes and handles superbly. Other than the single-cylinder Duke, the Adventure was KTM’s first foray into mainstream road bikes. Various updates were carried out by dealers to fix teething issues with (we think) the clutch, carb heaters, tank vent and some engine bolts. There was a recall on the rear brake master cylinder.

2002 S model launched: A more hardcore version biased towards off-road use, with more radical graphics. It was slightly more expensive when new but sells for about the same as the regular model on the used market. 2004 saw the 950 Adventure S have its suspension travel and ride height increased. The standard model’s seat height was 880mm with the S being 915mm. Both models were produced until 2005 with minor updates each model year.

Click to view: KTM 950 & 990 Adventure owners reviews, specs and image galleries.

Pity poor BMW. They invent a whole new kind of bike, then develop and refine it over decades until it becomes a world beater. Then, after some half-baked Japanese imitations, some Austrian upstart pinches the idea and builds a machine better than the big BMW. To be fair, it’s a close call as to whether KTM’s Adventure really does have the measure of BMW’s GS. But there’s no denying, that for such a new bike, it’s gone from zero to hero almost instantly.

Like all the GS family of BMWs, the KTM 950 and 990 Adventures are very much multi-purpose tools. Yes they’re more than capable of round-the-world trips – taking in mountains, deserts and pretty much anything else Mother Earth can muster. But they’re good at loads more besides. They’re comfortable, practical and versatile. And most importantly, they’re fast and handle far better than their weird appearance would have you believe. This makes them stacks of fun, both on and off tarmac.

New KTM prices have just leapt up, so now clean, used machines make even more sense. Generally, the brand has a reputation for building exceptionally good quality machines, though on occasion it’s been known to drop the odd clanger – an iffy batch of main bearings on their single-cylinder Adventure a few years ago, for example. The internet is awash with rumours of problems with the 950 and 990s – as it is for so many bikes – but we’ve got the truth here thanks to the owners who filled in our online survey and told us about their bikes.

Fifty owners of the 990 version and 21 who have the earlier 950 gave us the lowdown on what these bikes are really like to live with. If you’re after the real truth about one of the most exciting bikes out there, read on and prepare to spend...

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