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It was the last, muddy blast that showed what the 950 Adventure was made of. We'd left our Marbella launch base at 8.30 this morning in a downpour, and what should have been a great day's riding both on- and off-road had been marred by almost continual rain more reminiscent of Scunthorpe than southern Spain. The steep off-road course had been abandoned before I reached it, and by 4.30pm almost everyone had headed back.
But there was still time to aim the orange Adventure S down a nearby dirt road. Minutes later I was splashing the KTM down a muddy gravel track, gassing it every so often to get the rear Pirelli spinning, while trying to ignore the steep drop waiting on the other side of the fence if I got it wrong. It was no surprise that the Adventure felt good in the nasty stuff. After all, KTM's first roadgoing V-twin is based on the 950 Rally on which Italian ace Fabrizio Meoni wonthe 2002 Dakar Rally - to the extent that KTM claims 95 per cent of parts are identical. The Austrian firm's policy of developing its road bikes from competition machines has brought a new level of off-road ability to the big trailie market.
KTM sets its sights high these days. The first sentence of the Adventure press introduction booklet says: "The goal of the KTM Group is to become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Europe." This will be done, they say, by being world leaders in the racing-oriented sector of the off-road market, and by expanding its range to sports street bikes - hence the V-twin. Such bold statements seem rash coming from many firms, but slightly less so from this one. In the year to last September, KTM sold 61,000 bikes, an increase of 35 per cent, and is on target to raise that figure to 77,000 this year. Only about 3000 will be Adventures but that figure will double the following year, when the V-twin range will expand with the 115bhp Duke roadster, unveiled at last year's Munich Show and due early in 2004.
First up it's the Adventure, or rather Adventures. Alongside the silver standard model is the Adventure S, intended for more serious off-road use. The S comes in KTM's traditional orange, has 35mm more suspension travel at both ends, is otherwise identical, and costs £7700 compared to the standard bike's £7350.
Most people will buy the standard bike, whose seat height is a tall 880mm rather than a stratospheric 915mm. The seat is quite narrow though, so being lanky I could put both feet down even on the S. Short riders will struggle, but at least the Adventurer is relatively light, at 198kg. The standard model felt pretty manoeuvrable once I'd climbed aboard, fired up the 942cc V-twin engine, and splashed out into the Malaga traffic.
Immediately it was obvious that the Adventurer was sportier than other big trailies. As well as being 20kg or more lighter, it carries its weight well, due to its compact engine and low centre of gravity. The bike felt almost like a smoother version of a big single - and a much more powerful one, too. The motor was a real star at low revs, feeling very smooth and delivering an instant burst of acceleration that had the rear Pirelli scrabbling for grip.
KTM's efforts to combine a light crankshaft, softly tuned engine and carbs rather than fuel-injection have given excellent throttle response. With a max of 98bhp there's plenty of top-end go, too. When the road opened up, a brief flat-out blast sent the orange-faced tacho's needle ripping towards the 9500rpm redline through the gears, as the digital speedo topped out at about 125mph. At high revs there was a bit more vibration than I'd expected from the balancer-shaft equipped motor - enough vibes to encourage short-shifting. The KTM sat at 5000rpm and about 85mph in top feeling smooth and relaxed. Above that speed the footrests and the rear of the tank transmitted a slight buzz that might have been annoying after a while.
Verdict
High speed running didn't worry the chassis. The Adventure was stable despite a blustery wind, and worked equally well when we headed up into the mountains. The leverage from its wide bars made the bike flickable despite its 21-inch front wheel and lengthy trail bike geometry. Pirelli's new Scorpion tyres did a pretty good job of sticking to the road, too.
Inevitably they had less grip than sticky road rubber, and there was a similar compromise in a Brembo twin-disc front brake that had heaps of feel but less power and more lever travel than a good roadster system. The well damped, multi-adjustable WP upside-down forks and shock are quality kit that gave the Adventure a controlled feel despite its generous travel.
And of course that stuff comes into its own off-road, where the KTM benefits from its 21-inch front wheel (which helps ground clearance), plus the alloy bash-plate, and hand guards on the bars. With 265mm of travel from the 48mm upside-down forks, the orange bike laughed at bumps that would have put other bikes in the hedge. The Dutch firm's shock is adjustable for high- and low-speed compression damping, plus rebound damping, and has a remote preload adjuster.
Heading back to the launch base with the rain still falling, I found myself sitting at 80mph on the main road, reasonably well protected by the narrow but quite tall screen, but with my bum starting to make me conscious of the fairly slim, firm seat. Most other big trailies would give a more luxurious ride. But they wouldn't have been as quick or anywhere near as enjoyable in the mountain hairpins. And they certainly wouldn't have made me half as keen to head off down a muddy track just for fun.
So if you want an enduro styled bike for touring and towns, because you're looking for comfort, dirt-bike image and a clear view over the traffic, then there are more suitable bikes than this. But if your idea of a major road is one that exists mainly to lead to more interesting and less smoothly surfaced places to ride, even if they're half a day or more away, then the KTM Adventure has just redefined what a large capacity trail bike can do.
It has also debuted the V-twin engine that will be used not only by the Duke but also by an even sportier model in the future. But such is the firm's ambition that plans for an LC8-powered World Superbike challenger and super-sports roadster have been put on hold - in favour of a V4 that is due in MotoGP in 2005! And KTM is entered in this season's 125cc Grands Prix with French reigning World Champion Arnaud Vincent and Italian ace Roberto Locatelli.
ADVENTURE TECH
The heart of the Adventure and the key to KTM's progress into the large-capacity market is the potent LC8 powerplant, a 942cc liquid-cooled, dohc eight-valve V-twin that has been under development since 1998. The motor was developed in house by a team led by Claus Holweg, who when at Rotax was responsible for Aprilia's RSV Mille V-twin unit.
KTM chose a 75 degree cylinder angle, which allows more compact dimensions than a 90-degree unit, and requires a single balancer shaft rather than the two needed by Aprilia's 60-degree layout. Driving the camshafts via spur gears reduces size still further, as does a dry sump lubrication system, which was deemed vital because it gives increased ground clearance for off-road use. A jackshaft between the cylinders serves as the balancer, as well as driving the water pump, camchain and starter motor.
With so much new metal to perfect, KTM used Keihin carbs rather than fuel-injection to save development time. Other engine details include a forged, one-piece crankshaft, forged conrods, and a bore and stroke of 100 x 60mm. Peak output is 98bhp at 8000rpm, with the maximum torque of 95N.m (70ft.lb) produced at 6000rpm. Another critical figure is the engine's weight of 58kg - roughly 20 per cent lighter than its competitors.
Weight was also a key consideration behind the choice of chrome-molybdenum steel tubes for the frame, which weighs just 11kg. "We considered 14 chassis layouts but the main three frames were all steel," says Felber. "Aluminium is more expensive and harder to work with." The rear subframe and swingarm are however aluminium. The Adventure's dry weight is 198kg, by some distance the lightest in the class.
VERDICT
Quick, light and sporty all-rounder that ain't as comfy as some, but is a proper go-anywhere big trailie in the way that nearly all its so-called rivals are not.
EVOLUTION
1992: KTM taken over by new management team led by Stefen Pierer.
1998: Development of V-twin engine begins.
2002: Duke roadster unveiled at Munich Show with 115bhp version of V-twin. V-twin engine powers 950 Rally racer to Dakar win.
2003: 950 Adventure enters production; KTM confirms it is developing V4 engine for MotoGP in 2005. KTM takes top 15 places in Dakar Rally.
RIVALS
Honda Varadero: Comfortable V-twin is revamped and restyled this year. Not in the Adventure's league when things get dirty.
Aprilia Capo Nord: Big V-twin that's happier on main roads than dirt tracks.
BMW R1200GS: Giant boxer is surprisingly capable on rough going, but heavy.
Triumph Tiger 900: Heaps of torque and comfort, but in the jungle it'll bite.
KTM 950 Adventure
TYPE - ALL-ROUNDER
PRODUCTION DATE - 2003
PRICE NEW - £7350
ENGINE CAPACITY - 942cc
POWER - 98bhp@8000rpm
TORQUE - 70lb.ft@6000rpm
WEIGHT - 198kg
SEAT HEIGHT - 880mm
FUEL CAPACITY - 22L
TOP SPEED - 125mph
0-60 - n/a
TANK RANGE - N/A
