still keep coming back here despite having sold the 1290 last december, i sold her as i had an awful time with all the faults and was getting stressed out just thinking about the 1290, great bike when all ok but that was not very often.

went jap for the first time in a long time, no hassle just get on and ride, not the best bike for the road and on track i am actualy slower with this than i was with bikes with less power.

i shall get back with KTM, more than likely another 1290 but i shall have to wait as in the last 3 years i have had 3 new bikes.

i had some issues with the jap one down to changing the exhaust for more noise and then having to gown the road of a bazzaz and dyno time, never, never again....... whilst i was without the jap one my dealer over the course of three weeks lent me two GS1200 and a SuperAdventure 1290, gues which one i ENJOYED the most, yes the KTM, although in typical KTM fashion the SA had only 1000km on her and already had a fault with the left fork and electronic suspension, it was rock hard but just on the left fork................................
Dealer was waiting for the parts to repair.

the GS`s, well, not my cup of tea but in fairness a very good bike if you are looking for that sort of thing, still, i believe they are very very overpriced.

so my next bike, a naked for sure, tho i admit i am between the factory V4 Tuono and the SD1290.

I don't understand why everyone drinks the GS Kool-Aid. The KTM 1190 and 1290 adventure are FAR more superior. almost double the horsepower, and much more comfortable. However most motorcycle magazine testers still favor the GS for some reason. Ive have ridden all 3 (GS, 1190 & 1290 adventure) and must say the GS is worlds apart from the KTMs. Just my $.02

Aphex, i went with a 15 ZX10R, it was a bike i knew i would not get the most out of, i do enjoy it but not in the same way i had the 1290.

not done as much track this year but it has way too much power for me to use, i lapped quicker on the RC8 i had and that was 40hp down on the zx10r.

my hate love with KTM started in 07 with a SD990 which i had for two years, then i went with the RC8 with clubman kit on, i had that for two years and then i went crazy waiting for the new SD to come out and bought a new SMR990 which i enjoyed but got fed up looking for fuel, still waiting for the new SD i went and bought a VFR1200 untill the SD1290 came out.

saw the SD1290 at the bike show in Valencia in November and by December 2013 i had the SD in the garage............. then i had oil leaks, coolant leaks, binding brakes, wobbly wheel, fork seals going bang,............. everytime i was come in from the track something would be leaking from somewhere......,..,.. at the end my bike got shipped off to Austria and they lent me a new SD1290 to use whilst mine was being sorted out.

when my bike arrived from Austria it had passed throught KTM Spain and then to the dealer, i picked her up all happy and when i was at home looking at her i knew something was not right, someone along the line had forgot to put the clamp on the exhaust and it was just slinding off the cat and only held on with the rear peg holder...........................

ah, i also had faulty steering damper which too be honest was masked by the poor quality of the original one

In the VisorDown article, Pierer says the engines are being produced in India for the Indian market. Since importing the 690 to India would be expensive due to taxes.


Sarasota_Steve
08 990 SDR

KTM build character into their bikes which what sets them apart from the rest of the bunch, and is what makes me still love my 990. The problem with all the modern stuff is that it's all disposable crap and with so many electronics on them that can go wrong,and parts made in 4th world countries