The next chapter...KTM Super Adventure S

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ballisticexchris

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I like the new Tracer GT 900 and the 700.
Yes!! For me I would love the MT-09. That bike is feather light and looks fun for a sport touring mount. I have ridden those big 1190/1290 KTM's and they are way too much bike for my taste.
 

fac191

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Yes!! For me I would love the MT-09. That bike is feather light and looks fun for a sport touring mount. I have ridden those big 1190/1290 KTM's and they are way too much bike for my taste.
They have a new ally frame and longer swingarm so should be more stable. I like the Tenere 700 but for me the Tracer would make more sense 90% of the time.
 

PhilPhilippines

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They have a new ally frame and longer swingarm so should be more stable. I like the Tenere 700 but for me the Tracer would make more sense 90% of the time.
I rode the Tracer 900 back-to-back with the S10 and the difference is night and day. The power delivery in the Tracer is as smooth as you like,. Amazingly so! Such that the linearity of it cloaks the speeds that you are encroaching. Riding the 900 triple requires very capable hands - more capable than mine.

The 700 is a bit of a wheelie demon from what I have read.
 

Dirt_Dad

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My brother in law just got a SAR, he let me ride it. Mother of God is that thing fast. I have a hard enough time riding sensibly on the S10, this thing would have my license gone within weeks. Kudos to those of you with the self control to own one!
My self control was tested to the limits Tuesday night. Had a local sheriff's car on my tail for a solid 14 minutes as the speed limit fluctuated between 25 and 40 mph. SAS putted along without complaint.

Self control on the SAS is important, but it's not as bad as you might think. I can entertain myself for hours just accelerating between 0 and 60 mph, wheeling with the flick of the wrist, and generally fighting the laws of physics to stay on the seat. None of which requires super high speeds. Those high speeds may or may not happen from time to time...maybe.
 
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Dirt_Dad

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The problem is when the speed limit is only 40mph. . . . and wheelies aren't legal on any street. :D
True on the speed limit, but even 0 to 40 can be fun with the SAS.

Very few have ever seen me do a wheelie. My hooligan side is for me and my own satisfaction. Most of time when people are watching I'm trying to look responsible and a good ambassador for motorcycling. When I get around the corner and out of sight...well :D

most of the time...
 

Checkswrecks

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True on the speed limit, but even 0 to 40 can be fun with the SAS.

Very few have ever seen me do a wheelie. My hooligan side is for me and my own satisfaction. Most of time when people are watching I'm trying to look responsible and a good ambassador for motorcycling. When I get around the corner and out of sight...well :D

most of the time...
I've seen you.
I've seen you!!!
:p
 

Dirt_Dad

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I've seen you.
I've seen you!!!
:p
You saw me because I was doing it on your bike. Kinda hard hide a wheelie when the bike's owner is right on my tail. Anyway that's dirt, it doesn't count. Not sure I've done street wheelies in front of you...not that I could make you think I'm a ambassador good manners on a motorcycle.. We've ridden together too much for that potemkin village to work.
 

Dirt_Dad

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Most of time when people are watching I'm trying to look responsible and a good ambassador for motorcycling.
I fell very short of this goal passing on a twisty road in WV earlier this month. I may have all the power in the world, but I need to keep myself in check. My appologies to those who don't see me as an ambassador at the moment.

New riding year has brought a change to the bike.









It has been pretty awkward getting to the chain to spray it. Even with the extended tube on the can, it's still a bad angle and less than ideal. So after much research bought this one. Very easy to install. Been out on a few rides with it and still working through the best settings, but hoping this will allow me to forget about chain other than checking tension and the rare cleaning.

Not something I ever thought about with the Tenere and it is a clear downside of this bike. But the benefits of the SAS far outweigh any of the negatives.
 

Boris

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New riding year has brought a change to the bike.


It has been pretty awkward getting to the chain to spray it. Even with the extended tube on the can, it's still a bad angle and less than ideal. So after much research bought this one. Very easy to install. Been out on a few rides with it and still working through the best settings, but hoping this will allow me to forget about chain other than checking tension and the rare cleaning.

Not something I ever thought about with the Tenere and it is a clear downside of this bike. But the benefits of the SAS far outweigh any of the negatives.
My mate has one of these on his S1000XR for about 3 years, albeit with a twin drip nozzle. He rates it highly! I’ve been on numerous tours with him and apart from occasionally turning it up or down for and after rain, he pays no attention to the chain.
If my next bike is chain drive, it’ll get a Tutoro oiler.
 
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ballisticexchris

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I never understood an oiler. Looks to be kind of a pain to use. If it works for you then that's what counts.
 
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ballisticexchris

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I look at little do dads like that as something to break off when riding off road. I do get it though. Some guys want the convenience of just riding and park the bike and repeat. It's not my style to do that.


We all have different routines on how we maintain our bikes. It has never been an inconvenience to me when traveling to simply keep a small can of lube and give a squirt at the end of each day. I'm really big on spending a good amount of time checking over my bike each time it's parked. Part of that is inspecting the chain for cracked rollers and sprockets for odd wear. At the same time I lube the chain.

A big part of my riding pleasure is to insure my bike is maintained and inspected before and during my travels. An extra 15-30 minutes or so each night sipping a bottle of water or coffee and going over my machine is pleasant and relaxing.
 

Dirt_Dad

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The Tutoro seems to be well regarded by the people who on it and it as simple as hitting a bump in the road. No electrical to connect, no vacuum lines to cut. Just bolt on and hit a bump and you've oiled the chain. Love the simplicity of this unit.

Unlike Chris, I'm a shaft drive kinda guy. Checking the drive system is fine at home every 10-15K miles when up on the table. Otherwise my preference is not to spend time futzing over it.

I've said it a lot, the KTM experience is worth the hassle of a chain...but if I can reduce that hassle I'm certainly willing to do that.

Here is something else KTM is doing right...marketing their new bike. Yamaha should really take a page from them on this one. Shouldn't cost much money, and I can tell you as the target audience for what they are selling, it's very effective. Explaining the upgrades shouldn't take a marketing genius to tell you it's a good thing.


No way in hell I'd give up my current SAS any time soon. But someday in the future I'll want to upgrade. I suspect I know what that future bike will be. I'm drinking the orange Kool-aid and it's very, very good.

At 0:55 in the video the number one point in their overall summary is "Feeling Fast." That really is one of the top, most critically important features of this bike. Not that the bike "is" fast...obviously it is. But it feels fast, and I have no idea how they pulled off that trick. What do I mean trick...?

I owned an FJR once for less than a month. Fantastic feat of engineering. Yamaha at it's best. But to me, the bike felt slow in the twisties. Going through a set of nice curves at a reasonably quick speedometer reading, the bike was so well designed it felt slow and uninteresting. Only wicking it up to very high speedometer readings made it feel exciting to me. The SAS is exactly the opposite. The ability to blast the throttle out of curve and into the next, speed shifting as needed to keep the RPMs where you want them and repeating that massive acceleration from curve to curve to curve is exhilarating beyond my fondest wishes, but when I finally glance down at the speedometer I'm no where near the numbers I had to do on the FJR. The bike is "Feeling Fast", but it doesn't require stupid high speeds to get that feeling.

Don't get me wrong, that does not mean the bike can't handle those speeds. It's actually very at home there, but it just doesn't force you to have to do those speeds to feel fast. That's an amazing trick in my book. The psychology of feeling fast and satisfied...absolutely love the experience.

Pass the Kool-aid.
 

Dirt_Dad

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Been a while since I posted a mileage marker. Today hit 8000 miles at this spot just about a mile after getting off Howard Lick road. Consider Howard Lick to be the Walter's Wiggles of motorcycle roads.



By the end of the ride today only 918 miles until it's due for the recommended 9K service. The way I read the warranty it's 2 years but it does require an inspection by a dealer to keep the full two years in effect. At the moment I'm 3 months shy of having the bike for a year, but I'm assuming letting them do the 9K service will count for the inspection.

Nothing much new to report. I did use the "L" word for it on Friday. Just slipped out. Never uttered that statement before.

I was at the BMW dealership for DM's bike. A sales guy asked what I ride, then asked if I'd tried the GS 1250, then asked what I think of the KTM. "Absolutely love it!" There, I said it. I think the sales guy could tell I was taking a breath to extol the virtues of the SAS. He immediately told me to let him know if he could help with anything then returned to what he had been doing. :)
 

Checkswrecks

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My kids & granddaughter live a mile from Bobs BMW so when we were planning to go out last Friday I stopped in to see if I could rent/borrow something for a several hour test ride. The conversation went something like this:

Salesguy #1: Hi, what can we help you with?

Me: [Back story about friend dropping bike off for service and me wanting a bike to go together while friend is on a loaner.]

Salesguy #1: Sorry, we don't rent, test rides are supposed to be 20 minutes or less, and loaners are for valued [yes he said that] customers who bought from us or are having service.

Me: Mmmm - Too bad - Oh well. OK - Thanks anyway [Turning to leave]

Salesguy #1: What do you ride now?

Me: A 2014 Super tenere [fishing to see if he recognizes a potential sale because my bike is "older"]

Salesguy #2: [Condescending sound] Oh. OK. Well let us know if we can improve your ride.

Me: [I'd been about to just end it till that comment so yes I said] That's OK. My bike's been all over the continent and I still enjoy being the BMW recovery vehicle because the Yam just never breaks.

Salesguy #1: Ouch - That hurt. Sorry we can't help you.

:cool:
 
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