The next chapter...KTM Super Adventure S

[TNWalker]

Pretty much sums up my feelings on my 890 Adventure. Just a really fun bike to ride. No issues at all after a year of ownership.

Steve

 

[HeliMark]

It is amazing on how the newer chains will last. Had my Triumph 900 in for its valve check several months ago with 24K miles on it. Asked the mechanic about my chain. I have only had to adjust it once (other than tire changes), and use lube spray after every ride. Mechanic said, looks good, should get another 10K miles or so out of it.

 

[cyclemike4]

I bought a DR650 last fall and was wondering about how the chain will hold up. So far 3000 miles and no adjustment yet. Back when my FJ1200 was my daily driver when I was around home I was always adjusting cleaning and lubing the chain. On road trips I had very little trouble with it. I am pretty sure the conditions the chain was subjected to is what wore them out. I have much better roads over the last 15 years or so with less debris on the road. Back several years ago they put cinders on the roads for winter and that never left the road surface ever. It would move around and be in different spots all year long. Talk about eating seals bearings brakes and chains. That stuff was bad. Great traction on the icy hills though! Anyway if I used a 180 dollar chain or a 35 dollar chain I was only getting about 3 months out of it during winter and only about 6 months out of them in summer. So I ran the cheap chains. I do believe some of the processes have improved and the chains are way better than they used to be.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Pretty much sums up my feelings on my 890 Adventure. Just a really fun bike to ride. No issues at all after a year of ownership.

Glad to hear that, Steve. I've only heard good things about the 890. I had some real hesitation about trying KTM, but FireDog45 (GS submarine driver) made a solid case for how problem free the big KTMs have been. It was so worth the "gamble." It has been every bit as reliable as any Japanese bike I've owned.

I'm really please you are still hanging around here with us old timers. I had to look back and see how long it's been since we rode together. Photo evidence says it will be 7 years in May.
Camp N Ride 1
Camp N Ride 2

It is amazing on how the newer chains will last. Had my Triumph 900 in for its valve check several months ago with 24K miles on it. Asked the mechanic about my chain. I have only had to adjust it once (other than tire changes), and use lube spray after every ride. Mechanic said, looks good, should get another 10K miles or so out of it.

I suspect my chain a sprockets are in reasonable shape and probably have more miles in them. But I've reached a point where I'm willing to reset the clock early to avoid having to pay any attention to the chain beyond initial stretch.

My motorcycle lift table is gone, and so is any desire for me to wrench beyond a simple oil change. In fact, KTM says I can have the oil changes done at the 9K interval of each major service. So far I just can't bring myself to go 9K between changes on a bike. I don't seem to mind doing it on my car, so maybe I'll get there on the bike, too.

 

[HeliMark]

I suspect my chain a sprockets are in reasonable shape and probably have more miles in them. But I've reached a point where I'm willing to reset the clock early to avoid having to pay any attention to the chain beyond initial stretch.

My motorcycle lift table is gone, and so is any desire for me to wrench beyond a simple oil change. In fact, KTM says I can have the oil changes done at the 9K interval of each major service. So far I just can't bring myself to go 9K between changes on a bike. I don't seem to mind doing it on my car, so maybe I'll get there on the bike, too.

Know what you are saying. When my bike was in the shop, one of the reasons I asked was I did not want to replace it for at least another 10-15K miles or so. That is what I figure I will get on the bike with my trips this summer, and I would, like you, rather replace early and not deal with it mid-season. Mechanic said I was crazy in the shape it was in. Interesting enough, from brand new, my chain only stretched a couple of mm.

I do the oil changes on my bike between the valve checks, but let the shop do it when they are doing the valve check. I only do the fuel filters on my truck because everyone is stupid expensive for that 30 minute job, but I have someone do the oil, dang diesel trucks hold a lot of oil.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

We'll see what happens. I ordered $275 worth of KTM chain and sprockets. My KTM dealer is extremely good about telling me "you don't need that." When I go in on Friday I'll ask them to tell me if the bike will go another 9K on the existing setup. If so, I'll take the stuff home and bring it back to them next time...which will probably be later this year. They don't screw around. I'm not even sure it helps that I'm close friends with their boss. Regardless if it's me or not, I know my buddy does not tolerate any BS in the service department. He knows if they get a bad reputation it will be bad for business and he doesn't want any part of that.

 

[Donk]

Both my '20 SAR turned S and the '21 890 Adventure have been pretty much flawless. I didn't have a water pump drain bolt loosen on the 1290 but I did have the crush washer on it go bad. I can't imagine how but it started leaking, the drain bolt was tight and when we replaced it with a new crush washer the problem went away. I have 2 GREAT KTM dealers that I work with, Rob's Performance here in Wisconsin and WMR when I'm in FL. They both seem to take customer service to a higher level than most other dealers. Yep I'm pretty well hooked on the orange Kool-Aid.

 

[VRODE]

If I had a decent KTM dealer close by you guys would be talking me into it, but the closest are 2-3 hrs away and I still like my Tenere and the dealer. I'll admit it's got me ponderin' though (always a dangerous thing)

 

[Dirt_Dad]

You only need to see your dealer every 9k miles. And need is a subjective term.

 

[VRODE]

You only need to see your dealer every 9k miles. And need is a subjective term.

Much as I'd love to try the 1290, the 890 would be a better fit I think. Something to think about for sure.
'Course those new Triumph 900's have caught my eye as well.
I'm ok for now, but I'll be torturing myself next winter with all the ponderin'.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Had the 18K mile service yesterday. Tech told me all valves were still in spec. He told me he's only done two SAS engines at 18K and both had the same result. In his opinion the big KTMs are "bulletproof."

On the bad side, I'm caught up in the supply chain woes. My front sprocket and chain arrived from my January order, but no sign of the rear yet. Tech said my current set still looks pretty good but would not go as far as saying they'd make it to the 27k service.

Talking to the GM, his no BS answer is he can't give me any guess when it will show up. The entire industry is a supply chain sh*t show. Among other makes he carries,, he is the largest Spyder dealer in the entire world, and he has almost none of those in stock. All related to the availability of this or that part in the process. It's ugly out there.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Preview...today I had the chance to ride the 2022 SAS. It is a significantly different bike from my 2020. My 60+ mile ride was eye opening. I don't have time to do a write up right now, but here's a few pics from the ride.







Much more later.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Like I mentioned, had a chance to try the redesigned SAS yesterday. It was released as a '21 in Europe, and a '22 in the states. Except for the engine, it's a completely different bike from my '20. Lots of professional reviews of the bike. I'll just mention my experience with it since everything else has been covered. The dealer shop guys told me the bike was in demo mode ready to go.

I spent a good bit time setting up the electronics before leaving on the ride. There a lot more buttons and they do require some trial and error when no manual is handy. I eventually got the Rally mode all set, with traction control turned all the way off. This is supposed to be the direct route to easy wheelie mode. Can't wait.

The bike already had 9 miles on it when I left yesterday, so I was initially caught off guard in the first 1/4 mile when I made a 90 degree turn to the right at the stop sign and the back tire stepped out much more than expected. It was a gentle, non-aggressive take off and I was a bit stunned the TCS didn't catch that one. Slipperiest new tire I've ever experienced. That got me doing a lot of weaving in my lane and a couple of extra laps in the traffic circle trying to clean up that tire.

The new geometry is immediately obvious. The bike is lower and instantly comfortable. In the first 2 or 3 miles I found myself swearing under my breath, damn-it, this thing feels good...really good. Damn-it, I don't want to buy it, but crap, this this feel so nice. It was that initial WOW factor that I never experienced on my SAS, but I definitely did when I test rode the GS1250. Just something about a really well designed flagship bike that hooks you quick. The '22 has it....WOW.

When rolling at a relaxed pace, everything about this bike is an upgrade grade from mine. The TFT is big, bright, colorful, and just plain awesome. The speed shifting is clearly next generation and noticeably smoother than mine. Everything about this bike screams smooth. The braking is significantly better than mine, and mine is very, very good. The bike has options I had no idea what they do. Like Anti-Dive. It was on, didn't bother me, but I wondered if that had something to do with the perception of the braking....maybe.?

Got it out to some familiar local twisties to see what it would do. This is where it all started to fall apart. The bike did not have the intoxicating power of mine. It just did not pull as hard. Switched to Rally mode. Traction control off and the bike will not bring up the front end. Stop, manually turn off all TCS, the bike will not wheelie. I force it to wheelie at a hump in the road and the bike puts the front tire down fast. My bike with TCS on will wheelie much, much longer than this bike with it off. Well, this sucks! I started wondering what I was setting wrong on the bike. Then it hits me...DEMO mode. Clearly KTM does not want people going too crazy when in demo mode. I adjust my brain and eventually accept that demo is not the same as owener mode, and force myself not to penalize the bike for that choice. I can't believe KTM would put out a dramatically less powerful bike and think people would not notice. I'm guessing they set the bike in Rain mode regardless of any other settings. It felt much more like the mild 100hp rain mode to me than Sport, or even Street.

After this acceptance of currently limitations I again focus on the bike itself. Damn, it's really, really nice.

I brief the dealership on all my findings, including the screwy gas reading when I thought I'd filled it up and it still read down 2 bars. That split tank thing is really something I'd need to better understand.

I brief DM on the bike and she, true to form, says "are you going to buy it?" When I answer "no", true to form, she starts trying to talk me into buying it. I eventually got her to understand I'm not ready to give up mine. But when I am ready, this one is an obvious upgrade and first in line to get my next purchase dollars when I grow tired of my '20 SAS (or most likely "if").

Obviously I'm grateful to MotoMember in Purcellville, VA for letting me try their spectacular bike. It's still available for anyone who wants a GS killer. Think a top of the line flagship bike...with attitude. It's truly next generation and awesome.

I wondered if it would influence my feelings of my bike. After 300+ miles of mine since riding the '22...nope, my bike is still the entertainment machine it has always been.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Few other points I forgot to mention...

Bike feels narrow. All the girth of the bike is down by your feet. You just don't see it in your general view of the cockpit area. The feeling is you are part of the bike, not sitting on top of the bike. Somehow you feel integrated into the bike.

Handling is easy. I was actually concerned it might give the FJR experience where you have to ride it very fast to get any excitement out of it. I paid particular attention to the speed in the corners. I'm comfortable it will not demand high speeds for high rewards. That's a critical one to me.

The stock seat is the best KTM seat to ever come included with a bike. I'm not sure I'd replace it. That says a lot for a KTM delivered seat.

Heat...I think they fixed it. I can't remove the Cool Cover from my bike in 55 degree weather without getting a pretty good sweat going. A few times yesterday I sat for an extended period of time with the engine running on a 75 degree day. Never once thought about the bike's heat. Just wasn't a factor. No Cool Cover needed.


few other pictures.

heat shield

 

[thughes317]

Heat...I think they fixed it. I can't remove the Cool Cover from my bike in 55 degree weather without getting a pretty good sweat going. A few times yesterday I sat for an extended period of time with the engine running on a 75 degree day. Never once thought about the bike's heat. Just wasn't a factor. No Cool Cover needed.

I'm thinking the split rads that now allow airflow straight onto the engine may have something to do with that?

Dammit DD, quit making me eyeball the other woman!

 

[Checkswrecks]

Dang - What a cool new toy!!!

Anti-relay attack?
Whazzat?

Never mind - Found it in the press kit.
I'm still on the Tenere but if it were to be totaled tomorrow . . .

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Dang - What a cool new toy!!!

Anti-relay attack?
Whazzat?

Never mind - Found it in the press kit.
I'm still on the Tenere but if it were to be totaled tomorrow . . .

Anti-relay attack - yes the keyless isn't quite a keyless any more. Now you have to push a button on the fob before the bike will light up. Not every time. But certainly needed it the first time that morning.

Definitely thought of you when riding it. I know the chain is an issue for you like it was once for me. I'll say after installing the auto oiler I've spent nearly zero time thinking of the chain. I still prefer a shaft, but the cost of taking my riding enjoyment to the next level was a chain. Well worth the trade off.

 

[Cycledude]

Hows the windshield ?

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Hows the windshield ?

Here's what I know. I never thought to adjust it once. I do recall at some point noticing it was significantly lower than I'm accustom to having, and thinking how nice and clean the air flow was. There was never any buffeting, but I honestly have no idea where the slipstream was hitting me...if it even did. I guess that means the it's pretty darn good.

I did not do a lot of riding about 60 MPH for any amount of time. Certainly there were brief visits into the 70's, but my mind was on other things at those points.

The windscreen, like the seat, it's something I'm not positive I'd change. Need more miles and time to know for sure. I forced myself to really let my SAS tell me what it needed and was pleased at how short the shopping list was to get it into shape.

 

[Madhatter]

DD , great review ..... I kinda like the orange a bit to much ....
your 2nd paragraph you say you turned off the traction control , then in the 3rd paragraph you are surprised the rear end stepped out and that traction control didn't even notice.... test riding is distractingly fun.