New KTM

[Monster]

PS - the ABS may be well worth having (for road use) ...

As my R's back wheel seems to lock up quite easily

It could be wound up too tightly or it could be just me (?)
My last bike (Buell) had such poor back brakes that you could NOT lock up if you tried

[~ACP~]

hmy: Who needs ATGATT when a t-shirt will do!?

[VR_Rider]

Awesome video! Would be a great bike to have in the garage!

[Vindaloo]

Vindaloo says ....
"Despite my dealer's assertions that the R engine is different the truth seems to be ..."

I tried many times to clarify this - even speaking to KTM themselves
This was when I was hunting for a Dakar Special
Impatiently I bought a R version - also because I found a good deal
I am now very pleased with the R and we have bonded quickly

KTM told me that it was more or less down to mapping - HOWEVER ... if you remap a standard bike, you should inform your insurance company as there may be implications ... etc

One South London KTM dealer told me that they will remap any standard bike to R spec FOC as a matter of course

Now Oxford told me that the 2012 990 Adventure models will all this "uprated" engine spec

Marketing .... Pffff

I raised with my I dealer again today - told him that I believed the standard and R engines were identical and that the difference is only mapping. He said he was certain this isn't the case and wheeled out a technical guy to tell me he wasn't sure if it was compression / cams / or other but that the difference was definitely 'mechanical'.

I'd just like to get to the bottom of this. If the engines are the same why wouldn't KTM just acknowledge this and let dealers upgrade if customers want?? Almost worse if some dealers are OK with this and others maintain they are different engines. Some time ago on the UK KTM forum someone had checked the engine part numbers and found no difference. Commercially I can't imagine KTM producing two variants of the same engine given the small numbers of R versions sold. Logic says it has to be the same unit. Also the power difference is fairly small (~7bhp) and torque is the same.

I'd just like to get past the marketing spin to the truth. Any suggestions on how to get a straight answer from KtM themselves?

[Paul]

That was so weird, it's exactly the same route that I did last Sunday on my Varadero!














Then I woke up in a sweat,,,,:laugh:

[Monster]

Vindaloo says ....
I'd just like to get past the marketing spin to the truth. Any suggestions on how to get a straight answer from KtM themselves?

Well...I just rang KTM UK and asked the question - they were receptive enough and helpful

I avoided a sales guy who works at a KTM Dealer nearest to a South London Airport who went on to tell me how the R version engine was COMPLETELY different and therefore unreliable ... with different cams and compression ... and it was also far too tall ... blah blah. You just get a sense of who is blowing smoke out their backsides sometimes.

The other South London dealer (who is actually further North than the well known airport)
was much more straight forward and trustworthy I felt so anyway

Try ...

KTM House
Lincoln Court
Ward Road
Brackley
Northants
NN 13 7LE
Tel: +44 01280 -709500

Found this on visordown.com forum

cheers

[Vindaloo]

Thanks for that Monster, I'll give them a call tomorrow.

[motomad]

Just watched this. That has got to be the bomb for LDT's!! I might even sell the SXF for one.:woohoo:

[Vindaloo]

Vindaloo says ....
I'd just like to get past the marketing spin to the truth. Any suggestions on how to get a straight answer from KtM themselves?

Well...I just rang KTM UK and asked the question - they were receptive enough and helpful

I avoided a sales guy who works at a KTM Dealer nearest to a South London Airport who went on to tell me how the R version engine was COMPLETELY different and therefore unreliable ... with different cams and compression ... and it was also far too tall ... blah blah. You just get a sense of who is blowing smoke out their backsides sometimes.

The other South London dealer (who is actually further North than the well known airport)
was much more straight forward and trustworthy I felt so anyway

Try ...

KTM House
Lincoln Court
Ward Road
Brackley
Northants
NN 13 7LE
Tel: +44 01280 -709500

Found this on visordown.com forum

cheers

Spoke to a nice friendly guy at KTM and got the official line ...

Engines are indeed the same. However it would not be strictly legal for a dealer to load the R map onto a standard engine as it would not meet the EU homologation requirements (i.e. map is not approved for that specific model).

He also mentioned the issue re. telling your insurance company to keep things right with them.

So, if you can convince your dealer to do it for you you will have an R spec engine

Problem is because of the homo-regulations KTM don't want your dealer to do it

What I don't understand is why KTM didn't just give all engines the full bhp (as they are now offering). When is an extra 7bhp at the top end a bad thing, and surely it would have helped sales when potential customers are comparing bike stats?

I'm annoyed that my 2010 bike is mechanically identical in every way to a 2012 bike yet the 2012 bike has more power due to a 5 min software upload that I don't have access to

It's not about whether I need more power, I just want it

By the way, sorry I hijacked your thread Herman.

[Monster]

Pure Marketing decisions by the sound of it

Perhaps a way to keep the "R" price up? - It is more money despite the lack of ABS

Or make them a little more desirable? - rode both versions and prefer the "R" spec engine
(for obvious reasons!)

I bought the "R" because I cut a good deal privately but also because I prefer the colour scheme and you see less of them .... and I could not find a Dakar (only 40 in UK last year)

Dakar is different, lower, has ABS and uprated engine - BLISS? I wouldn't know!

Perhaps chat to In-Moto in Croydon and get a quote for the upgrade
0208 689 2341