Ktm 620 Adventure
KTM 620 Adventure
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Behold, the sport-utility motorcycle
DO YOU LIKE RIDING motorcycles? All types of motorcycles? Do you enjoy commuting to work as much as you do laying tracks literally on the road to nowhere? If so, you probably have a couple of bikes from which to choose. But what if you could have just one-what would it be?
A likely candidate might be KTM's new Adventure, a four-stroke dirtbike transformed into a rally racer, then smoothed over with dual-purpose equipment. The dirtbike part consists of the frame and engine, which are very similar to those of KTM's dual-purpose 620 R/XC. The liquid cooled, counterbalanced, 608cc, four-valve Single features a dry-sump lubrication system that stores oil in the frame. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel via a wide-ratio five speed transmission, while an electric starter with cam-mount ed automatic decompression system makes hunting for TDC pointless, should you ever need to use the kickstarter. -
As for the rally-racer influence, the Adventure isn't the product of some cheesy costume-party makeover-real Paris Dakar-derived hardware forms its framework. The huge, 7.4gallon fuel tank and matching fairing are the most noticeable additions, but keen eyes also will detect the engine's rough cast finish, with center cases identical to those of the factory rally racers. Furthermore, heavier-duty, rally-derived WP suspension graces both ends, with a massive 50mm conven tional fork upstaging the standard R/XC's 40mm inverted fork. The Adventure's rear subframe also has been beefed up; ordinarily on a rally racer, it would support two 2.5-gal lon side tanks, but on the Adventure it may have to uphold a passenger or a set of saddlebags. The front brake rotor also has been increased in diameter to cope with the expected higher speeds and additional weight; it now measures 11.8 inches, up from the standard 10.2-inch dirtbike spec.
Dual-purpose cues come in the form of a more refined cockpit sporting a large LCD tripmaster/odometer, an ana log rev-counter and all the necessary switchgear for the lights, turnsignals, horn, etc. A QwikSilver 38mm flat-slide carb replaces the 40mm Dell'Orto gasser from the Euro version to make the smog-sniffers happy, while a couple of SuperTrapp end caps for the low-mounted 2-1-2 exhaust system earn U.S. Forestry Service approval.
Throw a leg over the Adventure-arid we mean throw a leg over it-and you'll find that its 37.2-inch-high seat is way up there. After all, in rally racing, ground clearance is allimportant and you rarely need to put a foot down. But what ever you do, don't let the Katoom tip over, because with a full tank of gas it tips the scales at 404 pounds, a good 20 of which reside high in the fuel tank. Get the wheels spinning, however, and much of that weight disappears-the Adventure might be heavy for a dirtbike, but it's light for a street sled. The seating position is comfy, too, especially for a dirt scoot.
Riding the Adventure, the first thing you notice is the smooth, linear power delivery-as long as you open the throttle slowly, that is. Whack it open and the bike explodes to life with enough gusto to yank the front wheel skyward, 45 pounds of fuel notwithstanding. The Adventure pulls smoother than the standard RIXC, and revs out longer on top-credit the dual exhaust. Our testbike's jetting was crisp from sea level to 7000 feet, with one exception-steady throttle from 40-60 mph, where it hiccuped every once in a while. But the condition wasn't that common or bother some, and it's much improved compared to earlier R/XCs.
Also improved is the transmission gear spacing. Gone is the exceedingly tall first, replaced with a cog that is usable on tight, boulder-strewn jeep roads. The spacing is just wide enough to make each gear change noticeable, but without any huge gaps, and the tall fifth yields a 104-mph top speed. All in all, very similar to the R/XC.
The ride is where the difference is. If you're a dirt guy get ting your first taste of a fairing, you're in for a surprise. Not seeing the front wheel and having the windscreen wiggle from side to side while you fishtail down a dirt road is an experience that takes some getting used to. But if you're a street guy, tak ing the Adventure off in the dirt will leave you with praise for 12 inches of suspension travel and the dizzying speed at which you can tackle ruts, bumps, rocks and assorted washouts. The Adventure isn't a streetbike, but it ain't no dirtbike, neither. To paraphrase an old episode of "Star Trek," it's the empathic metamorphose of motorcycling-a companion that truly can be anything you desire. And it does it all fairly well.
The suspension is stiff enough to hold the bike up without the wallowy feeling that can send shivers down your spine while carving lines in the canyons. Yet it's also plush enough to take the worst washboards in stride, while not dancing all over the road. Off-road, the suspension only bot toms as a way of warning you that you're going too fast, hit ting obstacles as though you were on a real dirtbike. Even two-up, the Adventure holds its composure on dirt roads, though the passenger has to endure thinner seat foam and highly placed buddy pegs.
One factor hurting the Adventure's on-road performance is vibration. It's not a multi-cylinder streetbike, nor does it have a rubber-mounted motor. What it does have is a very small counterbalancer that takes the pain out of the pulses-and that's all. You'll find a few happy rev zones out on the road, but most are above the legal speed limit. The hard seat foam does little to damp the vibes, though that may change as the foam breaks-in. But once off the pave ment, you hardly notice the vibes, and there the seat is great for a long day's exploring.
The Brembo brakes do an admirable job of slowing the heavy Adventure; even the typically too-strong and touchy single-piston rear brake is just about perfect on a bike of this size. The Metzeler Sahara tires also worked well; though they're the limiting factor off-road, on the road they'll go as far as.you care to push the bike. And that tall windscreen and wide, 250-mile gas tank do a great job of blocking the wind, though 6-footers may experience helmet buffeting.
Areas of small criticism include the dual exhaust, the design of which is a bit hokey. First, the crossover pipe takes off in the wrong direction to enter the left-side muf fler, and its connector pipe, which mounts where the center stand typically would, hangs down below the lower frame rail. Thus, bottoming out means smashing the pipe. We'd hack it off, weld the hole shut, and mount a centerstand, as on the factory rally racers.
In many ways, the Adventure is a great deal. At $7495, it has 90 percent of the stuff you'd need to compete in Paris Dakar, yet it costs far less than the $14,000 of a full-on KTM Rally racer. Plus, the Adventure has electric starting and is street-legal.
Alternatively, you could look at the Adventure as $5000 less expensive and 150 pounds more capable than a BMW Ri bOGS, the "other" rally replica currently for sale in the U.S. Maybe it's just a fresh way of looking at dual-purpose motorcycling, but the name of this bike goes a long way toward explaining its attraction.
EDITORS' NOTES
ANY TIME I'M OUT RIDING OR DRIVING, I see some place I've never been, a place I'd like to go. It's usually due north (south, east or west) right off the highway about 20 (40, 80 or 100) miles, just over there. I hate the fact that I can't take the latest sportbike (cruiser, tourer, standard or my truck) too far off in the dirt for exploration. And I'd prefer not to have to unload, leave my truck and reload every time I get the itch.
People wonder why my personal KTM 400 R/XC (Yamaha XT600, Honda XR2SO) has a 5-gallon tank and a rack. Is it because I like the extra gas' weight? No, it's the price I pay for going where you can't. KTM's Adventure fits my style. I've spent lots of time on rally-style bikes, going to places like Timbuktu (Crankshaft Junction, Puerto Montt) and I knew it was only a matter of time before there'd be a rally replica that is truly dirt-worthy for the 10 other people who want one. Your bike has arrived. Most likely, our paths will not cross. -Jimmy Lewis, Off-Road Editot
Is THERE ROOM IN TODAY'S BUSTLING BIKE market for a single-cylinder, dual~pur pose bike that retails for nearly $7500? Not to mention one that's flag-man orange and has a sky-scraping, 37-inch seat height? KTM certainly thinks so.
Personally, I'm enamored with this statuesque Paris-Dakar replica. Not because it's more functional or smoother-running than I expected, but because it's pure. Just like Ducati's fabulous 996SPS, the Katoom is a faithful facsimile of The Real Thing. Don't believe me? Check out the heavy-duty chassis components, high-output digital ignition and gigantic 7.4-gallon gas tank. Even the narrow, hard-as-nails seat is Africa-issue.
I must admit, though, if I owned one of these beauties, I'd promptly chuck the dreadful streetbike exhaust system for the race-spec 2-into-i setup. That, and a centerstand off a 620 R/XC, would pretty much do it. -Matthew Miles, Managing Editor
WHEN I WAS COMING OF MOTORCYCLE age in the early `70s and wanted a limegreen Honda SL350 in the worst way, something like half of all new-bike sales were dual-purpose models. Man, what a difference a generation makes! Today, D-P bikes make up less than 10 percent of sales-and the number has been falling.
Not that the manufacturers haven't been trying. They've offered asphaltoriented dual-purpose bikes, only to find that road riders thought they were ugly, and dirt riders thought they were a joke. Dirt-oriented dual-purpose bikes scared away the road riders, and serious dirt riders went one better and simply hung lights and license plates on their Thumpers.
Now KTM, maker of the best dirt-biased D-P bikes, throws this unlikely rally renegade into the mix.. .and scores big. In what has become motorcycling's most ho-hum class, the orange Adventure is like a bolt from the blue. Mount the optional mu-spec Euro panniers and break out the topos of South America. Tierra del Fuego, here we come! -David Edwards, Editor-in-Chief
KTM 620 ADVENTURE
$7498
Importer KTM Sportmotorcycle USA, Inc.
