| Author | Message | ||
     Canyonwlf7 |
Hey guys, I think I have my next bike narrowed down to just 2 bikes. The Uly of course and a KTM 950SM or 990 Adventure. Anyway I'm not going to make any decision before I test ride each. I know this is a Uly board and ya'll may be a bit biased ;) but does anyone have any first hand experience with both bikes? Thanks | ||
| Chrisgrant |
KTM is more off road capable and the Uly is more on road and by far more fun and comfy. It all depends if you want to go off road a lot or not, carry a passenger, long day trips or overnighters. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Lets not talk price or dealers, for now. That being said, the Uly is NOT a dual sport bike - the KTM 990 Adv. is - it goes on and off road. Driving across Africa or across the Outback (not the restaurant), take the KTM. Driving across the country, with spirited on-road, great ergos, even great two-up riding, on fire roads and gravel roads mixed in - its the Uly all the way. For me, my final two choices were the 990 Adv. (in black and silver - just a beautiful bike) and the Uly. When I realized that I wasn't really after a true dual sport, and the KTM would spend 90% on road, I chose the Uly. Yes, I gave up some off road performance w/ the Uly.... but I was a 10%-er anyway. So no biggy, realy Bottom line, you can't go wrong either way, just decide where you enjoy riding the most - they are both really great bikes. So long as you realize the Uly is not a true dual sport. If we were talking SUV's, the KTM is a real, take to the trails, 4WD Jeep, and the Uly, well, its more like a turbocharged Cayenne rocket:  John H. | ||
| Canyonwlf7 |
Hey guys, thanks for the input, but I also said the KTM 950SM which is a super motard and pure street, although I see them do some mild off road duty like the ULY. | ||
| Rwcfrank |
Canyon, I was in the same boat as you but the Motard doesnt have bags and the wind protection is non existent, literally tiring the rider out after a short while. I am going to get my Uly in Feb....Keep us posted on the test rides! | ||
| Treysmagna |
The Uly is a dream when it comes to maintenance and I have heard that KTMs are a nightmare. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I think you are really looking at three different types of bikes. The SM is more comparable to the STT, Hypermotard, etc. I wouldn't want to ride it long distances at a stretch. The one I sat on was beautiful. I didn't get to ride it, but I could tell that the seat would be bad after a while. The 990A is a great bike as well. If I planned to do extended off road and long distance touring duty, I would pick either the GSA or the 990A. For me, the Uly is perfect for where I want to ride and how I want to ride. I want the ability to ride long distances in a stretch in comfort. I have to ride 250 miles to get to the "good" roads and then be fresh enough to be able to enjoy it. For ever March Badness or Buelltoberfest, I regularly run 200 miles to meet up with the crew from Knoxville and then head another 70 miles to get to Deal's Gap. I only get off to fill up and take a leak. The longest day I've done is 650 miles. Where the Uly really shines is on the road. It is bigger than the R and S models, but is only slightly less nimble.  I think you need to decide which one meets your requirements best. If I lived on Deal's Gap and didn't have to ride any distance and didn't plan on going off road, I'd probably get the SM. If I plan on doing lots of off road, I'd probably opt for the 990A. If you don't plan on doing any real off road but do plan on doing some longer distances, the Uly is the machine for you. If you throw a passenger into the mix, there is really only one option. The maintenance aspect is probably more for the KTM vs the Uly, but it's all relative. If you owned a Ferrari and loved driving it, you wouldn't care that the maintenance is more than a Ford Taurus. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
I've ridden both the KTM and I own a Ulysses. I had a blast with all the extra horsepower the KTM had and it was fun to ride but I wouldn't trade My Uly even-up for the KTM because of the comfort the Uly provides. I feel that the Ulysses is the best all-round motorcycle ever made, at least it is for me! Just my two cents worth. | ||
| Khelton |
Think hard about what type of riding you are actually going to do. The Uly is not a dirt bike. Fine on hard pack dirt roads but not so in loose dirt or gravel. Long ride comfort is unbeatable, and the twisty handling is great. To me it is a heavy Tard that you can ride al day. The 950 Adventure felt very Looooong to me, slow to turn and with less angle before wadding it up. The 950 SM , I haven't ridden but it is tempting except for the wind issue..I still like to take long rides. | ||
| Adrian_8 |
Re-read Fatso's comments. I could not have said it better...Read the comments on www.Advrider.com under the "Orange Crush"(KTM) section..and see if you are still interested in the 950/990. My buddy has a 950. I rode it on our trip out west last summmer..the motor does not have the torque the ULY has and the higher you rev the KTM the more it vibrates..the gas mileage is terrible, in the middle 30's.. there is only one tire available for it and it is available only at KTM dealers,routine service is labor intensive, ($$$), but..the bike has good suspension, the motor has a sweet v'twin sound, better off road than all the other big bikes but suffers on road...thats why their owners are trying to fit 17/19 tires. The ULY is much more fun to ride on an every day type ride on blacktop. When you buy a new 950 after 1000 miles you have to go in for a $600/$800 adjustment/service..ouch. I would have bought a 950 but the dealer would not let me demo one, then the ULY came out in 06...funny how that works out...Thank You Lord... | ||
| Khelton |
Here is an extremely good comparo / writeup done by Paochow: http://www.paochow.com/ulyktmcom.php | ||
| Krassh |
Here's what you do. Buy a KTM 950 Super Enduro and also get a set of Super moto wheel and tires for it. Best of both worlds.  | ||
| Xbimmer |
Don't fret, in a short time there'll be a Rotaxed Uly anyway...   | ||
| Longdog_cymru |
I took a test ride on a 990 Adventure and it made me smile. Two weeks later I took a test ride on an Uly............. I was laughing like a lunatic inside my helmet!!!! I bought the Uly | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Buy a KTM 950 Super Enduro and also get a set of Super moto wheel and tires for it. Best of both worlds. The only problem I see is that after 500 miles, you would need to do a 950 Enduro suppository-ectomy. That seat ain't comfortable for long distances. | ||
| Khelton |
For some reason, we tend to think they are very similar bikes but they really aren't. | ||
| Strokizator |
If you're not going use the KTM to it's full potential then you'll pay more for the bike, service and fuel and not have as good a road bike as the Uly. My buddy has a new 990 Adventure and after paying more than $16K for the bike, engine guards (you don't want to break a fuel tank on this bike), steering stabilizer and new throttle tube, he claims to have the perfect bike. Went about a 1/4 mile up a sandy road at Dove Springs, got thrown sideways and scratched his purdy new machine. This guy's been riding dirt bikes for 40 years so it wasn't lack of talent. Taking a 470lb. bike, even one that's well sorted out, through the sand is not going to be easy or even all that much fun. For what he's got into his bike I can afford a Uly that handles better on-road and does well on the mountain fire roads plus a true off road bike for when I want to bomb through the desert. | ||
| Krassh |
Yeah the seat is a little hard. Plus it is not for the vertically challenged (even worse than the Uly height wise). The seat can be easily taken care of though. | ||
| Krassh |
Khelton, you are exactly right the bikes do not compare at all. It is a matter of compromises. One is damn good on the street and the other great in the dirt. The KTM is actually not bad on the street either. I have owned both (recently let go of the Uly my 1125R will be here end of Jan.) and both gave me a big grin while riding them. I will be doing more off-road riding where a capable street legal enduro is required. I had a KTM520EXC plated for the street prior to the 950SE. It never felt like it belonged on the street. The 950SE is very stable in everything I have ridden it on. The Adventure in my opinion while capable in the dirt is more at home on the street (plus all that pretty plastic that gets messed up in a tip over). | ||
| Dr_greg |
I maintain that the Uly does better than it should off-pavement as long as the surface is not loose (e.g. sand, mud...). It's way too heavy for that. At ADV WestFest07 I rode some FR that at least two GS12's crashed on; the Uly did just fine (one old boy said I "stood on the pegs and rode that there General (his term for a Uly) like a 250 dirt bike"). That's too complimentary, but my point is if you keep your momentum up and remember what you're riding the Uly does all right off pavement. I'm 5-9 and I use Distanzia tires (the best choice for the Uly, IMHO) | ||
| Buellerandy |
Hey greg, what kinda mileage do you see with the distanzias, I have a set ordered  In wet mud, the bike is pretty well done. The Uly will work in sand as long as you keep the momentum, sit on the passenger end of the seat and let the front end dance. The bike owns in gravel and construction zones. Total blast. Even works alright on atv trails. | ||
| Old_mil |
Uly = Jeep Grand Cherokee KTM = Jeep Wrangler. With a soft top. Without air. | ||
| Curly |
DON'T DEMO THE ULY! It will procede to follow you home and then your other bikes will become jealous and leave you for new owners. Ask me how i know. | ||
| Canyonwlf7 |
Ok Curly, how do u know? haha | ||
| Curly |
I know because there's an '07 sitting in my garage where all my kawasakis used to sit. They left me when the uly followed me home because they knew deep down that they would never be ridden again. The uly is the best and most fun bike i have ever owned. | ||
| Johnny_uly |
I agree! Best bike I have ever ridden or owned... Also, its obviously not a dirt bike but it can hold its own off road. It is what its marketed as: an adventure bike. I don't care what bike you have though, I will only take so much risk off road with a 10K+ bike Get a light weight dirt bike for that kind of stuff! | ||
| Dr_greg |
hey greg, what kinda mileage do you see with the distanzias I predict 5,000 miles on the rear. You might get less, because I seem to get pretty good tire mileage. I think you will like the Distanzias. You may have to apply some pressure around the circumference (e.g. ratcheting tie-down) to get the bead to seat. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Dr. Greg .."I think you will like the Distanzias. You may have to apply some pressure around the circumference (e.g. ratcheting tie-down) to get the bead to seat." With all due respect, you're outside of the design specs for the tire (e.g., the rim is too wide for the tire), if you're having problems getting the bead to seat, I can imagine it'd be apt to more easily 'unseat' as well... and do you air-down off road with this set up, as well? Honestly, motorcycles are dangerous enough without adding anything else into the mix, personally, I can't imagine advising people to operate any tire outside of its design parameters. But then, that's just me, I guess. The Ford Explorer, Firestone tire incident comes to mind. John H. . |
