KTM 950 Super Enduro R
It’s a remarkable bike to behold. With a seat that’s almost a full metre off the ground, it should come with a rope ladder as standard. At six-foot tall, and having adopted a fresh mounting technique, I could only just touch my tiptoes on both sides. Fine on flat ground, somewhat trickier on an adverse camber. With 21-inch wheels, long travel suspension and a raised headlamp, this menacing orange motor scares the life out of car drivers without even meaning to.
Combine this with twin underseat exhausts that cackle insanely and you have a bike that is surprisingly good at zipping through traffic. Not only does almost every car tuck in for you, the bars are a good six inches above car mirrors, and that really is handy. You can see for miles, too, above cars, vans, and MPVs. Only buses and lorries obstruct the view.
Performance-wise, it's a bit hairy on the open road. The LC8 motor is a direct lift from the bonkers 950SM supermoto and is very quick indeed. It's carburetted with a manual choke and, once warmed up, its response is instant. Acceleration from the torquey V-twin is ferocious, and it can be a struggle to keep the front wheel planted. Its only downside on the road -- apart from cutting out occasionally at junctions -- is the very thing that makes this bike what it is: the knobbly tyres. Dirt-biased Continental Twinduros are at best reasonable on corners, providing you don’t take the proverbial, and top speed is recommended to be kept to 100mph. Fortunately, KTM have furnished this expensive machine with the finest Brembo brakes front and rear, just in case you get carried away heading into the bends. Locking the rear on Tarmac is not to be recommended on a bike of this height and weight!
The first three days I spent with the Super Enduro R were all on-road, and aside from the usual open-mouthed stares at filling stations, I was beginning to wonder why you would part with £8,000 for a bike that, although fun, is a bit on the primitive side. The switchgear is the most basic I‘ve seen in a decade, the cables get in the way of the keys, and its height can become wearing if all you’re doing is popping out for a loaf of bread.
Only one thing for it, and that’s to take it off the beaten track. If this bike was angry on the road, it’s spitting blood now. Sure, it's heavy for a moto-crosser, but this level of torque and grip on muddy, greasy, rutted tracks is simply awesome. This really is no pretend off-roader. The WP long-travel suspension helps soaks up the worst of the bumps while the Super Enduro’s weight helps the rear wheel with traction. It’s a hugely powerful and capable dirt bike, allowing the rider to climb all over it and keep driving out of tight turns, its long wheelbase and smooth torque curve giving enormous confidence.
You have a choice of riding position, too, offered by the long bench seat. You can get up close to the tank for more control, sit back and cruise while the headlamp pushes the wind over you, or take advantage of the high bars and stand on the pegs when the going gets really tough. But what’s most unbelievable is that a bike that’s this good off road can also sit comfortably all day at motorway speeds, not to mention duck through the rush hour traffic with style.
The KTM Super Enduro R is an enormously addictive bike and offers a real natural high. If you’re into road bikes but also fancy a bit of the other, you have to give one a go. Or if you’re mostly into off-roading but need something reliable to get you into work and back, the Super Enduro R could be just the bike you need. A bit like scaling Ben Nevis, it’s a hell of a climb, but once you’ve made it, the feeling's amazing.
Article written: October 22, 2007
The KTM 950 Super Enduro R was kindly loaned by Fowlers Motorcycles of Bath Road, Bristol. For more information about test rides, call Fowlers on 0117 977 0466.
OUR STEER ON THE SUPER ENDURO
Price: £8,195 (@ Oct 2007)
Engine: 942cc, 70 deg V-twin
Top speed: 120 mph (est)
Power: 98 bhp at 8,500 rpm
Torque: 66 lb/ft at 7,000 rpm
Weight: 190 kg
Seat Height: 920 mm
Fuel capacity: 13 litres
by Jon Bennett
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