KTM 950 R Super Enduro
You are ready? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, start! At that moment, all but one thought disappeared from my head: “Gas until the end! “The KTM Superenduro glows beneath me in a deep, two-cylinder voice as I remove the throttle all the way. I can feel him ripping the rear tire against the sharp rocks, suffering the unbearable burden of the brutal 98 "horses." I try my best to stick to the set line, braid the rear of the bike as little as possible, and stay as far forward as possible in an ideal position on the seat of the ferocious beast.
The speed rises sharply, and before I shift into fourth gear, the digital speedometer is already showing somewhere around 100 kilometers per hour. The first turn, steep left, I brake all the way, the rear wheel slides over the gravel, and I can only thank the hardened "pavement" for not taking me too far. I tilt the KTM, but not too hard to prevent it from falling to the ground due to the slippery surface. In short, it is best known for the fact that, despite its enviably low weight of 190 kilograms with all fluids except fuel, it is still demanding and difficult off-road. Acceleration follows again. I can't believe that the third, fourth, rear wheel is still spinning at idle on the gravel, and the speed has already exceeded 120 kilometers per hour. This is followed by a small right, but very long turn. We'll have to slide here!
I get into an attacking position, head far ahead of the steering wheel, I don't want my front wheel to slip at that speed. I shift from fifth to fourth to get the right power to the rear wheel, and we're already gliding at 130 mph in a long arc. I feel like a hero of the legendary Dakar Rally! It cannot be offered on a regular enduro motorcycle. As the rear of the bike dances gently on the edge of the grip, I notice a series of short bumps left by the quarry left by the huge ore trucks. Hell, the rear wheel just bounces off the bumps, then the whole bike shifts less than a meter to the left. I confess I gave a shit ... but it ended well and the plane turned right in front of me.
I add a little throttle, this is a little extra wrist movement, a safe reserve that you need to have when sliding. The KTM is still accelerating a lot. I shift into sixth gear and then chase a new personal speed record on rubble. Fully pushed back into the long, comfortable seat and bent over into a low stance, every few seconds I look at the speedometer, where the numbers slowly but steadily rise: 158, 164, 167, 169, 171, 173, 178, that's enough! I slow down, the turn is approaching. I've never ridden a motorcycle that fast on gravel. He might go faster, but there are too many reasons against taking too much risk: if I were 100% sure no one would pull me backwards (the boys on enduro bikes trained a week before the race this year, and they swarmed some parts of Erzberg), and if the stones on the way were not so sharp and hard ... So I come to the top from turn to turn. Just below the summit, the last 50 meters of altitude, I got into a thick fog, and it should slow down a lot. Finally at the top!
And now the second part. It was only the way up, now I need to complete the lap with a steep descent, a slower but technically more difficult job and a short cross-country dessert test before I get to the pits where the KTM mechanics are. It's easy to get down the winding and rather narrow rubble cart path, and finally I come out of the fog to a sign with a big red dot. That is, the route is recommended only for more experienced drivers. At the top of a steep, rock-strewn hill, with slightly bigger eyes and a lump in my throat, I slowly lower the KTM superenduro and try to stay on the bikes. With a lot of adrenaline in my blood, I manage to get to the bottom of it, and from there to enduro paradise! A meandering stream flowing through a sparsely overgrown forest simply invited me to refresh myself. After the first acquaintance in the heating circuit, all prejudices were dispelled, now he is much more relaxed.
The bike is also surprisingly manageable on technical off-road. It is by no means easy, but allows a well-trained driver to go through some pretty challenging enduro adventures. Even Giovanni Sala himself, a multiple world champion, admitted that with this KTM he often travels with friends on real hard-enduro tours. Thus, even a regular enduro cannot be ridden, with the correct WP suspension setting and the correct KTM tire pressure, it can go quite far. Second gear is better for longer descents as it transfers power less aggressively to the rear wheel. There is so much playfulness in it that crossing a stream or a large puddle on the rear wheel is easy. The design itself (steel molybdenum tube frame, aluminum swing and back of the frame) and redesign, including all plastic, are pure enduro; that is, they do not break on the first fall, but they do well with strong impacts from the ground. Only high quality goods!
After this short technical work, it's time for a cross test. I grab the wide aluminum Renthal handlebars again and try to figure out what motocross knowledge I can use on such a giant when even at 180cm I can’t touch the ground with both feet at the same time (only Dakar Stanovnik’s KTM was that high). The plane and acceleration, everything goes smoothly, turns require more caution. Now jump - and a springboard from a large pile of sand! There is nothing worse - wheels on the rebound and soft ground on landing. But the KTM is also well balanced on jumps with a slightly heavier front end. The suspension expends all 280 kilograms of weight perfectly when the superenduro comes into contact with the ground. Although it works great, I was again surprised how useful it is even in technically difficult terrain.
After the finish, only the last part and again “charging” up to 160 kilometers per hour and stopping in the pits. “Ok guys, I’ll try the next round with a slightly softer suspension setup,” were my words as I relayed it to the South African enduro suspension designer at KTM. This is how the track in Erzberg goes on the KTM 950 R Super enduro. That day, even though it rained all day, I did six of them and sat on the bike for almost five hours. The name "superenduro" does not contain the word "super", but it also means something. After he made a good impression on me in the field, I would be happy to take him on a trip with me. I have a feeling it will fit perfectly.
Yes, and this, dear mechanics who took care of all our faults and the impeccable condition of the steel horses, I apologize for the two punctured chambers. I admit beer in the evening.
KTM 950 R Super Enduro
Base model price: 2.700.000 SIT.
Technical information
engine: 4-stroke, V-shaped 75 °, two-cylinder, liquid-cooled. 942cc, 3x Keihin carburetor 2mm
Energy transfer: 6-speed gearbox, chain
Suspension: adjustable USD fork, rear single adjustable hydraulic shock absorber PDS
Tires: before 90/90 R21, rear 140/80 R18
brakes: front disc diameter 300 mm, rear disc diameter 240 mm
Wheelbase:1.577 mm
Seat height from ground: 965 mm
Fuel tank: 14, 5 l
Weight without fuel: 190 kg
Sales: Axle, doo, Koper (www.axle.si), Habat Moto Center, Ljubljana (www.hmc-habat.si), Motor Jet, doo, Maribor (www.motorjet.com), Moto Panigaz, doo, Kranj .motoland .si)
We praise
adrenaline pump
utility
We scold
seat height
text: Petr Kavchich
photo: Manfred Halvax, Hervig Poiker, Freeman Gary
