KTM 640 ADVENTURE (1997 - 2007) Review

Year: 2002

It's not as vibey as this article would have you believe. I heard they vibrated before I bought a well-used 2002. Coming off of a Suzuki DRZ400S, the KTM was way less vibey and had much more useable power. It's a dual-sport so complaining about the windshield at over 80 mph is stupid. Just tuck in a bit behind the fairing and it works just fine. Power is smoothly delivered and there's lots of it. Suspension and handling are superior to the DRZ400 even with the huge gas tank. It soaks up trail junk like roots and rocks and stays in line unless you get carried away. This bike will fly down the highway at 130KPH but if you push it much harder, you're risking an engine failure. The motor won't keep you from exceeding it's ability to stay together. Mine came with an aftermarket seat that allows me to change positions if the butt gets sore. Way better than the wooden two by four seat on a DRZ. I love this bike. If it's a little too vibey for you, perhaps you should be looking at a Suzuki V-Strom 650 which has only a fraction of the off-road ability.

Buying experience: Privately, paid $3000 Canadian. it had 52000kms on it. Still going strong aside from the self-inflicted top end destruction

Year: 1999

Annual servicing cost: £100

Very typical of a lot of european machines in that once you've spent some time with it you're likely to fall in love with it. This is not a trail bike but an off machine thats been made more civilised (slightly). Its worth mentioning that there are essentially 4 variants of this bike which are markedly different albeit technically more than cosmetically. The original '97 620 version which had a low mounted twin silencer exhaust and came in orange. In '98 the bike turned blue and reverted to the same high level single can exhaust that the other lc4 models used which is why it also got several kilos lighter. The engine changed to the 625cc '640' unit and ktm started to use the mikuni cv carb instead of the Del Orto. 2001 the colour changed to silver, the fairing lost its separate tinted screen and went to a slightly lower one piece construction. The forks changed from the plush but weighty 50mm extreme units to the 4357 upside down forks which were also shorter and allowed the seat height to be slightly less daunting. In 2003 the engine was upgraded to the "High Flow" unit which was the last incarnation of the old lc4. 2005 saw the fitting of what many consider to be the heavy and perhaps unnecessary twin disc front end with the 4860 forks. My preference has always been for the earlier models which i felt had the best ride and handling.

Buying experience: Over the years I've owned several. Prices are now climbing as these are becoming sought after.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £300

A fantastic machine, unique in the motorcycling world, it is a factory-built basic Rallye bike. If you didn't get a factory allocation for the Dakar (and lets face it, who did?) then this is what you bought and accessorised/modified to suit. 2003 was the last and major upgrade to this model, and KTM didn't hold back, throwing a LOT of stuff into the bike directly from their hugely successful Rally racing program, and it shows. Unlike competitor efforts, this bike has it all fully integrated from the factory. Need to add a GPS? The power plug and wiring are already there. Need to power your roadbook and drive it? No worries, the plug is already there and the switches are cheaply purchased from KTM. Need more fuel range? the already stonking 28 litre tank is extendable with genuine KTM-made subtanks. Expecting crap quality low-octane fuel? The Kokusan ignition already has the low-octane switch built-in. These things are the business.

Buying experience: Bought as the 3rd owner, not applicable.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £300

A fantastic machine, unique in the motorcycling world, it is a factory-built basic Rallye bike. If you didn't get a factory allocation for the Dakar (and lets face it, who did?) then this is what you bought and accessorised/modified to suit. 2003 was the last and major upgrade to this model, and KTM didn't hold back, throwing a LOT of stuff into the bike directly from their hugely successful Rally racing program, and it shows. Unlike competitor efforts, this bike has it all fully integrated from the factory. Need to add a GPS? The power plug and wiring are already there. Need to power your roadbook and drive it? No worries, the plug is already there and the switches are cheaply purchased from KTM. Need more fuel range? the already stonking 28 litre tank is extendable with genuine KTM-made subtanks. Expecting crap quality low-octane fuel? The Kokusan ignition already has the low-octane switch built-in. These things are the business.

Buying experience: Bought as the 3rd owner, not applicable.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £300

Its great features are: Light weight and can pick it up without help. Excellent fuel range. Adequate power especially on dirt yet cruses at legal speeds on the road. Worst features are few but the engine is noisy because of the single skin engine pipes. I have to check for oil weeps around the filters and pipe unions. Cost of spare parts is higher than the Japanese equivalent.

Buying experience: Purchased new from dealer in 2004. Approximately $16,000 (AUS) with all extras.

Year: 2003

Myself and 3 other guys purchased 640 Adventures and love them. Mine has over 25,000 hard miles on the clock. For a bike that weighs 350 pounds and carries 7.5 gallons of gas it handles like a dream. Great flawless engine, great suspension and brakes. For long haul trips (+250 miles without gas stops) across the deserts it's the ideal weapon out here in Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. What vibration? I'll keep this bike until KTM makes a viable replacement.

Firstly let me get something off my chest... Better off with the F650? Are you serious or delirious? They are completely different bikes: the KTM 640 is a civilised dirt bike, the BMW 650 is a dressed-up street bike. Check the action pictures in each review before you disagree! So it really depends on your intended usage. btw the 158kg is weight without fuel, so it is 20kg lighter than the F650, more powerful, and real-world testing shows it has a much stronger top end than their close top speed figures might suggest. For the record: twice, a good few years apart, I test rode different generation F650s but with much deliberation I bought something lighter, cheaper and more dirt capable. The vibes are nowhere near as bad as you report, but some are worse than others. Mine's somewhere in the middle but that doesn't stop me doing 1000km days. That cost the engine one star rating. Ride and handling with the correct springs is sublime for something so versatile. Braking was and is excellent without the overkill second disc added in 2004; in fact the inertia from that disc noticeably slows the bike's flickability so just get rid of it. The screen I think is a beaut! It's no full-monty tourer but then it's not supposed to be. It does a heck of a lot of work keeping wind pressure and weather off you at all speeds. Try standing up on the pegs above 80 mph if you really think the screen is useless, I guarantee you'll change your mind. Mine has had a few minor mechanical niggles (all well-enough known to be sorted with help from the interweb) but no show-stoppers. It'd have to be perfect to get 5 stars. Value... the cheaper KTM 640 Enduro with optional large tank and comfort seat is possibly better value. But the Adventure comes fitted standard with large tank, fairing, decent headlights, comfort seat, hand guards, bash plate, rear rack and power socket. All of which has been useful and faultless, so 5 stars for equipment. I don't know of any other bike that has all those as standard equipment. Overall, 5 stars. This bike is incredibly fit for purpose. Mine gets used for everything from long-distance touring to off-road racing. A couple of years ago I looked hard at replacing it, but found there is no single bike on the market today that will match it. 50,000 km of hard use and counting... love it!

Clue is in the title. Use this on a trip and you will fall in love with the damn thing. I have crossed 2 continents and a number of countries with mine. Its fantastic 1 up with luggage etc. Really good. Takes a while to service but I bodged it in Egypt and still did 5000miles off road before the next oil change and it was fine. For around town, its loud and visible. That's a good thing. I'm 5'11 and only just tall enough for it though. The vibes are not that bad, though its not as easy to ride as a CB500. Its very vibey and not the smoothest. Anyway, recommended. Buy one, get some panniers on it and ride to Cape Town.