Ktm Sm 990

"A brilliant, high-maintenance lunatic that rewards prepared, attentive owners."

The SM 990 is the supermoto that rewired my brain about what a big single-cylinder machine could do. That LC8 V-twin pulls hard from nothing and screams past 9,000rpm like it's personally offended by speed limits. It's genuinely fast, absurdly flickable, and sounds absolutely mental. When it's working, nothing touches it for urban aggression or canyon-carving entertainment. Here's the honest part nobody tells you: these bikes eat money when neglected. Check the valve clearances obsessively — they go out of spec and previous owners routinely ignore it. The throttle bodies need syncing, the subframes crack, and KTM's orange paint chips if you breathe near it. Always pull the maintenance history and budget $500-800 immediately for a proper service regardless. Buy one that's been genuinely maintained, not just washed before sale. Find a bike from an enthusiast rather than someone who bought it impulsively and discovered 900cc supermoto wasn't their personality after all. They're out there, and when you find the right one, it's one of the most rewarding bikes you'll ever own.