KTM 950 Super Enduro R

KTM 950 Super Enduro R

Manufacturer	KTM
Also called	KTM 950 SE
Production	2006-2008
Engine	Twin cylinder, 4-stroke, V 75°, 942cc
Bore / stroke	100 x 60 mm (3.94 x 2.36")
Compression ratio	11.5:1
Ignition type	Denso battery ignition
Transmission	6 gears, dog-clutch engagement
Frame type	tubular chrome-molybdenum-steel space frame
Suspension	Front: WP USD Ø 48 mm (1.89"), 250mm (9.84") travel / Rear:WP monoshock PDS 255 mm (10.04") travel
Tires	Front: 90/90-21 Rear: 140/80-18
Wheelbase	1577 mm (62")
Seat height	965 mm (38")
Weight	190 kg (419.4 lbs) (dry)
Fuel capacity	14 liters (3.7 USgal)

The KTM 950 Super Enduro R (popularly known as the 950SE or the SE) is a dual-sport motorcycle produced from 2006 to 2008. It is equipped with a 98-horsepower, four-stroke, V-twin engine, fully adjustable heavy-duty offroad suspension and enduro styling. Due to its light weight and offroad-capable profile the 950SE was perceived at its launch as a radical departure from any existing dual-sport, enduro or street bike models, while having characteristics of all three.

Marketed by its Austrian manufacturer KTM as a race-ready enduro machine, the 950SE embodies minimalist design principles. Equipped with twin carburetors, as opposed to electronic fuel injection, it also lacks ABS, traction control, a fuel gauge or a tachometer. Its dual silencers are upswept, with the front cylinder’s exhaust header routed beside the engine, in the manner of smaller enduro and dirt bikes. The one-piece plastic fuel tank is of relatively low capacity and the seat is very tall at 920mm (36.22 inches).

With its six-speed transmission and stock wheels, the 950SE is capable of speeds in excess of 190km/h (118mph).

The 950SE is popularly acclaimed to be one of the most powerful, and “intense” enduro motorcycles ever introduced. Yet in spite of its power, loud and deep exhaust note and fierce acceleration capabilities, the 950SE has also been lauded for its all-round performance and rider comfort, whether on or off pavement.

In his review of the 2008 model, motorcycle journalist Neil Johnson of OneWheelDrive, said, “the KTM 950 Super Enduro R is pure delightful lunacy.” The article’s headline was subtitled “The cure for common sense.”

Approximately 3,000 units were produced and sold internationally for model years 2006-2009, with KTM discontinuing the bike in 2009, possibly due to disappointing sales.

Since its discontinuation, the 950SE has become coveted, achieving “legend” status among owners and enthusiasts, including offroad and rally racing champions such as New Zealander Chris Birch, who said of it, "In my mind the 950 Super Enduro is the best hooligan's bike KTM ever made."

The 950SE’s 942cc engine, known as the LC-8, was originally designed by KTM engineers to power the company’s 950 Factory Rally racer, which was built to compete in the 2002 Dakar Rally. In contrast to KTM’s first LC-8-equipped consumer model, the 950 Adventure, modeled on the Dakar bike, the 950SE had higher ground clearance, a different steering head angle and rake, with a more aggressive, fully adjustable WP suspension, as well as the distinctive look and ride of an "oversized" enduro bike.

At the time of the 950SE’s launch, the dual-sport market had been dominated by slower, heavier “compromise” bikes. But the KTM appealed to aficionados as a true “no-compromise” motorcycle. On rider forums online owners frequently praise the SE as a “high-adrenaline” machine that can be ridden out of the city, onto the highway and into challenging terrain such as water crossings, boulder fields, steep hill-climbs, single-track trails, rutted tracks, mudholes and deep sand, and then be ridden home again at highway speed, remaining equally at ease and comfortable to ride through such widely varying conditions.

The 950 SE was the third consumer model to use the LC-8 engine, after the KTM 950 Adventure and 950 Super Moto. It shares several components of the latter, but the SE was significantly modified to suit its intended purpose.

Origin

The 950SE was thought to have been KTM's response to the BMW HP2, a well-regarded high-performance dirtbike whose 1170cc boxer engine made 105-horsepower. The HP2 won its first competition start in 2005 at the Erzberg Rodeo in Styria, Austria, an annual "hard enduro" race series attracting hundreds of competitors from around the world. BMW's Motorrad Enduro Team Feil entered riders Simo Kirssi, Jimmy Lewis and the winner of the previous year's Erzberg Hare Scramble, Chris Pfeiffer.

At the time KTM was recovering after a long period of stagnation, with a mandate to dominate in the offroad racing sector. Many industry watchers believed KTM rushed its 950SE into production in order to demonstrate its "big bike" capabilities against its European rival.

Like the 950SE, the HP2 was a short-lived model, making its debut in 2005 and being discontinued in 2008.

Development

Testing

Racing success

Mass production

Technical advances

Powerplant

Launch

The new KTM 950 Super Enduro R was featured the 2006 EICMA Motor Show in Milan and won the Erzberg Rodeo race that May.^[1]

Technical Issues

The 950SE is generally accepted as being a robust offroad/trail motorcycle. However, it does exhibit a number of known weaknesses:

Sump guard: The standard OEM sump guard is a lightweight pressed aluminium bash-plate. The majority of riders who take the 950SE offroad fit a more heavyweight aftermarket version.

Voltage regulator/rectifier (VRR): The VRR is located under the seat, immediately behind the rear cylinder header pipe. In temperate climates this causes few problems, but in hotter locations (southern USA, Australia etc) the combination of high ambient temperatures coupled with the heat from the exhaust frequently causes the VRR to fail.

Oil tank: The oil tank is mounted at the front of the engine immediately behind the front wheel. In the event of a large impact in this area it is possible for the oil tank to move upwards on its mounts consequently bending the lower section of the radiator.

Rear sub-frame: The rear sub-frame has locating points for the attachment of the rear plastic fairing. Of these, two in particular (a threaded screw hole each side) form a weak point where, if sufficient load is applied to the rear of the rear sub-frame (such as carrying a heavy load on a luggage rack) a crack will propagate from the screw holes eventually leading to failure of the frame. In an effort to prevent this failure many owners weld additional aluminium supports to the frame to bolster the weak areas.

Fuel pump: In its original form the OEM fuel pump has electro-mechanical points that provide for actuation of the fuel diaphragm. These eventually fail although owners report differing time periods of just a few 1000km up to 30000km. The engine will run without a fuel pump, but only with a full fuel tank to provide sufficient head to the carburettors. Aftermarket fixes include complete replacement of the pump with a Facet pump, fitting a vacuum pump or modifying the existing pump, a popular modification being to replace the electro-mechanical points with an optical sensor and associated circuitry.

Given the 950SE shares some of the heritage from the KTM 950 Adventure series development (principally the LC8 engine/transmission unit) it suffers from a number of the issues that are also common to this design:

Side-stand mounting: The side-stand mount bolts directly into the casting that forms the lower section of the left side crankcase. In the event of a hard impact on the side-stand a torsional load is passed to the crankcase which invariably fails. This potentially expensive weakness is frequently addressed by the fitting of an aftermarket side-stand relocating kit to remove the mount from the crankcase and place it directly to the frame.

Clutch slave: The KTM 950/990 LC8 series engine uses a hydraulically actuated clutch system with conventional master and slave cylinders. The OEM slave (manufactured by Magura) has a known failure mode in which the piston starts to tilt in the bore causing the slave to fail. The 950SE suffers the same problem which is generally resolved by the fitting of an aftermarket slave unit, a popular choice being the Oberon slave cylinder manufactured in the UK. The failure seems to occur at any point, with some owners reporting problems at 5000km while others reach 50000km.

Commercial failure

Cult following

For the first few years after the KTM 950SE had been released it had limited interest. Dealers frequently had to offer considerable incentives to make initial sales, however since approximately 2015 there has been a marked increase in desirability with prices steadily rising to the point where a good second-hand example now changes hands for a price equal to or above the original manufacturers RRP. The Erzberg Rodeo Editions, a limited number production batch with enhanced graphics and other items such as Akrapovic exhausts, a CNC clutch cover etc fetch proportionally more. In Europe the Erzberg bikes were individually numbered denoted by a triangular badge on the top triple clamp, in the US they were not numbered and hence the total number of Erzbergs produced is unknown although the generally accepted number is in the order of 100.

Given the limited total production numbers (circa 3000 worldwide) the 950SE is not common motorcycle and hence prospective buyers must generally be dedicated in searching out examples for sale, further enhancing the desirability.

Various websites exist dedicated to the 950SE, notably www.950superenduro.com and a significant element of the ADVRider forums, specifically Orange Crush, Crazy Awesome Almost Dakar Racers 950/990 Through these websites there is a considerable body of experience in owning and riding the 950SE and most owners are very happy to share pearls of wisdom. Like any rare or unusual car, aeroplane, motorbike, yacht etc owners generally feel privileged to own a 950SE and there is considerable camaraderie amongst this small and exclusive band.

Legend

Technical Data^[2][3]

Engine type: Twin cylinder, 4-stroke, V 75°

Displacement: 942 cc

Starter: Electric Start

Carburetor: 2 x Keihin constant-pressure carburetor, 43 mm

Control: DOHC

Lubrication: dry sump with 2 trochoidal pumps (pressure pump and suction pump

Engine lubrication: SAE 5W/40, 10W/50

Primary drive: 67:35

Final drive: 17:45

Cooling: Liquid-cooled

Clutch: Wet multi-disc clutch, operated hydraulically

Frame: Tubular chromoly space frame, powder-coated

Subframe: Aluminium 7020

Handlebar: Aluminium, conified

Front brake: 1x Brembo 2-piston floating caliper, floating brake disc Ø 300 mm (11.81")

Rear brake: Brembo 2-piston floating caliper, floating brake disc Ø 240 mm (9.45")

Rims: front / rear 1.85 x 21"; 2.50 x 18"

Tires: front / rear 90/90-21"; 140/80-18"

Battery: 12 V / 11.2 Ah

Main silencer: 2 x stainless steel with catalytic converter

Steering head angle: 64.4°

Ground clearance: (unloaded) 330 mm (13")

Weight: (no fuel) approx. 190 kg (419.4 lbs)

"Wet" Weight: approx. 204kg (450lbs)

References