Transmission: Buell Ulysses vs KTM 990 Adventure

Shootout

Buell Ulysses vs. KTM 990 Adventure

Transmission

Five speed or Six, pick your poison. Personally I prefer as many gears as practical as it gives you a wider range to work with. With these torquey V-Twin engines, close ratio transmissions are not present in either bike - nor would one be desirable, for that matter.

The KTM is equipped with the typical KTM wide ratio 6 speed, with enough spread across the cogs to handle pretty much any adventure situation. With the stock sprockets, first gear is low enough for most jeep trails, however may warrant dropping a tooth on the front for more technical riding. 6th gear is an overdrive gear, very tall, allowing a theoretical top speed in excess of 150 mph indicated. 80mph shows 4400RPM on the tach, at which point you are only halfway into the motor’s rev range.

For a 5 speed transmission the Buell’s ratios are acceptable, however I always found myself hoping for a lower first gear offroad and a taller 5th on the freeway. Some owners have switched to a lower primary gear ratio found on the XB9 series; however, this would further raise the RPM’s in top gear. As it is the Uly pulls approximately 4000RPM at 80mph - not too bad, but you are less than 2400 RPM from the “sustained rev limit” at this point. Perhaps it is just perception or due to the 990’s higher rev ceiling, but the Buell feels like it is working harder at any given RPM once you pass the 4000RPM mark. Gaps between the lower gear ratios are also a little wide especially offroad, and at times you find yourself shifting into second too early, only to rev it out more in first before shifting again.

With regard to shift effort the 990 is slicker than the Uly. Despite changes to the shift mechanism on the on XB series over the years, the Uly, while no longer a box of rocks like earlier Buells, still isn’t something you would want to shift wearing soft-toed sneakers. This effort is increased if you switch to the shorter Touratech shifter. Finding Neutralwith the engine hot and running is also frustrating, much easier on the Katoom.

The Adventure’s hydraulic clutch is also much lower effort than the cable unit on the XB. I hate to imagine how the original clutch pull on the XB’s was as the Ulysses is marketed as having a lower effort than the pre 06 XB’s. The KTM also features an adjustable-reach lever, which is a bonus over the single-position Buell.

The Buell’s drive belt is nice as it dampens the shock that requires a cush hub on the KTM. It does limit your gear ratios, however as the only option is to change the primary gearing. Although my belt was maintenance free for over 11,000 mi, I carried a spare belt on long trips, which is much more space consuming than carrying a spare master link. The KTM with a typical chain drive is also much more feasible to change ratios on.

Overall, despite the innovative belt drive on the Buell, the KTM simply possesses more flexibility with a wider range transmission, traditional chain/sprockets, and a lower effort clutch to boot. This one is an easy win for the Austrian camp.

Transmission Winner: KTM

To contact me: paochow@paochow.com