First trackday at knockhill KTM 990SM

[Stevie GooGs]

I fairly recently changed from my Kawasaki ZX10R to a more comfortable up right KTM 990SM, my brother in law got a trackday for a gift and asked me if I wanted to go down to knockhill. Anyway I feel like am still getting used to the bike and decided I would swap the scorpion syncs to Michelin Pilot Pure as I read on a few forums that the syncs can get a bit iffy when hot. Before we went out got a bit of the butterfly’s while sitting in the pits waiting to go out, tbh before I went out I would have been happy to go round the track and come back in one piece.

Oh that’s where my attitude changed after a couple of green flap laps adrenalin took over and I was feeling great, felt so much confidence in the tyres. I had a couple of hairy moments on the 990 at the end of the straight where there were some really slow riders that I could feel the front wheel about to lockup, apart from that tbh I done a lot better than I had expected. I found the down hill duffus dip scarey at first and you had to be in the right gear to be able to take people on the outside to get back into position for the next right hander. I know trackdays are not a race and I got took over by some 1000 sports bikes but I managed to overtake a lot of riders and found the 990 held its own. The low ground clearance meant that I have came home with scrapped pegs and hardly any toe sliders left but a large smile on my face.


PS photos taken with canon 5d mk2 and 100-400 L by my misses, not bad for her first time using my camera.



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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[ryhardcastle]

Great pictures. Looks like you had a great day. The 990 has really grown on me as of late. My uncle has just bought one and it looks & sounds awesome. I know it's a completely different type of tool to the ZX-10R but are you glad you made the switch?

The more I see pics and hear stories about trackdays the more I want to get one booked. Can't find anyone to go with though and not quite sure where the best choice of track would be for me (I'm near Leeds )

[Stevie GooGs]

It was the right switch for me, lots of low down useable power, you can pin the throttle and push the bike hard, its more comfortable for me that the zx10r, the zx10r is meant for the track i wish i did a trackday to see what its like. Don't be put off by trackdays thinking its just full of fast great riders, i found people had time to talk and very friendly bunch of guys feeling nervous as well, sure you always get the am better than you type. It was my first trackday but definitely not my last.
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Acemastr]

Great pics, but look at the size of this bloke on the Honda hahaha


https://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs198.ash2/46093_423749056709_618956709_5390525_7325555_n.jpg
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2017 KTM 350 XC-F - 2014 Yamaha R6 - 2005 Yamaha YZ125
2016 Toyota Tacoma Limited

[pinkyfloyd]

[Stevie GooGs]

Yeah am 6ft 3 thats my brother in laws friend from Dornoch, hes a big guy.
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Cool, glad to see you had a good day.

Hang off more man!
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My Flickr

[Stevie GooGs]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Frost]

Look like it has sod all ground clearance! Hanging off will help you have the bike more upright whilst going round at the same speed

[Stevie GooGs]

Yeah not sure if i will be able to get another trackday in this year as i live pretty far away from the nearest track.
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Stevie GooGs]

I took this just after the trackday, was interesting to see how much the guy at the back has to work to keep them going.

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https://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs401.snc4/46387_424145331709_618956709_5402977_1608773_n.jpg
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[pinkyfloyd]

Thats what I call a rider and a lunatic. Great to watch but that dude hanging onto the back of the thing has to do serious monkey work and not fall off the back (which I have seen happen).
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[SamJL]

Nice pics!

I run Pilot Power Pure's, bloody awesome tyre, so much better then other Michelins, really good tyre!
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2009 CBR1000RR
2004 KTM 200SX
2004 KTM 65SX

[L4Isoside]

[Hazylogic]

cool steve. Do you think a 400 sumo would be underpowered there?

[Stevie GooGs]

I was supprised i could overtake a lot of people on the straight and i thought this would be the bit that i would lose out the most as the 990 will do about 130mph, the 990 grunt was good on the twisties, i seemed to catch people coming into duffus dip and go around the outside to get them into mcintyre, glenvargil is a bit iffy as the front comes up going in to fast and have to be turning before the front comes up or you see the gravel. I got took over most between clark and hislop hairpin but had the bike flat out, there was a gsxr 1000 that got me a couple of times during the day. One thing i did quickly realise its not always best to follow people around the track, coming up to dufus dip, i was following a fireblade and he ran a bit too wide and i nearly followed him towards the gravel trap.


https://www.itsmymotorsport.co.uk/circuit/Knockhill.jpg
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Dr. DaveJPS]

out of interest did you have any problems with noise testing, as it 's what has been stopping me doing one as all the companies seem to say you need a tacho (or does the 990 have one?)
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"intelligent inattention is preferable to unintelligent tinkering"
www.davejps.com

[Stevie GooGs]

Never had any issue with noise its standard cans and the the KTM 990SM has a tacho.
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Dr. DaveJPS]

[Stevie GooGs]

TBH they never looked at my bike, you have to fill out a form about your bike but its just tyre tick, chain tick, electrics tick etc
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Acemastr]

[Stevie GooGs]

Im glad the misses was taking photos as the track photographer did not take many, only got one of me.

https://www.power-images.co.uk/gallerys/2010/knockhill/bikes/28-08-10/slides/IPS_0978.JPG
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Current: 2019 Yamaha T7 -> 2015 KTM Superduke R | 2000 Yamaha R1 Past -> 2009 KTM 990 SM -> 2005 kawasaki ZX10r -> 2000 Honda CBR 600 FY -> 2002 Honda XLV 125 Varadero
Bike Pics! -> My Photography Website

[Hazylogic]

lol how did you rope her into that?

[New Age Ninja]

some great pics,

but how come in most pictures iv seen of people riding big super-motos they ride with a more sports bike style, hanging of then a super moto style?