Road Test: BMW HP2 v. KTM 950SM

The Col du Galibier snakes up the side of the Pic Blanc du Galibier, a hefty grey-brown monolith in the heart of the French Alps, 40 miles or so as the crow flies east of Grenoble. In winter this is ski country, but mid-summer it's a magnet for hikers, tourists and two-wheelers.

As mountains go it's hardly picture postcard pretty, but we're not looking at it; the road ahead has our attention. Narrow, barely room for two cars to pass, it's unfenced and crumbling at the edges. The blacktop hugs the mountainside on gentle gradients before periodically lunging upwards into the thin mountain air. There are hairpins, but not so many as to break the flow. The surface is good, and it's nicely cambered with handy little Tarmac berms on the inside of turns to catapult out of. A sports bike would be a harsh, overpowered handful here, a tourer too heavy, too lethargic. We pass both by the ferry load, but Jim and I have found the Holy Grail of Alpine tomfoolery: monster supermotos.

For our first summit assault I'm on KTM's 950SM, Jim's opted for the BMW HP2. The KTM is absolutely, unequivocally in its element. This motorcycle is barking mad, and we've found its spiritual home. But this is a hooligan tool that really can be used as an everyday machine, the world's first truly practical supermoto - practical, with a lunatic streak. The motor is a gorgeous, carburetted 950cc V-twin, the chassis properly suspended with WP kit and the Brembo brakes staggering.

It's not possible to ride the KTM without laughing; it reduces anyone who tries it to a whooping, skidding, leg-out-in-the-corners idiot. It must be the riding position - adopt the elbows-up supermoto attack stance and you feel so in control that riding becomes a game. But it's that plus the stomping V-twin motor and the greater security that comes from the 950's scaled-up supermoto dimensions which make it so crushingly effective. It lunges, dives, pitches and punches into, through and out of corners in devastating fashion.

Then there's the HP2. It's often the way with BMWs that curious or irritating aspects of their behaviour are excused with a mitigating 'because it's a BMW', but that's far less the case with this one.

The HP2 is a re-styled, pared-to-the-bone R1200GS with its focus on one particular thing - off-roading - rather than several things. It was launched with the hint of more models in a similar vein. They have yet to appear, but in the meantime the HP2 ('HP' stands for High Performance') is a welcome departure. Interestingly, while converting the GS to serious off-road use BMW chose to junk much of the engineering paraphernalia we find ourselves making excuses for on other Bee Emms. The HP2 gets 'normal' USD forks and non-servo, non-ABS brakes (a single disc at each end), and it's far lighter, too. But the rear suspension is an oddball inflate-it-yourself air shock, it's still shaft drive and the indicators are nonsensical. It is, after all, a BMW.

The road wheels it wears here are an official BMW extra, adding £600 to the not inconsiderable £11,995 asking price. Trouble is, the BMW's shaft drive and exhaust limit the width of rear rubberú that can be squeezed in - a 150/70 Pilot Road is all you get. Even without trying too hard, Jim and I are riding off the edge of the rear Michelin, and getting on the gas out of turns has to be done carefully. It's still monstrously entertaining though, and makes mincemeat of the roads we're on.

In this environment, the KTM is the better of the two bikes. It's so effective as a supermoto because it's designed as one from the ground up. As a mechanically-propelled piece of two-wheeled entertainment, the 950SM just works.

The BMW is a gas too but it's not in the KTM's league. The suspension is softer, power delivery less aggressive and brakes only adequate for hard road use. And those cylinders get in the way of leg-out action. It's less nimble than the KTM too, and harder to flick from side to side despite weighing less. It's unfair to dismiss it though because the HP2 isn't sold as a supermoto. It's a dedicated dirt tool but add a set of road wheels and the bike becomes far more versatile. Funky urban commuter, mountain pass blaster and off-roader to boot.

The combination of KTM, BMW and Alpine passes was a perfect synthesis of road and machine. Particularly so in the KTM's case - never before has a bike felt so right. Never. If you already own a supermoto of any type then get it to the Alps and ride these roads or your bike is going to waste. Monster 'motos such as these two have got the legs to get there under their own steam, but there's no shame in vanning them or smaller capacity tools to the mountains for a dose of major madness. Think of it as an alternative to an extended foreign track day.

As a snapshot of a life on bikes our trip will stand out as a jewel-like moment of indulgence. The single day we spent playing in the Alps on the KTM and BMW is possibly the most fun I have ever had on a motorcycle. It really was that good.

JIM'S SECOND OPINION - KTM

"The first time you ride the 950 you will dismount and gibber like a poisonous monkey - it's that good. Ride it for more than a couple of hours and you won't be able to dismount - it's that uncomfortable. Power, handling and brakes are spot-on and the stunt-o-meter dial is in the red. The ultimate SM deserves a place in every garage. Any bike that can make Tim look like a stroke victim gets six stars out of a possible five."

JIM'S SECOND OPINION - BMW

"As an exercise in the art of supermoto, the BMW doesn't work as it's not possible to fit wide enough rear rubber. Removing the standard dirt tyres also spoils the HP2's good looks. Nor does it have the brakes or power to give the KTM a run for its money. Probably the best looking BMW ever, seriously comfy after the 950SM and surprisingly competent as an off-roader. If I were a metro traffic cop, this would be my tool of choice."

SPECS - BMW

TYPE - SUPERMOTO

PRODUCTION DATE - 2007

PRICE NEW - £12,995

ENGINE CAPACITY - 1170cc

POWER - 92bhp@7475rpm

TORQUE - 75lb.ft@5600rpm

WEIGHT - 199kg (WET)

SEAT HEIGHT - 920mm

FUEL CAPACITY - 13L

TOP SPEED - N/A

0-60 - n/a

TANK RANGE - N/A

SPECS - KTM

TYPE - SUPERMOTO

PRODUCTION DATE - 2007

PRICE NEW - £8045

ENGINE CAPACITY - 942cc

POWER - 96bhp@8200rpm

TORQUE - 65lb.ft@6200rpm

WEIGHT - 208kg (WET)

SEAT HEIGHT - 865mm

FUEL CAPACITY - 20L

TOP SPEED - N/A

0-60 - n/a

TANK RANGE - N/A

The Col du Galibier snakes up the side of the Pic Blanc du Galibier, a hefty grey-brown monolith in the heart of the French Alps, 40 miles or so as the crow flies east of Grenoble. In winter this is ski country, but mid-summer it's a magnet for hikers, tourists and two-wheelers.

As mountains go it's hardly picture postcard pretty, but we're not looking at it; the road ahead has our attention. Narrow, barely room for two cars to pass, it's unfenced and crumbling at the edges. The blacktop hugs the mountainside on gentle gradients before periodically lunging upwards into the thin mountain air. There are hairpins, but not so many as to break the flow. The surface is good, and it's nicely cambered with handy little Tarmac berms on the inside of turns to catapult out of. A sports bike would be a harsh, overpowered handful here, a tourer too heavy, too lethargic. We pass both by the ferry load, but Jim and I have found the Holy Grail of Alpine tomfoolery: monster supermotos.

FOR OUR FIRST summit assault I'm on KTM's 950SM, Jim's opted for the BMW HP2. The KTM is absolutely, unequivocally in its element. This motorcycle is barking mad, and we've found its spiritual home. But this is a hooligan tool that really can be used as an everyday machine, the world's first truly practical supermoto - practical, with a lunatic streak. The motor is a gorgeous, carburetted 950cc V-twin, the chassis properly suspended with WP kit and the Brembo brakes staggering.

It's not possible to ride the KTM without laughing; it reduces anyone who tries it to a whooping, skidding, leg-out-in-the-corners idiot. It must be the riding position - adopt the elbows-up supermoto attack stance and you feel so in control that riding becomes a game. But it's that plus the stomping V-twin motor and the greater security that comes from the 950's scaled-up supermoto dimensions which make it so crushingly effective. It lunges, dives, pitches and punches into, through and out of corners in devastating fashion.

Then there's the HP2. It's often the way with BMWs that curious or irritating aspects of their behaviour are excused with a mitigating 'because it's a BMW', but that's far less the case with this one.

The HP2 is a re-styled, pared-to-the-bone R1200GS with its focus on one particular thing - off-roading - rather than several things. It was launched with the hint of more models in a similar vein. They have yet to appear, but in the meantime the HP2 ('HP' stands for High Performance') is a welcome departure.

Interestingly, while converting the GS to serious off-road use BMW chose to junk much of the engineering paraphernalia we find ourselves making excuses for on other Bee Emms. The HP2 gets 'normal' USD forks and non-servo, non-ABS brakes (a single disc at each end), and it's far lighter, too.

But the rear suspension is an oddball inflate-it-yourself air shock, it's still shaft drive and the indicators are nonsensical. It is, after all, a BMW.

BMW HP2

SPECS - BMW
TYPE - SUPERMOTO
PRODUCTION DATE - 2007
PRICE NEW - £12,995
ENGINE CAPACITY - 1170cc
POWER - 92bhp@7475rpm
TORQUE - 75lb.ft@5600rpm   
WEIGHT - 199kg (WET)
SEAT HEIGHT - 920mm   
FUEL CAPACITY - 13L   
TOP SPEED - N/A
0-60     - n/a
TANK RANGE - N/A

The road wheels it wears here are an official BMW extra, adding £600 to the not inconsiderable £11,995 asking price. Trouble is, the BMW's shaft drive and exhaust limit the width of rear rubberú that can be squeezed in - a 150/70 Pilot Road is all you get. Even without trying too hard, Jim and I are riding off the edge of the rear Michelin, and getting on the gas out of turns has to be done carefully. It's still monstrously entertaining though, and makes mincemeat of the roads we're on.

In this environment, the KTM is the better of the two bikes. It's so effective as a supermoto because it's designed as one from the ground up. As a mechanically-propelled piece of two-wheeled entertainment, the 950SM just works.

The BMW is a gas too but it's not in the KTM's league. The suspension is softer, power delivery less aggressive and brakes only adequate for hard road use. And those cylinders get in the way of leg-out action. It's less nimble than the KTM too, and harder to flick from side to side despite weighing less. It's unfair to dismiss it though because the HP2 isn't sold as a supermoto. It's a dedicated dirt tool but add a set of road wheels and the bike becomes far more versatile. Funky urban commuter, mountain pass blaster and off-roader to boot.

The combination of KTM, BMW and Alpine passes was a perfect synthesis of road and machine. Particularly so in the KTM's case - never before has a bike felt so right. Never. If you already own a supermoto of any type then get it to the Alps and ride these roads or your bike is going to waste. Monster 'motos such as these two have got the legs to get there under their own steam, but there's no shame in vanning them or smaller capacity tools to the mountains for a dose of major madness. Think of it as an alternative to an extended foreign track day.

As a snapshot of a life on bikes our trip will stand out as a jewel-like moment of indulgence. The single day we spent playing in the Alps on the KTM and BMW is possibly the most fun I have ever had on a motorcycle. It really was that good.

JIM'S SECOND OPINION - KTM

"The first time you ride the 950 you will dismount and gibber like a poisonous monkey - it's that good. Ride it for more than a couple of hours and you won't be able to dismount - it's that uncomfortable. Power, handling and brakes are spot-on and the stunt-o-meter dial is in the red. The ultimate SM deserves a place in every garage. Any bike that can make Tim look like a stroke victim gets six stars out of a possible five."

JIM'S SECOND OPINION - BMW

"As an exercise in the art of supermoto, the BMW doesn't work as it's not possible to fit wide enough rear rubber. Removing the standard dirt tyres also spoils the HP2's good looks. Nor does it have the brakes or power to give the KTM a run for its money. Probably the best looking BMW ever, seriously comfy after the 950SM and surprisingly competent as an off-roader. If I were a metro traffic cop, this would be my tool of choice."

Ktm 950 Supermoto specs

SPECS - KTM
TYPE - SUPERMOTO
PRODUCTION DATE - 2007
PRICE NEW - £8045
ENGINE CAPACITY - 942cc
POWER - 96bhp@8200rpm
TORQUE - 65lb.ft@6200rpm   
WEIGHT - 208kg (WET)
SEAT HEIGHT - 865mm   
FUEL CAPACITY - 20L   
TOP SPEED - N/A
0-60     - n/a
TANK RANGE - N/A