During the late 1990s it became fashionable to swap out your motocrosser’s off-road wheels and tyres for 17-inch road rims and rubber, and then head to the asphalt and kerbs of the nearest racetrack. The racing was (and still is) a crazy, hybrid blend of dirt and road that became known as supermoto and, in time, inspired a plethora of exciting bikes by a variety of manufacturers, prime among them Austrian dirt specialist KTM.
While the majority of production offerings were dedicated, track-focused supermotos – and a whole lot of fun to ride like an idiot – they were also impractical with small fuel tanks, monumentally uncomfortable, relatively crude and only good for going around short, gnarly racetracks really fast. However, in 2009 KTM dreamt up the big-bore long-distance supermoto, the 990 SMT (for SuperMotoTouring), which captured the essence of a supermoto corner slayer while offering a degree of practicality as well.
The idea was to create essentially the ultimate sports-tourer; a weekend away one week and keep the sportsbikes honest at the local racetrack
