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KTM 1190 ADVENTURE

Joined
Apr 23, 2012
Messages
280
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81
Location
Cloudcroft/Athens
First Name
PHIL
Well, I stopped by SMS this morning and the new 1190 Adventure demo had just arrived. Brian let me take it for a ride.WOW! I took it out for most of the afternoon to try out as many features as I could think of. It has an adjustable seat which I put in high, and a manually adjustable windscreen which I put in high as well. The hardest part was learning to program all the different riding modes without a manual. I spent some time stuck in spanish after scrolling through french and german as well.:eek2: Once I figured it out it was pretty simple. The seat felt pretty hard, but after riding all afternoon my rear end felt fine. There are four power modes (sport,street, rain and off road). I quickly decided that there wasn't much reason to use anything but sport because it generated the most grins and the traction control will save you if you get stupid in low traction situations. There is lots of power on tap and it just begs you to twist the throttle.:rider: The traction control and ABS are by far the best I have ever seen. They are totally transparent and unobtrusive. They both work extremely well on any surface without you feeling any intervention. On pavement the TC keeps the rear end in check and keeps the bike from wheelieing when you grab a handful of throttle. If you like to wheelie coming out corners, just turn the TC off. If the rpm isn't quiet right when you whack it open, a quick one finger fan of the clutch will get the front wheel airborne in the first few gears! Where the bike really impressed me was on gravel roads. The traction control allows the rear wheel to spin up just enough to get things moving in a hurry while keeping the rear end under control without any perceptible intervention. I usually hate ABS especially off road. Most abs systems are way too sensitive in the dirt and can be really scary if you forget to turn them off, if that's even an option. The 1190 has an off road mode that allows you to lock and slide the rear wheel while having full protection up front. It allows you to brake very hard without intervening and allows for some amazingly strong braking in the loose stuff. Acceleration and braking were unbelievably strong on any surface. On a side note the stock (street looking) Continental trail attack tires did an amazing job of finding traction in the dirt even running street pressures. The fuel injection mapping is spot on at all rpms, no hesitation or surging anywhere. I think I like it. Can you tell?:giveup:
 
I need to make friends with a dealer. I want to ride one!
And where are the pics? You know the rules.
 
I hate you for having that much fun.

I'm not a buyer right now but who do I have to kill to get a test ride? :trust:
 
I knew I would get some grief for no pictures. I didn't even think about pictures until I got home, but there are plenty on the web that are better than I could take. The bike I rode is a demo that is the first in the area I know of. These are the bikes that the dealers rode in Austria at the dealer meeting. The new bikes for sale should start showing up next month. A couple of things I left out the second time I wrote this (I lost the first one somehow when I hit the submit button):doh: The windscreen did a nice job I thought in the North TX wind, not like a Goldwing for sure, but very smooth flow with no buffeting. The slipper clutch was also pretty cool, just bang down through the gears going into a corner and dump the clutch and nothing happens, no rear wheel hopping or chatter. It also had the electronically adjustable suspension that I really didn't play with very much. Maybe next time!
 
I've watched a few review videos of it, all said it was awesome.
I'd be interested to see a big comparison article putting it against the other big ADV bikes.
I'm a big fan of orange already, so I think it would win :lol2: :thumb:
 
They have an adventure R?

Yes, it has a 21" up front, about an inch more travel on both ends, a non adjustable seat that I think will probably be a bit more comfy and crash bars. The suspension is not electrically adjustable on the R, but compression and rebound(forks) are easily adjustable without tools while sitting on the bike. You will have to get off to adjust the shock though, unless you are really good.:lol2:
 
Yes, it has a 21" up front, about an inch more travel on both ends, a non adjustable seat that I think will probably be a bit more comfy and crash bars. The suspension is not electrically adjustable on the R, but compression and rebound(forks) are easily adjustable without tools while sitting on the bike. You will have to get off to adjust the shock though, unless you are really good.:lol2:

How long is the bike there for demo and do you need to call to set a time?
Thanks...
 
Just got my Cycle World in the mail yesterday and they have a nice review on this bike.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/09/14/2014-ktm-1190-adventure-r-first-ride-review-photos/

Best looking big KTM twin yet. Actually best looking adventure bike ever IMO and superior to all competition in everything besides looks as well. Not sure what I would ever do with 150hp in the dirt or even on the pavement but I wouldn't mind trying one day. For me will definitely be a long wait for a second hand one though. OTD at ~$18K for a dirt/adventure bike? ouch And that is before the add-on purchases start.
 

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I'm so close to ditching everything I have and going to just this one bike. Probably would regret it but so want to! lol
 
My only skepticism, does it still take 4 hours to change the oil?????
 
150hp in regular or sport mode. Drops to 100hp in off road/rain mode.

I think I might need a 65hp snow/ice mode to be safe.

I also read a follow on article about the new Bosch ABS system. Very impressive! You'll be stopping faster/shorter than the pros.

On dirt
60mph to zero with ABS on was 188 ft.
60mph to zero with ABS off was 206 ft.
Dont count the single 196 ft stop as it was an outlier and should have been dropped. And remember this is a pro rider so for us the distance will be much much longer.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/01/17/off-road-braking-test-pro-level-off-road-racer-against-ktm-abs/

_
 
I think I might need a 65hp snow/ice mode to be safe.

I also read a follow on article about the new Bosch ABS system. Very impressive! You'll be stopping faster/shorter than the pros.

On dirt
60mph to zero with ABS on was 188 ft.
60mph to zero with ABS off was 206 ft.
Dont count the single 196 ft stop as it was an outlier and should have been dropped. And remember this is a pro rider so for us the distance will be much much longer.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/01/17/off-road-braking-test-pro-level-off-road-racer-against-ktm-abs/

_

First of all ABS will kill you dead on the dirt. Don't believe me, just ask anyone. If you want proof just remember when I nearly slid off the road coming into Sandy Valley? If I hadn't have had ABS I would have never turned it off and nearly lost control braking in that corner. (Where's the sarcasm emoticon?)


Seriously, nice bike. Might even get me off BMWs. Did they move the battery?
 
I haven't really followed KTM adventure bikes. How is the long term reliability? I have heard of dozens of 100,000 mile GS's, but for the life of me I can't recall the mention of a single KTM in this range. As I said, I haven't really paid attention and there could be hundreds, just wondering.
 
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First of all ABS will kill you dead on the dirt. Don't believe me, just ask anyone. If you want proof just remember when I nearly slid off the road coming into Sandy Valley? If I hadn't have had ABS I would have never turned it off and nearly lost control braking in that corner. (Where's the sarcasm emoticon?)





Seriously, nice bike. Might even get me off BMWs. Did they move the battery?


Better check again. Ktms abs is designed for dirt mode. They were stopping on marbles on top of hard pack dirt. This is an abs with off-road in mind
 
Better check again. Ktms abs is designed for dirt mode. They were stopping on marbles on top of hard pack dirt. This is an abs with off-road in mind

Meriden, perhaps the sarcasm was missed. :lol2: That was on one of the roads between Moulton and Gonzales, if I remember the story correctly?

+1 on Bosch's latest ABS. It is simply very well designed to work on a variety of surfaces, including loose dirt. Below a set speed it will even allow rear wheel lock.

The Tiger has this generation of ABS and it is the first bike I've had with ABS. I am constantly amazed with how well it works on gravel roads. Very confidence inspiring.

As for longevity, yes there are many LC8s with well over 100K on the clock.
 
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