Comments on: Superbike Engine in an Adventure Bike? KTM 1190 Adventure Follows Ducati’s Lead (Bike Reports) (News)

By: Rupert

Rupert — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:33:05 +0000

I am also a KTM 990 Adv owner and the missus and I just rode ours around the world.. Mine an R version and hers a regular orange thing. Awesome bikes. Loaded up for the RTW and 18 months on the road just the bike for 99.9% of every surface we rode on. We got used to the dreaded sand after some good training and a few thousand miles. The 990 Adv. is perfect for gravel and mud tracks, but on the twisty roads of the Alps and Pyrannes I was thinking my old Hayabusa or R1 might be more fun. When we were in Rome and Manchester I saw the Ducati Multistrada and hoped KTM would go all out and build something similar and looks like they have .. The 1190 Adventure is a definite GS, Explorer and Super Tenere beater. No doubt about that. However I am a 640 fan as well and nearly 17 years ago was a proud Honda Africa Twin owner too and really hoped that KTM would bring out a 600-800 cc twin, light, comfortable, rock solid, tough RTW adventurer. To cut the story short we could not bring our KTMs into China for various reasons and so we rode local made touring bikes made by Hangzhou firm CF Moto. I was not expecting much but we have riden 10,000 odd miles across China, including the stunning Himalayas, 20,000 feet Tibetan Plateau and the huge deserts of North west China and the CFMoto 650 TR bikes have been a pleasant surprise. Super engines and cost 4500 dollars new . Not bad. The interesting bit of the story is CF Moto are likely to partner with KTM in 2013 and looks like my ideal adventure bike will be made…. Which we will hopefully ride from Alaska to Chile and along all the interesting bits in between in 2013/14… Story and pics at our website “Rupert & Fannys Big Bike Trip…. ” Hope it inspires some of you to make the big leap of faith and see the world on whatever motorcycle takes your fancy. Personally, I think the new KTMs will be awesome.

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By: BARRY WELLINGS

BARRY WELLINGS — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:08:36 +0000

Follow Ducatti’s lead? Duc isn’t in the same league.

By: randy

randy — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:58:16 +0000

Keep the SMT just the way it is and sell more of them so I can buy one used!

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By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 19:15:52 +0000

All bikes are a compromise. Just depends on what you want to do with it. The above KTM is a sport bike that can be ridden on the occasional fire road. I tried the KLR and DR route and they are extremely boring. Went to a KTM 990 ADV and loved it on road but too much of a pig off road. Next came my F800gs which seems to be a nice COMPROMISE between the dirt and the street. It’s respectable off road(50lbs less than the KTM 990) and can be ridden on the street at 70-80mph all day(with the right seat). For technical dirt riding I love my street legal xr650r. If my ex-wife hadn’t robbed me of all my cash, I’d fill my need for speed with a MultiStrada or the 1190 Adventure.

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By: Brian Hansen

Brian Hansen — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:37:05 +0000

The VFR 800 & 1200 both have a 90% sportbike ergos. A clean late model 800 with Convertibars maybe. But I like the Triumph Tiger 1050 better and I’m taking another look at the KTM SM T – reading reviews etc.

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By: Norm G.

Norm G. — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:10:22 +0000

re: “I like power.”

FISTPUMP…!!!

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By: casatomasa

casatomasa — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:58:22 +0000

I think i’m on the wrong web site. All these posts about this super ADV bike I have to keep scrolling back up to see this enormous Moon Pig, Gs, Multistrada kinda thing. I can’t help but think back to early days of the SUV, remember the very worthy Jeep Cherokee then turned mushy Lexus, hybrid something or another? Soccer Mom wouldn’t dare take the something or another “off-road” nor would any self respecting “ADV” rider take one of these….Mr Manufacture please don’t insult the name. Call me an eliteist but my idea of Adventure includes dirt lots of it and the best places on earth can’t very well be reached with these. Remember Guys back to the day when you could have a “tip over” that didn’t cost $2896.59? Please Mr. Kawondasuki KTM,Bmw,MD build us the ultimate ADV bike..and you can do it far less than $15,000…and we will come!!

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By: todd

todd — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:36:34 +0000

I think it’s called a VFR800…

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By: LP

LP — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:27:25 +0000

As a 990 Adv owner, I think progress is great, but hope they haven’t given up the thing that made KTMs special: dirtability. Small wheels on the standard model? What the hey? Suspension travel down (looks like). Yeah, it’ll take on the multistrada, but how will the electronics work 500 miles from anywhere when the only service is a toothless guy with a dented oxy torch and a box of hammers? From the too-brief description it looks lke KTM’s trying to rationalize their product line, maybe have the standard adv replace the SMT and have the R be what the regular ADV is now. But it looks like the link to all those big-bore PD bikes from the 90s is severed. Inevitably, tuning for the street first rather than for the dirt first changes a bike’s character, hope I’m wrong. Also, tank still looks too small for what’s supposed to be an exploring machine.
On the plus side: One gas cap!

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By: blackcayman

blackcayman — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:01:23 +0000

I do appreciate the advice – I have heard that but don’t want/need the Tall’ish suspension.

What I’d like to see is a sport-touring bike combined with a sport bike – keep the ST ergos and keep as much of the lightness and precise handling, suspension, braking from the sport-bike.

Maybe the closest thing to what I imagine is the Triumph Tiger 1050 – just take-away the Tall Ride. I have a 30″ inseam and don’t like to tip-toe at every stop. For me its just a street bike so I’d prefer a regular stance rather than the adventure bike’s taller stance. The Sprint 1050 has sportbike rather than sport-touring ergos and the handling got botched by the new longer swingarm…

From reading – the Motus is the bike I’ve been dreaming about. Now If the British, Italians or Japanese can make one more affordable – I’d be in business

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