VOL. 53 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 8, 2016 P73
KTM 1190 ADVENTURE R
2
ND
PLACE
T
his is what Ryan Dungey
would race should ADV
bikes be let into Monster
Energy Supercross next year.
The KTM feels like it was
spawned from racetracks; it's
got that Ready To Race persona
that's far more exciting than
anything else here in the test.
The 1195cc V-twin motor
pumps out stupendous horse-
power and will leave the rest of
these bikes in its wake. There's
grunt everywhere, and it's not
exceptionally mitigated by the
addition of the four engine maps
(Sport, Street, Rain and Off-
Road). If anything, the KTM is
the more expert of the bikes
on this test. It feels designed
for riders willing to take it into
gnarly areas way more than the
BMW or Ducati.
Over the years KTM has
slowly changed the Adventure
persona (starting back in the
950 and 990 days) into one
that will more accommodate
the road-oriented rider—the
suspension is plusher than ever,
and there's a dazzling array of
electronics that are, sadly, still
a pain in the ass to navigate
quickly. They will also default
to whatever the factory setting
is unless you have the ABS/
TC dongle (which I have on my
SuperDuke), and that can drive
you nuts.
(Top) The seat is comfortable
for short periods of time but
gets pretty hard over long hauls.
(Bottom) That dash has been
around for ages and packs a
stack of information—the new
Adventure R for 2017 is much
wider and easier to read.
