VOL. 54 ISSUE 15 APRIL 18, 2017 P59
N
ormally when someone tells
you you're going to get less
for your money, alarm bells
ring. Why on earth would you say
yes if that were the case? More
is more, not less, right? Well, not
exactly with the 2017 KTM 1090
Adventure R.
The Austrians have dropped the
capacity and thus the horsepower
of the now 1050cc Adventure.
A bizarre move by a company
whose slogan is Ready To Race,
no doubt. That's until you realize
the reduction in ponies actually
equates to a better motorcycle.
The move to 1050cc (not 1090
as it says on the sticker) is part of
a wider restructuring of the KTM
Adventure lineup. The big daddy
is now the beastly 1290 Super Ad-
venture R, the road-going Super
Adventure now has a T at the end
of its name, and the 1190 Adven-
ture and Adventure R have both
been mothballed.
Yet the death of the 1190 need
not be in vain, for it provides the
basis for the 1090 in everything
from looks to engine and chassis.
That's not to say the 1090 is sim-
ply a sleeved down version of the
1190. Far from it, as the new motor
that sits between the orange steel
trellis chassis rails doesn't share
a massive amount to its older
sibling.
The KTM engineers have gone
through this thing top to bottom
with the aim of a friendlier engine
that's lighter and more acces-
sible to a wide range of riders.
The new
suspension
makes the
chassis
much more
controllable
than the 1190.
Give less, get
more? That's what's
happening with KTM's
brand new 1090
Adventure R
THE
PAVEMENT
SCREW
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM BOOTH
