VOL. 54 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 8, 2017 P87
For 2017, the KTM is the only bike in the big-bore ADV
market that has seen any changes (BMW and their GS Ad-
venture—not the standard GS—were unchanged, and the
same goes for the Ducati Multistrada Enduro and Triumph
Explorer). And it was a big change. A new name; a reduc-
tion in capacity from 1195cc to 1050cc; and completely re-
vised suspension, set up by none other than KTM develop-
ment rider and complete motorcycle badass, Quinn Cody,
made this 1090 Adventure R an all-new weapon aimed
squarely at the Africa Twin.
At $14,699, the KTM costs $1400 more than the Honda
but is $2400 cheaper than what the 1190 was. The KTM
saw to that reduction in cost by taking away some of the
things essential to the modern ADV rider—things like a
12V plug socket, skid plate, and center stand—all stuff you
can have now as an accessory via the KTM PowerParts
catalog.
The Honda is far from an angel in that regard, either.
No 12V socket, no center stand, but it does come with a
skid plate as standard. It's pretty easy to see where KTM
thought they could save a few pennies.
Our test bikes from both manufacturers came with a
couple of add-ons that must be noted here. Honda fitted
up the optional crash bars and center stand, while KTM
fitted their wider ADV footpegs. Both bikes were fitted with
the KTM's standard Continental TKC80 adventure tires
(the Honda comes standard with road-biased Dunlop d610
tires) to have an equal playing field in terms of grip.
Due to the added weight of the Honda's center stand
and crash bars, it's hard to know exactly what the standard
weights of the two bikes were. We weighed both machines
with their gas tanks full, and the Africa Twin came in at 533
pounds, while the KTM tipped the scales at 544.
The KTM also sits slightly higher, with a seat height of
35 inches compared to the Honda's 34.3 inches on its
(Top) The 1090
doesn't get the
fancy cornering
lights that the
1290 Super
Adventure
gets. (Bottom)
Utilitarian is
probably the best
way to describe
the Honda dash.
This is the KTM's bag—butt off
the seat and going for it.
The dimensions and ergonomics perfectly
match this type of riding.
