KTM 1090 ADVENTURE R VS. HONDA AFRICA TWIN
SHOOTOUT
P90
highest setting (a low seat height of 34.3
inches is an option we did not use). It's
strange because looking at the two bikes
side-by-side, you'd swear the shorter and
wider Honda just looks heavier than the taller
and narrower KTM.
Even before you take off, the first thing
you notice about the Honda is the physically
smaller dimensions compared to the KTM.
The handlebars sit lower and the ride posi-
tion has you feeling more in the chassis than
on top of it, like the KTM—the Honda's is a less intimidating stance.
Glance around the Honda's cockpit and you'll see price-cutting
measures everywhere: a cable clutch, rubber brake lines, an ABS
switch that looks like an afterthought at the top right of the dash… It's
a basic-looking cockpit. But "basic" has its advantages. Changing the
traction control, for example, is super easy on the Honda: It's a three
stage, plus off, system, activated by the switch on the left handlebar
block that you hit with your index finger (in the spot where the high
beam switch would normally be). The Honda TC changes on the fly
literally with one flick of a switch. The KTM, by comparison, requires
you to stop what you're doing, select the mode (Sport, Street, Rain
and Off-Road) and turn traction either on or off. The system doesn't
allow you to toggle through different TC maps like you can on the
The KTM
1090's dash
is the same as
the 1190 and
can be a bit
hard to read
the digital
readout in the
sun.
The Honda is a little cramped
when standing if
the rider is six feet tall or taller.
