KTM 1090 ADVENTURE R VS. HONDA AFRICA TWIN
SHOOTOUT
P96
Truth be told, either of
these two bikes make for an
awesome ADV weapon.
difference. Change the rub-
ber to the more road biased
tires the Honda comes with
and there's no doubt the
Honda's advantage would
be greater as the softer sus-
pension makes the slightly
lighter Honda more control-
lable and forgiving than the
KTM when the tarmac pace
begins to increase.
Switching to the dirt, the
KTM begins to show its
claws. Just as the Honda
is a superior machine to
the KTM when touring and
in average-speed tarmac
twisties, the KTM feels im-
mediately more comfortable
when the going gets tough.
The changes wrought by
Cody and KTM as a whole
have certainly borne fruit.
The old 1190 would plow
through the suspension
stroke, but the new 1090 is
a much better machine for
nailing gnarly ADV terrain,
and the new PDS shock
is a revelation over the old
1190. The 1090 sits higher
in the suspension stroke,
and with the extra ground
clearance over the Honda,
it is the bike you want if your
ADV riding consists of the
boulders, drops, ruts and
climbs we all like to think we
do when we go off-roading.
Quinn Cody just used
one of these to finish 33rd
in the Red Bull Romani-
acs. Just let that thought
sink in for a minute. He
