All Tests – KTM 1190 Adventure Test: ora (n) ge among maxitrails! – A new seasoning …

Posted on by admin

KTM 1190 Adventure test: ora (n) ge among the maxitrails !

All Tests - KTM 1190 Adventure Test: ora (n) ge among maxitrails! - A new seasoning ...

To make its place in the contested niche of maxitrails, the new KTM 1190 Adventure intends to highlight one of the characteristics common to all KTMs: fun! Site tested it in travel conditions for 1500 km… Test.

A new seasoning…

It was time ! The KTM 990 Adventure, the first road trail in the Austrian range, had hardly changed since its release in 2004 (read our). Certainly well born, the Austrian deserved a good facelift – both aesthetic and mechanical – to thwart an increasingly sharp competition..

Starting with the new BMW R 1200 GS "flat-fleet", more powerful and efficient than ever (read in particular our)! It is now done with a new orientation maxitrail openly more road than the previous one: the 1190 Adventure.

To design it, the engineers at Mattighofen somehow mixed the best of the ingredients used on the 990 Adventure and 990 SMT, added a big ladle of cubic centimeters to the LC8 twin (196 cc to be exact) and sprinkled it all with a good pinch of "electronic garnish".

On the other hand, the new adventurer KTM ostensibly turns its back on the dusty tracks to move more frankly towards the asphalt. If it retains, for example, spoke rims, the latter go from 21 to 19 inches at the front and from 18 to 17 inches at the rear. These dimensions allow the use of more road, even sporty pneumatic mounts..

Aesthetically, the bill hook strokes of Gerald Kiska, the official designer of the KTMs, are also less typical "rally-raid" than on the old 990 Adventure. Gone is the impression that the bike is "ready to race" on a Dakar special, even if the silhouette with sharp angles, its quality peripherals (Brembo calipers, WP suspensions in particular) and its generous travel (190 mm front and rear) suggest a certain sportiness … Not to say a certain sportiness !

But let the die-hard adventurers rest assured: an "adventurer" version takes care of the desires of escape by the small paths with the 1190 Adventure R. It differs among other things from the normal version by rims of 18 and 21 inches, upper suspension travel of 30 mm and large tubular side protections (read our).

A plethora of equipment

It was on the handlebars of a 2013 vintage in standard version that MNC set off for "the Adventure". Important date accuracy, since the 2014 models now inherit as standard – and as a world first – the new Bosch grip and cornering stability control system Motorcycle Stability System (read our).

On the "old" 1190 Adventure tested by the Journal moto du Net, the list of electronic aids and equipment is already extensive: electronic injection management coupled with four driving modes (sport, road, rain and all-terrain ), as well as a coupled ABS and a configurable anti-skid whose sensors are used to inform the "cornering ABS" MSC mentioned above.

As an option, the KTM can also receive suspensions whose calibration is electronically adjusted from the handlebars and a tire pressure indicator (TPMS). In short, a motorcycle perfectly at the level of the most sophisticated references in the segment in terms of electronic assistantship..

Fortunately, setting up all this equipment is not complicated: navigation in the different menus is done intuitively by means of a keypad comprising four arrows on the left stalk. You can also choose your "favorites", the information you want to see displayed while driving: consumption, range, engine or exterior oil temperature, clock, trip, odometer, etc..

Given its base price very well placed compared to its competitors (€ 13,995 against € 14,890 for the Tiger Explorer and € 15,450 for an R1200 GS, for example), the 1190 Adventure is frankly generous, both in terms of quality of its equipment than by their number. We particularly appreciate the standard presence of hand guards and indicators as well as LED daytime running lights and the tool-free adjustment of the windshield to 25 mm in height..

On the other hand, the optional center stand is not the best surprise it reserves, especially as its final chain transmission makes the addition of this equipment almost compulsory. Same disappointment when discovering the storage space: the trunk under the passenger seat can only accommodate a disc lock, the suitcases and / or top-case option appears essential.

However, each of these items of equipment being billed at 448 euros each, the bill rises very quickly: equipped with suitcases and the pack – yes, as with the German neighbors – "Electronics" at 1595 euros, our test model included for nearly 2500 € options.

Admittedly, the bike then has a good carrying capacity (31 liters on the right and 42 on the left, sufficient volume to store an integral), suspensions with electronic adjustment EDS, tire pressure indicator and a center stand. But the note begins to be salty…

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *