KTM 1190 Adventure: Review

Can Austria rival Germany's dominance in the adventure market?

KTM is seriously causing waves in the motorcycle market at the moment. Not only has the Austrian company recently surpassed BMW as Europe's number one two-wheeled manufacturer, it sold over 120,000 units last year and is on course for hitting 140,000 in 2014. And as if that wasn't enough, the target is to top 250,000 within five years. Can it be successful? I wouldn't bet against it; not only are its small capacity bikes selling like hotcakes in Asia and Europe, it still commands over 50 per cent of the worldwide off-road sales market. Which is why BMW's dominance of the adventure section with its GS must cause KTM a degree of annoyance. Despite its 990 Adventure coming with serious off-road potential, riders still snapped up the less off-road orientated GS, which is why for 2014 KTM upped its game with the launch of the new 1190 Adventure.

Speedo reads big numbers with nearly 150hp

Exploring the Adventure
It may have been out for a while, but this is the first time I have slung a leg over the 1190 and my initial impressions are positive. I've ridden the older 990 quite a lot, as well as the SM and SMT versions, and to be honest I was never a big fan of the Adventure. My issue with the KTM was the fact it seemed a bit too serious, by which I mean it felt like it was actually designed to go off-road rather than just look like it was! With its 21-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear limiting the tyre choice to fairly narrow rubber, not to mention the long travel suspension and tall seat height, I never felt 100 per cent confident with the front end. BMW's GS always felt more secure in bends, a feeling that certainly improved with the introduction of wider tyres on the water-cooled GS.

In the 1190 update KTM has recognised this and reduced the front tyre size to 19-inch with the rear now a 17-inch item, allowing the fitment of more road orientated tyres. While this may have limited its off-road ability, it has made for a much better on road bike. And anyway, if you want to go off-road there is always the R version. But the improvements haven't stopped there; the 1190 Adventure not only comes with a bigger motor, it also has a comprehensive electronics package.

Smaller wheels have improved handling

Curbing the adventure
KTM used to stick to the philosophy that electronic assists weren't required on big twins (someone in orange once told me "who needs traction control when you have traction?"), but the market has dictated a change in thinking. Quite simply, adventure riders now insist on a host of gadgets and true to form the Adventure comes with electronic suspension (not semi-active, simply adjustable via a button), traction control and ABS. The Adventure 1190 makes 148hp so I'm glad KTM changed tack! With the assists on the Adventure is a very easy bike to ride quickly and if it wasn't for the occasional flash of yellow from the dash, you wouldn't know anything untoward was being restrained. The acceleration is smooth for a V-twin with loads of grunt, the clutch action is light and the throttle response predictable.

However, access the traction control settings via the very simple display (which isn't colour), turn it off and very quickly you realise this is a bit of a weapon. Minus any restraints, the KTM happily wheelies off the throttle in second gear and should you continue to give it the berries through the rev range this can cause the front to begin wobbling gently from side to side. Instability? Not really, more a spirited character trait. And the KTM is all about spirit.

V-twin revvier than the BMW boxer

Like a GS, but different
The new water-cooled GS is a simply brilliant bike and although I reckon the KTM isn't quite as good an all-round package, it runs it very close. The KTM feels slightly less bulky than the GS, not so much in a handling sense, more in a physical sense. When you get on a GS you are very aware it is a large lump of metal due to the boxer cylinders poking out while the Adventure feels slightly less mechanical and more compact.

Weight-wise KTM claim 212kg dry while BMW say 238kg ready to rock with a full tank. Add 23 litres of fuel into the KTM's tank and they are roughly the same wet weight, but I'd say the KTM is slightly easier to manoeuvre at low speed due to its narrow stance. And it also feels sprightlier with its V-twin revving faster and gaining speed quicker than the GS's boxer, something I would expect as the RC8 motor started life as a sports bike lump while the boxer was always a more relaxed engine. Neither is particularly better or worse than the other, instead they just have slightly different characters. The BMW is more refined, the KTM a little bit wilder. Again, kind of what you would expect from their respective manufacturers.

Is it a GS beater?
Where the sports bike market used to be the area manufacturers slugged it out, this is rapidly changing to the naked and adventure sections and splitting such bikes is increasingly hard. While I wouldn't like to say the Adventure is definitively better or worse than the GS, I would say it is now certainly a viable alternative. Priced at £12,999 you get a similar spec on the Adventure compared to the £12,665 GS (including ESA and Riding mode Pro) and, while the KTM has more spirit, the GS is still so bloody good at everything it is hard to say anything bad against it. One thing I did notice after spending a week riding around on the KTM is the fact I didn't miss my sports bike on the open road. You can hammer along in total comfort on an adventure bike, play the fool and even attack a few bends. Gone are the days of wobbly handling and skinny tyres! The modern adventure bike has morphed into something far more fun.

KTM 1190 ADVENTURE
Engine: 1195cc V-twin,
Power (hp): 148@9,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 85@7,500rpm
Top speed: 150mph (est.)
Weight: 212kg (dry)
MPG: 45
Price: £12,999