1190 Adventure (2013 - present) review
Multistrada-fighter and continent-muncher with attitude
IT'S not often you see the word ‘mayhem’ in a manufacturer’s press kit, let alone in the introduction to an adventure bike but this is KTM and those orange fellas like to do things differently.
Using the same 1195cc engine that powers the RC8R superbike, mayhem definitely sounds like it’s a mere twist of the throttle and the surrender of a skinny rear tyre away but KTM were keen to stress that even though the 1190 Adventure has the highest power to weight ratio of any bikes in this sector, outright power was never on the drawing board; more versatility was the aim and not just in the engine but across the motorcycle as a whole.
The 1190 Adventure is the replacement to the successful and cult 990 Adventure, which ceased production at the end of last year after almost 10 years. When you look at the growing list of Adventure bikes, the 990 Adventure is arguably still the best bike for the type of riding these bikes pretend they get used for: unpaved roads. So it’s ironic then that in order to sell more bikes in this class, it’s versatility not unpaved road performance that really counts.
IT'S not often you see the word ‘mayhem’ in a manufacturer’s press kit, let alone in the introduction to an adventure bike but this is KTM and those orange fellas like to do things differently.
Using the same 1195cc engine that powers the RC8R superbike, mayhem definitely sounds like it’s a mere twist of the throttle and the surrender of a skinny rear tyre away but KTM were keen to stress that even though the 1190 Adventure has the highest power to weight ratio of any bikes in this sector, outright power was never on the drawing board; more versatility was the aim and not just in the engine but across the motorcycle as a whole.
The 1190 Adventure is the replacement to the successful and cult 990 Adventure, which ceased production at the end of last year after almost 10 years. When you look at the growing list of Adventure bikes, the 990 Adventure is arguably still the best bike for the type of riding these bikes pretend they get used for: unpaved roads. So it’s ironic then that in order to sell more bikes in this class, it’s versatility not unpaved road performance that really counts.
