![\"2017](\"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/BOOT9858-300x200.jpg\")
KTM has reshuffled those big adventure bikes for 2017. There\u2019s an all-new 160 hp 1290 Super Adventure R (which now has off-road wheel sizes) for riders who want to use the rear tire like a Gatling gun, and for more sensible riders who are also on a tighter budget, there\u2019s the 1090 Adventure R, which replaces both 1190 models.<\/p>\n
Its 1,050 cc V-twin is a destroked version of the 1190\u2019s engine (63 mm versus 69) with a 2 mm smaller bore, at 103 mm, and it uses a mix of parts from different KTM twins, such as valves from the 1190\/1290 and cams from the European 1050 Adventure. It produces 125 hp and 80 ft-lb of peak torque, and includes four ride modes (Sport, Street, Rain, Off-Road) that adjust throttle mapping and limit output for the different riding environments. It also has switchable and adjustable traction control. KTM left out the cruise control and tire pressure monitor found on the 1290, and uses simpler traction control and ABS systems, neither of which is lean-sensing. The ABS is not linked as on the bigger bike, but it does include an off-road mode.<\/p>\n
The chassis is tuned for serious off-roading, with 21\/18-inch wheels that sport tubeless Continental TKC 80 knobby tires. To reduce the risk of a flat at the launch event here in Temecula, California, our hosts installed inner tubes, though I question the logic behind that move \u2013 it\u2019s easier to repair a puncture on a tubeless tire, unless it\u2019s a tire-destroying slash, in which case it wouldn\u2019t make a difference whether there was a tube or not. And it wasn\u2019t because they ran particularly low pressures, since we\u2019re told the tires were set to 32 psi. WP provides the fully adjustable suspension, with 220 mm of travel at both ends, though unlike the 1290, changes are made manually, not electrically.<\/p>\n
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No Pavement Needed<\/strong><\/p>\n The 1090 comes fitted with crash bars, but if you plan on going deep into the woods, you should add the optional aluminum skid plate to avoid those dreaded adventure-ending crankcase punctures \u2013 our test bikes had the skid plates. Wider accessory foot pegs were also installed, since about 80 per cent of our ride route was off-road. With a seat height of 890 mm, the bike is tall, but the suspension squats considerably when seated, making reaching the ground easier. At six feet tall, though, I\u2019m still on my toes. The riding position is more like a dirtbike, with low-mounted foot pegs and a high-rise handlebar that helps stand-up riding, which is the riding position we used most of the day. At my height, I\u2019d consider a set of accessory risers to raise the handlebar about 25 mm, since I started to feel my lower back strain from bending over for so many hours. Big Dual-Sport Feel<\/strong><\/p>\n A large portion of our route took us along sandy trails, and sand isn\u2019t my preferred surface texture. Neither is it the preferred surface for the TKC 80s, which handle commendably on hard-packed and rocky terrain, but return vague feedback and sketchy traction when things get loose. Despite this, I charged along at a reasonable pace on the loose surface, with only a couple of eye-opening front-end slides. I also discovered that my sand riding isn\u2019t all that bad; previous rides on the stuff in Namibia and Mozambique have instilled in me the proper body language, as well as the reflex of gassing it instantly as soon as the front end gives. On hard-packed gravel roads and tighter trails, the 1090 feels more like a big dual sport than an adventure bike. Its suspension soaks up most bumps and rocks effortlessly, though the fork did bottom with a loud clunk a few times when riding over wider rainwater ruts that were gouged across the trail.<\/p>\n Day two began in sub-freezing temperatures, which prompted me to raise the adjustable windscreen by simply releasing two levers and lifting it. The taller height cut most of the wind from my torso until temperatures warmed up and I dropped the screen for more ventilation.<\/p>\n From Trail to Canyon Carver<\/strong><\/p>\n We rode mostly on pavement on the second day, along very twisty canyon roads, and the 1090 surprised again. Despite its larger wheel sizes and soft, off-road suspension, we maintained a pace that would make sportbike riders sweat to keep up. The 1090 is not a hard-charging, trail-braking kind of bike, but if you maintain your momentum, it flows through esses quickly and without wallowing. It\u2019s only on tight turning transitions that you feel the bike\u2019s height, as you arc high above the pavement coming out of one lean into another. In Sport mode, the engine pulls hard in a linear manner, and just keeps pulling hard until well into the triple imperial digits on our U.S.-spec machines.<\/p>\n The addition of the 1090 Adventure R to KTM\u2019s lineup now better fills the gap \u2013 both in price and performance \u2013 between the 690 Enduro dual-sport bike and the power-be-damned 1290 Super Adventure R. Its closest competitor is the Honda Africa Twin, which costs $400 less and, on paper, looks to be at least as serious an off-road machine as the KTM, though I haven\u2019t ridden it yet and can\u2019t offer a comparison. The KTM is more nimble off-road than the R1200GS, though the BMW has the edge in on-road performance and comfort. The BMW model that probably most closely resembles the 1090 Adventure R in off-road performance is the discontinued HP2 Enduro, which was a limited edition special that was a very capable big dirtbike, but was a compromised road bike. That\u2019s not an issue with the 1090, which sacrifices very little in on-road ability in return for exceptional off-road performance. And now, it\u2019s more affordable as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Off-road specialist KTM bridges a gap in its lineup and proves that a big trailie can also be a competent canyon carver Let\u2019s face it, most adventure-bike riders use their bikes for touring, commuting or exploring dirt roads, rarely taking them truly off-road. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with that; adventure bikes are powerful, they\u2019re comfortable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1850,366,1337,1835,1852],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"2017](\"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/BOOT9669-300x200.jpg\")
We picked up the test bikes at KTM\u2019s North American headquarters in Temecula and headed out on a two-day trek. We\u2019d be spending the night at a camp at Chaney Ranch, an off-road riding and training facility in Warner Springs that\u2019s about an hour from Temecula as the crow flies, but about a day away by our route. The folks at KTM weren\u2019t kidding when they said we\u2019d hit the dirt almost immediately \u2013 after leaving the parking lot, we rode on pavement for about 150 metres before turning onto a gravel road that led to a series of trails.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n![\"2017](\"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/BOOT9940-300x200.jpg\")
The only features that give away the 1090 as a big bike are its wider midsection between the knees and, of course, its 207 kg dry weight, which is 3 kg lighter than the 1190 it replaces, and 10 kg lighter than the 1290. Despite its heft, it handles remarkably well when the pavement ends. Throttle modulation in Off-Road mode is easily managed, and this mode also lets the rear tire spin up considerably before the traction control intervenes, allowing nice long slides through corners, and easing steep uphill climbs. An accessory dongle was plugged into the bike that allows you to turn off the ABS (which I found no reason to do), and maintains mode settings rather than defaulting to standard when the ignition is switched back on. A reminder that the dongle is plugged in is a \u201cNot Legal\u201d message that flashes in the dash display when you switch on the bike.<\/p>\n