2014 KTM 1190 Adventure R

Introduction

The large displacement adventure touring market has been restless lately. Restless with rumblings of power, the new theme over the last few years. It is logical that increases in every area of performance make better machines but at what point have we just gone mad? How much power does an adventure bike really need? And can the electronics packages being built into these bikes make them oh so powerful when you need it and then tame and controllable when you don’t? Is the street side of the balance winning out over the dirt influence? What are these bikes really for? KTM has this all-new machine with their take on where the adventure touring market is going, a mix between a RC8 superbike and the old 990 Adventure, and it is time to hang on for the ride.

Changes

The bike is 100% all-new. It lives off lessons learned in a number of areas. The motor is evolutions past the first 75-degree V-Twin in the 950 Adventure, and borrows from strong performances in the RC8 Superbike. Yet the tuning is the key to the bike's power and driveability. It is completely fly-by-wire so it is easier for the engine management system to make adjustments.

Mechanically the four-valve heads have two spark plugs in each cylinder that fire independently as needed for the conditions. There are the typical claims for increased durability internally with DLC coating on a lot of the wear surfaces and friction reducing agents where needed. Service intervals are stretched out to 15,000 miles.

KTM is claiming 150 HP (which will usually sink to 125 +/- at the rear wheel) from the engine, while also citing a 20% increase in fuel economy by using a sophisticated engine management system that is truly tied into the whole bike. Developed in conjunction with Bosch, there is ABS, Traction Control, and Lean Angle sensors tied into the engine management and braking systems; as well as typical suspension adjustments and a stick and rod-type steering damper all working to control the ride as much as the rider.

The chassis is a steel tubular space frame that uses a trellis design to provide open space with stability. The die-cast swingarm is an open design and shows the webbing used for strength. Suspension is by supplier WP and is of higher than typical quality in the adventure touring game, with 220mm of travel front and rear. The 1190 rides on wide 21-inch and 18-inch tubeless spoked wheels, with a very street-oriented tire fitted standard. The gas tank holds just over six gallons of fuel.

Power

How much do you want? It really comes down to the fact that there is more than you will ever need for anything off the pavement, and on road anything over half-throttle is likely above the speed limit no matter the gear selected.

The fly-by-wire throttle control really depends on the ride mode you have the bike set to. Through an easy-to-learn interface of four buttons on the left handlebar, a rider can select between Sport, Street, Rain, Off-Road and where the Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) magically adjusts the power to suit the conditions. And it isn’t a gimmick, just disable it to find out. The settings really respond well to the conditions they describe, and you’ll find that turning it off is basically a great way to wear your tire in half the time due to excessive spinning.

On-road, having MTC off leads to a lot of semi-uncontrolled front wheel lofting and rear-end sliding, where the Sport mode has you riding like a hero with slight wheel lofting and some good-feeling sliding, but never too much to get or feel crazy. The interesting thing is that with the fly-by-wire the computer isn’t using abrupt ignition cuts alone to quell the power of the bike, it actually adjusts the throttle for you. Sounds scary, but even high-level riders liked it and found it nearly impossible to make the computer fumble. About the only place where we’d suggest turning the traction control off is in a traction situation where you really need the rear wheel to spin a lot faster than the front, like in deep sand or mud.

Aside from the MTC stealing the show, the power is very broad and long winded. If anything it keeps the KTM feel of a light flywheel right off idle and does not have a deep chugging type of torque common to a twin. This 1190 likes RPM and the more it has the better it works. Plus the sound is incredible, music to most rider’s ears. The hydraulically activated clutch is a slipper design and makes downshifts a smooth experience, shifting up was butter as well. The long-legged six-speed transmission is great, allowing the motor to work in the powerband where you want it to, and especially for loping along at high speeds at a low RPM, it is excellent.

The bike likes to be shifted and since the power builds dramatically there is a proper gear for every situation. Rolling on the throttle or gunning it provides crisp response no matter the altitude or temperature. In very slow going, slower than first gear, the bike's clutch has great feel and there is decent torque for such a light-feeling flywheel.

Suspension

If there has been an area where KTM shines, it has been in the suspension components department. The 1190R is no different. It has a balance between offering a comfortable on-road ride and the ability to perform off-road as long as the speeds and the weight of the bike are respected.

The 1190 is in no way a dirt bike when it comes to hitting jumps and ditches, it will bottom mercilessly. Even going to the stiffest settings, which compromise the average bump compliance, does very little to slow the end of the stroke, but it may just be KTM’s way of telling you that you are going to break something.

The hardest thing for the rider to realize is that since the bike works so well and feels so light, the suspension doing a great job right up till the bottoming point, is to know when it is time to back it down.

Another area we thought a rider needs to be aware of is that the bike is very temperamental about added weight of luggage. It really compromises the rear suspension's performance and takes a lot of needed weight feel off the front end, even when maxing the rear shock's preload to optimize the balance of the bike. The rear spring is stiffer and there have been some changes to the valving in the fork, as well as moving the front axle clamp on the fork lower to improve stability from the Euro 2013 model, and these changes really made a difference, especially when loaded.

Chassis - Handling

Right away, the KTM 950/990 faithful will feel that the new bike is a bit more on the top-heavy side, and the design of the seat and gas tank will lure you into a sitting position. That is the street influence, where the real sales numbers are going to come from, pointing the bike in its destined direction.

Straight away the bike is less dirt and more street, and if there is one area you’ll feel it it's is in the handling when you start pushing the bike off-road. On the street the 1190 feels more planted and way more connected to the road, no matter the tires. It is a significant amount more stable in normal riding speeds and you feel like you are sitting in the bike, not on top of it as with the 990/950.

The bike is lighter and it acts lighter through the chassis, especially through the handlebar--feeling more stable at the same time. For this, credit the steering damper hidden under the triple clamp.

Off-road the bike keeps the light feeling and is very quick-steering for such a large machine. As the traction goes down so does the steering feel in the front and the bike likes to turn more by sliding than following the front tire. Luckily the power plays right into this character.

The wide footpegs give the rider good leverage for control. When the weight of the bike starts showing it gets heavy quick and without much warning since it feels so good when everything is working fine.

And we have to bring up the ABS here. It is amazing off-road, especially since it will allow you to lock up the rear tire for control and still keep the front wheel from locking up. Under most conditions it was better than the human on board but oh so difficult to teach long-time riders to just stab at the brakes.

The layout is very dirt bike comfortable and the upright riding position normal to off-road riders. The seat height may be an issue for some, the one-piece seat is not height adjustable as on the non-R version. The bike is narrow at the tank and for KTM the seat shape and foam density is awesome. That means it is adequate when compared to other bikes.

Conclusion

There are a number of different ways to come at the KTM 1190. From the 990 you instantly feel like you’ve lost some of the dirt prowess. In reality it is a lot less than you’d think, since this bike does so many things electronically that the old bike wasn’t capable of, you just have to respect the bike more now since the power is so deceiving and the suspension isn’t magical.

For covering long distances on-road there is no comparison, the 1190 is better, almost effortless. For exploring off the road on adventure-type terrain it gets the job done just the same, but somehow we feel like we have to be more careful with it, though the protection isn't too bad, less a skid plate. But realize the 1190 R isn’t derived straight from a factory rally replica, it is based on a superbike, so that should be the first clue in where KTM, and this class of machines, is going. But for a superbike on the dirt, there isn't anything close.