KTM 1090 Adventure R Build

What does Jimmy Lewis do to his personal KTM 1090?

Photo @RodeoCowboy

People often wonder what tricks and secrets top riders do to their bikes. It is one thing to be sponsored, basically pimping the companies that are helping you out. Then there is the journalist builds, where advertiser’s products are pushed, and hard. Influencers are the new breed of bike builders, they beg for free product and bolt anything they can get their hands on. Guess what? I’m all of those combined, so stuff it.

But what I do is different. I put parts on bikes, make modifications, tune for one reason. Make my bike work the way I want it to. I can explain why I make the changes and how they worked or didn’t work. I don’t have sponsors anymore (My riding school has partners and some of those products are on this build. Because I’d put them on it anyways–full disclosure), at the moment we don’t have any hard parts or manufacturer advertising and I don’t beg for product. I’ll pay or trade for it if I want it.

So here are a couple of videos, a short and a long version of what I have done over the course of the last year in modifying my KTM 1090. I’ve tried a few things I didn’t like. Parts that came right back off the bike. I’m still playing with these bikes (I have an 1190 as well) quite a bit, trying different things as they cross my path because that is my job. Yet I’m pretty happy with my current setup and here it is.