Riding the KTM1190R .
Before I say anything about the bike let me clarify why my report on this bike is a big deal for me. I loved the old 950 & 990's and could find no reason any sane rider would want to "upgrade" to the bigger more powerful 1190 range. Who could possibly want all those electronics and what point is 150hp on a dirt tourer???
I've done a fair amount of road and gravel riding on the standard 1190Adventure, loved the ride and handling but (eating my own words here) felt that come more serious dirt nothing could compare with the 990S. Well I've just returned from three days on the KTM1190R and to say I'm a convert is a bit of an understatement.
Thursday I had the pleasure guiding a Scottish client around the Winelands and Overberg via the southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas, a mix of flowing tar and gravel roads at an easy pace. I had the computer set on 'off-road mode' with all the safety stuff like ABS & TC activated , although I never felt either come into play which I guess is testament to how refined they've become. After 450km of stunning riding I returned home still feeling fresh, relaxed shoulders and marveling at the ease this beast had eaten up the miles. For the 40km home alone the devil set the bike to 'sport' and at first I kinda thought it makes no difference. Well in a sense it doesn't until you glance down at the speedo and you're not going through that bend at 120km/h but at 160. The foil is that it goes from a comfy nice handling tourer to a fire breathing beast while maintaining it's calm presence. In the wrong hands and I guess that includes the likes of me the electronic gizmos are essential safety items. They just make it so easy to ride fast, fast and safely.
By Friday I felt I had the hang of this thing and picked a massive detour on route to Swellendam where I had a media camera gig on Saturday morning. Anybody that knows the Cape will appreciate that Merweville & Anysberg is bit of a dog leg to Swellendam. Big Karoo dirt roads and some flowing tweespoor tracks were no match for the 1190R that made everything feel so easy. Riding alone some remote stretches I started off cautiously and gradually started pushing the envelope and by the time I reached the gates of Sambona Reserve at 6:30 in the evening I was happily pitching the beast into corners like my 690 and enjoying massive controlled power slides with confidence. The road between Anysberg & Ronnies Sex Shop has been incorporated into Sambona and I waited 40 minutes for a guide to escort me and then 40km/h through the reserve, which might seem painful but in that half hour I saw more game than most see in a weekend in Kruger. The 1190R happily idled along while I cruised between herds of Kudu, Eland, Gemsbok, Giraffe and more. Once through the reserve with light just about gone I let it hang out a bit on the final dirt section to the R62 and Tradouws Pass before Swellendam. I thought my 990S was fantastic on mountain passes but this thing is on rails, even with the Karoo 3 rubber it never for a moment felt sketchy. That short 14km of pass will rate as one of my favorite motorcycle experiences.
Saturday I carried a still camera guy on the 210km Coronation Double Century team cycle race, one of highlights of the road cycling calendar every year. It's a huge event and includes sponsored teams from all the big corporates as well as a massive media contingent. (Obviously all the camera crew are transported on KTM's.) The event showed the versatility of the big 1190R, happy to putter smoothly along at cycling speeds for 8 hours on an extremely hot day without any stress. At this stage my 990's fan would have been constantly running and the temp gauge hovering around the red marker. The camera guy was amazed he could still feel is bum at the end of the day , testament to a firm but comfortable seat and awesome suspension. At 2pm I packed my bag and cruised the 220km back home to Cape Town, still feeling fresh enough to walk my dogs before heading out to dinner with friends. Not bad considering I had been on the bike from 4:20 in the morning and two big days prior to that.
Unless you have a bent for enduro style tracks on the extreme end of adventure travel the KTM119R must be the the "go to" bike for adventure biking. Stonking engine, great ergonomics and superb handling make this the ultimate do it all bike for both single and pillion adventure. Although the first models in the range had a fault in the air boxes Leaking) that has been sorted and these LC8 engines have a reputation of amazing reliability, especially if you consider KTM seems to attract the hooligan fringe that ride the bikes to the max.
I want one.
Before I say anything about the bike let me clarify why my report on this bike is a big deal for me. I loved the old 950 & 990's and could find no reason any sane rider would want to "upgrade" to the bigger more powerful 1190 range. Who could possibly want all those electronics and what point is 150hp on a dirt tourer???
I've done a fair amount of road and gravel riding on the standard 1190Adventure, loved the ride and handling but (eating my own words here) felt that come more serious dirt nothing could compare with the 990S. Well I've just returned from three days on the KTM1190R and to say I'm a convert is a bit of an understatement.
Thursday I had the pleasure guiding a Scottish client around the Winelands and Overberg via the southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas, a mix of flowing tar and gravel roads at an easy pace. I had the computer set on 'off-road mode' with all the safety stuff like ABS & TC activated , although I never felt either come into play which I guess is testament to how refined they've become. After 450km of stunning riding I returned home still feeling fresh, relaxed shoulders and marveling at the ease this beast had eaten up the miles. For the 40km home alone the devil set the bike to 'sport' and at first I kinda thought it makes no difference. Well in a sense it doesn't until you glance down at the speedo and you're not going through that bend at 120km/h but at 160. The foil is that it goes from a comfy nice handling tourer to a fire breathing beast while maintaining it's calm presence. In the wrong hands and I guess that includes the likes of me the electronic gizmos are essential safety items. They just make it so easy to ride fast, fast and safely.
By Friday I felt I had the hang of this thing and picked a massive detour on route to Swellendam where I had a media camera gig on Saturday morning. Anybody that knows the Cape will appreciate that Merweville & Anysberg is bit of a dog leg to Swellendam. Big Karoo dirt roads and some flowing tweespoor tracks were no match for the 1190R that made everything feel so easy. Riding alone some remote stretches I started off cautiously and gradually started pushing the envelope and by the time I reached the gates of Sambona Reserve at 6:30 in the evening I was happily pitching the beast into corners like my 690 and enjoying massive controlled power slides with confidence. The road between Anysberg & Ronnies Sex Shop has been incorporated into Sambona and I waited 40 minutes for a guide to escort me and then 40km/h through the reserve, which might seem painful but in that half hour I saw more game than most see in a weekend in Kruger. The 1190R happily idled along while I cruised between herds of Kudu, Eland, Gemsbok, Giraffe and more. Once through the reserve with light just about gone I let it hang out a bit on the final dirt section to the R62 and Tradouws Pass before Swellendam. I thought my 990S was fantastic on mountain passes but this thing is on rails, even with the Karoo 3 rubber it never for a moment felt sketchy. That short 14km of pass will rate as one of my favorite motorcycle experiences.
Saturday I carried a still camera guy on the 210km Coronation Double Century team cycle race, one of highlights of the road cycling calendar every year. It's a huge event and includes sponsored teams from all the big corporates as well as a massive media contingent. (Obviously all the camera crew are transported on KTM's.) The event showed the versatility of the big 1190R, happy to putter smoothly along at cycling speeds for 8 hours on an extremely hot day without any stress. At this stage my 990's fan would have been constantly running and the temp gauge hovering around the red marker. The camera guy was amazed he could still feel is bum at the end of the day , testament to a firm but comfortable seat and awesome suspension. At 2pm I packed my bag and cruised the 220km back home to Cape Town, still feeling fresh enough to walk my dogs before heading out to dinner with friends. Not bad considering I had been on the bike from 4:20 in the morning and two big days prior to that.
Unless you have a bent for enduro style tracks on the extreme end of adventure travel the KTM119R must be the the "go to" bike for adventure biking. Stonking engine, great ergonomics and superb handling make this the ultimate do it all bike for both single and pillion adventure. Although the first models in the range had a fault in the air boxes Leaking) that has been sorted and these LC8 engines have a reputation of amazing reliability, especially if you consider KTM seems to attract the hooligan fringe that ride the bikes to the max.
I want one.
