KTM 1090/1290 Adventure Media launch
160 HP in an adventure bike is too much....said NO KTM rider, or anybody not in, or not belonging in, an old age home, EVER!
We jetted down to Cape Town on a Sunday afternoon, were bussed up to Hermanus, checked in Arabella Spa and Lodge, were greeted by an exuberant KTM crew, Riaan Neveling, the KTM marketing guru was raring to go.
KTM was launching their new adventure models, the 1090 Adventure, 1090 Adventure R, 1290 Super Adventure S, and the 1290 Super Adventure R, four new models, sharing very little with the previous models, the 1050 and the 1190, which set the world alight a few years ago. The 1090 shared the same engine capacity as the previous 1050, but now with 125 HP from a totally revised motor and electronics, the 1090 Adventure has 17”/19” magnesium wheels, adjustable suspension, full electronics package. The 1090 R has spoked 18”/21” tubeless wheels, fully adjustable suspension, a comprehensive electronics package, the 1290 S has a revised 1290 motor, electronic suspension, cruise control, the same magnesium wheels found on the 1090 Adventure, an all new dash that makes an iPad look redundant, the 1290 R has the same 1090 R spoked wheels, a shorter screen, manual fully adjustable suspension, both 1290 models share the all new LED headlight, styling that would not look out of place in a Star Wars movie, but super efficient, includes lights that illuminate the road as you corner. The headlight design was essential; LED lights create a lot of heat which needs to be dissipated, given the lack of space on a motorbike, KTM decided to include the heat sink in the total headlight structure. KTM decided to upgrade the already awesome 150 HP of the 1190 to 160 HP in the new 1290, this with an unmatched 140Nm of stump pulling torque, 112 Nm is already available at just 2500 rpm.
To add to all this excitement, KTM went the extra mile by inviting 3 Dakar legends, our own Alfie Cox, Sam Sunderland, recent Dakar winner, and Joey Evans, the Para to Dakar man, who was paralyzed after a racing accident some years back, and through sheer determination and guts overcame the paralysis and finished the Dakar.
Monday morning, we were greeted with a very colourful display of the 1090 Adventure and the 1290 S, today’s route was predominantly tar, I opted to ride the 1290 S first, mainly because my phone was flat, and the new 1290 has a very handy phone compartment and a USB port for charging. Our route took us towards Gordon’s Bay, coastal roads, the Cape wind was having none of this, it did it’s best to blow us off the roads, but despite the strong winds we gave the new KTM’s all we could.
The 1290 S is incredible, smooth power delivery, huge power, the electronic suspension soaks up the road surfaces, the 1290’s had all been software updated with up and down gear quickshifters which was an absolute pleasure to use. As a sidenote for the naysayers, a quickshifter is not just for racebikes, it works phenomenally well on dirt as well, an invaluable optional extra. Our route took us inland to the first coffee break, and no more wind thankfully. At the first stop we all compared notes, swapped info with the 1090 riders, and although there was some ‘spirited’ riding, the 1090 never lagged behind, although it has 35 HP less, I guess the riders just twisted the throttle a bit more.
Our lunch stop was Gabrielskloof Wine Estate, more comparing notes, time to change models..
Aboard the 1090 Adventure, the 1090 is about 10kg lighter than the 1290, has the familiar dash seen on the previous 1190, but wow, 125 HP, I was now riding with less HP than I had in the morning, but the 1090 is still very quick, the 1090 feels a bit smaller than the 1290, but wow,huge fun, our route included long straights, gradual corners, undulating countryside, and although I had a 1290 in front of me I did not battle to keep up. Suspension, wind protection, seat comfort, all good. All too soon our refuel point came up, this meant our day was almost done.
Back at Arabella, another surprise, Derrick Watts (later rechristened Kilo Watts by Bill Hunter, you had to be there) of Carte Blanche fame was joining us on Day 2, his first biking media launch, he had not ridden for quite some time and was a bit anxious, all for nothing really, the KTM’s are in fact very easy and confidence inspiring to ride, the amount of horsepower just depends on how much you twist the throttle.
Day 2, once again we were greeted by a colourful display of KTM’s, this time the R models, more dirt orientated, both models fitted with TKC 80 tyres, longer 220 mm suspension travel, better ground clearance, crashbars, everything you need.
We were warned; today’s route included some gnarly routes, a red route for the brave, and a green route for the more sensible. Right off the bat we hit dirt, nasty dirt, steep uphills and downhills, loose rocky surfaces, clearly KTM had the utmost faith that the bikes would handle it, which they did, a few heart stopping moments for some, but huge fun for all. I started the day on a 1090 R, once on dirt you select ‘Offroad’ mode, HP drops to 100 HP on both models, ABS in ‘Offroad’ mode allows you to lock up the rear wheel but not the front wheel, most sensible option, only the insane want to lock up the front wheel. Traction control allows you to be a hooligan, but stops the hooliganism at a point where injury is imminent, makes an inexperienced rider look quite experienced. The 1090 is super inspiring on dirt, suspension soaks up everything you throw at it, braking is excellent, handling is sublime. I prefer staying seated on dirt when riding a KTM, am used to it from doing so on my 990, the 1090 and the 1290 is no different, stay seated or stand, your choice, some brands by nature encourage the rider to stand while riding on dirt, not so on a KTM, totally your choice. We stopped for tea and farm milk tart at Dassiesfontein.
Well worth a visit, not just for the refreshments, they have all sorts of trinkets available. Glenn Foley of Dirt & Trail even thought he needed a new crash helmet.
During the day myself and Glenn swapped bikes often, adapting to the new bike each time was easy, we both had 100 HP no matter which bike, the big difference being the torque, the 1290 limits you to 100 HP on demand, but the torque stays the same, so a judicious throttle is a wise choice unless you are Alfie Cox or Sam Sunderland, who by the way, ride on a different level to us mere mortals, just when you think you are doing well, they pass you as if you are going the other way, they are not Dakar legends for nothing, thankfully Alfie Cox had the very brave chief in charge of KTM SA, Franziska Brandl, riding pillion today, which slowed Alfie down by about 2%
Our lunch stop was Botsrivier Hotel, lunch choice was a burger, or no burger, your choice, so very tasty burgers were had by all, wise choice, we had KTM’s to ride, no time to dilly dally over menus.
After Botsrivier our route took us onto a route used by the Cape Mountain Bike Race, us on 200KG + motorbikes.....loose sand, rocky stretches, all sorts of conditions, one which saw me run out of talent just once, KTM’s still crash well. At the halfway point we were given a display of what these bikes are capable of by Sam, Alfie and Riaan, at some point I think they thought they were on Dakar bikes, clearly showing the KTM heritage.
KTM has not won the Dakar for 16 years in a row for nothing, quite obvious when you switch on the 1290, either model, the dash greets you with ’READY TO RACE”. This same dash is legible at all times, at one point I swapped with Glenn to the 1090, same routes, same dust, the 1290 dash was clearly legible, I had to wipe the dust off the 1090 dash to see the info, I would probably buy the 1290 just because the dash is so cool...
The last dirt section of our route included tracks that would make a mountain goat nervous, but the KTM’s handled this all with ease.
All too soon we were back at Arabella, strange that given the luxury accommodation, we would rather have had a longer route.
All too soon this launch was over, even the drama of SAA going on strike, cancelling our return flight, thanks to FlySafair we all got home, nothing could dampen our spirits after spending two full days riding four amazing KTM’s. My body was sore from the tough dirt routes, more from being very bike unfit, my stomach was sore from laughing at the antics of Bill Hunter, Harry Fisher and the rest of the guys, ‘Kilo’ Watts reckoned this was the most fun he’d ever had, his first bike launch.
I’m sure KTM have got the market worried, they have a 1090 doing 125 HP at around R180K, no other bike comes close to this package, the 1290 R at around R217K, nothing anywhere close with the same horsepower or close to, at that price, 15000 km service intervals, super reliability, everything electronic you could wish for, an ever growing dealer network, an exponentially expanding KTM head office in Austria who’s biggest problem seems to be how to cope with demand, I understand the next 3 shipments to South Africa are already sold out...
Over the years after riding the 1190 R and the 1290 SA, I managed to resist the temptation to upgrade my 990 Adventure, it has been very tough, but having now ridden the 1290 R, I can no longer resist, I REALLY WANT ONE!!!! I JUST HAVE TO HAVE ONE!!!
A huge thank you to KTM SA, Franziska Brandl, Riaan Neveling and crew, Mzansi Bikers Magazine, and Arabella Spa & Lodge, the ADA team, for an amazing launch, I just hope my bank manager understands...
Pics by Zoon Cronje, Glenn Foley of Dirt & Trail, and myself.
160 HP in an adventure bike is too much....said NO KTM rider, or anybody not in, or not belonging in, an old age home, EVER!
We jetted down to Cape Town on a Sunday afternoon, were bussed up to Hermanus, checked in Arabella Spa and Lodge, were greeted by an exuberant KTM crew, Riaan Neveling, the KTM marketing guru was raring to go.
KTM was launching their new adventure models, the 1090 Adventure, 1090 Adventure R, 1290 Super Adventure S, and the 1290 Super Adventure R, four new models, sharing very little with the previous models, the 1050 and the 1190, which set the world alight a few years ago. The 1090 shared the same engine capacity as the previous 1050, but now with 125 HP from a totally revised motor and electronics, the 1090 Adventure has 17”/19” magnesium wheels, adjustable suspension, full electronics package. The 1090 R has spoked 18”/21” tubeless wheels, fully adjustable suspension, a comprehensive electronics package, the 1290 S has a revised 1290 motor, electronic suspension, cruise control, the same magnesium wheels found on the 1090 Adventure, an all new dash that makes an iPad look redundant, the 1290 R has the same 1090 R spoked wheels, a shorter screen, manual fully adjustable suspension, both 1290 models share the all new LED headlight, styling that would not look out of place in a Star Wars movie, but super efficient, includes lights that illuminate the road as you corner. The headlight design was essential; LED lights create a lot of heat which needs to be dissipated, given the lack of space on a motorbike, KTM decided to include the heat sink in the total headlight structure. KTM decided to upgrade the already awesome 150 HP of the 1190 to 160 HP in the new 1290, this with an unmatched 140Nm of stump pulling torque, 112 Nm is already available at just 2500 rpm.
To add to all this excitement, KTM went the extra mile by inviting 3 Dakar legends, our own Alfie Cox, Sam Sunderland, recent Dakar winner, and Joey Evans, the Para to Dakar man, who was paralyzed after a racing accident some years back, and through sheer determination and guts overcame the paralysis and finished the Dakar.
Monday morning, we were greeted with a very colourful display of the 1090 Adventure and the 1290 S, today’s route was predominantly tar, I opted to ride the 1290 S first, mainly because my phone was flat, and the new 1290 has a very handy phone compartment and a USB port for charging. Our route took us towards Gordon’s Bay, coastal roads, the Cape wind was having none of this, it did it’s best to blow us off the roads, but despite the strong winds we gave the new KTM’s all we could.
The 1290 S is incredible, smooth power delivery, huge power, the electronic suspension soaks up the road surfaces, the 1290’s had all been software updated with up and down gear quickshifters which was an absolute pleasure to use. As a sidenote for the naysayers, a quickshifter is not just for racebikes, it works phenomenally well on dirt as well, an invaluable optional extra. Our route took us inland to the first coffee break, and no more wind thankfully. At the first stop we all compared notes, swapped info with the 1090 riders, and although there was some ‘spirited’ riding, the 1090 never lagged behind, although it has 35 HP less, I guess the riders just twisted the throttle a bit more.
Our lunch stop was Gabrielskloof Wine Estate, more comparing notes, time to change models..
Aboard the 1090 Adventure, the 1090 is about 10kg lighter than the 1290, has the familiar dash seen on the previous 1190, but wow, 125 HP, I was now riding with less HP than I had in the morning, but the 1090 is still very quick, the 1090 feels a bit smaller than the 1290, but wow,huge fun, our route included long straights, gradual corners, undulating countryside, and although I had a 1290 in front of me I did not battle to keep up. Suspension, wind protection, seat comfort, all good. All too soon our refuel point came up, this meant our day was almost done.
Back at Arabella, another surprise, Derrick Watts (later rechristened Kilo Watts by Bill Hunter, you had to be there) of Carte Blanche fame was joining us on Day 2, his first biking media launch, he had not ridden for quite some time and was a bit anxious, all for nothing really, the KTM’s are in fact very easy and confidence inspiring to ride, the amount of horsepower just depends on how much you twist the throttle.
Day 2, once again we were greeted by a colourful display of KTM’s, this time the R models, more dirt orientated, both models fitted with TKC 80 tyres, longer 220 mm suspension travel, better ground clearance, crashbars, everything you need.
We were warned; today’s route included some gnarly routes, a red route for the brave, and a green route for the more sensible. Right off the bat we hit dirt, nasty dirt, steep uphills and downhills, loose rocky surfaces, clearly KTM had the utmost faith that the bikes would handle it, which they did, a few heart stopping moments for some, but huge fun for all. I started the day on a 1090 R, once on dirt you select ‘Offroad’ mode, HP drops to 100 HP on both models, ABS in ‘Offroad’ mode allows you to lock up the rear wheel but not the front wheel, most sensible option, only the insane want to lock up the front wheel. Traction control allows you to be a hooligan, but stops the hooliganism at a point where injury is imminent, makes an inexperienced rider look quite experienced. The 1090 is super inspiring on dirt, suspension soaks up everything you throw at it, braking is excellent, handling is sublime. I prefer staying seated on dirt when riding a KTM, am used to it from doing so on my 990, the 1090 and the 1290 is no different, stay seated or stand, your choice, some brands by nature encourage the rider to stand while riding on dirt, not so on a KTM, totally your choice. We stopped for tea and farm milk tart at Dassiesfontein.
Well worth a visit, not just for the refreshments, they have all sorts of trinkets available. Glenn Foley of Dirt & Trail even thought he needed a new crash helmet.
During the day myself and Glenn swapped bikes often, adapting to the new bike each time was easy, we both had 100 HP no matter which bike, the big difference being the torque, the 1290 limits you to 100 HP on demand, but the torque stays the same, so a judicious throttle is a wise choice unless you are Alfie Cox or Sam Sunderland, who by the way, ride on a different level to us mere mortals, just when you think you are doing well, they pass you as if you are going the other way, they are not Dakar legends for nothing, thankfully Alfie Cox had the very brave chief in charge of KTM SA, Franziska Brandl, riding pillion today, which slowed Alfie down by about 2%
Our lunch stop was Botsrivier Hotel, lunch choice was a burger, or no burger, your choice, so very tasty burgers were had by all, wise choice, we had KTM’s to ride, no time to dilly dally over menus.
After Botsrivier our route took us onto a route used by the Cape Mountain Bike Race, us on 200KG + motorbikes.....loose sand, rocky stretches, all sorts of conditions, one which saw me run out of talent just once, KTM’s still crash well. At the halfway point we were given a display of what these bikes are capable of by Sam, Alfie and Riaan, at some point I think they thought they were on Dakar bikes, clearly showing the KTM heritage.
KTM has not won the Dakar for 16 years in a row for nothing, quite obvious when you switch on the 1290, either model, the dash greets you with ’READY TO RACE”. This same dash is legible at all times, at one point I swapped with Glenn to the 1090, same routes, same dust, the 1290 dash was clearly legible, I had to wipe the dust off the 1090 dash to see the info, I would probably buy the 1290 just because the dash is so cool...
The last dirt section of our route included tracks that would make a mountain goat nervous, but the KTM’s handled this all with ease.
All too soon we were back at Arabella, strange that given the luxury accommodation, we would rather have had a longer route.
All too soon this launch was over, even the drama of SAA going on strike, cancelling our return flight, thanks to FlySafair we all got home, nothing could dampen our spirits after spending two full days riding four amazing KTM’s. My body was sore from the tough dirt routes, more from being very bike unfit, my stomach was sore from laughing at the antics of Bill Hunter, Harry Fisher and the rest of the guys, ‘Kilo’ Watts reckoned this was the most fun he’d ever had, his first bike launch.
I’m sure KTM have got the market worried, they have a 1090 doing 125 HP at around R180K, no other bike comes close to this package, the 1290 R at around R217K, nothing anywhere close with the same horsepower or close to, at that price, 15000 km service intervals, super reliability, everything electronic you could wish for, an ever growing dealer network, an exponentially expanding KTM head office in Austria who’s biggest problem seems to be how to cope with demand, I understand the next 3 shipments to South Africa are already sold out...
Over the years after riding the 1190 R and the 1290 SA, I managed to resist the temptation to upgrade my 990 Adventure, it has been very tough, but having now ridden the 1290 R, I can no longer resist, I REALLY WANT ONE!!!! I JUST HAVE TO HAVE ONE!!!
A huge thank you to KTM SA, Franziska Brandl, Riaan Neveling and crew, Mzansi Bikers Magazine, and Arabella Spa & Lodge, the ADA team, for an amazing launch, I just hope my bank manager understands...
Pics by Zoon Cronje, Glenn Foley of Dirt & Trail, and myself.
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