It’s a poor workman who blames his tools, and similarly it’s a poor motorcyclist who blames his adventure bike for not getting through the tough terrain.
For every reader that’s shown up in our comments section, sullying the good name of ADV bikes around the globe…we’ll just leave this here for you.
Officially debuting at the 2012 INTERMOT show, the KTM 1190 Adventure is the Austrian company’s answer to the growing competition in the adventure-touring space. Released head-to-head with the 2013 BMW R1200GS and the revised 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 with semi-active suspension, we will let you decide which machine stole the show at Cologne. To help you make that decision, we’ve got 35 hi-res studio and action photos of the KTM 1190 Adventure & KTM 1190 Adventure R for your viewing pleasure after the jump.
Feeling the age of the KTM 990 Adventure & KTM 990 Adventure R, the Austrians debuted at Intermot this week their new adventure-touring machines, the 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure & 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R. Using a revised version of the KTM 1190 RC8 R’s v-twin motor, both bikes feature 148 hp, and clocks in around 230 kg (507 lbs) fully tanked and ready to go ride.
Debuting along side the new water-cooled 2013 BMW R1200GS, KTM has its work cutout for it in the adventure-touring segment, though with Suzuki debuting the concept for its 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000, now is certainly a good time to be in the market for an ADV bike. Feeling that notion, KTM has released the pricing on its Adventure bikes, and we like what we see from the Austrians.
In a bright and noisy booth, somewhere in Cologne at the INTERMOT show, we imagine these videos are playing over and over again on some huge flat screen TVs. With no real lead-in or storyline, watching the short clips is sort of like getting twice the sex, with half the foreplay, but they are the first videos of the new KTM 1190 Adventure R adventure-tourer. And if there is one thing we have learned from reading comments on YouTube, it’s that being first is really important.
With a brochure photo of the 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure leaking yesterday from KTM’s website, today we see more photos of the Austrian brand’s new adventure hitting the interwebs on the ADVrider forums. A studio shot of the 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R, and two more photos of the base model give us a clearer picture of what KTM will “officially” unveiled at INTERMOT in a few weeks’ time.
The changes between the KTM 1190 Adventure and the KTM 1190 Adventure R are subtle, but the “R” is KTM’s more off-road oriented model between the two. As such, it sports a 21″ wheel up front, and an 18″ wheel in the back. Crash bars, a shorter windscreen, and single-piece saddle complete the changes, though we can expect other non-visible additions like upgraded suspension, etc.
The very German folks at Motorrad have gotten a chance to swing a leg over the pre-production version of the upcoming 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R. Avoiding a conversation about how motorcycle publications are starting to look more like the outsourced marketing departments of motorcycle OEMs, what is perhaps the second most interesting thing from the article are the details about the Austrian company’s newest offering to the adventure-touring crowd.
According to the completely unbiased Germanophone Michael Pfeiffer, the new KTM 1190 Adventure R borrows its lump from the current KTM 1190 RC8 R superbike, and is marked improvement over its predecessor: the KTM 990 Adventure R. Pfeiffer says power is roughly 150hp, while the 1190 Adventure R tips the scales at 230kg (507 lbs) when at the curb with a full 24 liters of fuel (that’s 6.3 gallons for us ‘Mericans). Fitted with a 21″ front wheel, the KTM 1190 Adventure R also features switchable ABS, traction control, and dual engine map settings for on-road and off-road use.