What? You’re still riding around on your adventure bike with only one-wheel drive…like a sucker??! Well, the good folks at Christini have a solution for you, if you’re riding on one of those orange ADV machines.
Releasing their acclaimed two-wheel drive system for motorcycle for the KTM Adventure lineup, Christini is once again shaking up the off-road world.
KTM has issued a worldwide recall for several of its Adventure models because of a faulty ABS modulator and wiring harness, which affects certain units of the 2016 KTM 1190 Adventure, 2016 KTM 1190 Adventure R, and 2016 KTM 1290 Super Adventure lineup.
KTM says that through its investigations, it has determined that deviations in the assembly process can cause the wiring harness and ABS modulators to touch and rub together, which can cause the brake line to conduct electricity.
This only occurs if the wiring harness is frayed, and is in contact with the ABS modulator, but as a result, the electric charge can cause the brake line to overheat and melt, which can lead to a failure in the brake system.
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.
In the past decade the ADV segment has been a confusing amalgamation of differing interests, and over that time-period, two distinct groups have boiled to the surface.
First there are the “Long Way Round” hopefuls, who invariably own a BMW R1200GS/A, and seem to be on some sort of perpetual preparation for an African safari, regardless of how much dual-sport experience they actually have.
And more recently, a second group has appeared: those riders who look to these big ADV bikes as more versatile Sport-Touring machines, that have at least some credibility in continuing the trip beyond where the sidewalk ends.
All these riders, and their bikes, have been wedged into a single “Adventure” category, and it has created a bit of confusion for the segment. So, I want to introduce the concept of the “Adventure-Sport” and how it differentiates from the previous “Adventure-Touring” category.
First, let us make some definitions. Adventure-Sport bikes are “middleweight” and “heavyweight” motorcycles, with longer off-road styled suspension. They have an on-road bias, with their 17″ front wheels, and they make sport bike horsepower from their lightweight engines.
Adventure-Sports usually have an abundance of rider aids, which are typically aimed at taming these bikes’ powerful and peaky engines for mixed road conditions.
KTM has been the highest volume producing European motorcycle company for the past two years running, and zie Austrians are looking to make that a trend in 2014.
As such, the Austrian brand will has some stiff competition this year, seeing as BMW Motorrad already broke last year’s sales figure in the first 11 months of this year — an impressive feat, to be certain.
KTM has the advantage of dabbling in small-displacement machines, with KTM-branded bike coming out of India, courtesy of its minority owner Bajaj. The Indian market has been a larger contributor to KTM’s sales success, but things have been growing in Austria as well.
Announcing that the company’s Mattighofen factory reach 100,000 units this year, for the first time ever, KTM is already celebrating some sales success.
It wasn’t too long ago that we showed you what appeared to be an updated KTM 1190 Adventure for the 2015 model year. The bike had all the bits that we’ve seen on the KTM 1190 Adventure R, though the Austrian brand had noticeably reworked the fairing to allow for more air to flow through the machine.
Getting a spy shot today though, we can understand the reason why, as the model is seen wearing a “KTM 1290 Super Adventure” livery, giving a nod to the likelihood that KTM has upgraded the Adventure with the Super Duke’s “beast” of a 1,301cc v-twin engine.
KTM seems set to update its still young adventure bike model, as the 2015 KTM 1190 Adventure has been caught in the wild. Featuring a noticeably bigger fuel tank, refined windscreen, and numerous other subtle changes (note the larger air vents in the bodywork), the KTM 1190 Adventure seems to be getting improvements for next year, rather than an all-new model appearing, as had been said recently by other publications.
Caught outside the Circuito de San Miguel by Canary Island motorcycle rental firm Canarias Moto Rent, the photos of the 2015 KTM 1190 Adventure tell a pretty convincing story of a very modest model refresh by KTM — likely building off the feedback from current KTM 1190 Adventure owners.
If you were looking to buy a new KTM 1190 Adventure, we would hold off on that purchase. Expect the updated 2015 model to drop at this year’s INTERMOT show in October, if not earlier. Thanks for the tip Jackie!
Last week we reported that 2013 was BMW’s best sales year ever, and now here comes the Bavarian Motorrad division’s biggest rival, KTM, with a sales report that ups the ante by 8,644 bikes.
For 2013, KTM’s worldwide sales reached 123,859 bikes (BMW’s record was 115,215). This is a 15.6% increase over the previous year, with an expected 17.0% increase in revenue as well.
Rider aids like traction control and ABS continue to prove the notion that electronics are the new horsepower, and with the US debut of the KTM 1190 Adventure R just a couple months away, we learn that the hot new adventure-touring machine will debut the new Bosch Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) system.
An extension of the venerable Bosch 9+ME ABS package, whose dual-channel setup has become the benchmark for OEM-equipped ABS units, the Bosch MSC is the next iteration of that standard. Integrating the ability for riders to brake into corners with a reduced risk of low-sliding, the Bosch MSC system is the next evolution in braking with its anti-lowside technology.
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.