Since crashing my BMW K1600 last summer, I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement bike. I think I’m done with big, heavy bikes for now and have been looking at mid-sized bikes that would be comfortable on day-long rides while still being agile and fun to ride.
I’ve also become a fan of off-road riding thanks to the Kawasaki Versys. While the Versys isn’t really an off-road bike, I have taken it on some dirt roads and easy trails. It’s been a great change from street riding opening up a whole new world of riding opportunities.
So, during my last trip to California I visited a huge motorcycle dealership called Bert’s Mega Mall. I was able to look at offerings from virtually every manufacturer all under a single roof making comparison shopping very convenient. After spending about an hour looking around, I had narrowed it down to just a couple of bikes.
After returning home to NY and visiting a couple of local dealers to get some price quotes, I decided to go ahead and buy a KTM 1190 Adventure. So, on a cold Saturday morning I picked up my new bike and rode it home.
I’ve only put a couple of hundred miles on it so far, and it’s still a new toy, so it’s hard to give a full and un-biased review at this time. However, I will say that it seems to be just the kind of bike I was looking for. The size of the bike fits me well, it has good power, good suspension, good brakes, and is a real pleasure to ride on the less-than-perfect back roads we have around here.
I’ve taken it on some un-maintained dirt roads in a local state park and there’s no doubt that the KTM is better on dirt roads than the Versys. I’m not an experienced off-road rider so I really can’t pinpoint what makes it better. I suspect that the combination of better suspension, traction control, and wheel sizes just add up to a better off road experience. I guess that’s to be expected, after all, the KTM cost more than twice as much as the Versys.
I’m really looking forward to getting some seat time on this bike. I think I’m going to like it a lot.
