Final Thoughts on the KTM 1190 Adventure.

And there you have it. A hole in my garage that mirrors the hole in my heart now that the KTM 1190 Adventure has left my shop. Yesterday I returned the KTM to its rightful owner. For a bike that I initially said I wouldn't buy for myself, I'm actually sad to see it go. It was an outstanding motorcycle. I love the adjustability of the suspension settings on the fly. The power and snap of the engine was always pleasant. The data available from the computer hit my nerd button. All in all a bike worth everyone of its $20,000 (after tax, title, license and dealer fees).

The seat that I initially complaint about felt better in the end (no pun intended). The fuel range turned out to be pretty good. That was even after I got the fuel sender fixed. The oil cooler is still inadequate from my perspective and the heat it dumps on my legs was always annoying. With the KTM side cases on the rear end gets huge and I felt like splitting lanes was a bad idea. Without them the bike performed like a sporty standard. I never took it off road though I imagine it will behave well until you drop it. I don't relish trying to pick the bike off its side especially if it is loaded with gear for a trip.

I know my buddy plans to get out and use it to its full ADV capability which I'm glad to hear. The bike deserves to be ridden hard and I know it will take anything he can dish out. We are planning a trip for the end of the month so we shall see what is in store for the 1190 and what it and the rider can handle.

So goodbye KTM 1190 Adventure. Thanks for the fond 700 miles of memories and thanks for opening up my garage again. It was getting to be like playing Tetris to get a bike in or out of there.

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