Going to bike launches is a lot of fun.
The manufacturers put on great events to showcase their latest models and we (the journos) get to see what the bikes are capable of. So with the invite to check out KTM’s latest offerings, we packed our adventure gear and trekked up to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains for the Asia- Pacific launch of the company’s new adventure bike range: the 1090 Adventure R, 1290 Super Adventure R and the 1290 Super Adventure S.
I was pretty pumped about this bike launch. Not only was I keen as mustard to get my hands on the new 1090 Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure R, but the test route was on great tracks I know well. This was definitely going to be a great opportunity to see if these bikes live up to the hype surrounding them. I’m sure we’ve all seen KTM’s marketing videos showing these bikes are capable of almost anything. Now it was time to find out if the average Australian adventure rider was going to have half as much fun on these bikes as the marketing says we will.
The off-road component of the route for the 1090 Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure R is a pretty well-traversed path for adventure riders and one well suited to the intended use of these bikes. It kicked off in the myriad fire trails through Clarence and along the stunning Black fellows Hand Trail. We then ventured on to Turon Gates and Upper Turon Road for a technical rocky hill section before hitting some fast open and flowing dirt roads into the lunch stop. After lunch, I swapped to the 1290 Super Adventure S for a tar/gravel-based trip back to Katoomba with enough twisties to keep us interested.
THE BIG BEAST — 1290 SUPER ADVENTURER
This story is from the September 2017 edition of Australian Road Rider.
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This story is from the September 2017 edition of Australian Road Rider.
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