1190 Adventure Blog Day 7: Tour guide!

Testers from Italy, Spain, Austria, Swiss, Portugal made for a cosmopolitan mix of brilliant journalists and experienced, fast riders at the same time. Buzzing along with us at the press launch in Tenerife (as special guest to the delight of everybody) is factory rally rider Marc Coma.

My role today is that of ‘tour guide’. I have to apply myself and get dialled into the roads because the guys in my group are pushing all the time. On perfect tarmac up the hill to a photoshoot location everybody is pretty motivated. Unfortunately one tester, Andreas Werth from Austrian magazine ‘Reitwagen’, misses the braking point to our exit after the first short motorway stretch. We lose contact briefly but after a while the journo with the nickname ‘Berzerk’ is able to rejoin the pack without problems.

During our first stop after 70km on the throttle, the riders take off their helmets for the first time. Here are some first impressions:

Roberto Ungaro, Riders Magazine, Italy:
“I’ve ridden quite a few bikes but I can´t remember one that instantly allows so much fun. Going easy or fast both styles are possible and the bike works so effortlessly. Also it looks nice and modern.”

Stefano Cordara, Gazetta dello Sport, Italy:
“Haha! I can’t say more at the moment…want to continue riding.”

Tobias Klötzli, Moto Sport, Switzerland:
“Your press kit is pretty bold in claiming that the Adventure excels in all disciplines. Well, damn, that’s pretty much right on the money.”

Christoph Lentsch, 1000 PS, Austria:
“Kutti, it’s okay that you chose leathers instead of textile-clothing. It is a sport motorcycle with high-comfort factor…can anybody explain how I can switch off the anti-wheelie-control?”

Dimitri Hüppi, Töff, Switzerland:
“This is my first press launch with KTM and I am instantly presented with something of such quality. The powerband is what stands out. You can go fast and feel good. But it is such a pleasure at normal speed. Comfortable to ride but with lots of feedback.”

Marc Coma (between autograph-sessions at the location):
“I like the engine very much. It’s very strong, but flexible.”

I am not going to write about our ride downhill after the photographic stuff had been done. This is up to colleagues from the press in their respective publications but, gentlemen, I expect nothing less than heroic stories about scraping footpegs and nice tyres slides in and out of the corners. Thanks in advance.

The amazing thing about the new KTM 1190 Adventure – aside from all that possible speed – comes thanks to the brilliantly calibrated electronic assistance systems. It means the riding stays totally effortless and is fun at the same time. From my viewpoint as motorcycle rider the bike is a totally safe to handle as well as being a dynamic package, successfully brought together by my development colleges from KTM along with assistance and input from Bosch (electronics) and Continental (tyres). In short the way the 1190 Adventure performs is pretty fabulous.

Status quo at half time of the presentation: no unpleasant surprises, everything working smoothly, no need to touch crash or spare parts up to now!