Not bigger, just better
Tuned evolution of KTM’S 1050 Adventure Makes as much power as a BMW R1200GS Separate A2-licence version also available
PLAYING FAST AND loose with names, numbers and engine sizes isn’t new. Honda’s VFR800 doesn’t have 800cc. BMW’S R1200GS isn’t quite a 1200. But KTM are particularly guilty: from old Duke 620s and 640s, through their 950 and 990 V-twins to the latest 390 and 1290 motors, the label never matched the capacity. The planets aligned for 2015’s 1050 Adventure, which did have a true 1050cc. But now the 1050 has been replaced by this new 1090 Adventure – which, despite the name, continues to use the 1050cc engine. Phew – the disorder is restored.
But while the 1090 might have no more capacity, it does have plenty of extra poke. The original 1050 was designed to only make 94bhp, allowing it to fit in with A2 licence regulations. Problem was, for anyone with a full licence, that didn’t seem very much – at least, not for a bike costing £10,999. So now the gloves are off.
On the old 1050 engine, power climbed to around 6000rpm before flatlining sharply. It wasn’t really running out of puff, just heavily restricted. In 1090 form, the engine now keeps going, building to maximum power at 8500rpm and hanging on to it almost to the 10,000rpm redline. Peak output has leapt from 94 to 123bhp – the same 123bhp as BMW’S R1200GS. Pure coincidence, I’m sure…
However, putting KTM’S power curves for the 1050 and 1090 engines under a microscope suggests they may have quietly pinched a little from the midrange to help fund this huge 29bhp boost. The 1050’s torque curve climbed slowly but linearly; the 1090 now has a pronounced dip at 4750rpm. From 6000rpm the new 1090 towers over the old 1050 – but below it, I’ll wager the older motor maintains a slight advantage.
Leaving the boring paperwork to one side and twisting the 1090’s ride-by-wire throttle on a mountain road weaving down Corsica’s west coast, the new engine responds with purpose and intent. It has that light, free-revving eagerness unique to KTM engines, pace gathering instantly and each power pulse laced with a definite sharp edge. It gives no sense of feeling
lazy or laboured in the bottom half of the rev range, and is more than happy to spin the tacho needle right the way round to the far end of the dial. This might be KTM’S ‘entry-level’ Adventure model but don’t underestimate it. Performance figures are on a par with Suzuki’s old headbanging TL1000S – sure enough, wind the 1090 wide open in Sport mode and traction control is the only thing keeping the front wheel down.
Other modes include the calmer Street and restricted Rain. Pay an extra £243.78 for the optional Off-road Pack and you get settings for dirt use. These let you lock the rear wheel while retaining ABS at the front, also allowing the rear to spin at twice the speed of the front before the traction control steps in. No doubt the Off-road Pack will make sense on the forthcoming 1090 R, but this regular model’s cast wheels and Metzler Tourance Next tyres tell you it’s content to stick to the road, thank you very much.
The modes – just like the switchgear they’re selected through and the LCD panels they’re displayed on – are inherited from the outgoing 1050. So is virtually everything else, including the suspension (decent ride quality but limited in adjustment), strong four-piston Brembo brakes (identical to the 1290’s), stacked headlight (with LED daytime running lights) and fuel tank (23 litres for a claimed 200-mile range). The one-piece seat remains set at a fairly lofty 850mm and still can’t be adjusted. The screen can, with two heights 25mm apart, but the twin-clip system is stiff and fiddly. Handguards still come fitted as standard, and a centrestand remains a £166.44 option. Truth be told, the 1090 probably isn’t different enough to convince many existing 1050 Adventure owners to trade up – KTM are fairly open in admitting as much. The 1090’s purpose is instead to strengthen KTM’S offering in a supercompetitive market. On spec and price, the 1090 is now a natural rival for Ducati’s new 950 Multistrada (£11,132, 111bhp, 71lb.ft) and Suzuki’s updated V-strom 1000 (£9636, 99bhp, 74lb.ft), where before the 1050 would have looked a little underpowered. Trouble is, the 1090 is also more expensive than Triumph’s Tiger 1050 Sport (£10,900, 125bhp, 78lb.ft), which boasts fully adjustable forks and cruise control as standard.
The 1090 sits in an unusual place. Price and power mean that this is in no way a junior or entry-level model, but at the same time it is the cheapest, simplest adventurer in KTM’S line-up, which means it’ll inevitably be seen by some as just that. And yet it’s enormously capable, with both the comfort to ride all day and the practicality to be ridden every day. It’s an exciting, rewarding, soulful solo scratcher, but has solid pillion grab handles and comes ready to take KTM’S hard luggage. In many ways the 1090 is as capable a sports-tourer as Kawasaki’s Z1000SX – and while the updates to get here appear fairly modest, that’s not a comparison you’d have made with the old 1050. While the 1090 might not actually be any larger, its extra top-end power adds a newfound big-bike credibility.
“It’s an exciting, rewarding, soulful solo scratcher”