[Adventurer]

I'm at the point in my life for the next super sport bike doesn't interest me, there must be more out there than perfectly paved tarmac and that's where the adventure segment comes in.

I was looking at the Honda Africa Twin, but the KTM 1090 Adventure has caught my attention.

 

[Adventurer]

At some point, I think most sport bike riders wonder about the roads less traveled by and start looking at adventure bikes.

The Africa Twin is an option, but I'd like to test ride both before getting one.

 

[Sweeper]

I think everyone here has definitely looked at the Africa Twin. The KTM does have better specs however but the Africa Twin is available right now. Test riding both will definitely be the best way to decipher as specs can only say so much. It depends on how it feels to you which is what makes the difference.

 

[Tricked]

Have you gotten around to test riding one yet?

 

[dirtrack]

I think everyone here has definitely looked at the Africa Twin. The KTM does have better specs however but the Africa Twin is available right now. Test riding both will definitely be the best way to decipher as specs can only say so much. It depends on how it feels to you which is what makes the difference.

Add to that the fact you can find a lot of them used on the market and soon enough it becomes easier to consider one, but that's just me. Been a Honda bike fan for a while, owned a few, so naturally i'm open to going that route.

I'm big on aftermarket parts, of course that's one area the Twin already has a big jump start on over this 1090.

 

[Tricked]

For sure, the last Africa Twin came was available in UK at the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016 in the US so they have pretty much a year of aftermarket support already built up

 

[Adventurer]

I actually didn't think about getting a used KTM 1090. The wait for one may be a bit long but I'm in no hurry and I may rather get a used one for my first adventure bike.

What moved me towards the Africa Twin was the automatic clutch, but it does take the fun out of riding sometimes.

 

[dirtrack]

I actually didn't think about getting a used KTM 1090. The wait for one may be a bit long but I'm in no hurry and I may rather get a used one for my first adventure bike.

What moved me towards the Africa Twin was the automatic clutch, but it does take the fun out of riding sometimes.

It helps even more to go that direction if you know you'll take on some damage, rather have that happen to a used bike than something brand new but that's just me. Can't stomach putting a new bike through that.

Plus depending on you budget, buying used gives you a bit more room for spending on aftermarket parts.

 

[Adventurer]

Scratches of honor are a part of adventure bike ownership. I've seen plenty of spills and drops, but that just builds character so long as nothing important is damaged. Just need to make sure whatever I get comes with protective accessories.

 

[dirtrack]

Stoppers/bungs are almost always the first thing people get done and if you commute a lot and park in the city like me, protecting from the unknown while parked and away can go a long way. Evotech had some nice ones for the 390 Duke.

Coming back to a damaged bike after your 9-5 on a friday is not how I want to start my weekend.

 

[Tricked]

Nobody wants to come back on any day to a damaged bike... worse than someone ruining your morning coffee. Stoppers and bungs are all great, but do you think the crash bars on the R will suffice?

 

[dirtrack]

Crash bars will help but at the same time I like to spread the impact if possible so it's not just one thing that's taking on all that stress. And in some cases that might mean less cosmetic damage.

 

[Tricked]

The more protection the better, always. Gonna look towards the aftermarket though for solutions. Covers, bars, etc.

 

[Sweeper]

Check out GB racing as they may come out with some things. I see covers, frame sliders, guards, etc. listed up there.

Secondary Engine Covers | GBRacing

 

[dirtrack]

It sucks that those guys aren't on social since that might help in us getting teasers of what might be coming, now its a matter of someone emailing them and hearing directly or just waiting it out. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Tricked]

It would be great to have brands that actually produce parts to be on the forums. We could organize group buys, get intro pricing, updates on whats in the pipeline.

 

[dirtrack]

Unless they have a clear reason for being on the forum and believe in what being here can do for them then odds are it wont happen. Out of the many vendors out there only a small percentage reach out to the community like this. Most are likely to be on facebook.

 

[Sweeper]

You'll typically find them on Grom forums and the likes as those are usually high traffic and lots of members that buy a lot of products. Can't see them being on forums like these.

 

[Adventurer]

They don't really need to be on forums like these so long as they give us the products we're looking for. So far GB Racing doesn't have anything for the KTM 1090 but they do have some things for the more adventurous models like the supermoto. Let's hope they see potential in the 1090.

Any other brands out there who may have KTM protective parts?