Say no to slow KTM 1190R in the right hands

[Fred W]

From a quick glance at their web site it seems like those bags are a reasonable alternative to TraX, etc.

Which size are those ones? 31 liter or 38?

How about the outside dimensions? What's the total outside dimension mounted?

Any pics of the bags with the lid open? Wondering what the inside lip is like and if they powder coated the inside for you, which is nice to not get aluminum all over your liner bags or other stuff, but you can always just rhino line them yourself.

Whose pannier racks did you use to mount them? And if you don;'t mind, what was the total outlay?

Sorry so many questions, but when you post this kind of motoPr0n you gotta expect some.

 

[Hudson]

Which size are those ones? 31 liter or 38?
How about the outside dimensions? What's the total outside dimension mounted?

Any pics of the bags with the lid open? Wondering what the inside lip is like and if they powder coated the inside for you, which is nice to not get aluminum all over your liner bags or other stuff, but you can always just rhino line them yourself.

Whose pannier racks did you use to mount them? And if you don;'t mind, what was the total outlay?

Fred, these were the 31L bags. You can get 38 and 45L panniers, but I wanted to stick bags that were not much wider than the handlebar width.

The dimensions are: 17.5” x 15” x 8”

Here are some pix of the interior from Holan. The grey and black models are powder coated all over, inside and out. They supply a form-fitted rack, with two options (one for the stock exhaust, an a narrower one for use with a smaller shorty exhaust like a Remus or Wings.

Cost on the bags, rack, and keys (plus the rear top case rack, but not including a top case) was around $1300. I had a few options installed, like extra tie downs, and black powder coating; otherwise the total would be about $1100.

 

[Fred W]

Thanks!! Those look like a very nice setup, and I share your concern about being narrow, hence my questions about dimensions.

PS - I was going to send you a PM about this, but figured someone else might also want to know.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Fred -- Not going to hijack Hudson's thread with pics...let me know and I'll PM them to you.

FWIW, Hudson has the same Holan panniers that I have on my STen. With my 31L/38L combo, overall width is 1/2" less than FJR. Only difference is exhaust cutout is left vs. right.

--G

 

[Hudson]

Went out riding tonight to a few forest roads, and got caught in a windy torrential downpour. Buckets and buckets of rain, creating standing water, and 35 mph gusts running home at 75mph. KTM performed brilliantly, but I was soaked to the bone, what with no fairing or windshield protection, and liners hanging up at home.

Panniers were nice and dry. I need to apply seam sealer to the tank bag, though.

 

[gixxerjasen]

How big was your grin splashing through those mud puddles?

 

[Hudson]

Almost as wide as the 21" front tire. The nice thing was the freeway ride home rinsed everything off.

Bike is far more capable than the rider. I thought it would be just a bit different than the Husky, but it is more so. You are aware of the weight, and more hesitant to do things on it that you do on a smaller bike. Really about rider confidence, rather than the bike's capability.

 

[Hudson]

EscapeArtist and I played around on the KTM and his well-appointed Super Tenere last weekend. We swapped rides for about 30 miles and it was fun to compare the two. I came away with renewed appreciation for the S10 motor: it tractors along with great low end torque, and doesn't require that you wind it up to have fun the way the KTM likes it.

On the S10, you tend to sit "on" the bike, whereas the KTM you sit "in" the seat. This makes the KTM much easier to lean into corners, and provides a bit more fun in the twisted. The things I really liked about the S10 were the general comfort, low end torque, and heft going down the road. Wind noise was much less on the S10 than the KTM.

If I was looking for one bike to do significant long distance touring, and I didn't want the expense or repair issues of the BMW GS, I'd look mighty hard at the new S10. The LAAM seat in particular was very comfy, and George had a number of other farkles that made the S10 very livable.

Getting back on the KTM, I did notice it was more fun to pitch into corners, and I wanted to wring out that awesome motor at every opportunity. It was a bit harder just to sit back and relax and motor along like on the S10, and you felt the vibes, heat, and wind more on the KTM. Give me a patch of dirt, however, and the KTM would walk away.

The MCN and recent Motorcyclist reviews were right on the money about the KTM Adventure R. It's a tremendous bike, with a host of great gadgets and a honey of an engine that begs to be flogged. Just not a GS, or a Tenere for that matter.

George might have his own fun impressions of the ride. He did have a nice grin afterwards.

Tonight I installed a set of ROX risers which really improved the riding position, both seated and standing. I may do an overnight dirt camping this weekend, and test out the off-road chops a bit more. Also got the bike back from its break in service, and I can safely wind it up to 10,5000 redline. A lot happens on the bike after 6500 rpm, it's a total rush to the redline.

 

[gixxerjasen]

On the S10, you tend to sit "on" the bike, whereas the KTM you sit "in" the seat.

Just curious, how does that affect the reach to the ground? The S10 was a bit much for my stubby legs. I've easily touched down on the Triumph Tiger 800XC which surprised me since the KTM ADV bikes I've sat on in the past felt a lot like the S10 did for me. Wondering if the seating position on this one might be more shorty friendly.

 

[Hudson]

KTM is not at all shorty friendly. I think the seat height is like 35" for the R and 33" for the standard model. I have a 31" inseam and I'm on my tippy toes. I have to really think about where I might stop while parallel to a hill.

I could flat foot the S10 no problem.

 

[Hudson]

Added a new...ahem...farkle for the KTM. A side stand foot to help in soft ground.

Jess sayin. Nuff said.

 

[Niehart]

Nice - ahem - toe Dave ...

 

[dcarver]

Nice toe!

Good comparison between platforms too.

Great to see your prepping the ktm.

 

[Fred W]

Knoe the Toe

 

[escapefjrtist]

Love the 'toe Hudson!

Took the Tenere two-up to Reno this weekend for another check out ride. Although it doesn't have the top end rush of the orange Katoom, it loped down the road as fast as I wanted to go!

--G

 

[Hudson]

Did my first longer dirt ride today. About 200 miles in all, 50 of those miles on roads around Stampede Pass. I installed a set of Rox risers which greatly aided riding when standing on the pegs, as they add almost 2" height.

Love the ability to quickly adjust traction control, power, and ABS on the fly. I could easily slide the back tire when needed to brake, and squeezing hard on the front brake didn't leave me worrying that I would dump the bike. Handy for when a car came around a blind curve and I had to grab a handful. Mostly I was doing about 30MPH on the forest roads, and going any faster - braking would be harder. The bike felt great, but I really need to take a class. Many of the dirt bike techniques I've learned need to be tweaked for this heavier bike, including slide turns. Switchbacks in particular felt more challenging than on my 275lb Husky. That said, the bike felt very natural off road and a few excursions over berms and work-arounds (the roads were washed out in several places) didn't freak me out.

The FJR is king for long distance travel, speed and comfort, but the KTM takes me down some very cool roads.

 

[Fred W]

Not sure how much dirt-roading you've done in the past, but I'll offer up a couple of tips I know for hustling a big trailee around off the pavement (actually this stuff applies to the Feejer too)

First thing is when cornering you want to do exactly the opposite of what you would normally do when cornering on pavement. Instead of leaning your upper torso to the inside of the turn to alleviate the lean angle of the bike, you want to push the bike down into the corner and keep your body relatively upright. You can't trust the traction that your tires have on the road when off pave. If they slide (and they will) with your body leaning to the inside you'll have some quality time getting to know the surface. You'll never run out of lean angle on the dirt before she starts sliding.

With the bike pushed down you can just apply more throttle in mid turn and the rear will slide out and tighten up your turn radius. The front will track pretty well without doing much, but you can also steer into the skid when the rear breaks free a lot to correct for any over-steer. It can be a very controlled feel once you get the hang of it

The next thing you want to do is to use a very loose grip on the bars when going in a straight line, especially on deeper looser surfaces. Let the front wheel wander where it will. Trying to closely control your line induces instability in the rest of the bike.

And the last one I'll share, which is fairly counter-intuitive, is when the going gets rough, get your butt up off the seat. Having your weight supported down low on the bike frame actually improves the overall stability in the rough stuff. (contrary to urban legend you are not lowering your center of gravity)

It also allows the suspension to work more fluidly without having to jerk your body around. This is the idea behind pivot pegs, you will be able to operate the pedal controls better while standing, which most of us should be doing much more often. But we are old and we're lazy so we plop down and ride on the seat only rising for the gnarlier sections.

You may already know all of this stuff, and if so that good. But I've met a lot of newby dual-sporters (or street riders who don't go off pavement much) who try to wrestle their bikes around on dirt like they were still on the street, and that doesn't work nearly as well.

PS - Did I mention that you suck? I'm still green with envy over your new Katoom. She's a beauty

 

[Hudson]

Great tips, all of em, Fred.

Sportsguy and I did a great dirt bike camp about 2 months ago, and practiced many of the tips you mentioned. On a dirt bike, these came easier, but with the Katoom's extra weight, I felt nowhere near as confident.

Oddly it was much easier standing on the Katoom for miles and miles than on the Husky. I credit the oversize pegs and the rox risers.

Then there's the hesitation about not wanting to dump the bike... at least just yet.

 

[Hudson]

So I've long wanted to do the Olympic National park version of the WABDR, called the Grip Twister tour. About 700 mostly off road miles through the Olympics. August would be ideal. 4days or so. The KTM won't be fuel range challenged, which was what previously kept me from doing this.

Who's in?

Here's a great post on advrider with pix of the route:

https://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=906614

 

[beemerdons]

Tus Motocicleta es excelente, el Hudson. Your Katoom is now all set up for Huasteca, Mexico. Join your FJR Forum Amigos, ride South for Fame and Glory ese! https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/155841-mother-of-all-mexico-dirt-bike-rides-march-in-2015/page-5?