For many years, the idea of a KTM road bike was a joke. The Austrian-based firm was known for its savagely effective offroad competition machines; motocrossers and enduro tools aimed at the hardcore dirtbike fan. The only time a KTM wore a license plate was to ride between rally stages.
But in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the firm released its Duke and Super Duke models – straight-up roadbikes with loads of performance and stacks of attitude. Then came the Adventure: a no-holds-barred assault on BMW’s GS range. Initially a 950, then a 999, the Adventure at first looked slightly implausible, with its enormous orange fairing, tall seat height, and full-on offroad running gear. But one ride on the bike soon quashed any notions that the Adventure was unusable. Rather, the Adventure performed every bit as well as the BMW – both on and off the road. It seemed that KTM’s competition experience allowed the firm to design a taut, sweet-handling chassis, with a strong, dependable engine inside. The Adventure wasn’t perfect: reliability was down compared with Japanese bikes, and the styling isn’t for everyone. But for most riders, the excellent engine and accomplished chassis more than make up for these minor niggles.
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