Plus a cubby hole near the clocks, like my old Mutley had. Was bloody useful for toll tickets, mint imperials etc etc.
Using a V4 170bhp bike off-road would need very special skills. Skills that after only 50 years of riding (I was very young on an italjet when I started) I don’t have yet. Simple fact is .... off-road = drop guaranteed = damage guaranteed
I guess that was in response to the post above? I would say that the KTM is arguably more robust (and a drop may even improve it's looks... ) and doesn't have the stratospheric price ticket of the V4, certainly after 12 months when KTM seem to discount heavily. Added to which, much like GSs, how many riders actually go off road?
Not really directly in reaponse to the above post, just curious about the market for a massively powerful off roader like this and the only direct alternative I could think of was the 1290. GS kind of lives in a different sphere in my mind I guess, like I never expect a Range Rover to be used off road either, while I can’t imagine anyone taking a 1290 Adventure out the showroom over a Superduke
Given that they have said that Service costs will be much lower. maybe they are hoping to make up the profits from repairs and panels when people take them off road and drop them I wouldn't take one off road intentionally and a Road based S version would be my choice if and when I upgrade.
Very intrigued as to how this will develop over the next couple of years. I'll be hanging onto the 1260 for that long at the very least I reckon. My dealer is keen to get me out on one as soon as the have a demonstrator...
Very interesting reading would definitely have a go on one but I am not paying £20,000 for a bike I would have to sell my 2013 PP plus another £12,000 or so I'd rather spend the money on another bike
It depends on what you consider off road. No way would I take my enduro up some of the green lanes local to me, they are tricky enough on a proper enduro bike if the ground is wet. But blasting one up a forestry fire break trail, yeah bring it on. I've ridden my 2012 mts over some of the unmade roads in the alps, whilst 2 up and fully loaded. It's a chalenge, but I would do it on a V4 Too. I actually bought my enduro to do more of this. If they can make the bikes have less brittle plastic and sticky out bits, so they survive a tumble better, that would help. Not long to wait now to find out ☺
I've never ever understood the idea of having one of those big lumps off road. Give me a 350 single any day!
Winrow, it's the challenge everything is a compromise. There is a reason so many trail tour companies use GS''s and ktm 1150 / 1190 adventures. That's not to say you could actually go ride an enduro event on one. An expert enduro rider I know tried to do a lap of a local event we were setting out on his GS, with of road tyres on it. He got to the bottom of a slippery bank and that is where he stayed for the rest of the day. Took 6 of us to get him out I wouldn't attempt that, but I would do the unmade roads. Do you need a big or even small trailie to do bigger trails ? Nope, our friend rides a trumpet 675 daytona, and does all the trails we do. People think he is nuts but he still gets up them We did 2 weeks riding Lesotho on GS's a few years back. Half of the group had bike issues (dented rims, dented exhaust headers, fork failures, and a burnt out clutch on a new bike) and every body fell off at some point. I would still have done that on a multi with proper trail tyres, crash bars, bark busters, and a short screen.
A few years ago in the Picos our route took us via some very broken roads, they were just a bed of broken up tarmac from gravel to fist sized lumps. Went on for about 3 miles, not that we could see that at the start. No real alternative without a huge diversion so I rode it on my MV Turismo which wasn't too bad but my best mate did it on his 996.
Interesting to see the clutch master cylinder reservoir is on a metal bracket now. A major step forward
