1000km service and getting to know the Big brother - a short test ride with the 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure

I took my 690 to the first 1000 km service. There indeed is/was a recall regarding the rear brakes (the pedal I believe), which was dealt with, but other than that nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't ask what they actually did with the rear brake, but since I believe it to be tighten & add Locktite type of thing I did not bother to even ask. While I waited for the service to be done I was kindly allowed to test ride the 1190. 

Few comments from the test ride

- Coming from the 690 the 1190 felt super smooth. No vibrations of any kind. Absolutely silky.

The sound of the engine had me expecting a harsh jerky ride accompanied with vibrations, but that really could not be further from the truth.

- The seat was really comfortable and low compared to the 690. (yes, that can be said about just any other bike). 

- While the 1190 is heavy compared to the 690, it' feels really light compared to the Honda Crosstourer for example. 

- There is a lot of power on tap even with all the nanny tech switched on. 

- The ergos certainly allow riding standing up, but the bars are little to low even for me

- The looks are a little on the safe side for a KTM. Still a nice looking bike for an adventure tourer.

- Wind protection was better than expected

This bike makes you want to just keep going and going.

Oh snap - broken clutch lever

Son of a ....! Managed to snap the tip off from the clutch lever. Naturally it was the result of a minor tip over and that in turn was the result of a brain fart extrarodinaire. I don't think anything else was broken, in fact there is not a scratch on the bike. I don't know how long it will take for me to get the spare part, so I will probably have to embark on next weekends  ride with this new sporty and shorty clutch lever.

Removing the clutch lever was pretty straight forward, but putting it back was bitch. There is a small rubber grommet that just refused to go back in it's place. After a lot of swearing and fiddling I managed to get it back though. My technique and tools were probably lacking. I recommend having a certified gynecologist on stand by when frustration gets the better of you.

The clutch lever rubber grommet. 

The before

I took the lever off and rounded the tip off with a belt sander and gave it some finishing sweeps with a finer grain sand paper. Not good as new but perfectly rideable.

Rounded off clutch lever tip

Moment before it happened

1000 trouble free kilometers

The odometer says it's time for the first service. I'm happy to report that the bike has been 100% trouble free so far. I'll have the bike serviced next week so I'll have fresh oil in it for the 500 km shake down / prep run the following weekend.

Stand plate for KTM 690 Enduro R [601.03.923.050]

Now here's a Powerpart with no caveats, everyone riding a 690 Enduro should get one. The foot print of the original KTM kick stand is about the size of a quarter which results the kick stand to dig in almost every time you are trying to park the bike off the black stuff.  With the Powerpart plate the surface area is more than doubled and it makes a world of difference. 

Loosening up

Had an opportunity to do a 100 km run today. Still freezing cold, but the bike seems to be loosening up a bit. The engine feels a bit softer in a I-can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it way. I did the first oil change at 400 km and I now have roughly 500 km on the clock. 

The oil change itself was rather underwhelming, I couldn't not spot any of those large chunks of metal shavings the forums keep mentioning. The touring screen... well the difference is subtle to put in nicely, but then again what was I expecting.