09-06-2023, 11:23 AM
Basically I wanted a change after owning the KTM 1190 for 9 years. I do not ride offroad so wanted something more road oriented. I wanted cruise control, shaft drive (maybe), cast wheels (no spokes), and other creature comforts. I was looking at the GS but after watching videos on Youtube and reading reviews, I started looking into the RS as it was lighter and road oriented. I did test ride the bike at MAX BMW for about 30-40 minutes. It was small and cramped but I concluded with adjustments like I have mentioned I could make it work. I liked the bike on the highway and the roads up in NH are all high speed so it felt nice and "different" enough. Bottom line, when I took the bike home and made some adjustments, I realized I could only ride for about an hour and then had pain in my ankles, knees, wrists and forearms. Do I keep trying for more adjustments to make it work or just pull the trigger and say I made a mistake? The latter is where I ended up. There are reviews from other riders my height saying they were able to make the RS work for them so I thought I could to. At least for me I don't think it's possible whiteout basically converting it into a GS at extreme cost. I really think you need to ride a bike for several hours in lots of conditions to know. You can't really get this from a demo ride.
Strangely enough, I think my KTM 1190 was more powerful than my 1290 despite the horsepower increase and the reviews saying so. I had made some changes to my 1190 though (slip on and air filter change).
Strangely enough, I think my KTM 1190 was more powerful than my 1290 despite the horsepower increase and the reviews saying so. I had made some changes to my 1190 though (slip on and air filter change).