Simon Cudby is one of the biggest names in dirtbike photography but when he's not running around a track snapping pics of superstars, he finds time to get out on his KTM 1190 Adventure R.
WHY DID YOU BUY IT?
While I was in the trenches at the AMA Supercross and Motocross series every weekend, I kind of fell in love with the thought of escaping on a big bike. Once I watched The Long Way Round series it was game over… I was going to buy myself an adventure bike. I had connections at KTM and was able to buy a used media bike, a 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure R.
WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT?
First off I did a Touratech order for a bashplate and crashbars. I put on a Yoshimura silencer, and had Chris at Rottweiler Performance put on an intake. This made a big difference to the power and sound of the bike. I had WP do the fork as, out of the box, it was way too soft. I added some Niterider lights and a Mosko Moto tankbag. I use Mosko Moto luggage on bigger trips. I use Shinko 804/805 tyres as they are the best value/performance/durability combo.
HOW’S IT RIDE?
At 150hp this thing rips! With the exhaust and Rottweiler intake the power is really good. Handling wise, since I had WP do the fork the bike will go pretty much anywhere and not bottom out. If you get on a fire road you are standing up doing 75mph before you know it. Riding a big bike like this you really have to think ahead though so you don’t get into situations where it’s difficult to turn around, especially when it’s loaded down.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT?
The KTM guys have done a great job developing this line as real off-road bikes. The only thing you really need to do on an 1190R is get your fork worked on. KTM has addressed that with the new 1090 Adventure R and that bike comes with much better suspension stock. These bikes let you do hundreds of miles comfortably on the road, or go exploring into the wilderness off-road.
5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT CUDBY & HIS 1190R
1 I’ve been shooting in the moto industry since 1996.
2 I used to shoot a lot of mountain bike images for GT Bikes in the mid ’90s.
3 I’m from England, but I’ve lived in California since 1989.
4 Although I still shoot a lot of moto and supercross for Racer X magazine, I started www.upshiftonline.com about a year ago with a designer and we cover a lot of adventure and dualsport stories.
5 Favourite beer: Pacifico