[DucATIRadeon]

my 900SS trackbike has 90hp/90Nm (sold to race oldtimer ducati paralleltwin, still going strong!)
the (current) ST2 has 88.4hp/92Nm
my former 1000DS had 95hp/107Nm
the above "powerhouses" are pretty good for long non-stop trips.

my Duke 620 with only 47.8hp (completely stock except for HGS4 exhaust, if anyone has the original Remus in good shape let me know!) and the racing paralleltwin 500 with its astronomical 37hp/40Nm, are soooooo much more fun to drive, but they will not be on long trips. regularly i have to go to The Hague and Rotterdam for consulates and embassies to get my visa's, and driving from Assen its 2,5 to 3hrs drive. did it once on the Duke 620 almost shit myself and couldn't hold nor light my cigar so numb and shakey me hands were!

so coming to my point: its not so much the power i'm after, its mostly the practicality with looks and seating posture. and as said before: no jap or bmw or american, either italian or austrian.
these are the only ones that have heart/soul/gut/feeling when riding and troubling, i prefer that over the 15-in-a-dozen heartless boring japs/bmw that everyone else has and try to talk you out of getting one but when you do they're all f-ing jealous.

not making much sense am I...?

 

[It's not Ginger]

Wow, those prices are high.

Here (UK) 990's are around £4-5,000, 1050's can be found at @ £6-7,000 and I only paid £8,000 for a 1090 with a load of extra's including panniers (1 year old / 3,000 miles) and I was also looking at a 2015 1190 with 6,000 miles on it for around £7,000.

Not many used 1090's as they are a very new model, next cheapest I have seen is a 6,000 mile used one for £8500. Ex demo's showing up here for just over £9,000 - about 10,000 of your Euros.

One thing worth noting with 1050 / 1090 is the centrestand is not a standard fitment (£165) in the UK, neither is the power socket, cheap at around £8 for the official KTM part

 

[Norton]

For what it is worth. I have 2014 1190R Adventure with 55k miles on now. Daily commute into London, around 1k miles per month 50% motorway 50% london roads and traffic (not much gets in the way though). I get around 48 mpg. Best bike ever, always look forward to the daily commute. Had 950 SMR before hooligan bike but still prefer the 1190R. Always had the 9k service intervals and that's about all. Keep her in sports setting with sports suspension as per manual, just because i prefer the feel and had the same on the 950 SMR.

Changed the screen and hlamp mask over to SA 1290 fairly early on and mage a world of difference for all year riding, sometimes revert to stock screen in the summer.

 

[PH1969]

No point in fucking about Arthur, just get the 1290S

 

[GuyC]

I'm pondering the same question at the moment.

I spent a couple of months doing a 50 miles per day commute on my 950SM. The two main things that stopped me were the thought of putting so many miles on my beautiful bike and the chore of filling it up every other day. As the evenings got darker my back roads route to work became less practical and going down the motorway isn't really a 950SM strong point.

I've tried to persuade myself that the choice of bike should be an affair of the head rather than the heart but as I'm on the KTM rather than the V-Strom (or similar) forum, I've obviously at least partially failed in my persuasion efforts.

Things that I've decided I want are:

ABS
Traction control
Some weather protection
200 mile range
Half decent service intervals
KTM

Trying to remain budget constrained leads me down the route of a 1050.

The other non KTM 1050 that I've considered is a Triumph Tiger Sport.

 

[It's not Ginger]

I would definitely go for a 1050 / 1090 with those requirements, at a steady cross country touring pace (as close as I get to commuting on the 1190) the mpg tends to be in the high 40's, I did once ride really steady (think taking IAM exam) for a short while and it was managing over 50. But with a 23L tank it will comfortably pass 200 and maybe manage 250 if you tried hard enough.

The smaller 1050 / 1090 lumps are likely to be a bit better, no idea how much better as my 1090 is hiding away from the cold and wet UK weather so has not been out since I got hold of it.

Obviously 1050's will be cheaper as they are older, and probably less desirable with the restrictions, I would certainly go for either an early low mileage 1050 if looking for a bargain, but would rather pay the extra for an early 1090 over a late model 1050 - but I suppose if it is only used for commuting the extra 30BHP is probably not necessary and will only burn more fuel and chew up the tyres quicker when used.

You can justify the 1090's extra cost as it would also be a better weekend bike than the 1050 and maybe take some extra strain of your beloved SM, one of the reasons (Apart from a great deal) I took the 1090 was I did not see myself wanting to ride the 1050 with the 1190 sat next to it, but can't wait to ride the 1090 as it has enough power for me to want to go out on it saving the 1190 for the best of the weather and touring.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Guy - not sure you'd like the Tiger Sport if you're considering a KTM.
I had the Tiger 800 and it was more expensive to run than my 1190. Same fuel consumption, more expensive and frequent to service, same tyre wear. Can't see the 1050 engine being any better. They would be cheaper to buy but that's the only advantage I can see. I tried the updated Sport when it came out but found it vibey and nowhere near as grunty (obviously) as the 1190.

 

[bigkuri]

For what it's worth, the 1190 Adventure (and likely the 1050 and 1090) are easier to service than the 990 in terms of basic oil change. Everything is just on the one side and simple to get access.
But there is not much to it. The 9x0 is maybe better on a major service as less bolts to get the tank off etc.. Saying that I have it down pat now, and the 1190 tank is now quicker on and off than my 9x0 adventure.

 

[Bollocks]

990 is the worst bike I’ve worked on.
Fine if it was a roadbike for once a year service. But as a big dirtbike in a dusty place, I found it annoying.
Haven’t said that, I’m over “spannering” now.
Not the time or the patience.
If it’s your thing. All good.

 

[58546]

Guy - not sure you'd like the Tiger Sport if you're considering a KTM.
I had the Tiger 800 and it was more expensive to run than my 1190. Same fuel consumption, more expensive and frequent to service, same tyre wear. Can't see the 1050 engine being any better. They would be cheaper to buy but that's the only advantage I can see. I tried the updated Sport when it came out but found it vibey and nowhere near as grunty (obviously) as the 1190.

A mate of mine test rode a Tiger Sport last year as a possible replacement for his aging Aprilia Futura. We went down to 3X and I led him out on a nice twisty test route as I know the roads really well. He said it was comfortable and he liked the handling and the brakes but the engine was too anodyne. Too smooth and characterless. He reckoned he couldn't live with it after a V-twin. And the 1190 left it behind.

 

[Bollocks]

If I was getting another big adventure/touring bike I’d get an 1190R.
Probably wait another 2 years and grab a bargain.
Keep the SDR of course.

 

[58546]

A Superduke and an 1190 make a great pairing. You can feel the family connection but they're different enough that they never seem to duplicate one another. You can jump from one to the other all day and never get bored. And on a bumpy road I'm probably faster on the 1190. Its seriously rapid through the bends. Makes a fantastic long-legged tourer as well.

 

[Bollocks]

And the R still looks bad arse with knobbies too. The 1290 lost its aggro appeal.

 

[58546]

Buy one. You'll never be overtaken by an emu again.

 

[Bollocks]

I will mate, getting cheaper and in no rush. Grab one with around 20,000 KM on it. Just run in and half price .

 

[DucATIRadeon]

i'm back home from Salalah and catching up on this thread.
i can see and understand the points made so far, much appreciated!

pricing in NL is pretty high then, these are the cheapest ones:
2006 950 with only 1162kms
2006 990
2015 1050 with 17427kms
2017 1090
2013 1190
2015 1290

edit:
the 1050 has a (dramatic?) powerdip at/from 6000rpm mostly due to A2 restriction capability, and its software (drive by wire limits the throttlebody opening).
so i guess its a late 990 (thats the looks over heart), 1090 or 1190, with a tendancy to the latter 2. i'll write-off the 1290 due to its size and overpricing, for now.
the 1090 has the economy and the 1190 the grunt. but for road use it'll probably be the 1090. dont mind fuelling up every alternate day, did that with the multistrada 1000ds and do that with the current ST2, daily home-work commute is 130km.

i'll see if the dealer where i got my Duke 125 has a 990/1090/1190 for a testdrive, should answer a lot of Q's i have.

 

[It's not Ginger]

The 1090 also has a few less electronics to play up than the 1190 - which still has a lot less to go wrong than the 1290.

If the weather improves I will take the 1090 out for a long spin and report back vs the 1190.

 

[DucATIRadeon]

much appreciated, Ginger!

 

[bigkuri]

Hey Ginger, sorry about the hijack as I should know this, but for the 1090, what less electrics over the 1190? I thought it was pretty much the same as the R?

 

[Abel]

Hey Ginger, sorry about the hijack as I should know this, but for the 1090, what less electrics over the 1190? I thought it was pretty much the same as the R?

Hasn't got the lean angle sensors for the cornering ABS/TC. Just standard ABS.