You might be wondering about the significance of the 1090 name, given it still has its 1050cc motor. The theme here is it shares a platform with its bigger brother, the 1290 Super Adventure. It has the same engine block but with a different bore and stroke (103mmx63mm vs 108mmx71mm), and has the same trellis frame chassis, too.
Compared with its larger 1290 Super Adventure sibling, it sheds 10kg to weigh in at 205kg (dry), and it achieves this by losing the TFT dashboard display screen, semi-active suspension, lean angle sensitive traction control and ABS, as well as the rather excellent cornering headlights, plus the six-axis IMU (Innertial Measurement Unit) that powers it all.
This weight advantage is immediately obvious, too, as we got to ride the 1290 and 1090 back to back in Corsica. We saw a huge range of roads; everything from fast, flowing sweepers to twisty and technical, to “roads” that were somewhere between disrepair and a gravel track. I found the bike feeling more and more alive the worse the road conditions got, riding the 1090 Adventure just like I used to ride my old KTM 950 Supermoto - a very good thing in my book - which speaks volumes for how communicative the chassis is.
Suspension on the 1090 Adventure is provided by WP. Up front is a pair of 43mm upside down forks offering 185mm of travel. They’re not adjustable, but the rear shock is, allowing preload and rebound damping adjustments alongside its 190mm of travel. While the lack of adjustability at the front will come as disappointment to some, the good news is that plenty of feedback is transmitted through the chassis and cast wheels to make up for it. Only sudden dips in the road could really show the suspension up. The stock Metzeler Tourance Next tyres impressed too, and were more than up to anything Corsica’s road could throw at them. Seat height is billed at 850mm, and my decidedly average 5’9” frame could get the balls of both feet on the desk (although, a few years spent on a 950 SM no doubt helped with learning how to handle a taller bike).
Mid-range is naturally where the 1090’s motor shines, and where the 1050’s 95bhp was described as “not mind blowing”, the 1090’s 125bhp is “much more like it”. While you’re not going to shame any sports bikes in a straight line, it’s still plenty enough to thrill and surprise you. Peak power is found at 8,500rpm and peak torque, 80 lb-ft, at 6,500rpm. Riding it, there’s a feeling of a wall of torque and it seems to have a revvy, eager personality. It spins up quickly and rewards you for giving it a constant supply of gears to munch on. It’s really good fun and it’ll reward you for riding it with a bit of attitude. You’re not just a passenger like you might perhaps be on the 1290 Super Adventure, you can really ride this bike. Fuel economy came in at around 44mpg, meaning its 23 litre tank will carry you around 220 miles.
Fuelling is nigh on perfect, with no snatchiness at all during low speed manoeuvres. On Corsica’s tight and twisty mountain roads, a number of times I found myself wincing, wishing I’d shifted into first gear rather than sticking with second as we negotiated various slow, switch-back hairpins. But it was fine - the 1090 pulled through each and every time with zero hesitation or chain clatter as the revs dipped down low each. A good number of times I said out loud to myself inside my helmet “whoever figured out the gear ratio for second gear really knew what they were doing”.
