BMW R1200GS vs KTM 1190 Adv R Comparison Test

Just published online by Cycle World:

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/05/12/bmw-r1200gs-adventure-vs-ktm-1190-adventure-r-comparison-test-review-photos-specifications/

Gotta love a comparison test written not to piss off either advertiser....

they should lay down each bike and see how easy its to rise up again by yourself , the its shows how good the big girl can hide its weight

BMw must have told CW to tone it down after the 3 way comparison with suzuki and the standard GS. The ups and downs are a joke. Good thing Jimmy Lewis rides better than he writes.

No real surprises there: Beemer good for comfort, KTM good for hauling ass.

pretty weak comparison and telling us what we already know. would be nice to see a real comparison that's not so vanilla and toned down.

Some other criteria I'm surprised they omitted:

filtering / splitting lanes?
off-road ability?
race track ability?
safety when cornering?
ABS performance?

the fat girl is closer related to the Honda crosstourer than you might think .

Which Tire is on the KTM?

Big Blocks on both

The guy I ride with has a 2014 GS1200 Adventure. It's a very nice bike with some features I wish the KTM had but I got what I wanted. Different riders for different bikes.......both are outstanding.

But give the tires grip and the KTM destroys the BMW, making it seem as if the GS were caught between gears every time.

And maybe that is the story of the powerplants: The BMW has three gears for every situation.

The KTM has the right gear (both have appreciably wide-ratio six-speed transmissions).

The GS pulls from 2,000 rpm with authority, wanting a shift at 7,000 and taking its time getting there when compared to the KTM.

Im so happy i purchased the 1190, an amzing bike, inspiring, confident,
All round its a winner in my garage...

The GSA is like Chuck Norris. It doesn't split lanes, it creates them :)

Both are exceptional bikes, isn't it great we have choices.

This article should fall under humor rather than a vehicle comparison. It's hilarious reading Jimmy Lewis' attempt to seem impartial to the results of the ride test. He knows the KTM ate the BMW's lunch, but has to meely-mouth his way around this feelings in the article so as to not incite BMW.

I split lanes with my GSA just fine. Never a problem here.

Just dropped this 1190 Adventure at the dealer for the 6th time for warranty recalls and on the way with only 4000km of touring with the wife, my spotless Adventure that 'hauls ass', decides to now give MTC AND ABS failure, oh and forget the ACTUAL reason I was taking it in, airbox problem and it's 3rd sidestand 'upgrade'. The list of issues I've had since I bought it new 12months ago is an utter JOKE and all this shyte is sooo common to the 1190 globally.

Power and handling is utterly useless if you require soooo much development work and repairs on a new bike and BMW can only do better...

KTM dropped the ball trying to jump BMW in launching their Adventure and their handling of all the problems globally is shocking so like me give the GS a try, I was really impressed after reading all these jokes about it 'weight'.....

I feel bad for you and all owners with these problems, myself included . It's damned frustrating how slowly KTM respond, apparently with different and un-coordinated policies in every part of the world. But the grass is not greener on the other side ... many problems with the R1200GS as well.

Quotations above from these Wikipedia pages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_R1200GS#Safety_issues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Ash

And this blog reads just like a disappointed KTM 1190 owner - except he's talking about the latest R1200GS:

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2013-bmw-r1200gs-the-incomplete-homework-56113.html

BTW Jimmy said that there's a much longer review in the "travel and adventure" edition of Cycle World due out in the near future.

basically the KTM got a bit better street manners, electronics and motor, and the GS got a bit more motor than in the past.

it's nice to have choices. :)

I think they should compare GS to a 1190 std!
Because of the tire size, on road capabilities, comfort,
electronic suspension....