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Up-Close with the KTM 1290 Adventure S

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It doesn’t look like 2017 KTM 1290 Adventure S is coming to the USA, but our European readers will enjoy the street-focused ADV bike, as it straddles somewhere between the touring-focused KTM 1290 Adventure T and the off-road shredding KTM 1290 Adventure R.

The KTM 1290 Adventure S offers a turnkey street bike with ample power (158hp), while the 19″/17″ dual-sport cast aluminum wheels give added off-road abilities.

KTM has also added semi-active suspension from WP, as well as traction control (with an off-road setting) and the Bosch cornering ABS package.

In reality, the 2017 KTM 1290 Adventure S helps the Austrian brand keep a strong hand on the 19-inch wheel portion of the adventure-touring segment, helping keep at bay bikes like the potent Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro and the BMW R1200GS.

With a revised look for the 2017 model year, and all the promise the previous model years have shown, we expect sales to be strong for the KTM 1290 Adventure S.

For our American readers, the photos after the jump may be as close as we get to this machine. Many thanks to our friends at MotoFire for sharing them with us.

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2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX Brings an IMU to the Street

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It might seem like the 2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX brings only modest updates to Team Green’s liter-bike street bike, what with Kawasaki touting the machine’s “double-bubble” adjustable windscreen, LED headlamps, revised rider and passenger seats, and pannier mounts.

Yawn. Nothing to see here, right? Thanks for playing Kawasaki…but wait…hold on a second. What really sets the new Kawasaki Z1000SX apart is the fact that it also includes a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU).

This ties into the brakes, traction control, and riding modes on the 2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX, adding another level of sophistication to this popular sport bike, while also raise the high-water mark in the street bike market.

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2018 Suzuki GSX-S750 – An Open Class Streetfighter

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Suzuki is giving us an early look at its 2018 lineup, showing the 2018 Suzuki GSX-S750 and 2018 Suzuki GSX-S750Z street bikes at the INTERMOT show this week.

Adding a better compliment to the Suzuki GSX-S1000, these 750cc machines build off the same strategy of taking a track-focused sport bike, and making an naked street bike out of it. For the 2018 model year, Suzuki is revising the GSX-S750 it debuted in 2014, to take on the FZ-09 in earnest.

This time, Suzuki is adding more to its venerable open-class machine, the Suzuki GSX-R750, in order to make the 2018 Suzuki GSX-S750.

Also, two flavors will be available, the Suzuki GSX-S750 and the 2018 Suzuki GSX-S750Z – the latter having ABS brakes and a matte black livery.

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BMW S1000R Gets Refinements for 2017

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As we reported before the INTERMOT show, the 2017 BMW S1000R will see an update over this year’s model, namely getting an updated chassis, more powerful motor, Euro 4 homologation, and a minor weight reduction.

The new chassis of course comes from the 2015 BMW S1000RR, and helps the streetfighter drop 2kg from its curb weight. The street-tuned inline-four engine gets a modest increase of 5hp, for a peak power figure of 165hp.

Long distance riders will enjoy BMW’s new “vibration free” handlebars, which address one of the complaints made by owners of the previous model. Another requested item has been added as well: the HP Shift Assistant Pro, for quick shifting up and down without clutch.

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More Improvements Come to the 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RF

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Let’s just be really honest for a moment – the 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RF looks as hot as it is fast. Debuting at the  INTERMOT show in Germany, this is our first look at what the engineers at Noale have in store for the superbike market, also debuting the l0wer-spec Aprilia RSV4 RR for the 2017 model year.

Both bikes benefit from improved suspension and braking pieces, as well as an updated electronics package, which includes Bosch’s cornering ABS.

Like the RSV4 RR, the Aprilia RSV4 RF is compliant with the Euro 4 emissions standard, though Aprilia worked hard to maintain the bike’s 201hp / 84.8 lbs•ft power and torque ratings.

Aprilia was able to do this, mostly by raising the RSV4 RF’s redline by 300 rpm. Aprilia has also done away with its variable timing intake ducts (a 500g savings), deeming them unnecessary now with the updated APRC electronics package.

Several internal changes have been made to the engine, including lighter pistons and a number of friction-reducing treatments. A linear sensor has also been added to the gearbox, which aids in the new quick-shifting functions for upshifts and downshifts.

Typical for the “RF” model, the 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RF comes with premium suspension pieces from Öhlins. It might be evolution, not revolution for the Aprilia RSV4 line, but the Italian superbikes continue to set the bar for others the chase.

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2017 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory – Just Add Öhlins

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It goes without saying that if the 2017 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 is getting a list of updates at INTERMOT, then the same must be true for the Factory version of the potent 175hp streetfighter.

This means that the 2017 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory takes the new fourth-generation APRC electronics package, Bosch-powered cornering ABS, improved combustion chamber, larger exhaust can, and adds to it the typical Factory-spec improvements like Öhlins suspension (including an Öhlins steering damper).

If you haven’t ridden the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR or Factory, we highly recommend it. They’re so choice.

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2017 Yamaha MT-10 SP – Putting the Europeans on Notice

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What you’re looking at is the 2017 Yamaha MT-10 SP, a new edition of Iwata’s crossplane-power streetfighter. Despite being just a few bolted-on parts, the Yamaha MT-10 SP is one of the more interesting machines to debut in INTERMOT today.

This is because it pits the Yamaha MT-10 directly against the streetfighter offerings from the European brands – something that was already occurring with the MT-10/FZ-10, even if it was unintended.

The Yamaha MT-10 SP though gives the Japanese a more proper machine to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Super Duke R, Tuono V4 1100, and other models.

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The Yamaha MT-09 Gets a Facelift & More for 2017

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Yamaha’s MT line runs with the tagline “The Dark Side of Japan” and promises edgy and affordable street bikes for urban riders.

Someone in Iwata, Japan must have thought that the current Yamaha MT-09 wasn’t quite edgy enough though, which is the only way we can explain the 2017 Yamaha MT-09, which debuted today at the INTERMOT show in Cologne, Germany.

Now with a “twin-eyed” LED headlight design, the Yamaha MT-09 feels a little bit more at home when parked next to the Yamaha MT-10 / Yamaha FZ-10 streetfighter. Other changes include an assist/slipper clutch, quickshifter, new suspension, and a redesigned tail section and fender.

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KTM 1090 Adventure R – A Milder Insane ADV Bike

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If the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R is too much beast for you ADVness, then might we suggest the milder 2017 KTM 1090 Adventure R for your overlanding needs?

With KTM retiring the 1190 Adventure line, in favor of a dual-pronged attack with the 1090 and 1290 models, it makes sense then to see that the KTM 1090 Adventure will get an “R” badge for next year.

Typical for the Austrian brand, the KTM 1090 Adventure R makes its “R” distinction by being more off-road capable. That means 21″/18″ tubeless wire-spoke wheels, shod with Continental TKC 80 tires, along with other dirt-focused goodies.

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Honda CBR1000RR SP2 – Big Red’s New Racing Platform

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The current state of the World Superbike Championship rules entirely encourage the adoption once again of “homologation specials” – production bikes whose sole purpose is to be used on the race track.

While none of the manufacturers have adopted a radical approach with their homologation special designs, this year’s INTERMOT show has already seen several such machines introduced, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, the Suzuki GSX-R1000R, and the Honda CBR1000RR SP2.

For Honda, the differences between the SP and SP2 aren’t terribly radical, but they are more purposeful.

The 2017 Honda CBR1000RR SP2 does come with several visual cues that are different from the CBR1000RR SP model: carbon insert panels, gold striping on the tri-color paint scheme, and the more obvious Marchesini wheels.

The real differences though are under the hood, and in the two race kits that will be available from Honda.

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BMW R nineT Racer – Yet Another Café Racer

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BMW Motorrad’s INTERMOT unveilings centered around two machines for its heritage lineup, the BMW R nineT Pure and the BMW R nineT Racer. Both bikes are based off the iconic air-cooled boxer-twin engine, and both bikes are exactly what their name implies.

The R nineT Pure is a basic street standard, styled for a forgotten era. The R nineT Racer adds a half-fairing to the mix, adding yet another café racer model to the list of choices the post-authentic crowd can pick from.

Admittedly, BMW’s design team did a good job with the 2017 BMW R nineT Racer, making a tasteful café model from the very flexible R nineT platform. We especially like the subtly done throwback white, blue, and red paint scheme.

The BMW R nineT has done well for itself with urban riders, and the BMW R nineT Scrambler is eagerly awaited, finally launching in the coming weeks around the world.

We expect similarly strong showings for the Racer and Pure models, though if we had to pick from the two, this would be the one.

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