Is KTM bringing us the Gods of off-roading?

In India, KTM is synonymous with good looking, quick and flickable street bikes. The Duke brothers have done well on their own, and also for the Indian motorcycling scene. However, KTM is well known as an adventure motorcycle brand in the rest of the world. Their Adventure range of motorcycles have year after year performed exceptionally well in Dakar rally and other extreme motorsports events as well.

So when BikeAdvice.in’s spies spotted a 950 Adventure and 1190 Adventure testing near Kolar, quite a few eyebrows were raised. The adventure motorcycling segment in India is non-existent, apart from the lone Hero Impulse. Such high capacity, high endurance machines testing in India is rather unlikely.

What adds even more spice to the story are the zipped lips of the riders. They didn’t divulge any information whatsoever as to why these two monsters, without any registration numbers, were trundling down the humble roads of our country. 

The KTM 950 Adventure is a dual-sports bike that houses a 942cc V twin belting out 102hp. You can imagine how easily it will eat up the dirt tracks of Ladakh and beyond, and rip apart any other competition on the tarmac as well. It’s bigger brother, the 1190 Adventure, produces a massive 150hp or power and even more crazy 125Nm of torque. It uses the same engine as the RC8 superbike and boasts of state-of-the-art electronics like Traction Control, ABS and Tire Pressure Measurement System.

As much as we would like these bikes to scorch the Indian back roads, we need to keep realistic expectations. KTM has been known to be a pioneer in the Indian motorcycle scene, with the Duke 390 getting standard ABS as a feature. However these big bikes are in a league of their own, and seeing them being available here would be nothing short of a dream come true.

Image source: www.asphaltandrubber.com and BikeAdvice.in.