Long term update: Is 1050 Adventure a used bargain?

It was a text from a friend through local riding circles and I figured he was thinking of buying a 1050 Adventure and wanted to know how it would stand up to a year’s riding. After answering that KTM’s entry-level adventure bike had stood up well to over 8500 miles of all-weather riding from March through to October, my friend replied that he wasn’t interested in buying a new 1050; he was interested in buying mine from KTM UK.

The thought of any bike previously owned by me (it’s a long-term loan, but I hope you get my meaning) going to someone I know fills me with dread. I racked my brain for parts that were showing wear and tear or anything that had failed in my time with it. The biggest fault was with the clocks, which I’d informed KTM about and was planning to raise at the 9500-mile service. The LCD display for the speedo and surrounding info like the clocks was breaking down and intermittently dropping parts of the digits.

The rest of the bike was quite good. There was discolouring on the exhaust downpipes and the engine casings at the front, where they’re sat directly in the spray from the front wheel. The unpainted aluminium subframe rails also looked a little oxidised after a year’s use and there were signs of mild corrosion around the brake disc rotor bobbins and at the rear of the exhaust silencer where water could become trapped between the sleeve and end-cap. But on the whole the 1050 was in quite good nick.

There were also the small scorch marks on the underseat rails, where I’d dropped an allen key while connecting sat-nav to the battery terminal and accidentally bridged the terminal and frame. That one was my fault, as my friend pointed out when I sent him my report of the 1050’s condition. “That’s why you connect the negative first, naughty boy.” I consider myself told.

It wasn’t enough to put off my friend, who bought the bike. A couple of weeks later he sent another text to say he’d got the bike and was chuffed with it. It seemed KTM had replaced the clocks as they looked new and he only reported minor surface rust on the rear brake disc.

I had a great time in my eight months with the KTM and developed a healthy respect for it. I hope my friend gets the same enjoyment from it.