RUST magazine: RUST #44

LONG TERMER
w
and various crash protections were
never tested.
What I did really like were the
Bridgestone AX-41s (see separate story),
which were great both on- and off-road,
as befits a 50/50 tyre. Lots of grip, even
on wet rock, not noisy on the road and
plenty of grip there, too – and the rear,
after 3000+ miles looks good for a safe
4000 miles. They’re a quality act.
THE GOOD/NOT SO GOOD
Ahh yes – keyless ignition. Turns out I
like it! I kept the key in my jean pocket
the whole time and just pressed the
ignition button on and off as and when.
I am hopeless with keys, never putting
them in the same place twice, so to
just leave the key in the one pocket the
whole five days of the trip – I probably
saved hours of search time. And keyless
fuel cap – I like that too, both for ease
of use and zero chance of bending/
breaking the key.
If there was one thing I could
personally dispense with, it would be
the hill start assist. Maybe it can be
disabled, but I found it intrusive and
when you’re trying to make a threepoint
turn in a green lane (wrong turn
again!) if the electronics get so much
as gets sniff of a slope they stop you
rolling backwards. Honestly, it’s not that
difficult to hold a bike on either brake on
a hill whereas the inconvenience when
it engages exactly when you don’t need
it is a royal pain – and embarrassment.
That said, if I was shorter I bet I’d hold a
different opinion.
Likewise it’s probably not a good idea
to overly rely on the traction control
to save your ass in every situation. I
managed to combine a particularly
aggressive throttle-on moment with
a super-slick section of tar seal and
the 1290 snapped out sideways real
quick. I’m not sure whether it was me
instinctively closing the throttle, or
the KTM’s computer instantaneously
throwing out the emergency safety net,
but it was a close call. Either way, it’s a
big call to ask the bike to save you every
time when riding like an idiot (so don’t!).
Day two of the IoM500 brought rain,
lots of rain. And here I really valued
the rain option in the ride modes, it
simply takes the stress level down a
few notches when on the road and it
gets by well off road too. As well, the
heated grips came into play again.
78
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