TRAVEL FEATURE - SOUTH AFRICA
CHRIS VENTER
" ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF BEING BLIND "
I
had barely climbed out of the car at KTM Cape Town , when I heard the familiar friendly voice of John Carr shouting to me across the parking lot , “ Good morning , Chris ! I bet you are excited . I am a little jealous if I am honest . I wish I was Big Mike piloting you for the next couple of days . The route you have planned is fantastic . Here ’ s your bike , enjoy !”
Big Mike arrived soon after , just as I was running my hands over the svelte body of the new KTM 1290 Super Adventure S and getting familiar with it . This was my first encounter with this particular model KTM , and I was eager to feel for myself in person after reading and hearing so much about this model .
I immediately noticed how much shorter than the previous year ’ s ‘ R ’ model it was . There seemed to be more of a modern sharp and mean cut to the panels . I pointed this out to the guys , and they told me I was right . Sometimes , people are surprised to watch how I feel my way around an object using my sense of touch to draw an image of it . I always feel a bit smug when getting it right . This is after all , how a blind man ‘ sees ’: sound , smell , taste , and touch . With the new 2021 model S , I did a bit more than touch though . Fondle is perhaps a better word .
I found the rear rack and strapped on a small soft bag containing water and snacks . John called over one of the gurus to give us a run down on the bike . He showed Big Mike how to toggle between dirt and street modes , how to use the advanced cruise control and highlighted a dozen or so bells and whistles we could play with . I sensed Big Mike ’ s excitement and eagerness to hit the road and assess the tech out for himself .
A few photos later and we were off riding . The bike has a real roar to it , even with the standard KTM exhaust .
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