KTM’s excellent 950 V-Twin Adventure is a well-engineered piece of equipment that exudes quality and thoughtful detailing. The “Baja Edition by Scuderia West” (www.scuderiawest.com) takes the stock machine and adds interesting details that sharpen the adventure focus.   

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Powering through the long, sweeping right-hander in the middle of the Los Angeles forest, I was amazed at the ease with which KTM’s Adventure handled the unruly road surface. The bike’s softly sprung, yet perfectly damped, WP suspension appeared to float over the rutted, cracked and bumpy asphalt. The rest of the ride was equally Adventurous—pun intended—and fully encapsulated the sport motorcycle fun factor. The RTT steering damper, built into the new top triple clamp, has a hydraulic remote lever that allows on-the-fly adjustment. Position one is off, position two is 50 percent of the main setting and position three is 100 percent. The light weight of the 950 V-Twin made the KTM beautifully manageable at all lean angles, while the tractable 100 horsepower motor that pulled so strongly from low revs helped the bike accelerate out of low speed corners without any hesitation. The lightweight clutch and easy-to-use, six-speed gearbox make the Adventure easy to ride and sporty on the road; with the free flowing Remus Carbon exhaust, it’s as if you took a dirt bike and shoved a superbike motor in it. Not for the meek at heart, these pipes let loose the V-Twin roar, shed about 7 pounds in weight and significantly cut down on the heat generated. Ultimately, the rideability of the Adventure was incredibly impressive.