Whenever a species thrives, we expect them to hunt new terrain. But… not like this…
KTM just fired a missile at the BMW R1200GS Rallye. Collateral damage significant, notably the Ducati Multistrada Enduro.
So what do we know about it? The sticker says 1290 Super Adventure R. It seems to power itself with the mythical LC8 V-Twin. Some say this engine won Dakar in 2002 and cut its teeth inside the RC8 Supersport race bike. Well sort-of, anyway. The LC8 evolves by itself so it’s never really the same. That’s why we love KTM  - they don’t just re-use tired powerplants. Our fresh LC8 has its bore and stroke hollowed to the tune of 1301ccs, 103 lbs/ft of torque and 160 horsepower. This is now the most powerful thing on earth with a 21-inch front wheel.
160hp does not move dirt. It moves the earth.
Let’s take a step back, and figure out what in the hell we’ve discovered here. First glance tells me the frame and engine are descended from the old 1290, which was more of a tourer. But the tank and wheel sizes come from the 1190, which was all adventure.
The headlight is totally alien – an LED so powerful that it has its own radiator, slashed down the centre as a heatsink to cool the bulbs. The wheels are tubeless and spoked alloys, made stronger because the old 1190 front used to taco at the first sight of a rut. I can already see 1190 guys buying these and retrofitting.
Most obvious new feature is the giant smartphone on the dashboard. It’s 6.5 inches of Gorilla glass, which shouldn’t scratch when the 1290 gets a few crumbs of earth on its mouth. Cracking it on the ground is still possible. If you dump the 1290 at just the right angle, you could feasibly put a rock through its nice new iPad.
Is it just me or is this bike alive? It sees when the key is nearby, getting itself ready to race or ready for a pint. It keeps an eye on its own tire pressures. It holds its own speed. It can even hold itself on a hill, but only if I buy it an extras pack first.
The 1290’s power curve is the most linear I’ve felt. It pulls hard, wheelies predictably at 5000rpm, then keeps pulling till you hit peak power just shy of 9000. There’s a lull before the limiter at 10,000 rpm, so you wouldn’t find the glass ceiling unless you were looking for it.
The Travel Pack includes a quickshifter, so I can bang upshifts with no regard for the clutch. Slick as MotoGP from the new MotoGP entrants. Â I could downshift with equal disregard, but grabbing the Brembo brakes is more enjoyable. The feedback is encyclopaedic, telling me everything about scrubbing speed through two fingers.
Only downside is the initial bite. It’s a bit weak.
Handling is tight though, especially considering the bigwheel up front. Stiffer fork springs mean the 1290 doesn’t nosedive as much as the 1190 did. And with Bosch cornering ABS, you can yank the lever mid-turn without tucking the front or standing the bike up and running wide.
Personally, I’m afraid I’ll lose my braking skill, both in lever pressure and in manually balancing the front with rear input. Just like school buses and tanks, the KTM 1290 is narrower than the R1200GS. All my logic tells me that the GS is nimbler in the twisties, and I think it is. But psychologically, the Super Adventure feels sportier due to its smaller size.
But, not as snappy as the old 1190. Honestly this engine is too mellow on pavement, too linear. There’s heaps of power, but it’s all potatoes and no hot sauce.
Hey, cheer up though, the smooth power makes it a great tourer. And remember that 12-volt outlet and waterproof phone-charging compartment? Those are huge touring benefits. Same with the spacious ergos – a 35-inch seat will do that for ya. The aluminum bars, footpegs, shift lever, dash and windscreen are all adjustable. Although the latter moves an emasculating 2-inches.
Allegedly this prevents me from hitting my helmet on the windshield while off-roading, which literally never happens. I’m more pleased with the stubby screen because it passes a lot of air. Same with the new bodywork, which funnels more wind past my torso than it used to. Plus KTM put some reflectors under the seat, so the header pipe no longer roasts my ass. And despite containing pure hellfire, the engine surprisingly keeps its heat to itself.
Long story short, the 1290 is objectively cooler than the 1190. At least on a summer’s day.
Other luxuries include cornering LEDS, which light around the bend when the bike feels itself leaning. They’re not as punctual as you might expect – initiate a turn and you’ll notice the beam catching up a second later.
But hey, the things are brighter than the sun.
Only touring letdown is the throttle-by-wire return spring – it’s too strong and makes my wrist tired. And then there’s the 23-litre tank, which isn’t big enough for a bike half this powerful. I’ve been getting an annoyingly short 250km before I hit the 3.5L reserve.
Limited to 100hp in off-road mode, it’s worlds more manageable. Also the throttle response is numbed, so I no longer carve a Grand Canyon every time I twitch.
Artificial intelligence runs traction control. It gives me a full cocky roost when upright, but turning is robotic. It wants me to slam the throttle and let the bike steer with the engine, which feels strange to a practiced wrist that wants to control its own slide.
But don’t try to outsmart the machine, because if you modulate the throttle yourself, the TC just gets pissed and understeers into a ditch. Off-road ABS is brilliant – it unlinks the front and rear actuators, keeping a tight leash on the former while letting me lock up the latter.
The electronic slipper is again, too robotic. It actually measures rear wheel speed to detect chatter and open the throttle accordingly, which is creepily effective. I can slam a downshift on the slipperiest surfaces and get nothing. It’s downright scary when you count on backing the rear in a bit.
Riding the 1290 fast off-road isn’t about trusting my skill. It’s about trusting the computers skill in transforming this bike for off-road. And that’s a weird way to ride a motorcycle. To be honest it feels exactly like what it is – a big luxury motorcycle that is whipped and tortured into good dirt behaviour. It’s unnatural and a bit sad… like a chained beast.
Screw that! On the SA-R, you can turn everything off on the fly. 160hp, no rider aids, on dirt… let’s try unleashing it one more time.
With a bit of practice, I can see now that the chassis is bloody brilliant. The bike is narrow enough between the legs, the single-piece seat is planky enough to shift my weight fast… that I can actually do this. I can actually ride 160hp off-road.
And hell, it is intense. The bike gets it up like it runs on Viagra. Half the time I find myself doing 100mph by the time the front comes back down. Don’t screw up, don’t screw up, 529lbs is only a problem if I screw up. Pick the wrong line, pick the sticky mud, heaven-forbid I have to pick it up… 529lbs is only a problem when you need to move it.
But when it moves itself, the bike feels light. Its heavier fork springs mean that I ride higher in the suspension stroke, like a dirt bike. Then the rear shock is now a progressive dual piston – 8.7 inches that get stiffer near the end of travel, so I never bottom out.
Slow it down now. Don’t watch the rocks, even though KTM forgot a skid plate. I have 9.8 inches on the belly pan, same as the Africa Twin, which sounds like a coincidence to everyone except KTM’s engineers.
Feather that clutch – it’s incredibly light. You can break the camel’s back with this piece of straw… makes me wonder why I ever let the computer do it for me. Slippery stuff – chug along at 2000rpm. KTM added weight to the crankshaft so the bike just carries itself near idle… no drama, no breaking traction.
I respect the 1290 a lot. It’s perhaps the most mechanically brilliant motorcycle I’ve ever ridden. The dilemma is that the rider aids are overbearing, yet almost nobody is skilled enough to exploit the mechanical brilliance without them.
RyanF9's Gear Setup:
