Dakar Hardcore And then some
Take a top-performing Adventure bike and really beef it up. Use some old-school racing pedigree to make it the boss. The daddy. And then launch it in real Peruvian Dakar territory...
Gazing down at the 1290 Super Adventure R’s snazzy new TFT dash, it reads 38ºC. And, dressed in full adventure clobber, it feels like it. I’m in the middle of the Peruvian desert awaiting recovery after a fellow journo suffered a puncture, inflicted by one of the perilous rocks scattered across the vicinity. Sweating profusely, the fact that Sam Sunderland and the Dakar boys haven’t competed in Peru for several years wasn’t playing heavily on my mind. We’re miles from civilisation, shade or respite; the relentless sun, searing temperatures, dehydration and a diminishing CamelBak certainly was. This wasn’t just a press launch. It was a challenge.
We were in safe hands though. Kiwi Dakar rider, Red Bull Romaniacs victor and general off-road god, Chris Birch, was our lead rider, emphasising just what can be achieved aboard the R at any given opportunity and making the Super Adventure R look more like a BMX than an über tourer. I’d given up questioning just how a 160bhp behemoth, that weighs 217kg before fluids, boasts authentic aptitude to absorb such rebellious terrain. Instead, I simply relished the ride.
Getting into it
We had two choices for the afternoon ride – take the easy route back to the hotel or tackle some genuine Dakar terrain with Chris Birch. Having flown halfway across the world for this, I chose the latter.
By now, the reason for KTM’s insistence on drinking plenty of water and wearing CamelBaks was fast becoming clear, as was Chris Birch’s motto, ‘Say no to slow.’ We followed a ragged track that would have punished any vehicle, which turned out to be around 10km taken at a constant 100+km/h, and I was soon way out of my comfort zone. Granted, the bike was occasionally throwing shapes below me, yet it never felt threatening and remained relatively in-line.
Arm-pump was now starting to rear its ugly head, as was fatigue, and my vision was starting to become affected – as soon we stopped, the relentless sun was almost unbearable. A smattering of coarse rocks meant we played out the opening paragraph’s scene before the real action began.
Miles and miles of dreamy, untouched dunes and deep, golden, Peruvian sand would await for as far as the eye could see. Sand requires a certain amount of commitment and a completely different riding style to any other environment – weight to the rear of the bike and throttle held open. Stop and you’ll sink, particularly with such monstrous power on tap. Momentum is key. Again, the R rubbished its size and weight, holding my hand throughout the next few hours...
Back to real life
So what’s the R like on the road, in an environment that 90% of these bikes will call home? I’d love to be able to extol its virtues but, of the 200km we covered on the test route, only a fraction was Tarmac-based.
Stretching the 1290’s legs takes little provocation with 160bhp, but the core of the bike will perform just as well as the less focused S version, though you’ll have to pay an extra £200 for the privilege.
I’ve ridden most of the big adventure bikes off-road and the 1290 Super Adventure R absolutely romps its rivals. Given KTM’s utter domination of the Dakar (16 races undefeated) and the importance of showcasing the R’s off-road pedigree, it was no surprise that so much effort was ploughed into this launch event. Not only does the R live up to KTM’s claims of being the most powerful extreme travel enduro bike, it’s also one of the most versatile.
With the exception of semi-active suspension (which would be pointless off-road), this is a bike that carries luxuries such as keyless ignition, cruise control and Bluetooth connectivity, yet it’s a machine that’s just as happy on highways as it is in mountains and extreme terrain. With the flick of a switch, it’ll transform from superbike hunter to supercross wannabe.