Genuine capability
So what makes the R a potential off-road genius? Predominantly its butch WP suspension, plus a few clever electronic gizmos and ergonomic tweaks, although the core of the bike brags tangible ‘ready to race’ DNA. It certainly looks imposing, like a Dakar bike on steroids. In reality, once you get past the tall seat and ballooned, intimidating cosmetics, the R carries enough versatility to appease factory racers as well as factory workers, and it soon made me feel at ease. There’s very little intimidation once the wheels are in motion.
As we edged away from our hotel and Paracas’ civilisation – the only true civilisation we’d see all day – it was apparent that a huge amount of work went into the ride-bywire and bottom-end of the 1301cc Super Duke R-derived engine for 2017. It was happy to pootle along at very low revs in tall gears – as low as 2000rpm without any lumpiness or hesitation – and the bike felt supremely balanced at dawdling pace. There’s a beautifully light clutch action to accompany a throttle that’s more like a conventional cable-fed tube, while the other controls are fluid and intuitive.
I decided to leave the buttons alone and remain in ‘Street’ mode as we cruised down a dusty highway. The motor thrives in its buoyant midrange and grazing on gears until reaching sixth, as power palpably curtails just after 7000rpm. It’s not often we can associate smooth with KTM gearboxes, yet 2017’s changes ensure a far slicker ’box action, which is made seamless with the new Quickshifter+ feature that allows clutchless up and down shifting. The bike feels stable and glued to the surface as we hit 70mph, although edging away from the centre of the tyres emits a dull sensation from the handlebars to remind me that we’re rolling on Continental TKCs. The adjustable windscreen – which is on the lowest setting due to impending dune action – is doing a half-decent job of shielding my helmet, and there’s a real sense of riding something substantial.
Within minutes, we’re finished with roads and enter Paracas’ National Reserve, with dusty tracks and sections of light sand. 160bhp in a desert is like bringing Semtex to a fireworks party, but thankfully, KTM has engineered an off-road mode into the Super Adventure R, which trims outright power to a more manageable 100bhp. A very quick toggling through menus with the throttle shut (far easier than previous KTMs) engages the mode, which also allows full rider control of the rear brake and traction control set to its least intrusive.
There are often compromises when manufacturers use ride-by-wire to cull power – a loss of connection to the rear wheel is common. However, KTM’s execution is faultless, with a sublime relationship that inspires confidence in tricky environments. There’s still little regard for humanity when opening the R’s throttle, exactly how a KTM should be, with enough grunt in off-road mode to rescue certain situations and drive us to the top of numerous coastal climbs.
As someone who has never ridden in a desert or visited South America, there was a delicate balance of understanding the bike and admiring Peru’s finest panoramas. For much of the morning we tracked the stunning coast around Paracas and, although the relatively simple terrain was everyday fodder for the Super Adventure R, there were still hidden hazards that had to be respected. That said, the R’s beefed-up WP suspension and lashings of travel was chewing up anything, proving this bike isn’t just a brochure model or ‘fake’ off-roader. Lumps, bumps, jumps and crevices were all gracefully absorbed, as was the minefield of rocks. Nothing could fluster the R.
I recall seeing 130km/h (80mph) on the dash as we meandered between dunes, both ends lightly cavorting across the surface. More importantly, the bike was flattering me and proved easy to ride, belittling its mammoth weight with toy-like dynamics. The R’s front-end feels submissive, ready to be bossed and permanently attentive, which allows the rear-end to shake and shimmy under power. With off-road TC engaged and a lean angle sensor, it’s a brilliant tool for newer riders, consenting a certain amount of slip before bringing on electronic intervention. More experienced pilots will become vexed by its intrusion, which hinders hill climbing on loose/deep terrain.
Descending a small peak during a photoshoot was my first encounter with the off-road ABS. While there are mindboggling levels of mechanical grip oozing from the front-end that naturally promotes confidence, not even the best can cope with extreme terrain, but this is without doubt the best off-road technology I’ve sampled. There are no offensive lever movements or nasty digital surprises, instead simply tidying up overexuberant brake inputs, which allows the bike to continue steering or stopping.