Super hi-tech KTM 1290 Super Adventure S
Replacement for 1190 Adventure Powerful 158bhp 1301cc engine Every electronic trick in the book
REPUTATIONS ARE HARD to shift. To most riders KTM stands for three things - dirt bikes, rawness and aggressive excess. And yet KTM’S new 1290 Super Adventure S is none of these. It’s outrageously sophisticated and a comprehensive all-rounder that overflows with indulgence. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the most compelling and complete road bikes ever made.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, the obvious points. Yes, KTM already has a 1290 Super Adventure – the towering white machine launched in 2015 with a 30-litre tank and a ballistic 158bhp, 1.3-litre V-twin engine. That bike continues into 2017 but changes its name to the Super Adventure T (see p48). The bike being launched today – this new S version – uses the same engine but is sportier, lighter, more advanced and even more tarmac-minded. In effect it’s a replacement for the discontinued 1190 Adventure, right down to having the same 23-litre tank.
And don’t let yourself get too distracted by the new insectoid split headlight. There’s plenty to be said about it later but for now move your eyes down to the wheels. They’re cast, not spoked, as their lighter weight improves on-road handling. The 1290 S is only the second KTM Adventure to shun spokes (after the 1050) and while hardcore off-road purists can still select spoked rims from the accessory catalogue, or choose the forthcoming 1290 R, this is a clear sign that the S is meant for us regular road riders.
The ultra-premium positioning begins with a new keyless ignition system. So long as the fob is in your pocket you can start the bike, set the steering lock or open the filler cap, though you still need the key to open or remove the panniers. The high-end feel continues with a new 6.5in colour display which, size-wise, sits somewhere between a massive smartphone and a small tablet. Revs and speed are shown clearly, gear position is tucked away in a top corner, while other choices like engine mode, suspension setting and so on are detailed without dominating the display.
As before, the fuctions on the dash are controlled by a four-button cluster that sits on the left-hand bar, though the switchgear itself is new and now backlit at night. The cruise control switch has moved from the right-hand bar to the left and even the indicator button has changed, with a noticeably increased travel fixes the old item’s fragile, plasticky feel. Navigating the menus via the large display is quicker than on the 1190’s twin LCD screens but remains something far easier to do at a standstill than on the move. Trying to adjust the
heated grips (a £166.44 option) via multiple sub-menus is particularly distracting while you’re riding.
Three riding modes (Rain, Street, Sport) change power output, throttle response, and the lean-sensitive ABS and traction control’s intervention. There are separate settings for the semi-active suspension (Comfort, Street and Sport, in ascending order of firmness). Rear preload is set electronically after you tell the bike if you’re on your own or carrying luggage, a pillion or both. Such huge choice might seem a bit baffling but the important thing is the results, which are truly stunning.
Fuelling and throttle response in all of the engine modes is excellent and there’s a real, tangible difference between them. In default Street mode the engine feels permanently well-mannered but still leaves you in no doubt of the cavernous amount of torque available. It’s so vast that there’s little need to go much beyond 5000rpm – just half the rev range – to make rapid progress. Sport mode adds a feisty, cheeky streak and even allows the front wheel to lift a fraction as it charges forward but it’s more about adding to the sensation of acceleration than pulling whopping wheelies. Of course, if you want to switch the traction control off altogether and experience the engine’s full and undiluted power, you might well find KTM’S aggressive excess after all.
The ride quality is sublime. Street mode is the right choice for most regular riding, while Comfort mode soaks up the rough sections of the narrow (and occasionally unmaintained) Corsican roads on which we’re testing the 1290 S. The instant, adaptive damping of the suspension has even allowed KTM to dial in some anti-dive effect. Squeeze the powerful brakes and the fork’s compression and shock’s rebound, momentarily increase to help keep the bike flat. The anti-dive is disabled in the suspension’s Sport setting to give the rider a more direct feel for things, while letting the forks compress (which sharpens the effective head angle) also helps speed up the steering.
The anti-dive is particularly useful at night as it keeps the headlight more level. Ah yes, that headlight… It’s powered entirely by LEDS, from the twin outer lines of the daytime running lights to the high and low beams as well. And that’s the reason for the unit’s split design – the slit in the middle is an air intake, drawing in a cooling breeze to run over the aluminium heatsink required to run the electrics. Whatever you think of the look of the lights, the resulting illumination is superb. In fact, KTM were so proud of this they even laid on a night ride to show it off. The spread of crisp white light on dipped beam is impressive and full beam is like a floodlight – but it’s during cornering that things get really clever. Beneath the regular lights are six extra LEDS (three pointing left, three pointing right) which use
“Outrageous grunt and technical magnificence”
the bike’s lean-angle sensor to know when to come on the further you lean over (lean 10° to make one light come on; 20° for two lights and 30° for all three).
While this tech was on the previous 1290 Super Adventure and is on the current Super Duke GT, it’s far more effective here, as the lights are placed higher up, in the headlight unit. They fill in, with almost pinpoint precision, the exact section of road that the regular headlight isn’t reaching. The only criticism is that they could do with switching on a fraction faster as, occasionally, you can pitch into a turn and find yourself waiting just a split second for the extra lights to come on.
All of this (except the heated grips) comes as standard on the base model 1290 S, as does a tyre pressure monitoring system, a 12V socket and a waterproof phone case on the headstock with an inbuilt USB charging socket. The optional Travel Pack (£584.40) adds even more technology, including a very impressive two-way quickshifter, hill-hold control, motor slip regulation (which automatically uses the engine to help the slipper clutch on sharp downchanges) and a Bluetooth system for linking your phone to the dash.
But all KTM’S brain work hasn’t just gone into fancy gadgets – the fundamentals are all good too. The screen height is more easily adjustable than before, the seat height swaps between 860 and 875mm in seconds (without any need for tools) and the handlebar and peg positions can be adjusted too. Even the prong on the gear pedal has three positions. There’s a new ‘floating’ luggage system for the official panniers (RRP £831.96) which improves stability at high speed, and the small toothed section on the swingarm (which is for you to rest the chain on when you’re removing the rear wheel) shows the kind of attention to detail that only comes when you have a bike designed by fellow riders.
The 1290 S starts at £14,299, though adding the Travel Pack and heated grips takes that to a shade over £15k. But that still fractionally undercuts a similar-spec BMW R1200GS TE (£15,295) and is substantially less than a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S (£16,732). For some riders the lack of shaftdrive will be a deal-breaker while, for others, their outdated assumptions about KTM will stop them considering the 1290 S.
But they should. I can’t think of another bike that combines such outrageous grunt, secure steering, plush ride quality and technical magnificence, with the flexibility to make any road – with any load, at any speed, in any weather at any time of day – so effortless and so exciting. Reputations are hard to change but the 1290 Super Adventure S is good enough to rewrite KTM’S completely.