KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
The BMW R1200GS Rallye aims to give the world’s best-selling adventure bike greater off-road ability. So how does it cope with Route Napoleon, an unpaved pass and its most accomplished rival yet, the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R?
IT’S COLD UP here. The sun is shining strongly in a perfect, clear blue sky, the grass is green and somewhere out of sight, there’s a marmot yipping. There are two other colours in this scene: the grey-brown of the trail up the Col du Parpaillon… and the white of the snow that’s blocking our path. That’s a bit of a problem, not least because one aim of this trip is to see how the new, off-roadfocused BMW R1200GS Rallye and KTM 1290 Super Adventure R handle this iconic unpaved pass in the French Alps. At 2780m high – 10m higher than Col de l’iseran, Europe’s highest paved pass – it was always going to be a challenge in early June. We’d got a hint that things might not go our way an hour earlier when we found snow blocking the final ascent to Cime de la Bonette.
I turn to fellow tester Steve Holmes and shrug. “I reckon we’re about a mile from the tunnel that’s the high point of the pass,” I say. Steve trained as a quantity surveyor. “Two halves of a pass is the same as one whole pass,” he explains, adding up the mileage we’ll do by turning round and going back down. “Yes, but it still leaves us on the wrong side of the mountain, with a long detour to get to the hotel.” Time to get going…
FOLKESTONE TO GRENOBLE 530 miles, 1.5 days
There are a million ways to cross France. Sadly, we’re starting with one of the worst. I’ve headed out of Calais on the motorway too many times, trying to get south as quickly as possible. A few years ago I snapped and started hunting for alternative routes – and found plenty. But the alternatives all add at least half a day to the journey to the mountains, which is time we can’t spare. So it’s the A26 for us.
I’m riding the new-for-2017 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. It’s a big bike – a great fit for a tall rider like me. The seat’s 890mm from the floor and though I’m 6ft 5in, I can only just flat-foot it. Steve, at a more modest (he says “normal”) 5ft 10in, is happier on the 840mm BMW R1200GS Rallye. Rolling the bikes around in the queue for the Eurotunnel, it’s clear that the GS is heavier (244kg plus whatever’s in the panniers) but the weight seems held fairly low down. The Adventure weighs a relatively slender 217kg (plus luggage) but the mass is carried higher so it isn’t necessarily any easier to manhandle.
All the weight vanishes as we roll off the train. Out onto the motorway, I settle in for the long haul. The KTM has four engine modes: Rain and Off-road deliver 100bhp; Street and Sport offer the full 158bhp, with varied levels of throttle response and traction-control intervention. I’m in Street, which is billed as the less aggressive full-power mode but when the throttle’s twisted hard it’s still eye-poppingly potent.
Not that it leaves the 125bhp BMW in its wake. This model has five modes: Rain and Road come on the base bike; paying for the Dynamic pack adds road-focused Dynamic plus Enduro and Enduro Pro modes (power is capped in Rain and Enduro). Great dollops of low-down drive keeps the GS right on the 1290 R’s tail as we settle into a steady 130kph (ish) cruise.
Both bikes have cruise control (standard on the KTM, extra on the BMW). This is good for my don’t-give-gendarmes-money paranoia as it stops speeds creeping into on-the-spot-fine territory. The BMW system just has the edge in terms of sticking to the set speed as the road rises and falls, the KTM hunting 1-2mph more as it adjusts. I also find that if I add speed for an overtake or have to lose it behind a slower vehicle on the 1290, it’s better to cancel and reset the cruise, rather than press ‘resume’ and let the system return to the set speed on its own. The GS resumes the planned speed quickly and accurately.
As these are the off-road focused versions of road-going adventure bikes, they both have smaller screens than the standard models. Both are adjustable but even when fully raised, both are pretty rubbish on motorways: crouching does shield you from the wind but if you wanted to crouch on a bike, you wouldn’t ride a big
“It’s a big bike – a great fit for a tall rider like me”
enduro machine. These bikes are meant to be about roomy riding positions. Actually, noisy screens aside, both bikes
comfortable but the riding positions are noticeably different. You sit more the GS, with a comfortable reach to the wide, almost cow-horn bars and a relaxed bend at the knee. You’re perched on top of the 1290, with narrower, slightly lower bars and slightly higher pegs. The Rallye’s single seat is plusher than the 1290 rider’s saddle and I find myself starting to shuffle in search of comfort 30 miles before Steve.
We break our journey at Lons-le-saunier — a favourite overnight stop — before carrying on to Grenoble. The 1290 has a three-litre bigger fuel tank than the GS
but, riding steadily as we have been, there’s little between them in terms of tank range as the BMW wrings a crucial few more miles from each gallon to keep it in touch. We’re filling up well before the fuel lights come on, at around 120 miles (to try to stop aches before they start) and the GS uses between one and two litres less each time.
GRENOBLE TO CASTELLANE, ROUTE NAPOLEON 150 miles, half a day
If you type ‘iconic biking route’ into the internet, it doesn’t actually come up with Route Napoleon (I’ve just checked – it comes up with a load of garbage). But it should. Retracing the route Napoleon took when returning from exile in Elba, from Cagnes-sur-mer as far as Grenoble, it’s become a must-ride route for many British bikers. Most take a day to do the length of it… but our schedule doesn’t allow that.
We have an early lunch in the services at l’ile Rose on the outskirts of Grenoble before leaving the motorway at Pont de Claix to pick up the N85: Route Napoleon. Knowing what’s coming up, I put the KTM into Sport mode. You can do this on the move — navigating options on the fullcolour TFT screen using the four buttons on the left-hand bar. It takes a bit of getting used to and it’s easier once I learn how to personalise the display.
As the road climbs from Vizille, two lanes uphill facing one descending, I open the throttle hard for an overtake and leave my breath behind. Boom. If I thought the KTM was potent in Street mode, I need a new word for Sport. Terrifying might come close but it’s not actually scary – just quick in a way that demands a rapid mental recalibration. Only the electronics stop the front wheel snagging clouds — a few brief meters of weightlessness are followed by focused, fierce acceleration as the bike’s brain sheds redundant drive and directs its fury at the horizon, rather than above it.
I know, at this point you expect the BMW to (a) keep up or (b) vanish in the Austrian bike’s wake, depending on which one you’re cheering for. I can’t actually tell you what happens, as I don’t have the mental capacity to check my mirrors for at least a mile. I’m too busy throwing gears at the engine, snicking smoothly through with the quickshifter until things feel less frantic. Once I’ve caught my breath, I see Steve is still behind me. Is the GS closer? Further away? I can’t say.
After having suffered so many motorway miles to get here, Route Napoleon is as refreshing as the moisture-beaded pint at the end of Ice Cold in Alex. It’s what we need. The road hits its stride after La Mure, scrolling through the hills in long, sweeping turns that reward confident throttle use, climbing over Col Bayard before dropping down to Gap in the biggest, friendliest hairpins you’ll ever find.
We swap bikes in Gap, then leave Route Napoleon: the stretch from here to Digneles-bains is, quite frankly, dull. Instead we head out on narrower roads, over Col de la Sentinelle, the Gorges de la Blanche and Clue de Barles. Speeds are lower, letting me settle into the Rallye while Steve gets to grips with the KTM. “My wife’s ballet shoes might help me reach the floor on it — on points,” he says, nervously eyeing the road for signs of camber every time we stop.
From Digne south to Castellane, we’re back on the N85 — and it seems we’re the only people there. “That KTM engine is a
“It’s a must-ride route for many Brits”
beast,” says Steve. “It feels like it wants to pull your arms out and smack you with them. It’s much better when ridden fast.”
As Route Napoleon gets better, it really highlights this road-going side of the 1290 R. It’s not simply that it’s fast: it’s also refined and crisp, delivering enough engine-braking for most corners as the quickshifter and slipper clutch deliver slick downshifts. If more slowing is needed for the hairpins, the powerful brakes are sublimely sensitive and backed up by cornering ABS. It fills you with confidence to make the most of a road this good.
CASTELLANE TO LA CONDAMINE - CHATELLARD 110 miles, half a day
I’m looking forward to this morning’s ride, as it features several of my favourite roads. We head out of Castellane on the D955 around Lac de Castillon to pick up the majestic N202, before peeling off onto the D2202 through the Gorges de Daluis. I can see Steve’s enjoying these roads on the KTM and I’m loving them on the BMW. It has to be said that, having ridden a lot of
different GSS, the Rallye has no surprises. There is the option of a ‘Sports’ suspension pack, but that’s designed for competition-level off-roading and not recommended for road use so this bike has the normal GS suspension. Well, apart from being manually adjustable, not the electronically adjusted semi-active stuff on a regular GS TE, though it is an option on the Rallye (if you want electronic suspension from KTM, you have to buy the cast-wheeled 1290 S model). Despite this, the Rallye makes short work of even the rough road between Beuil and St Sauveur-sur-tinée.
This is where we turn left for the high point of any ride: the Col de la Bonette. The Rallye devours it as any GS would — a
symphony of low-down burps as its bottom-end torque makes short work of tight corners, the rising note punctuated by a cough each time the quickshifter grabs the next gear. Longer turns are despatched with sure-footed accuracy and a big grin.
It’s easy to understand why the GS is such a big-selling model: it’s so easy to ride fast. That 125bhp twin always delivers just the right amount of drive, exactly when you need it, so it covers the ground quickly. It’s not manic and not quite as exciting as the KTM, it’s just quick and enjoyable and confidence inspiring. I don’t even mind too much when we find 6ft of snow blocking the loop of tarmac that runs from the 2715m col up to the Cime de la Bonette, the 2802m highest-paved-non-dead-endroad, as it means I can keep riding the GS.
COL DE PARPAILLON 20 miles, one hour
I’m not a great off-roader, but I’m getting there. Steve’s a bit better but I deliberately haven’t come here with an off-road god, because these bikes are meant to help average riders who are confident enough for a bit of light off-roading. Let’s see if they really do help us. Climbing up from La Condamine, the road is narrow and seriously steep. It’s paved as far as a small chapel, then it thins to become a stony track vanishing upwards into a stand of larches. We stop briefly to set the bikes into their off-road modes.
I’ve switched back to the KTM and I’m really struggling at first. “Stop looking at the floor!” shouts Steve. “Look further ahead. And relax.” It’s good advice – but I’m aware that both bikes are on dual-sport tyres, rather than full knobblies, so I’m paranoid about avoiding muddy patches. A few deep breaths and I get that sorted.
I’m still struggling, though. Even in its 100bhp off-road mode, I find the way the KTM builds its power intimidating: steady, steady, steaaa… far too much. Plus I’m really stooping over the bars — for a big bike, suddenly it doesn’t feel like a big riding position. We rattle up the mountain, teeth chattering as tyres bounce over the rocky trail, until we’re confronted with a slick of snow covering a 300m traverse — it must be 3ft deep and there’s no way round.
Conscious of the rather large drop beside the narrow road, we turn the bikes round and I convince Steve he really can reach the floor on the 1290, so I can take the Rallye. It feels instantly more forgiving, metering out its power more gently. The riding position feels roomier, too: I’m not stooping so much over the noticeably wider bars, so I feel more in control.
Steve isn’t feeling in control on the KTM – it really is hard for him to get his feet securely down, so after a couple of hairpins we switch back. And a couple of hairpins later, I can’t get my foot down and lay the Adventure gently on its side. Despite this, I am feel happier with the 1290 R as long as it’s moving, though even on the longer, flatter straights I still find it too much of an animal to feed it third gear.
We stop by the chapel, drinking water from a spring beside it and reconfiguring the bikes for road riding. Even this short foray on unpaved roads shows that the GS is easier for relative novice off-roaders to manage. The KTM didn’t so much make up for my lack of off-road ability as highlight it. I made it work, but it’s much more capable than I am and it clearly takes more skill to get the best from it.
“I’m not a great off-roader, but I’m getting there”