KTM 1290 Super Adventure S
It’s hard to fathom how we got by, off-road, without 160bhp and a radar. Now we don’t have to…
Oi mister, has it got Adaptive Cruise Control, lean sensitive traction control, hill hold, a quickshifter or intuitive GPS satellite tracking and navigational aids?’ Such are the changing times in which we live. While it doesn’t trip so sweetly off the tongue as ‘oi, mister how fast does it go?’ most manufacturers have erred away from the relentless pursuit of power and speed in an effort to make their motorcycles more user-friendly. And to cater for those with significant disposable in the bank.
At the pointy end of the current battle of the gizmos are KTM with their new 1290 Super Adventure S with its radar-powered Adaptive Cruise Control which comes as standard (unlike similar Ducati and BMW systems). Bolstered by a front sensor through the reformed LED headlight the system is more than just a gimmick.
It takes a bit of time to bond with a system that engages the ABS to control your speed and distances from cars, lorries, buses. You get the idea. But after a while you need only worry about being in the right gear. It’s also super simple and will change the way a lot of people ride.
Within a couple of hours I felt comfortable enough to let the system slow me down when approaching vehicles, to such an extent that I felt I could start playing with the distances it would kick in at. The system activates between 18mph and 93mph while BMW and Ducati both allow their versions to remain active until 99mph. KTM’S version gives five distance-from-the-vehicle-in-front settings along with an ‘overtake assist’ that offers a short burst of acceleration when needed. It remains active during gearchanges regardless of whether you have the quickshifter option or not and de-activates when either brake is used. There’s a conventional cruise control mode, too, that doesn’t use the radar. But there are no sensors at the back of the bike to help highlight dangers lurking in blind spots.
The widescreen TFT display uses images and graphics to show set-up changes. Interaction takes place through an intuitive four-way handlebar button that feels more robust than some of the other plasticky switches to-hand. The semi-active WP suspension can be twinned and mixed with the ride modes and ABS options. Innovations such as Motorcycle Stability Control and Cornering ABS count on data suppled by the 6D sensor. In short, the bike can be set to be as aggressive or as passive as desired, including enviable off-road adaptability. It’s not just the KTM’S high-tech wizardry that impresses, though. The Austrians claim the bike is ‘90% new’, with just the wheels, brakes and a handful of screws remaining unchanged.
Among other chassis mods the revised frame is shorter so the centre of gravity is lower. It may not look it, thanks mostly to the somewhat bulbous looking front, but the KTM is an engineering feat of balance and is reassuringly composed. Factor in the Super Duke-derived 160bhp Euro5 compliant engine and KTM have pulled together an undeniable package that boasts floods of torque.
If you’re any where near sold on the idea of a test ride you will want to know that the seat is twoheight adjustable, the screen rises and lowers by twiddling two lateral wheels, the air filter is a cinch to access and there’s very little built in storage. In fact you won’t even get your mobile phone into what is offered.
Price wise the standard version is a pound shy of £15,000. However, in this PCP driven world buyers will be unable to resist price-hiking accoutrement such as the Quickshifter+. Which is why you very rarely see ‘standard’ adventure bikes on the secondhand market.
The 1290 Super Adventure S weighs into a hugely competitive tech driven market with its head held high. But whether, or not, it can prise consumers away from the Bavarians is open to debate.
‘The 1290 Super Adventure S weighs into a hugely competitive tech driven market with its head held high’