KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
The 2017 world unveiling of the big KTM 1290 Super Adventure R took place in Peru, the perfect place to test a tourer with round-the-world ambitions. True, I, unfortunately, tested that version of the Super Adventure R far from Peru, and nevertheless this motorcycle pretty impressed me: under an experienced rider it is capable of doing things that, in my opinion, a large 1301 cc 220 kg elephant cannot do capable.
Alas, that experienced rider was not me, but one of my friends. I, like any normal beginner, was also impressed by the dimensions of the Super Adventure R, especially its height. It seemed catastrophically huge to me then, and this is sad, because on the move it is simply super, but its height frankly scares me. Fortunately, KTM has solved this “problem” for the 2022 version, thanks to a new subframe, lowering the seat from the stock 890mm to 880mm and making it narrower. It would seem, what is one centimeter? And yet, for me he moved from frighteningly tall to the category of simply tall.
KTM 1290 Super Adventure R 2022
Of course, the Austrians did not stop at reducing the seat height: the new KTM 1290 Super Adventure R now fits into the more stringent limits of Euro 5 environmental standards, without losing any of its 160 horses. In addition, he received an even more complex set of electronic assistants, brought to life through a new 7-inch TFT display (and steering wheel controls, of course). The body kit in the 2022 version is completely new: a three-piece tank ensures a lower location of the bulk of the fuel (about the same as on the 790 and 890 Adventure), and the airbox has become much easier to maintain (which is nice in terms of the ability to quickly shake off the filter somewhere in the desert ). Plus, new LED light and much, much more.
The KTM 1290 Super Adventure R is based on the same platform as the S version, but has more off-road capabilities. Semi-active WP suspensions have given way to traditional ones with manual adjustments, but with longer travel (220 mm instead of 200), and the ground clearance with them has become 24 cm. The spoked wheels are designed for tubeless tires, and the front one has become 21 inches (versus 19 on the S version) . Changes in wheel and suspension sizes have also resulted in a more relaxed steering geometry, which is good for straight-line stability. Plus, new colors and graphics, as well as a shorter, smaller windshield that won't obstruct your view off-road.
The old version was and still is cool, but the new R is another step forward in perfection.
Because of Euro 5, KTM had to work on the 1301 cc LC8 V-twin, making its exhaust cleaner. This required a major overhaul of the power supply system and the creation of a completely new exhaust with two catalytic converters. At the same time, the designers managed not to lose a single grain of power: the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R engine still produces 160 hp at 9000 rpm and 138 Nm at 6500 rpm at its peak. The peak power now occurs at slightly higher revs (250 rpm higher), and the maximum torque has decreased slightly, which, however, is not significant for such a high-torque engine.
KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
He pulls straight from the bottom, and pulls so hard that you forget to breathe. A motorcycle built for off-road use with large spoked wheels and long-travel suspension shouldn't be so amazing on the pavement. And yet, it is like this: I literally had to get used to the incredible acceleration at low and medium speeds. 160 horses, you say? At one time, only liter sportbikes, and not tourenduros designed for off-road use, could boast such power.
All this power and strength is controlled and harnessed by four riding modes: Sport, Road, Rain and Off-Road. They affect the engine's character, response, peak power and the settings of the electronic assistants (which now operate on the basis of a six-axis inertia measuring device, rather than the five-axis one of the previous version). Road and Sport modes allow you to release the full power. Rain and Off-Road have a limit of 100 hp (about what the Honda Africa Twin produces at full power).
Electronic assistants are great , but given the fact that KTM’s slogan is “ready to race,” their algorithms are rather aggressive. In Sports mode with a very sharp response and a “soft” mode of operation of the assistants, it lifts the front wheel quite high, but the return of traction after electronic intervention occurs softly and quickly.
The rear suspension is fully manually adjustable , unlike the S model with its semi-active suspension. The KTM 1290 Super Adventure R version is more prone to wheelies, so the electronic assistants don’t have to relax: a jerk of the gas and you’re already hanging on the handlebars and shining the headlight into space above your head.
But don't be afraid - this monster is quite sane. Switch it to Road mode (or the optional Rally) and you can adjust the level of antiwheelie intervention, making it as calm as a boa constrictor (but fast as a cobra). It also goes on the highway with a calm calmness - high sixth gear, the engine works without straining, and if necessary, with a slight movement of the gas you shoot to overtake or break away from the BMW driver who has sat on the tail.
One of the disadvantages of the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R is the lack of a quickshifter in stock. It works so clearly and smoothly that you will miss it. Of course, with such a high-torque engine, it is not needed very often, because the first three gears are enough for driving without excessive speed... But for such a price it was still worth putting it in stock.
The KTM 1290 Super Adventure R weighs 220kg dry. Plus a 23-liter tank, oil, antifreeze - all 250 kg. Given the rider's weight, long-travel suspension and 21-inch front wheel, it should handle like hell—and yet, it doesn't.
KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
WP Xplor suspensions are extremely effective, combining the ill-fitting combination of high-speed stability and off-road compliance. They work actively, the rear squats when the gas is opened, and the powerful Brembos fold the fork quite noticeably - but “perceptibly” does not mean “uncontrollably”. At the same time, the motorcycle remains assembled, the compression of the 48 fork on the brakes is carefully and thoughtfully smoothed out, and when you release the brake, it does not shoot, but unfolds smoothly and accurately, without losing its trajectory in the turn.
On a tall touring bike with long-travel suspensions, you sometimes feel a lack of connection with the road, but on the KTM this connection is perfectly felt through the assembled chassis and excellent standard tires. Having become slightly accustomed to its controllability, I began to weaken the interference of the assistants and relied more and more on sensations and mechanical grip. Many people, especially sportbike owners, underestimate the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R's tarmac capabilities - but damn, it GOES. On the asphalt, this thing feels like a huge supermoto - also because, like on a motard, sometimes you get carried away and slightly overestimate yourself. At such moments, I was very glad that I did not turn off the assistants completely (the tilting ABS especially helped out).
The brakes of the 2022 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R remain the same as on the previous version: Brembo radial calipers on two 320 discs. Said tilt ABS works great, and the rear brake ABS can be switched off if desired. And most importantly, in combination with the excellent Xplor fork, powerful and informative brakes work with filigree precision.
The best news on the off-road front is the new subframe, which makes the seat 10mm lower and narrower. It would seem, what is 1 centimeter? But KTM moved the engine in the frame and redesigned the tank, and thanks to this, the center of mass has noticeably shifted down and forward.
Test drive KTM 1290 Super Adventure S by Vladimir Ollilainen
Good afternoon dear friends! In this article I want to share my opinion about the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S motorcycle.
I tested this motorcycle for two days. During testing, I drove it in dense city traffic, drove along highways, country roads and forest roads. During enduro testing, we drove for 2.5 hours on roads consisting of compacted stones, hard ground, soft ground, mud, sand and forest paths. We crossed ditches, a river, a sand pit, a forest and mud ruts. This trip was not without falls and adventures, which I will tell you about a little later!
I want to start by saying that we tested the “S” version on road wheels, which covered more than 9,000 km. This motorcycle has not been equipped with additional protection, and yours truly is not a professional motocross or enduro athlete.
One of the main units of the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S motorcycle that is worth paying your attention to is a 2-cylinder, 4-stroke petrol engine, V-shaped with a camber angle of 75°. This model of the LC 8 engine was inherited from its predecessor, having undergone some changes. The new engine has been increased in cylinder capacity from 1050 cc. cm to 1301 cc, which gave the engine additional power that increased from 125 hp. up to 160 hp Now to the dry information I want to add personal opinions and feelings about the engine and everything connected with it. It is powerful, aggressive and provokes an aggressive driving style. In all four modes: SPORT, STREET, RAIN, OFFROAD, the motorcycle actively responds to opening the throttle. In any gear, if you need to quickly overtake one or more vehicles, you open the gas and realize that you are already overtaking. The motorcycle accelerates from any speed instantly! The engine has slight vibration at high speeds. Please do not forget that the engine is V-shaped and has a large volume! During active acceleration, the motorcycle easily wheelies from first to third gear.
And here I want to draw your attention to electronic systems that help you control your motorcycle by correcting your mistakes. If you have not disabled antiwheelie, Traction Control and ABS, then the MSC system will correct your errors so gently that you will not even notice it is triggered. At the same time, you will be completely confident that you are a first-class racer who knows how to control a motorcycle.
This system will allow you to confidently and aggressively control the motorcycle and even lift the front wheel off the asphalt by 30 degrees. When I consciously lifted the motorcycle into a wheelie, it so gently returned me back to two wheels that I did not understand whether it was me or the motorcycle . There is no feeling of electronic interference in your control from the word “AT ALL.” I would like to separately draw your attention to the operation of the electronic throttle stick. Unlike motorcycles from competing companies that I have ridden, its operation is informative and does not have a delay in the beginning of the opening. I was also very impressed by the clear and smooth shifting of the manual transmission. If you wish, you can equip the KTM 1290 SR version with a quickshifter.
I want to devote the next paragraph to the driving characteristics of the motorcycle, and here I will share my impressions and experience. As I said earlier, I tested the 1290 S version of the motorcycle on road worn tires. I drove most of the road on asphalt in SPORT mode and with the Traction Control system disabled. Shock absorbers from White Power coped with all my active actions while driving. These shock absorbers are semi-active. In addition to the four suspension modes that the driver can select, there is also an electronic system that additionally adjusts the shock absorbers. Receiving information from sensors located in the shock absorbers, wheel speed, motorcycle tilt angles, gear engaged, throttle opening and many other parameters, the suspension control unit adjusts the operation of the shock absorbers about 50 times per second. Also, this suspension has an anti-dive effect when braking, which allows the ABS system to work more subtly. Since I mentioned the ABS system, I want to say about my impressions about it. I have never seen a more effective and unnoticeable ABS treatment. First I'm on the KTM 390 DUKE, I decided to do a stopi. When I actively pressed the front brake lever, I got the expected braking effect, loading the front suspension and unloading the rear. At the moment of the expected start of the rear wheel lifting off the asphalt, I felt a small vibrational itch in the front brake lever, which did not allow me to stop but still maintained active braking. On the KTM 790 and 1290, I deliberately brought the ABS to operation and I want to repeat, I have not seen such an effective operation of this system on more than one motorcycle. Having talked about ABS, I want to return to my feelings about the suspension. When we reached the exit point from the asphalt, we were greeted by a road leading into a forest of compacted stones, where your humble servant, like a child eager for fun, opened the throttle, forgetting about switching from SPORT to OFFROAD mode 
After driving several kilometers along this road and crossing an artificial ravine and a couple of deep mud puddles, I ran into a root sticking out of the stones, causing the front wheel to break a little. At that moment I realized that I was rushing off-road in SPORT mode with Traction Control disabled. Then I acted like an inquisitive schoolboy, turned on the RAIN mode instead of OFFROAD and did not turn on the Traction Control, and we flew on. I would like to note this convenience of adjusting the suspension for inexperienced or technically unsavvy drivers, taking into account the fact that it is also adaptive. Continuing to move, we went deeper and deeper from the places of civilization, the road became more and more interesting. In one place, in front of a deep puddle and a mud rut on the side, my friend Alexey asked how to get through this obstacle.
Having received the information, he did not dare to immediately force the deep puddle, but crawled along the mud rut, while I, on the contrary, dynamically forced the deep puddle with mud. I would like to note that the motorcycle overcame this obstacle with ease on road tires. Where a KTM 790 on road tires crawled along the track nearby, pushed by Alexey. Emboldened by such opportunities and losing analytical control, we approached another mud obstacle with crushed ruts from SUVs. By that time, my friend was driving the motorcycle more confidently and, despite the fact that the distance of the difficult section was long, I gave recommendations to Alexey to pass in dynamics and look ahead in advance, choosing a trajectory and avoiding loading the front wheel. As he started moving, my eyes fell on the wheels and my analytical mind returned! I realized that it was unlikely to pass this section on the tracks and on these tires. But madness and courage do their job, Alexey overcame this obstacle along the parapet on the right side. Without doing an analysis to correct for luck, I decided to immediately overcome this obstacle. Halfway through the journey, my motorcycle slid off the parapet into the rut and at that moment I realized that my wheels had turned into skis, thanks to which I was floating along the rut. Hoping that I would be able to cope with the swim, a surprise awaited me in the rut in the form of a recessed log, which I safely stumbled upon. Taking into account its diagonal location, I and the tire could not cope, and as a result I fell.
Now I want to talk about the advantage of this motorcycle among its single-purpose competitors. And please do not compare this model with motorcycles that are designed only for enduro and are not suitable for long-distance travel on asphalt roads. After a fall at a speed of approximately 30 km/h, the standard motorcycle without protective bars, as on the R-version, and without additional installed protective equipment, as required by motorcycles from competing companies, it remained safe and sound. Due to inertia, during a stop, the seat partially snapped out. I picked up the motorcycle without much difficulty, then started it and continued driving. Then there were roads along the sand, we crossed a river, we also made our way through forest paths along a small cliff on one side and there were many other impressions.
Having shared my impressions of part of our trip, I will continue to talk about the features of the motorcycle. Returning to the motorcycle suspension, I want to tell you that it behaves beautifully when driving on bad road sections and asphalt. The behavior at high speeds, taking into account the design features of the motorcycle (this is not a sportbike), is excellent. Comparing the motorcycle with a competing German-made company, I would like to note that, thanks to the design features of the motorcycle, the Bavarians have better traversal on uneven asphalt sections of the road, the passage of speed bumps and the anti-dive effect during braking than the KTM, but the traversal over rough terrain and the absence of roads KTM superior in many ways.
On asphalt, the steering response is clear, allowing active lane changes, wide avoidance of obstacles at high speeds, and high-speed cornering in an aggressive format. During active taxiing, I did not experience any feeling of overload coming to the front wheel. The front suspension worked out all my insolence during the steering phase. The braking systems cope with braking from high speeds, but you must take into account that the S version will differ better from the R version due to the width of the wheels. Narrower wheels have a smaller contact patch and may not have the same coefficient of friction, which will affect braking and steering.
Now I want to pay attention to the ergonomics of the motorcycle. My height is 170 cm. The first thing that caught my eye was the wide seat, consisting of two parts. In the R version, the seat is narrower and solid, for more comfortable operation of the motorcycle while riding while standing. At the same time, moving for about 2.5 hours while standing and working with the motorcycle, I was not bothered by the width of the seat, although for this reason there were slight restrictions in tilting. When driving for a long time on the highway, the seat was comfortable and comfortable. I could reach the asphalt with the toes of my shoes, but at the same time I did not experience any difficulties during stops, since I confidently stopped on one foot. It was inconvenient to remove the side step given my height, and no matter how hard I tried to adapt, I couldn’t do it on the first try. Separately, you can pay attention to the fact that the KTM 1290 has adjustments to the footrests and manual transmission shift levers not only in height, but also in the size of the boot. Control panels deserve special attention. Maybe someone says that it looks cheap, but I want to tell you that they are very comfortable and I didn’t think about how and where to press, unlike BMW. It should also be noted that, unlike its predecessor, KTM moved the cruise control controls from the right side to the left, which has become much more convenient. Menu management is simple and convenient. It didn't take me long to figure out the settings and switching. The dashboard is designed in the form of a tablet. It has 2 backlight modes, day - night. The information is quite readable on the go and it is possible to display on the main screen the information you are interested in that is hidden in the menu. The tablet's tilt angle can be changed. For the first time, KTM has keyless entry, which adds convenience. There is also a 12V socket and a waterproof phone pocket with a USB cable inside. The headlight on the motorcycle is diode, unlike its predecessor. The headlight light is excellent, with additional side lighting diodes that turn on; depending on the angle of the motorcycle, from 1 to 3 diodes turn on. These diodes improve lighting when cornering at night. I would also like to draw your attention to the windshield. It has mechanical height adjustments on both sides. It can be adjusted from any side. The glass has good wind protection and does not block the view. Moving at high speeds, I experienced no resistance to the wind other than a gentle tapping of the wind on my shoulders. While driving while standing, I did not lower the glass down and it did not interfere with me, even when changing the stance towards tilting forward. The ergonomics are comfortable for both sitting and standing riding. Given my height and weight, I didn’t have the feeling throughout the entire route that I wouldn’t be able to hold the bike. In the forest, I did not experience any discomfort associated with the size and weight of the motorcycle. I would like to wish everyone safe roads and positive emotions!
Do not judge strictly. I shared my impressions based on my experience and skill in driving a motorcycle!
I thank the BikeLand store for providing me with a motorcycle for a test drive. Author of the article: Vladimir Ollilainen.
#KTM #KTM1290ADVENTURE #KTM790ADVENTURE #BIKELAND
KTM 1290 Super Adventure R off-road
For less experienced riders, this difference is quite significant: the new big KTM 1290 Super Adventure R has become more obedient and controllable on the ground, it is now less prone to lying down and balances better. It makes it easier to get your foot to the ground (while staying upright), and that extra off-road confidence is invaluable for inexperienced and shorter riders. Previously, I had to literally eat the terrain with my eyes in order to find a bump, drive up to it from the side and stand on it with my foot (need I explain how sad it is when this bump turned out to be loose
