KTM 1290 Super Adventure (2021 - ) review

Off-road and adventure bike specialists KTM reinvented its flagship ‘Super Adventure’ models in 2014, introducing the monstrous 1301cc 160bhp engine from the then Super Duke, uprating the electronics and styling and reorganizing their family into Touring (T), Street (S) and Off-road (R) models and it was enough to cement it along with the Ducati Multistrada as among the most potent and effective adventure bikes of all. Now the Austrian firm has fully revised them again although, radar sensor below the headlight aside, it doesn’t look like it. The T model has been dropped. The frame is shorter and lighter, the CofG is lower, the motor is now Euro5 compliant, the TFT dash is bigger and better and it now features pioneering radar-controlled cruise control and uprated semi-active suspension. It’s a phenomenally capable and well-equipped machine, it’s just a shame it looks pretty much identical to the old one…

The Super Adventure now lives on in R (off-road) and S (street) forms and it’s the latter we’re focusing on here. In S trim it has 19/17in wheels (the R’s are 21/17) which are cast alloy (the R’s are wires) and wear street not dirt rubber. That, along with slightly shorter suspension, lower two-piece seat, and taller screen not only makes the S the more manageable, comfortable street bike it also puts it among adventure bike royalty. The riding position, though still a little bit of a stretch to climb on board, is upright, natural and comfortable and the screen is easily adjustable. Our only minor niggle is the seat’s slimness (to aid off-road riding) which makes it potentially less comfortable over long hauls than some rivals.

As with the previous Super Adventure, bikes don’t get more practical than this. Although most large adventure machines are all about versatility (it’s a fundamental part of their appeal, after all), the KTM takes things up a notch with genuine off-road ability (although its sibling R version is better yet, albeit at the expense of road comfort). Add too that enormous, 160bhp street performance, decent comfort, luggage and pillion carrying capacity (although arguably not quite as comfortably as BMW’s hugely popular R 1250 GS) and even reasonable round town ‘skills’ (if you can manage its height and wide handlebar) and you have, truly, a bike that can do it all – and then some.

Although the big KTM’s 1301cc LC8 V-twin is uprated over that of the old, largely to adhere to the latest Euro5 regulations, the Super Adventure S’s performance is fundamentally unchanged – but then there was nothing wrong with that in the first place. Punchy and 160bhp potent, the big KTM is the closest adventure bike in terms of pure street performance to Ducati’s class-leading, 170bhp Multistrada V4, which has no dirt ability at all. It also retains some of the best rider electronics in the class and is now even more refined, ironing out some of the rawness of the old. Its braking is equally impressive, with the latest Brembo Stylema calipers and cornering ABS.

Again, and as with the previous model, the Super Adventure S delivers astonishing road handling and ride quality, especially considering it’s a tall, big-wheeled, upright bike with long-travel suspension. The sumptuous ride is enhanced by the use of WP’s latest, constantly updating, semi-active suspension system, which makes a controlled magic carpet ride out of every journey, whatever the road surface. Handling, meanwhile, is impressively stable, sharp and accurate, not least due to its new, shorter frame with revised steering geometry plus its clever, ‘saddle-bag type’ fuel tank, which helps substantially in keeping the bike’s CofG low.

At the end of the day, the Super Adventure S, as before, is a premium (its launch price was almost £15K), 160bhp, highly sophisticated machine with a fairly hefty appetite for consumables such as its semi-knobbly tyres, chain (its BMW R1250GS rivals benefits from shaft drive), brake pads and so on, so this is never going to be a cheap bike to run. On top of that, residuals aren’t as good as its German rival either, partly because KTMs are often discounted towards the end of their model life. Insurance isn’t cheap as well. All things considered, however, it shouldn’t cost much more to run than Ducati’s rival Multistrada V4.

Again, this is a new model with engine and chassis revisions and some bold new technology so until all of that is entirely proven it’s difficult to be certain. On top of that there have been some KTM reliability issues in the past ranging from cracked brake discs to oil leaks. On the plus side, the LC8 engine is now comprehensively proven and refined with the same true of most of the KTM’s cycle parts and electronics, so we have little concern.

One area that’s unchanged over the old version. KTM, in line with most of the leading motorcycle manufacturers also offer a standard manufacturer-backed two-year, unlimited mileage warranty covering all parts and labour. Its service schedule hasn’t changed, either, comprising an initial 600-mile first service oil and filter change followed by interim services annually or every 15,000kms then major valve adjustment checks every 30,000kms.

The old Super Adventure S was already one of the best-equipped bikes in the adventure bike class, boasting everything from adjustable seats and screen to class-leading electronic rider modes, semi-active suspension, 6.5in TFT screen, luggage options, cornering ABS and more and this new version raises the bar even further. The standout addition is the new radar-guided cruise control system which cleverly adjusts speed according to (preset) proximity to other traffic. On top of that the TFT screen is now a big 7in wide and the semi-active suspension is more refined. In short, it wants for nothing.

While the new Adaptive Cruise Control is undoubtedly a step forward, the revised chassis and resultant improved handling is an improvement, the bigger TFT screen dash is welcome and the now Euro5 compliant engine was inevitable, it’s also true that, although the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S is undoubtedly better than the old, its buying proposition is little changed. It even looks virtually the same. Maybe that’s no bad thing: Yes, the Ducati Multistrada V4 is currently the most potent of street adventures and the BMW R1250GS remains the most versatile and comfortable but the KTM runs both very close indeed and offers the added dimension of genuine dirt ability. If you like you adventure bikes 160bhp and orange, you won’t be disappointed.