KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE S (2021 - on) Review

Overall rating

Additional reporting by Jordan Gibbons and Adam Wheeler

KTM have taken an angle grinder to their 1290 Super Adventure S and hacked away at the previous model , resulting in a 2021 machine that is very different.

The only things that remain the same are the wheels, brakes and a handful of screws. Among other chassis mods the revised frame is shorter so the centre of gravity is lower. The effect is noticeable stability and effortless use.

Ergonomics honed around the three-part 23-litre tank deepens the connection with the road. It may not look it - being somewhat bulbous at the front - but the KTM is an engineering feat of balance and is reassuringly composed.

KTM have thrown a lot of thoughtful details at the Super Adventure. The seat can be switched between two heights, the screen raised and lowered with two lateral wheels, the air filter is a cinch to access and the storage top box won’t fit a large smartphone but is an apt home for the new remote, secure key system.

This bike replaced the 2017-2020 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S.

Ride quality & brakes

Europe’s largest manufacturer are also masters of deception. A naked bike like the feistier KTM 1290 Super Duke R is marketed as the ‘Beast’ but can be as docile as a kitten.

The 2021 KTM 1290 Super Adventure is a hulk of an adventure/tourer but glided and swept around rain-sodden roads on its launch in Fuerteventura like one of the smaller, nimble Dukes the firm is rightly so proud of. The torquey twin has a stack of enticing technical features to-boot.

WP’s latest suspension tech on KTM 1290 Super Adventure

Additional words by Jordan Gibbons

The Super Adventure S has WP’s latest semi-active forks, which, thanks to a new brain, are claimed to offer better response to inputs. That means they are quicker at making changes to the damping.

One of their most interesting bits of tech is an anti-dive function (that can be turned off, if desired). The idea is that when you apply the brakes, the computer senses this and is able to resist the dive. But how does it do it – and why?

First up, some basic physics. When you apply the brakes, the bike continues trying to go forwards. As this happens weight transfers towards the front wheel, which is the part of the bike trying to slow down.

This increase in weight at the front-end causes the forks to compress. In some ways this is a good thing: the extra weight on the front wheel increases traction, so you can continue braking harder and slow down faster.

It has some disadvantages too: the rear wheel goes light and under very extreme weight transfer the fork’s suspension travel can be reduced considerably. This means that should you encounter a bump while the forks are compressed, they’re less able to deal with it, which could end in a calamity.

To help solve this, engineers have come up with all sorts of anti-dive solutions over the years but if you’ve had a bad experience in the past don’t let it put you off this new system that is worlds apart.

All anti-dive functions work on helping the forks resist the forces that make them want to compress. Forks already have compression damping, which works by restricting the flow of oil from one chamber to another, helping to slow the speed that the forks compress.

In early anti-dive systems engineers rigged up extra hydraulics, so that when the brake was applied pressure from extra oil at the bottom of the fork stopped the forks compressing. This brought with it other issues – under hard braking the compression damping could get so high that the forks locked solid.

In KTM’s semi-active system, when the computer senses the front brake being applied, it can quickly close magnetic valves in the fork, restricting the flow of oil, and thus resisting the dive.

Not only does this system mean the fork can increase compression damping quickly and accurately, it also means that if the fork senses a bump the damping can be reduced by the computer without upsetting the front wheel. Nifty eh?

Engine

The LC8 motor has propelled the Super Duke for a number of years and KTM claim it carries the best power-to-weight ratio on the market.

Now Euro5 ready and still boasting floods of torque, KTM Head of Product Management, Adriaan Sinke was not exaggerating when he stated: "It’s a super-exciting engine: it pulls you out of every corner."

Each cylinder now has its own radiator and air ducts that fan some of the oppressive engine heat out and away from the rider, although it was hard to tell through the wet and wind on the island.

Back in the UK this bike remains an exciting thing with monster power.

Reliability & build quality

It's not a great story when you start delving into the reliability of the KTM 1290 Super Adventure. Two owners report serious enough problems to award it a one-star review. There doesn't seem to be a prevailing single issue as much as several, concerning both electrical and mechanical parts.

MCN owners’ reviews of other 1290 models reveal a few grumbles and our on KTM 1290 Super Duke GT long-term test and Super Duke R Evo long-term test bikes have been back to KTM a number of times with various faults, both electrical and mechanical.

Think very carefully about an extended warranty...

Value vs rivals

The KTM 1290 Super Adventure S counts on a thrilling heart – thanks to the Super Duke-derived firepower - and playful versatility in its soul. The standard model is competitively priced at a pound shy of £15,000 but many true adventurers will be tempted by the various add-ons and the Quickshifter+ already starts to push up the numbers.

It’ll cost marginally more than a stock GS, Triumph and Honda but less than a Ducati Multistrada V4. However, the 1290 Super Adventure S already boasts tech features that other bikes either don’t have or works out at better value when you start to upgrade the Italian or Germany machinery to match.

KTM have undoubtedly taken a significant stride in this competitive section of the market and will certainly give the Ducati Multistrada V4 and the omnipresent BMW R1250GS, to name but two of the leading choices, a run for their (not inconsiderable) money.

We've also seen spyshots suggesting that there's an updated Triumph Tiger 1200 model on the way, which will be another option to consider when it arrives.

KTM 1290 Super Adventure S vs BMW R1250GS TE

Considering KTM’s off-road dominance, it is a bit of surprise that ever since they entered the big adventure market in 2003 with the 950 Adventure they have been soundly thumped by BMW.

After all, BMW’s only real claim to fame with knobbly tyres is a scant few Dakar victories – which pales into insignificance compared to KTM’s record. But, of course, this also tells you a lot about just how much ‘adventuring’ most owners actually go in for.

Now it seems KTM have taken notice as the new 1290 is noticeably more road-focused than ever before, a fact highlighted by its decidedly road-patterned Mitas Terra Force-R tyres which contrast with the semi-knobbly Michelin Anakees the GS is wearing.

In a fairly substantial update for 2021, KTM’s adventurer has new ergonomics, a sportier chassis, bigger dash, revised engine, uprated semi-active WP suspension and even some new gadgetry in the shape of radar-assisted cruise control – all features that are aimed at making it more appealing to tarmac riders as if you are a fan of the rough stuff, the full-on big enduro R model is aimed at you.

So, have BMW done enough to keep the R1250GS TE on top, as it only gets a new ‘Eco’ fuel mode and angle-sensitive ABS and TC as standard new for 2021? We took both machines for a lap of the UK’s toughest road test route, the MCN250 to find out.

Straight away the KTM feels far sportier than the BMW. Where the GS has wide bars, the KTM’s are noticeably narrower and the S’s seat has less padding, while the chassis is slimmer and feels more sporty.

Taking to the road on a GS is like being reacquainted with an old friend. If you have ever ridden one you know what to expect and once you get over the initial oddity of the front-end’s lack of dive, which only takes a few miles, everything else just slips into place.

The switchgear is intuitive, the motor easy-going yet full of drive when requested, the seating position comfortable and the dash nice and clear. If you want to just get on with the job in hand, which could be anything from a quick back road blast to a tour of Europe (when allowed), the GS is ready to rock.

When I read the spec list of the 1290 Super Adventure S I really thought that it would run the R1250GS TE very close and possibly even beat it. Semi-active suspension, a great engine boasting more refinement, radar cruise control that the GS lacks and even more road-targeted tyres – but the reality is that the GS remains one step ahead.

KTMs always have a certain attitude to them – and that is reflected in the S. KTM bill it as ‘the ultimate high-performance adventure bike’ but I question if this market actually exists as if I wanted a performance-orientated tall bar bike I’d look towards the likes of the BMW superbike-engined S1000XR, Ducati's all-rounder Multistrada V4 or even the in-house rival KTM 1290 Super Duke GT or Yamaha's flat plane-cranked MT-10.

And anyway, while performance is all well and good, what adventurers want is ease and the ability to cover miles in comfort, which the KTM frustratingly lacks.

A stiff chassis, fairly wild motor and uncompromising seat mean that you don’t want to spend too long on the S, and while the WP suspension’s tech is impressive, dash stunning and the radar cruise control very good, that’s no use if you have to stop every 150 miles to ward off aches and pains.

I know it is dull to hear but there is basically nothing I can find fault with on the GS bar the fact that in the spec tested it is a fair bit more costly than the KTM.

Equipment

KTM have thrown their full technical might at the 1290 Super Adventure S. They are not the first to throw Adaptive Cruise Control on an adventure bike but the Austrian’s have made a strong push at what is a complex piece of kit.

Bolstered by a front sensor through the reformed LED headlight the application is more than just a gimmick. "We often talk about what our bikes are capable of through a mountain range… but we have to remember that first riders actually have to reach the mountain," says Sinke of the Bosch device that makes the KTM even easier to pilot.

It takes a short while to put trust in the system and let it engage the ABS to control your speed and distances but after a while you only need to worry about being in the right gear. It’s frighteningly simple and will change the way a lot of people ride.

Like many other models collaborating with electronics specialists Bosch, the bike uses a 6-axis sensor to inform Motorcycle Stability Control, traction control, Motor Slip Regulation, Cornering and Offroad ABS, a totally revised WP Semi-active Suspension system and the first Adaptive Cruise Control to grace a standard Adventure bike.

The optional extras come in the form of ‘Suspension Pro’ (£244.25) for individual damping for the forks and auto modes for preload and damping, a ‘Rally Pack’ (£174.24) for adjustable throttle response and Rally riding mode for extra off-road oomph.

The ‘Tech Pack’ brings the full monty, including the near-essential Quickshifter+ (priced separately at (£349.28) that KTM still won’t attach to their stock model bikes.

The adjustable 7” TFT with new diagram menu system is reactive, resistant and offers tablet-level clarity and the smallish storage box in front of the triple clamp won’t fit the larger iPhones but will hold the sturdy and nicely designed key. KTM’s ‘Race On’ means an Anti Relay Attack set-up for extra safety. It includes a ten-minute activation/ignition window and five minutes when the bike is stopped on the ride. Props also for the lateral screen wheels.

KTM’s PowerParts and PowerWear offer a litany of extras specifically produced for the Super Adventure S. An Akrapovic slip-on, luggage and the choice for a further eleven forms of seat are among the highlights.

You can take the Super Adventure S down a particular direction if you spec your desired bike wisely. The hard Touratech panniers and top box shown here (£1432) for example would, make big trips a breeze.