AUSTRIAN EXPLORER
Why does the world need a 1290? Adventure bikes have begun a shift to the smaller capacities of 1000cc and under, so why be the guys that produce the biggest engine of all the major manufacturers? This must have been a question raised in Mattighofen, just as it was in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, where we set off to find a happy place on the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. The Austrians clearly found an answer that affirmed their enthusiasm for the 1290 but would we find it too?
The 1290 is in the unenviable position of having replaced a favourite in the 1190 Adventure. The 1190 was a very good bike indeed, one that didn’t leave us wishing it would be gifted another 100cc, so why mess with a brilliant recipe when everyone is happy? Well, we can sit and ponder this and other more vexing conundrums, like whether all dogs bark in the same language, or we can twist the throttle and talk motorcycles. We may circle back to the barking question, though, because it’s
