A True Globetrotter
LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO 2017. KTM INVITED ME TO ride the very latest 1290 Super Adventure R in Peru. Yes, you did read that right. Peru. It was a memorable trip and a memorable bike. We rode in the dunes, took on some serious off-road, it was 35 degrees-plus… and the R was breathtaking. I am no off-road riding god, but the bike made me look good — like one of those KTM blokes you see in the adverts… ish… if you squinted. What a fantastic bike!
Fast-forward to early 2021 and we are in a much less glamorous United Kingdom. However, when KTM opened the garage door to their workshop at Silverstone (next to the GP track), a smile crossed my face despite the cold temperature, because, arguably, the KTM R is even better looking and more desirable than before.
My only major criticism of the now old R was its physical size. It was a big bike, especially for me (5’ 7”). But KTM have addressed that for 2021 with a new subframe that has reduced the seat height, made it narrower, and made the bike more accessible, and is now 880 millimetres from 890 mm.
But that is only the tip of the iceberg. KTM have met Euro-5 standards without losing any power from that arm-ripping 160-hp V-twin and added even more advanced rider aids, accessible via a new seven-inch TFT dash and switchgear. The bodywork is
