KING HIT!
These days an adventure bike should be excellent both on the road and off it, right? They should, but the reality is most adventure bikes have a road bias that’s pretty easy to recognise the minute you drop off the tar onto the dirt. KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure R has gained a reputation for having excellent dirt manners while also boasting a sizeable ability to carve up the blacktop, and in 2021 it received significant updates. So significant in fact that KTM is claiming that 90 percent of components are new or revised. And some of them, such as adaptive cruise control, are aimed at making the 1290 a better road mount.
With 39 years of experience riding dirtbikes – enduro, hard enduro, trials and five Finke Desert Race finishes – I’m in my happy place when riding off-road and I had everything crossed that KTM hadn’t forgotten about improving off-road credentials as it strived to make the 1290 Super Adventure R a better roadbike.
And I’m relieved to report that while the 1290’s road manners and equipment have improved, it’s also become a better off-road machine.
The 1301cc V-twin powerplant now meets Euro 5 standards but hasn’t suffered a loss in performance as a result. Retaining its 118kW (160hp) of power
