Rennie Scaysbrook | November 26, 2022
At long last, we’ve got our hands on a KTM 1290 Super Adventure S. Is the ride worth the wait?
Photography by Kit Palmer
The 1290 Super Adventure S has been the sleeping giant in KTM’s lineup ever since its 2017 debut. Underrated, under-loved and under-appreciated, the 1290 S seemed almost happy to be straddled with the senior citizen role in KTM’s otherwise youthful lineup of motorcycles that seemed more concerned with going fast on all types of terrain. As KTM proudly says, Ready To Race.
However, in 2022 (2021 for the rest of the world, sigh), the 1290 S received a significant facelift and is now a sharper, leaner and—let’s face it—angrier version of the rather fluffy 2017 edition.
The designers went through the $19,499 2022 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S top to bottom, leaving only the wheels, brakes and a few odds and ends untouched from the 2020 model. Housing a revised version of the 1301cc LC8 V-twin found in the 2020 1290 Super Duke, the 1290 S gains a few gearbox mods like a new shift drum and shift forks, plus a revised Quickshifter+ system for some of the smoothest and fastest gear changes of any bike on the market today.
There’s a fair argument to say the 1301cc LC8 is KTM’s greatest production motor to date. As such, internal changes have been minimal. It’s a mammoth of arm-wrenching torque, it’s twin-spark heads providing creamy smooth combustion that feels almost electric at mid-rpm ranges.
Don’t let the docile nature fool you—there’s still 160 horsepower and 101 lb-ft on tap here, and it will take a brave sportbike rider to outrun a 1290 S in the twisties given the ease of use and fluidity of steering offered by the revised chassis.
It’s got so much low-down torque and such a great feel from the clutch you can take off from the lights in fourth gear and not stall (although I wouldn’t recommend repeated attempts at this), the motor chugging along quietly like a train.
Being a modern KTM, there’s plenty of adjustment at your fingertips—there’s a six-axis IMU, modes of Sport, Road, Rain, Off Road and Rally (strange, given the tarmac leanings of the 1290 S), all offering varying levels of throttle response, traction control and Cornering ABS intervention, Motor Slip Regulation and the rather neat Slip Adjuster, complete with an image of just how far the chassis will let you hang it out before you get launched into orbit (see the dash-explanation video below).
VIDEO | 2022 KTM 1290 Super Adventure Dash EXPLAINED
The 1290 R and S are very closely linked and are easily the largest motorcycles in KTM’s range. The S is physically imposing, but that fact belies the effortless handling the chassis imparts. Lessons learned in the 890 ADV like the low-slung 6.1-gallon gas tank near the rider’s knees have been applied, and the radiators are now split either side of the chassis. This is a thoroughly easy motorcycle to get along with, the ride comfort helped by a new chassis matched to all-new semi-active suspension from inhouse supplier, WP and Terra-Force R tires from Mitas.
You sit more over the front on the 2022 S compared to the 2017-2021 model, with the steering head moved 15mm closer to the rider. A 15mm longer swingarm aids acceleration, traction and stability, allowing you to screw it on harder and faster, if you so choose.
WP’s 48mm SAT (Semi Active Technology) fork and WP SAT shock take care of the suspension duties, and the fork is fitted with a version of anti-dive that has been the bane of many an engineer since motorcycle suspension itself was invented.
WP’s version allows the fork to compress under braking like a traditional fork. However, when the front brake is applied, a signal is sent to the fork which allows the magnetic valves within it to close rapidly, which restricts oil flow and slows down fork speed.
This effectively allows the compression circuit to be moderated in a quicker, more controlled way, and ensures that if you hit bumps in the road the compression damping can be altered to keep the front wheel in touch with the tarmac at all times.
There’s no real way to test this aside from slamming on the brakes on a bumpy road, which I did a few times, and I’ll freely put my hand up and say I couldn’t tell what exactly was happening underneath me other than braking performance was never compromised. At no point did I feel like the bike was going to get away from me. The ride is uber smooth, but it’s a very electronic motorcycle, which gives a slightly different/disconnected feel at the handlebar compared to conventional springs and clickers.
Various modes within the suspension brain allow you to dial in the feel you want, and you can independently vary shock preload and stiffness, anti-dive and fork preload/stiffness. You can turn the 1290 S into a track day hack (yes, people do) or the kind of bike you’d ride form LA to New York on, but the individual modes seem pretty good for the majority of riding I did during my week on board. Granted, I did not ride with a passenger or luggage, at which point you may want to get in there and change the settings yourself.
The electronic adjustability is almost infinite on the 1290 S. Almost every form of suspension, throttle or braking parameter can be altered, and don’t forget there’s the Adaptive Cruise Control hiding within the ECU as well, just like that maxi-ADV tourer painted red from south of Austria’s border.
The ACC runs three distance settings to the car in front, with the furthest setting being a good 100 ft or so. I am a massive fan of ACC, have been since I tried it on the Multistrada last year. The KTM’s got a slight upper hand in one area in that when the throttle is reapplied by the ECU as the car in front pulls away, the drive comes in smoother than on the Multi. However, the Multi does have Blind Spot Detection software integrated into the mirrors, which the KTM is missing.
The 1290 Super Adventure S is an exceptional machine from KTM but it’s not for everyone. The sheer size of the bike means even for me at 6’1” I found I had to be a careful in getting the bike off the side stand and on its way, and the overwhelming number of electronic parameters will no doubt put a few buyers off.
However, from a purely riding and not owning point of view, this is one of my absolute favorite motorcycles of 2022. CN
2022 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S Specifications
MSRP: |
$19,499 ($21,543.94 as tested) |
Engine: |
Twin-cylinder, 4-stroke |
Valvetrain: |
4-valves per cylinder |
Cooling system: |
Liquid |
Displacement: |
1301cc |
Bore x stroke: |
108 x 71mm |
Fuel injection: |
Electronic, twin injectors per cylinder, full ride-by-wire 52mm elliptical throttle bodies, fixed-length intake system |
Compression ratio: |
13.1:1 |
Exhaust: |
2-2-1 |
Transmission: |
6-speed with optional Quickshifter+ |
Clutch: |
PASC slipper clutch, hydraulically operated |
Electronics: |
Four Riding Modes, Power Modes, Cornering ABS, Traction Control, Quickshifter+, Vehicle Hold Control, Cruise Control, full LED lighting, Daytime Running Light, backlit handlebar switches, 7-inch TFT color display |
Chassis: |
Chromium-Molybdenum steel trellis frame, powder coated |
Front suspension: |
48mm WP SAT fork, semi-automatic, fully adjustable |
Rear suspension: |
WP SAT shock, semi-automatic, fully adjustable |
Front brake: |
Dual 320mm discs, radially mounted Brembo monobloc four-piston, 2-pad calipers, radial master cylinder |
Rear brake: |
267mm disc, Brembo 2-piston caliper |
Front tire: |
120/70 x 19 Mitas Terra-Force R |
Rear tire: |
170/60 x 17 Mitas Terra-Force R |
Rake: |
27.7° |
Trail: |
4.3 in. |
Wheelbase: |
61.3 in. |
Seat height: |
33.4-34.7 in. |
Fuel capacity: |
6.1 gal. |
Weight (wet): |
540 lbs. |