2017 KTM Adventure launch review

KTM has now been a part of the adventure segment for 14 years, with the Aussie and New Zealand markets key drivers in the success of the 'travel' range.

The company certainly doesn't meander along in a vacuum – with 500 people in its R&D department it can't! – and in 2017 it's reconfigured its adventure arsenal to pique the interest of riders across the entire road and off-road spectrum.

We'll be seeing three of those bikes in Australia and New Zealand: the 1090 Adventure R, 1290 Super Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure S, which will start going on sale this month (May 2017) as the Austrian marque takes aim at the likes of BMW Motorrad, Ducati and Triumph.

An almighty blue
KTM chose the beautiful Blue Mountains in NSW to launch the three new models, with half-a-day set aside for the off-road component (1090 Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure R) and the balance of daylight (and some night as it turned out…) for the 1290 Super Adventure S.

A KTM representative at the launch described the 1090 Adventure R as the "most capable off-road" machine in the new line-up, and the 1290 Super Adventure R for the person "who wants to have it all". Even allowing for the embellishment that is part and parcel of such launch events, that's not far off the mark.

The steel trellis frame on the 1290 R not only houses the 1301cc 75-degree V-twin based on the powerplant out of the "Beast" – the 1290 Super Duke R (review here) – but the tech package includes lean angle sensor-regulated ABS, traction control and LED cornering lights, four riding modes, a tyre pressure monitoring system, illuminated handlebar switches, a phone 'pocket' with USB charger, self-cancelling indicators, a strip on the lighting cluster to cool the LEDs, a radiator heat deflector, a stunning 6.5-inch full-colour TFT display, cruise control and an immoboliser. Mind you, in standard trim, I'd swap cruise control for heated grips any day…

Dedicated 1290 R accessories fitted to the launch bikes included pre-filters to combat really dusty conditions ($99.99), a carbon heat protector for the catalytic converter ($279.99) and a Travel Pack ($999.99) which includes hill start control, motor slip regulation, two-way quickshifter and KTM My Ride connectivity.

The 1090 R doesn't have the same level of sophisticated lean-angle electronics as the 1290 R, but the staples are there: ABS, traction control (both switchable) and the four riding modes. The 1090 R also has to manage with a humble LCD dash – completely fine and easy to read, mind you – and halogen lights, while its engine is a souped-up version of the previous 1050 Adventure donk. Capacity is still 1050cc, but horsepower is up by a whopping 30hp to 125, working alongside 109Nm of torque.

Power and torque for the 1290 R are stratospheric in comparison: 160hp and 140Nm respectively. Both bikes have KTM's excellent hydraulic PASC (power assist slipper clutch) system, with one of the softest and tactile clutch packages you'll find anywhere.

When you begin to get a feel for the different spec levels, the 6K price difference between the two models begins to sense – the 1090R retailing for $19,955 and the 1290R $25,995.

Talking time
One thing the two bikes do share is the same chassis package, with the orange trellis frames, fully adjustable WP suspension and 21-inch (front) and 18-inch spoked wheels, fitted with Continental TKC80 rubber.

The WP suspension comprises 48mm upside-down forks and KTM's PDS (Progressive Damping System) shock absorber, which is also found on the company's EXC range of enduro bikes. There's 220mm of suspension travel on both bikes – and we did need that on the ride, as the off-road route did serve up some fairly heavy potholes to test the limits of the suspension.

Ground clearance is 250mm, the seat heights are 890mm, and fuel tank capacity is 23 litres.

The 1290 R was my first port of call – and how can you not enjoy that engine. The delivery is super smooth, with 108Nm of torque ready and waiting at just 2500rpm. That means – chassis willing – even the tightest corners aren't a problem for the 1290R to blast out of, and when the plains open up there's probably only one other adventure bike that can match it in the top-end stakes – the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro.

The taller screen on the 1290 R compared to the 1090 R does come in handy on the road, with adjustment via a hand wheel.

When the taps were open, the accessory Akrapovic pipe ($1700) added a little more fruit to the occasion, and other goodies fitted from the KTM PowerParts range included rally footpegs ($299.99) and heavy-duty aluminium Skidplates ($499.99). The 1090 Rs were also fitted with the same treats.

The 1290 R is a lean package at 217kg, so there's plenty of cornering and tight-angle aptitude. This really is a salutary point, as – let's be honest – adventure bikes that are inching towards the 300kg mark turn off a lot of people with their sheer bulk. They are not only hard to steer in tighter spots, but they punish the suspension and are extremely back-jarring to pick up.

The four riding modes on the 1290 R (and the 1090 R) are Sport, Street, Rain and Offroad, with the last two dropping maximum power to 100hp. They can all be changed on the fly, but on the first off-road section, which was a garden-variety dirt road, I left the bike in Sport mode to enjoy the full pleasure of that engine, but switched ABS and traction control to the off-road settings.

In off-road ABS, that means no anti-lock at the rear, in the same vein as BMW's Enduro Pro setting – but only it's standard on the 1290 R.

Actually, I played around with a bevy of settings, as KTM just about allows the rider carte blanche to manage the riding modes, traction control and ABS. Just look at them as mutually exclusive functions – power, traction and stopping – and you'll begin to understand how it all works.

The wide dirt road soon gave way to narrower, rockier and pothole-ridden fire trails, where the focus became more about the chassis and ergonomics. The handlebar was a smidgeon too low for me – a common occurrence with my short torso – but not so prickly that I had to return to the one-piece seat (which is comfortable mind you).

Even though there's a fairly liberal 220mm of suspension travel, the front end did bottom out initially – the PowerParts skidplate coming in very handy! However, the beauty of the WP suspension is that it's fully adjustable and extremely receptive, and the few tweaks I made on the recommendation of New Zealand enduro weapon Chris Birch appeared to work a treat and stiffen up the initial part of the stroke.

The 1290 R felt a lot better for it, but unfortunately my time was coming to an end on the big girl as it was time to get a taste for the 207kg 1090 Adventure R.

1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R IN BIKE SHOWROOM

Seat of the pants
The 1090 R is the real off-road deal, and it didn't take long to realise its proficiency in that area. The engine obviously doesn't have the same hefty body of work as the 1290 R, but compared to the old 1050 it's light years in front.

I actually found myself gravitating towards Street mode in the dirt, just for that little bit of extra perkiness. Again, the electronics – engine modes, ABS and traction control – work in a similar vein to the 1290 R, so it was a matter of getting straight into it, although a flat front tyre did stall proceedings for about 30 minutes…

The 1090 R not only looks small, it plays small and that's why it really talks the talk in the bush and provides a real seat-of-the-pants experience.

I felt more comfortable pushing hard on the 1090 R than the 1290 R on the lumpier fire trails, but part of that was because the suspension felt way more sorted from the get-go. There's nothing like that 1290R donk, though!

At $19,955, that's a lot of adventure riding dexterity in the 1090 R, and whether you'd consider the full biscuit 1290 R depends on you riding orientation and whether you covet all the mod cons.

After the front tyre was repaired, the trails opened up and the enjoyment factor went up a notch. Not so much from a chassis perspective, but the more expansive terrain felt like a better fit for the engine – more mid-range and less reliance on the rpm basement.

The off-road ABS setting is the bee's knees, as well – I don't think I'd ever want to take the next step and turn it off altogether. On steep downhills the ABS doesn't allow the front end to get away, which suits me just fine.

The time I lost while my front tyre was being patched was promptly made up after I zoomed past the turnoff for lunch. Three massive orange teardrop flags were obviously not enough of a hint that something was happening on the culinary front…

However, the tarmac I inadvertently took in was a sinuous delight, and even with that 21-inch front wheel the 1090 R put on a great show, with plenty of support from those superb Brembo stoppers.

1090 ADVENTURE R IN BIKE SHOWROOM

1290 Super Adventure S
If you want a real buzz on the road though, the 1290 Super Adventure S is where it's for KTM. The company describes the bike as the "new sport adventure branch" with cast-alloy wheel for "optimum precision when it comes to full whack on the asphalt".

At the premium level, the sport adventure class already has BMW with its S 1000 XR, and the 1290 Super Adventure S is clearly geared towards that level of electronic, chassis and engine sophistication.

At $23,995, the 1290 S is a 'save as' version of the 1290 Super Adventure R (or the other way around…) with the TFT display, 160hp engine, MSC (Motorcycle Stability Control), traction control, riding modes, etc, but adds semi-active suspension (for the damping and preload) and a taller screen. It also has a more road-friendly 19 (front) and 17-inch wheels and rubber, as well as shorter suspension.

The launch bikes also added the Travel Pack, as well as the Akrapovic exhaust and carbon heat protector for the catalytic converter.

This bike is tailor-made for a week-long jaunt in Tasmania! The package is dynamite and just as tractile as its adventure siblings. Such is the adaptability of the engine, it does lazy just as well as knocking your socks off at the top end.

We certainly didn't see enough twisty roads on the Super Adventure due to time constraints and the pall of darkness descending over the Blue Mountains (I thought I lived in a cold part of Vic!), but can vouch for the LED cornering lights! Great stuff, especially on our kangaroo-laden country roads.

There is no doubt that KTM has become one of the electronics giants over the last 4-5 years, and the Super Adventure is yet another case-in-point.

The semi-active suspension is also independent of the riding modes, so you can make a Rain, Street, Sport or Off-Road damping selection. Like all the other functions, damping is easy to navigate across – and if it's something that you'd be changing constantly, you can set up a 'shortcut' to get there.

I also used more of the cruise control as we hit the highway back to our launch base, and it's also a cinch to use as well as offering the 'coast' function when you shut the throttle off.

1290 SUPER ADVENTURE S IN BIKE SHOWROOM

To sum up
This is a wholesale redesign of KTM's adventure range, touching on all the key parameters: electronics, chassis, engine, ergonomics, equipment and PowerPart offerings. The company has been in the adventure segment for a long time now, so the experience speaks for itself. Throw in liberal doses of what it likes to call its "Dakar DNA" and it's no wonder all three bikes are so capable and rewarding.

I love the off-road resourcefulness of the 1090 Adventure R, the sheer all-round guile of the 1290 Super Adventure R, and the extreme performance and cunning of the 1290 Super Adventure S.

This is adventure riding at the sharp end, and it delivers in spades.