FIRST-IMPRESSION REVIEW
KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE S
Ready for a super adventure? o75 won’t deny it, he loves a fantastic V-twin for a brief blast energies on larger V-twin beasts. The soul or an adventure, but is KTM’s third-generation 1290 Super for the rider then split between the 1290 Adventure S the ultimate high-performance Adventure bike? Super Duke R and 1190 Adventure R. The
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ersonal preference aside, owning a 2010 KTM 990 SMT is, in short, a fantastic all-rounder. It is a raw V-twin. No electronic wizardry – it doesn’t even have ABS. With high praise from the media and riders, KTM stopped making it in 2013 turning its head to focus its
<4> MOTOGUSTO • FEBRUARY-APRIL 2021
blend — sort of — remixing again in 2017 when KTM released its first-generation 1290 Super Adventure S. I took one for a ride. I was extremely impressed, but I just felt it was cloaked in electronic riding support. It wasn’t enough to prise me from my SMT which had a more raw soul and riding essence. So then, could KTM’s latest tarmac-tackling kings caress me to reconsider that the third-generation 1301cc 1290 Super Adventure S is my long-awaited upgrade? On paper, KTM has taken full advantage of the development feedback to introduce a new era of rider-focused design and ground-breaking technology. The KTM says the 1290 Super Adventure S is the sportiest and most technologically advanced Adventure
