RIDE REVIEW I 2022 KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R
P92
The Super Adventure itself has been
around since 2015 but was aligned to the
street/touring crowd, with the Adventure R
model making its debut in 2017. It remained
largely unchanged until this model, as KTM
put its collective focus into the 790/890
Adventure category while development
continued apace on the 1290.
The '22 1290 Super Adventure R is an
all-new machine in everything from chassis
to electronics. Shorter, tighter, lighter is the
aim of the 2022 game, a large portion of
that final part coming via the new frame.
KTM's trimmed an impressive 22 pounds
from the tubular steel chassis. The short-
ness of the frame has been further em-
phasized by KTM engineers pulling the
steering head a substantial 15mm closer to
the rider, which in turn crunches down the
rider triangle dimensions when combined
with the 0.4-inch lower seat height.
The motor has been rotated
forward by two degrees to provide
a touch more stability on the front,
and those 15mm taken from the
steering head have been put into
the swingarm length, which helps
maintain chassis balance under ac-
celeration and over rough terrain.
(Above) Big rocks
don't stand a chance
with these bars.
(Top) This machine's
been in development
since the beginning
of 2018, which is
about the same
time the old one
came out.
