Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1457907
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 10 MARCH 8, 2022 P99 This mode allows you to vary traction control up to nine different levels, it lets you really hang it out in level two, or you can be ultra-cautious in level eight. The sweet spot for me was level three, as it allowed the chassis to behave in the manner for which it was designed without the electronic noose being tightened too hard. Rolling with the throttle set to Sport mode will give you all the ponies the 1301cc V- twin can muster, and, trust me, it's all you'll ever need. Given this looks and feels like a massive dirt bike, having that amount of go on tap is quite remarkable. I've seen a col- league of mine take a Super Adventure S to the track in the UK and properly embarrass guys on ZX-10RR's and Panigales, so the performance is never in question. There's acceleration for days with the Super Adventure, but in keeping with its big travel ethos, sixth gear is a true overdrive and will drop the revs right down when you're on the freeway, which, in turn, saves a few drops of fuel. The throttle response is beautifully mapped, especially in slow-speed corners off-road where it really matters. There's al- most no jerkiness when you twist the grip— just oodles full of creamy, Austrian-built torque. It's a sophisticated beast, the 1290 Super Adventure R, but it has an extremely vast spread of performance across so many different terrains that you'll be hard pressed to fault it. Which is exactly what we're going to try and do in a few weeks when we take this and put it against a host of other big-bore travel ADV machines in an extremely com- prehensive comparison test. However, even if you don't read that test and you're certain the KTM is the one for your big-bore ADV dreams, I'm here to tell you you've made an excellent choice, because the 2022 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R is an absolutely brilliant motorcycle. CN SPECIFICATIONS 2022 KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R ($19,499) ENGINE Twin-cylinder, 4-stroke VALVETRAIN 4-valves per cylinder COOLING SYSTEM Liquid DISPLACEMENT 1301cc BORE X STROKE 108 x 71mm FUELING SYSTEM EFI, 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" TFT color display CHASSIS Chromium-Molybdenum steel trellis frame, powder-coated FRONT SUSPENSION 48mm WP XPLOR fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION WP Xplor PDS shock, fully adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 8.6 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 8.6 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 320mm discs, radially mounted Brembo monobloc 4-piston, 2-pad calipers, radial master cylinder REAR BRAKE 267mm disc, Brembo 2-piston caliper FRONT TIRE Bridgestone AX41 90/90 x 21 in. REAR TIRE Bridgestone AX41 150/70 x 18 in. RAKE 25.3° TRAIL 4.4 in. WHEELBASE 62 in. SEAT HEIGHT 34.6 in. FUEL CAPACITY 6.1 gal. WEIGHT (WET) 550 lbs.