2016 KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE
RIDING IMPRESSION
P116
I wasn't super impressed with
the cornering lights, though
I do think they're pretty cool.
They're connected to the bike's
lean angle sensor, and there are
three levels of lights/brightness,
the farther you lean, the brighter
they shine. For me, they didn't
seem to light up the road all that
much—at least not enough to re-
ally make a difference—and were
not really pointed where I wanted
them. The projection of each
light, however, is adjustable, so
maybe I should've played with
that a bit, but I just never thought
about doing that during the day
when I had the chance. Either
way, I'm glad they are there and
I'm sure they'd be useful when
properly adjusted.
Off-road, the Super Adventure
is a lot easier to ride than you'd
think. Yes, it's a big bike that
demands extra attention and
respect from the rider on the
dirt, but it's remarkably manage-
able, which, again, shouldn't be
too surprising to me, since KTM
has its company roots buried
deep into the soil. They know a
thing or two about building dirt
bikes, and really good ones at
that. Put the Super Adventure in
off-road mode and you're free to
do all kinds of fun stuff with the
rear wheel (spinning it, sliding
it…) just like you would with a
regular dirt bike, but, of course,
within reason. It's still a big bike
that lacks knobbies. Suspension
soaks up the bumps and ruts
very well, but the chain rattles
irritatingly loud on the guide as
you jiggle your way down the
road.
The Super Adventure is built
like a tank and seems very du-
rable. It comes fitted with crash
bars that seem to work. I saw
a 1290 Super Adventure that
The KTM 1290
Super Adventure
in its element.
