Ride Review: 2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure

2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure (demo ride)

The pre-ride inspection of the Quebec demo bike shows noticeable wear & tear….the pearl white paint has a fine grain speckle to it that has a flatter finish than the S10….looks good on the showroom floor but may not hold up well in the real world, particularly if taken off pavement. The bike just doesn’t seem to have the same level of refinement to detail & finish compared to BMW & Yamaha, but certainly seems in character for KTM given their dirt bike racing heritage of function & toughness first.

Ergos:

You sit down in the seat which is u-shaped & restricts you to 1 position, the only way to get any fore aft movement is to move forward ever so slightly up the front curvature that follows the tank profile…the same mistake that Ducati made with the 1st gen Multistrada…the seat is uncomfortably firm & feels like you are sitting on the pan…not much padding there, I was squirming after just a few minutes into demo ride….it is height adjustable & I rode in the lower position which allowed me to flat foot easily…the tank splays your legs wider than the S10, peg height feels slightly less roomy than the S10 (both seats in low position) with similar knee bend, but comfortable….2 thumbs down to KTM for what is suppose to be a luxury all-road tourer, but this rates as the worst seat I’ve ridden on. In contrast, the S10 seat feels luxurious, well padded with lots of fore aft room.

The bars are narrower & lower than the S10 with a relatively flat bend that forced my elbows out, reminiscent of the K1300GT…the S10s are more swept back that feels more natural. The grips & hand controls felt like it had been shrunk in the drier…I found the grips short with the outside of my palm resting on the raised outside edge of the grip while my thumb was butted up against the raised up inside edge of the grip, in direct contrast to the K1300GT & S10 that have a lot more real estate that permits hand movement…I kept hitting the high beam switch to the on position while clutching…it’s located at the front of the switch gear assembly. Despite an almost 1” longer wheel base the KTM cockpit feels more intimate with everything closer to the rider, particularly the windscreen which provided pretty good, mostly buffet free, coverage in the high position. Good useable mirrors.

Riding:

The clutch engagement point is almost at the full out position with a narrow take up point, which for me made it less intuitive to find the start of the engagement spot & a lot less confidence inspiring than the S10 which takes up early in the travel with lots of feel & a wide engagement point. Despite manufacturers claimed weights having the KTM 70 lbs lighter it felt no lighter than the S10, although the KTM does have a 7 litre larger fuel tank at 30 L. Instrumentation is very good with an over abundance of info available spread over 2 pods. Having rode the 1190 last year I was curious of the power band & feel of the motor given the larger displacement & huge output numbers. I would say this is the strongest v-twin I’ve rode with better <4k rpm performance compared to the 2013 KTM 1190, Ducati Multistrada & V-Strom 1000. The fueling is very good with what feels like a slightly lighter fly wheel effect than the S10 that will start in 2nd gear easily & pull cleanly from idle in 1 - 3 gears & I’m sure that on a dyno it has higher output at all rpms vs the S10 but to me the S10 is more satisfying, smoother & easier to get along with <3500 rpm…after 3500 rpm NO contest…the Katoom hustles like few twins could! Like the K1300GT it gets more visceral & stronger as the revs climb…to the point of almost too much speed too quickly..if there is such a thing. Noticeable, but not objectional heat was omnipresent on the legs from the motor, slightly more so on the right.

In terms of aural & feel satisfaction I prefer the S10…induction noise, which sounds like 2 wooden drums beating, dominates the experience to the point that you really have to focus to notice the exhaust. Like the Ducati Multistrada & the KTM 1190 these high output 90 degree v-twins don’t sound or feel like a big twin…oddly enough the parallel twin in the S10 produces a more pleasant big twin experience…particularly at idle to 4k rpm…. go figure! The state of tune of the V-Strom 1000 has it feeling somewhere between the S10 & the KTMs/Ducatis. The KTM even has a HD shake to the windscreen & mirrors at idle that seems out of place for a modern sophisticated motor. To me you would be relying on the performance of the motor & handling for your intrinsic enjoyment factor, certainly not the sound or feel. The tranny is best of breed, light & accurate, no missed shifts or clunkiness, just butter smooth snick, snick & easy neutral selection.

I was surprised that the KTM seemed to be slower steering & resisted direction change a little more than the S10 (the S10 has very low cg) despite the more aggressive geometry. I started off in sport rider mode, but switched to normal & changed the damping from normal to soft…both provided notable differences & both worked well. With the semi-active suspension it’s hard to critique it other than to say it works so well you never give it a thought…supple or taught when it needs to be, always keeping the attitude of the bike brilliantly level. Brakes seems outstanding with good lever & pedal feel. It’s a tour-de-force of performance, safety & capability that will make most any rider better than they are, but I wonder if it is too close in execution to the lighter & arguably better looking 1190 & if it has the character & riding experience to satisfy the non WOT crowd. I will know after my test ride of the GS Adventure Sat, but I don’t think that BMW will lose many sales to this bike because it seems they are going after different markets despite sharing the top rungs of the a similar genre.

For me, the S10 speaks better to me despite the no contest >3500k rpm & semi-active suspension.