All Tests – KTM 1290 Super Adventure Test: monumen-trail! – Dynamic: the most expressive trail in the world!

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KTM 1290 Super Adventure test: monumen-trail !

All Tests - KTM 1290 Super Adventure Test: monumen-trail! - Dynamic: the most expressive trail in the world!

Maxi-trail motorcycles pour into mechanical and technological outbidding, to the detriment of their off-road abilities … The KTM 1290 Super Adventure is part of this dizzying trend with its 160 hp of fire and its bloated equipment. Test.

Dynamic: the most expressive trail in the world !

Stretched out compared to the roadster, the sixth gear maintains the legal 130 km / h on the French motorway at 4750 rpm without any difficulty (with so much power in reserve, the reverse would have been unfortunate!) The sound delivered by the Austrian twin is less slamming than on the Super Duke R, but it remains rumbling and quite present. Maybe a little too much in the "demolition of boundaries" mode…

At this pace, the few shudders felt under the buttocks gain momentum and blur the image returned by the mirrors, hitherto very effective. The phenomenon spreads to the passenger’s grab handles, literally "vibrating" at certain speeds. Unpleasant, especially as the intensity of these vibrations crosses an additional course at 7000 rpm…

Another "small" mechanical inconvenience: the LC8 engine heats up quickly and generously, to the point of wondering at first if the heated saddle function was not activated by mistake! A false manipulation ‘quite possible insofar as the navigation in the multiple menus and sub-menus of the dashboard is not really intuitive…

Shortcut keys would be welcome for easy access to essential functions such as electronic suspension adjustment, heated grips or driving modes (which influence the engine response but also the sensitivity of the ABS and the anti- skating). However, there is no lack of space to install them, especially on the right commodo in XXXXL format !

Verification made, no, the saddle heating is not engaged: the heat felt on the right calf and under the buttocks comes only from the twin cylinder! This is why the underside of the rider saddle is covered with thermal insulation, instead of the additional padding which is so lacking! But this subterfuge is not enough to stop the radiation of the engine, especially in town or at low speed….

Apart from this "warm" and "quivering" nature, the 1290 Super Adventure has a set of qualities perfectly suited to its condition as a road bike in disguise. Starting with the protection offered by its adjustable screen using knobs placed on each side: a 1.75 m pilot is properly sheltered, with the exception of the arms and legs for which optional deflectors are available.

Only slight turbulence tickle the top of the helmet and, surprisingly, the … bust. The cause of these few eddies felt at chest height comes from the opening made in the bubble to avoid the phenomenon of aerodynamic thrust in the back in the high position. The trick works perfectly !

Raising and lowering the imposing windshield is possible while driving, on condition, however, to have unlocked the mechanism by pulling a lever on the right. The operation could be simplified – is this locking lever really essential? – and the smooth sliding for a better comfort of use. We console ourselves by thinking that some competing devices still require you to remove tools !

If the seat is firm enough, the general comfort is however preserved thanks to the relaxed position – straight arms and legs relaxed in line with the bust – and to the quality of the suspensions. In "Comfort" and "Street" mode, the inverted fork and the single-shock absorber of the 1290 Super Adventure use their motocross-like travel (200 mm!) To absorb all the imperfections of the asphalt. A real treadmill !

This flexibility generates significant mass transfers, both during acceleration and braking. The dive is all the more pronounced forwards as the Brembo radial callipers are not lacking in power! Their very well controlled bite appears to be an asset in these conditions, as does the efficiency and precise dosage of the rear element..

Mention also very well for the ABS MSC, very responsive and able to distribute the forces between the front and the rear on the angle if it detects too much pressure on the front wheel. This quality benefits the precision of the steering, never "locked" in the curves started without releasing the brakes..

At high speed, the damping quickly lacks responsiveness in "Comfort" mode: for lack of sufficient restraint and relaxation, the suspensions do not have time to return to their initial position between each impact. With a simple "click" on the arrows of the left stalk, the "Street" mode is activated, better hydraulic key braking.

The more athletic will logically opt for the "Sport" mode, the calibration of which is simply perfect for working with efficiency, while taking advantage of the comfort offered by the wide travel. The contrast between the softness of the most flexible configuration and the firm hold – but not excess – of the sports mode is downright stunning: what a big difference! And to think that the operation only takes a few seconds, without stopping and even less getting out of tools !

Well-balanced and precise, the 1290 Super Adventure reveals a surprisingly playful nature that its heavy measurements did not suggest. Because unsurprisingly, the Austrian is not exactly a ballerina, the fault of its heavy weight, the masses placed high (thank you the large tank!) And the wheelbase of 1560 mm…

Despite its excellent turning radius and surgical precision accelerator, it requires authority and a good dose of energy to turn at very low speed. As for risking putting your tires in the dirt…

The experienced and athletic Marc Coma, former KTM leader in rally-raid and winner of the last Dakar, would surely manage to override and achieve incredible things off-road. On the other hand, not sure that the petite Laia Sanz – hired this year in the official KTM team – manages to tame this juggernaut of a quarter of a ton in off-road, no more than the lambda biker or the journalists of MNC !

The more so as another parameter seriously complicates the claims of the 1290 Super Adventure apart from the asphalt: the monstrous response of its engine, not really the best ally to find grip in a scree on slopes !

A phew engine !

Much more conciliatory than on the Superduke R, the twin-cylinder of 1301 cc resumes without hiccuping from 2000 rpm and accepts to cross a town in 4th at 50 km / h at 2500 rpm. Precise ride-by-wire response (adjustable by hand, via all four ride modes), clutch and off-critical selection make exercise easier.

The progress compared to the sulphurous roadster, which knocks under 3000 rpm on the upper gears, is incredible: the LC8 is indeed "badly" civilized! Softer in his regime, he would almost manage to forget his tempestuous origins, while offering solid revivals from 2,500 to 5,000 revs.

At this stage, something is happening as unexpected as it is pleasing: the already copious acceleration seems to redouble in intensity! The airbox lets out a dull and powerful rattle that piques curiosity: rare are the maxi-trails to express themselves in this way, including the more sporty variants like the and the …

Then the 6000 rpm mark arrives and the 1290 Super Adventure engages in a real show of force, as if its twin-cylinder had overcome all the inertia of its large bowls. The block delivers several waves of power of astonishing intensity, the breaking of which is between 8 and 10,000 rpm. No other maxi-trail on the market causes such sensations when accelerating. !

To better understand its capacities, MNC "had fun" by disconnecting all its electronic assistance, also with the idea of ​​better measuring the effects of its traction control considered at first glance rather intrusive. In reality, this assistance frequently comes into action not to compensate for a possible lack of grip of the excellent Contitrail Attack2 … but to keep the front wheel on the ground !

The flow of power is indeed such from mid-range that the bike wheelies when accelerating in second gear, which is not so common in this category. Even more astounding: a clear go-around in third produces the same result, which is much rarer whatever the type of machine. !

All you have to do is move to 6000 rpm in 3rd gear and put the handle in the corner to make the Katoche take off smoothly, without touching the clutch lever. At 8000 rpm, keeping the accelerator wide open, the bike rises up to the vertical! Some onlookers crossed by MNC in this funny position still can’t believe it! And to be honest neither do we…

This mechanical vitality also forces you to manage your exits from curves with a minimum of attention: to be light on the handlebars and firm on your thighs is imperative before putting big gas back on, otherwise you will suffer from a load shedding of the steering. And this until 4th! When we tell you that it’s wadding … Hence also a fuel consumption which quickly exceeds 8.5 l / 100 km (read our box on the right "Conditions and route")…

In a flash, this maxi-trail packed with punch and length – soft electronic regulation at 10,000 rpm – catches then exceeds 220 km / h, speed from which the association "CX d’armoire normande + very wide handlebars "is the cause of undulations which it is preferable to take into account. Not to mention the highly toxic nature of these looks prohibited on the driving license…

Verdict: An Orange trail that shows red !

Given its attachment to the twin-cylinder architecture, it was quite logical that KTM transfer its excellent LC8 to another bike than the Superduke R roadster. The approach was expected, especially since it makes it possible to make profitable the heavy investments required for develop – and meet standards – such an engine.

However, MNC would have bet more on a sport or a road – or a mix of the two, as planned next year. But no, it’s a trail that inherits the most sensational 1.3-liter V-twin in the world! The result is explosive, even intimidating, as much by the volumes of the "beast" as by its mechanical capacities – both extraordinary. For a bit, the yet vigorous 1190 Adventure would seem almost "easy" in comparison. !

In the end, the 1290 Super Adventure is successful and formidably well equipped, but it pushes back so far from the limits of the genre that inevitably resurfaces our question posed in the preamble: where will the outbidding of power and technology stop on these originally planned motorcycles? to connect the road "A" to the crossroads "B" possibly passing by the cross road "C" ?

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