You needed to know: KTM 1290 Super Adventure S

Following my first ride review of the SAS, our audience still had additional questions that came in via YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. I set out to find the answers to those questions, starting with these from Facebook.

Aaron MP: currently I ride a 1200GS with standard frame, is this bike taller?

According to BMW’s website, there are about 101 ways to configure the ride height on the 2018 R 1200 GS. Assuming you have the standard seat without the lowered suspension, your seat height is 33.5 inches in the low setting and 34.3 inches on the taller setting. The stock seat on the 1290 SAS is a smidge taller at 33.9 and 34.4 inches respectively, depending on how you set it.

If you’re currently comfortable handling your BMW, I can’t imagine this marginal difference in seat height would affect you much. However, if you’re already struggling with the height of your Beemer, you might need to adjust your body position a bit when coming to a stop.

Ross York: I absolutely love my 1290 Super Adventure T, but I HATE kTm USA Corporate and the abysmal kTm dealership network. Whenever I am asked about my kTm, I have to warn those interested in buying one to be prepared to be disappointed in kTm. When is kTm going to invest in their US presence and infrastructure?

According to my sources, KTM is investing quite heavily on their infrastructure in the United States. I know they just moved US operations to a new headquarters in Southern California. They’re investing in their demo fleet and getting their bikes in front of people. And, most importantly, they’re focused on improving their dealership experience across all markets.

They’re going to great lengths to make sure that dealers are trained not just to sell, but to also service their product. They’re working to figure out which dealers are doing it right and which ones need improvement. I learned that for the upcoming Duke 790 launch, dealers aren’t allowed to take delivery of the bike unless someone from their facility attends the mechanical training (which involves a complete disassembly of the motorcycle and engine). I think the big takeaway, from my perspective, is their acknowledgment that there are shortcomings and their willingness to begin addressing them.

Anecdotally speaking, the main reason I bought a KTM was the fact that our local dealer, Solid Performance, is one of the leading KTM shops in the country and one of a handful that is also a WP-certified service center. I know that other buyers are not so lucky. The last time I was there, I was talking to a guy who drove down from New Jersey, passing at least one other KTM shop on his way to do business with Solid. That’s not ideal. I imagine that for a lot of folks, that would be enough to have them shopping elsewhere.

Scott O'Donnell:

Reliability: Every now and again I will read stories from owners who say they have had the worse experience/problems. How are the 1290 models holding up over the years and over long distance trips? (My plan is to buy a sport tourer and ride across country.)

Comfort: Could you sit on this bike for the range of the fuel tank, fill up, and still be amped to get back on and ride? Would you be tired of it after a week?

Dual purpose: Sure it is the S version of the R, but could this thing handle some miles of dirt? I am not talking about trails and over rocks, but could you ride it through some back country roads for 20 miles, and still be confident in its handling, design, and comfort?

What are the problems with the bike? I mean, where are its drawbacks, what can KTM do to make it better, or what aftermarket parts might make it better, or are cheaper and better?

That's a lot of questions parading themselves as "one," Scott. But, I gotcha. 

It’s funny, but I feel like KTM has gotten a bad rap as being expensive and hard to maintain. But for anyone who has tried to replace a clutch on a BMW boxer or deal with a Ducati’s valvetrain knows that all motorcycles have their quirks. That being said, one of the main things that attracted me to KTM (I bought a 1090 Adventure R last year) was the increased service maintenance schedule compared to the competition.

For the 1290 Super Adventure S, after your first service is out of the way at 620 miles, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything again until 9,300 miles and the first valve check hits at 18,600 miles. That’s a decent riding-to-wrenching ratio.

As for your concerns on comfort, the only problem I had with it was the windscreen. I’m six-feet, three-inches tall and it didn’t work for me. Other than that, this bike is absolutely a blast. You can ride it hard and fast or lock the cruise control on and coast. The semi-active suspension makes it a breeze to adapt to however you’re planning on riding the bike.

While I would not want to rip this down the same trails I take my 1090 Adventure R, I wouldn’t have any hesitation to tackle miles of dirt roads with this bike. You still have almost eight inches of suspension travel and nearly nine inches of ground clearance. Switch to off-road mode and adjust your electronically controlled damping setting to “off-road” and go. While it’s not as ideal for some of the extreme off-road places as its “R” counterpart, this is one of the most adaptable bikes I have ever ridden

The biggest concerns still remain focused on how they hold up under aggressive off-road use, mainly their airbox still allowing dust around the air filter seal (I wouldn’t worry about this unless you’re regularly riding off-road, but I swapped to the Rottweiler Stage Three intake on my personal 1090). The heated grips are not standard and I would probably add them. I like a lot of the KTM factory parts but I think you can probably find more affordable options for luggage that give you better storage and similar if not better quality.

Everyone I have personally talked to who owns a 1290 seems to love it. However, there are a lot of additional opinions to be found on the internet. I’d be interested to see if there are any comments from readers who have had any major issues with their 1290s from regular street use. I would imagine that the KTM would be an excellent option for you.

Jess Oppenheimer: Can you get the S with spoked rims?

No. The “S” is only available with the cast aluminium wheels, a 19-inch rim up front and a 17-inch rim at the rear. The 1290 Super Adventure R uses a 21-inch rim at the front and an 18-inch rim at the rear.

Here are the questions from Instagram:

Z1kwnderer: Jokes aside.... how IS this different from the superduke?

They’re actually quite different. The three main points of difference that stand out are the suspension, engine tune, and geometry.

The 1290 SAS features a semi-active electronic suspension with nearly double the amount of travel over the SDR. It can be adjusted for preload, compression, and rebound damping with the push of a button. It also automatically adapts to imperfections in the road on the fly. This is true for both the front fork and the rear shock. The Super Duke R features a fully manual suspension with adjustments for compression and rebound on the fork and a fully adjustable rear shock.

The SAS features a retuned version of the 1,301 cc, 75-degree V-twin originally introduced in the Super Duke R. Whereas the torque is relatively unchanged, the SDR claims 17 addition ponies over the SAS with 160 horsepower at 8,750 rpm.

The 1290 Super Adventure S is built on the same chassis as the 1090 Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure R, so it’s a taller, more upright sport-touring bike where the Super Duke R is a performance-focused sport-naked. Side-by-side, the SAS seems more usable for everyday use in a wide variety of situations whereas the SDR has more of a one-track mind focused on blowing the doors off of anyone foolish enough to pull up next to you.

Mattreviere: Is it’s competitor the BMW S1000XR? If so, how does it compare?

When I wrote the original review for this bike, the S 1000 XR immediately came to mind as a competitor. I think they are fairly evenly matched when it comes to power, suspension, and braking, with a few individual advantages for each model.

The KTM’s engine gives off a noticeable amount of heat that can easily be considered a deal breaker for some riders while the BMW’s engine is extremely buzzy, causing vibrations that are a deal breaker for others. Whereas the BMW’s 17-inch tire up front gives it a slightly sportier advantage (especially when choosing tires), the KTM offers up an advantage for tackling a wider variety of terrain. I would also say that the KTM has a more sophisticated dash and a more comfortable seating position, but that last one is rather subjective. It all comes down to what you’re looking to do! 

Emidyl2124: hey Spurg, I'm 5'9" 32 inseam. Any issues riding comfortably for me? Currently own 1200GSA but might want something with more power and just different. How is tractability? Thx

If you’re currently riding a GSA I can’t imagine you’re going to have any problems riding the SAS. The seat height on the stock BMW GSA seat in the lowest position is about a half an inch taller than the KTM’s in the same, low position.

I think the combination of power, electronics, and suspension make this bike extremely tractable. Within the first few hours I was riding this bike like I had owned it for years. If you’re interested, I would recommend taking one for a test ride. A lot of the dealerships in my area have demo models and KTM has a traveling fleet as well.

Knew.mel: You hit it, long distance sport touring and commuting...specifically, What are some solid accessories if you wanted to do long distance riding, as well as overall comfort after many hours in the saddle?

While I know comfort is super subjective, I think the stock screen would need to be replaced. I couldn’t find a single position with the stock screen that I found comfortable. I would also add the factory heated grips. I didn’t realize how much I would miss this simple luxury when touring until I sold my Triumph Tiger. I also like the longer factory pegs (even though they’re off-road oriented) which I find more comfortable for my larger boots.

Outside of the factory catalog I would want to add luggage. As I wouldn’t be planning on doing anything aggressively off-road with this bike, I’d opt for hard luggage. I am partial to the Givi Trekker Outback racks and panniers. I used them on my Tiger and was thoroughly impressed with how they held up. Possibly a tank bag, as well, probably just something small like the Wolfman Enduro or possibly the Blackhawk if I wanted more room.

Keeping in mind that this bike is pretty damn loaded in stock trim, there isn’t much else I’d add right up front. Although I’m sure I’d be able to think of a few things over time.

Here are the questions from YouTube:

Moto Nirvana: Test rode the bike a month ago and found the heat coming off the engine to be excessive. Wonder if you will have same issue?

I did. I noted this in the written review in both my 1090 Adventure R as well as the 1290 Super Adventure S. The heat off of these engines is intense and can easily be a turn-off for some riders. Living with the 1090 and having logged quite a few miles on the 1290, it wasn’t enough to turn me away. When weighing the pros and cons, I would argue that the pros win out. That is, unless you simply find the heat to be unbearable.

Charlton Bryan: Test rode this bike twice now. 2 Things that's stopping me from buying it. 1 I'm 5'8 and its pretty tall, can it be lowered? 2 the seat was like a rock, I can fix the seat but to do so its going to make it even taller.

So the biggest complaint I hear over and again about these bikes is in regard the ride height. While I did find the SAS to be much more manageable than it’s “R” counterpart with the seat in the “low” position, I acknowledge that there are still a lot of riders who prefer to have both feet firmly on the ground.

First set of @wp_usa lowered forks for the brand new @ktmusa #1290superadventure R model. Don't let your height keep the #adventure from starting. This set is lowered -2". Kit parts can be made and sent to your dealer too! Shock pics posting soon👍. #shortriders #suspensionservice #lowering #ktm #adv #dualsport

A post shared by Solid Performance KTM (@solid_performance) on

Aug 22, 2017 at 12:06pm PDT

That being said, I reached out to Solid Performance KTM, a WP service center that specializes in offering factory-lowered WP suspensions. Unfortunately, at this time, there is no easy way to lower the Super Adventure S. They have kits to lower the analog WP suspension found on the 1290 Super Adventure R and the 1090 Adventure R, but because the electronic WP set up is sealed, they have yet to find a way to lower those particular suspension components. Talking with Evan, he did say he would be happy to discuss alternative options, but unfortunately it would involve losing the electronic functionality of the SAS.

I didn’t have the same problem you had with the seat. I actually found it to be quite comfortable. I looked around at a few seat places and while I found a couple of options from Touratech that offer a “low” version for the “R,” I would to check with them on fitment for the “S.” Even then, you’re only buying back about a half an inch.

Aluisious: Need to know: The KTM warranty in the US covers only the frame, engine, and swingarm. If something goes wrong with the electronics, or body work falls off, or the suspension is damaged from the factory, take your hat off and ask your KTM dealer nicely if they will consider fixing it. Let's post this on every KTM video everywhere until they get their shit together.

You are correct.

When considering warranties on bikes sold in the United States they only cover the engine, frame, and swingarm. The exact wording of the covered items is as follows:

“This warranty covers only the engine, frame and swingarm. No other components of the motorcycle are covered by any warranty, expressed or implied and are sold 'as is.' The frame is defined under this warranty as the main frame only of the motorcycle. The engine is defined under this warranty as parts, which are housed within the engine crankcase, including shafts, gears, and shifting mechanism. In addition to the engine crankcase, the warranty covers the crankshaft and ignition system. KTM North America, Inc. will repair or replace, at its option, any of these parts that are found to be defective in material or workmanship subject to the limitations of this warranty.”

The other point to consider is the fact that the length of the warranty depends on the model. Adventure-style models like the 1290 SAR and 1090 AR receive a 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty while more street-focused models like this “S” get bumped to 24 months, 24,000 miles. As a final note, remember that any warranty, regardless of brand, is only as good as the dealership you’re working with. So regardless of what brand motorcycle you end up buying, make sure to find a dealership that you trust, because they’re the ones who will be going to bat for you if something goes wrong.

Berta Griese: Is he [Spurg] really dying his hair??

Nothing to do with the KTM, but no. My hair is getting grayer by the day. Soon enough I’ll be competing with Lance Oliver for the title of “Silver Fox.”