As the alphabets at the end of their names suggest, each of the three new KTM Adventure 1290s are built for a different kind of adventure riding. The 1290 Adventure S is more inclined towards street riding and caters to those who spend most of their riding time on the tarmac. The 1290 Adventure R, as you might have already guessed, is for the hard-core off-roaders who want take their bike on any and all kinds of terrain, especially the bad ones. And finally, we have the Adventure 1290 T, which is essentially the current Super Adventure with a Euro4 compliant engine and an extra character on the end of its name T that stands for Travel, making it a suitable machine for adventure touring.
Like the 1090 Adventure range, these three bikes are also powered by a same 1301cc 75-degree V-Twin liquid-cooled engine, sourced from the 1290 Super Duke R. While at peak tune the 1290's motor can generate a maximum of 173bhp, KTM has electronically limited the power at 160bhp and develops a peak torque of 140Nm. The bikes also come with some standard features like PASC (TM) slipper clutch, a 6-speed transmission and Brembo twin-piston fixed calliper disc brakes among others. The engine and chassis are all tied together with the Bosch MSC package in its top specification with integrated, lean-angle sensitive C-ABS, Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) and riding modes (Sport, Street, Rain and Off-road).
KTM 1290 Adventure R
Starting with the KTM 1290 Adventure R, as mentioned earlier, it is designed genuinely for off-roading. The bike, as mentioned before, is essentially the adventure version of the Super Duke R that comes with a huge hardcore Enduro chassis and the same engine that has been tweaked to suit the bikes needs. Design-wise, the R gets a rather distinctive new face with KTM's signature two piece headlamps with LED cornering lights which are controlled by the MSC lean angle sensor. The off-roading feature includes laced wheels (21-inchers up front and 18-inchers at the rear), fully adjustable WP suspension with a full 220mm of travel front and rear, Stiffer springs in the inverted 48mm WP fork, and a progressively damped PDS shock absorber ensure the chassis can take whatever is dished out. The bike also comes with KTM's signature orange frame and graphics to distinguish it from the other two.
KTM 1290 Adventure S
The KTM 1290 Adventure S, on the other hand, is purely designed for tarmac riding and comes none or fewer off-road pretensions. While the 1190 Adventure that it replaces was a dual-purpose motorcycle, this one is not and that is firmly substantiated by the new styling and features list. The 1290 Adventure S comes with 19-inch front and 17-inch rear cast wheels instead of laced ones, shorter travel suspension, shorter seat height and more such. This one also gets the four riding modes but only its off-roading capabilities are limited.
KTM 1290 Adventure T
Finally, we have the KTM 1290 Adventure T, which as mentioned before is the updated version of the KTM Super Adventure. The bike shares all the electronics and most of its cycle parts with the other S and R versions along with the engine. In a nutshell, this particular model offers the key highlights of both other bikes, rolled into one, and pitched as the ultimate adventure tourer.
