According toMCN, KTM is still testing an updated 1290 Super Adventure. A couple of spy shots have emerged, showing an S version of the big bike spotted in the wild.

1290 Super Adventure, “Tech Marvel.”

MCN claims that the new Super Adventure will be a “tech marvel.” They say that the revised machine will be the first bike in the world with radar assisted cruise control. Once engaged and if it performs as intended, the radar should allow the bike to accelerate and decelerate with traffic smoothly.

MCN says you can see the unit at the front of the bike beneath the now wider headlight mask. In addition, the revised machine will also come with “the latest and greatest electronics, such as cornering ABS, lean-sensitive traction control, and various modes.”

But tech apparently isn’t the only upgrade coming to the bike. Gone is the single large fuel tank. Its replacement is a split saddlebag arrangement similar to the brand’s 790 Adventure. The new configuration should free up some space and also move the weight of the fuel lower for a lower CG. That should be a help for the off-road stuff.

The bike also appears to have a new beefier swingarm and a revised aluminum subframe. The new swingarm and updated electronics likely add some weight. But the new aluminum subframe may help to offset some of those gains.

Arrival date

Some had expected the release of the new 1290 Super Adventure to come last year. That didn’t happen, and the fact that KTM is still testing the new machine suggests that they still have some kinks to work out. MCN thinks that it may be the Bosch adaptive cruise control that’s the holdup.

So when with the new 1290 Super Adventure be released? With the new requirements of Euro 5 in effect, KTM has until the end of this year to sell non-Euro 5 compliant bikes. This means that KTM has until the end of this year to get the new bike ready.

But, with the impact of COVID-19, the manufacturers have been lobbying the EU for an extension to sell non-Euro 5 compliant bikes. If they get their way and are granted an extension, it’s possible that we won’t see the new 1290 Super Adventure until 2022.

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