First Look: 2018 KTM Super Adventure S

Evans Brasfield
by Evans Brasfield

A Super Adventure for riders who prefer an emphasis on pavement

How much do we MOrons love the KTM Super Adventure R? Enough to name it the Best On-Off-Road/Adventure Motorcycle of the Year in 2017! So, imagine how excited we were when our super-sleuth, Dennis Chung, uncovered CARB documentation on the Super Adventure S. Now, KTM has made it official, saying that, after previously being available in Europe, the S will hit the North American market in 2018. And a great celebration was held throughout the land!

Best On-Off-Road/Adventure Motorcycle of the Year Winner: KTM 1290 Super Adventure R

2018 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S Receives CARB Certification

The excitement comes from the fact that the 160 hp beast of a 75° V-Twin wrapped in the Super Adventure package will now have, as the KTM press kit puts it, “everything needed to eclipse sport motorcycles of any description.” How does semi-active WP Suspension, featuring a 48 mm upside-down front fork, a WP shock absorber with 200 mm of travel, strike you? Well, don’t speak until the four damping modes and electronically adjustable preload are factored in. But then there’s the multi-modal lean-angle sensitive combined ABS; ride modes with three street modes and one offroad; and disengageable, lean-angle sensitive motorcycle traction control (MTC) – also with multiple modes. Phew! Some will also want the optional KTM Travel Pack which consists of hill hold control (HHC), motor slip regulation (MSR) and quickshifter+. We know we would.

All these goodies should combine with the 120/70 ZR 19 and 170/60 ZR 17 Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires to deliver performance on the pavement and even a little light-duty offroad riding to boot. The upright riding position and the wide aluminum handlebar (equipped with a WP steering damper) will be a great perch for racking up the miles. The accessory locking saddlebags will make sure that riders can carry what they need on – or off – the road.

The KTM Super Adventure S also includes many top-shelf amenities for touring. Naturally, the S features cruise control and the added nicety of a tire pressure monitoring system. All of this is visible on the 6.5-inch TFT instrumentation. There’s even a mobile phone storage compartment that has a USB charging port built-in. You’ll, want it, too, if you add the KTM My Ride system and iOS/Android app that allows for turn-by-turn directions to be displayed on the dash via Bluetooth. The My Ride system also features accepting incoming phone calls and controlling a phone’s audio player.

Riders will be glad for all these accessories as they attempt to drain the Super Adventure S’ 6 gallon tank. We can’t wait for our chance to drain a few of those tanks when the KTM Super Adventure S arrives stateside next year.

Follow the rest of our 2017 EICMA show coverage

Evans Brasfield
Evans Brasfield

Like most of the best happenings in his life, Evans stumbled into his motojournalism career. While on his way to a planned life in academia, he applied for a job at a motorcycle magazine, thinking he’d get the opportunity to write some freelance articles. Instead, he was offered a full-time job in which he discovered he could actually get paid to ride other people’s motorcycles – and he’s never looked back. Over the 25 years he’s been in the motorcycle industry, Evans has written two books, 101 Sportbike Performance Projects and How to Modify Your Metric Cruiser, and has ridden just about every production motorcycle manufactured. Evans has a deep love of motorcycles and believes they are a force for good in the world.

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  • Tom Traynor Tom Traynor on Nov 11, 2017

    So for grins I preliminarily price shopped this with KTM bags OTD (my dealer has prices and ordering can begin December) against new Multistrada 1260 S also with bags.

    KTM = $ 18,900.
    Ducati S = $24,000-ish

    $5000 difference. KTM for me!

    • See 1 previous
    • Tom Traynor Tom Traynor on Nov 12, 2017

      Village Powersports in Grand Rapids. Mike White or Dallas Lane. Buying 6 bikes and 6 snowmobile over 10 years may have helped? Will say I did not absolutely confirm that as otd price—but they know that’s the number I’m after when I ask. Michigan sales tax is 6%.

  • Jeff S. Wiebe Jeff S. Wiebe on Nov 17, 2017

    Like other commenters, I also like the new Goldwing very much, but this one seems to hit all the right notes.

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