A few months back I traveled to Tenerife, Spain, to test the street- focused 2027 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo with the new Automated Manual Transmission. While I was very impressed with the platform, I’ ve always fancied myself more of an off- road guy who cut his teeth on traditional clutch systems. So I was stoked to get an opportunity to test the 2026 KTM 1390 Super Adventure R around Joshua Tree National Park in California and really explore what it could do.
We kicked things off at KTM headquarters in Murrieta, where long- time professional off- road racer and current R & D specialist Quinn Cody went over the technical details. I had to smile. Cody won nearly every major off- road race in North America and finished 9th in the 2011 Dakar Rally as a rookie, and he spent several years developing and testing the 1390 Super Adventure R. The 1390 wasn’ t built by the marketing department; it was built by hardcore guys like Cody.
When we walked out to the bikes, I immediately noticed that the spoked wheels( 21- inch front, 18- inch rear) were shod with Dunlop Trailmax Raids, designated as 60 % off- road riding and 40 % on- road, which means KTM anticipates its customers are going to use this motorcycle for more than power blasts to Starbucks. Then I noticed that the hand- adjustable windscreen on the R was lower than the one on the S Evo. The R also sits taller due to its longer WP XPLOR
suspension( 9.4 inches of travel front and rear vs. 8.7 inches on the S Evo). Seeing the crash guards, skid plate, and rally stance up close, I could tell that my 1390 Super Adventure R was ready for off- road nirvana. So I changed into moto gear, slid my goggles over my eyes, and … idled down the freeway with morning commuters for about an hour with a gaggle of journos and KTM staff in tow.
Okay, the off- road excitement would have to wait until we got to the desert. During our freeway tour, I explored the wide range of settings accessible from the 8- inch touchscreen TFT display. I moved between ride modes – Street to Sport to Rain to Offroad and finally to Rally( included with the optional Tech Pack, which adds $ 959.99 to the $ 21,649 base price) – and got a sense for how the engine character changed with each. Having tested the S Evo, I knew that I could fine- tune settings within each ride mode, things like traction control, throttle response, ABS, and more. Do you fancy regular mid- morning power
Far left: The fully adjustable WP XPLOR suspension handles air traffic with ease. Left: Don’ t let the taller suspension and off-road tires fool you; this bike hustles just fine in the twisties.
RIDERMAGAZINE. COM / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 29