Left: With 173 hp on tap, lofting the front wheel takes just a quick twist of the wrist. Right: Steering with the rear: KTM’ s traction control allows nice smooth drifts at the crack of the throttle.
gorilla or a sleepy tranquilized one. But to my surprise – thanks again, Quinn Cody – the power was enough to get instant cooperation at the crack of the throttle but not so much that I needed to be on guard.
At some point during the ride, I decided to deactivate rear- wheel ABS( front remained engaged) so I could lock the rear and back into corners as needed. In short order I was tossing the 1390 around like I do with my KTM 500 EXC. Of course, the Super Adventure R is much bigger and heavier, but I was able to get comfortable enough with it between my legs to hit a few jumps, throw the back end around, and loft the front wheel over rocks and ruts as I powered down the trail. I think a big part of that“ flickability” was due to the narrow, low- slung fuel tank, which carries most of its 6.1 gallons down near the engine, helping to keep the center of gravity low. Also, the 1390’ s wider handlebars and larger, wider footpegs allowed me to stay on my feet and control the bike with very little effort over miles of complex terrain. The lower windscreen was also a plus.
After lunch, we hit the trails again, which offered a dessert buffet of steeper hills, more off- camber transitions, and endless rocks and ruts. At one point I was heading down a
moderately steep section that would require some aggressive braking, and with rear ABS deactivated I would need to manage rear braking with finesse. As my speed picked up, I became concerned the front ABS would cause me grief. If you are like me, ABS and offroad do not play well together. I decided to just keep my momentum up and see how things turned out, but some thick branches smacking the handguards jogged my memory about the tech briefing where KTM staffers instructed us to keep grabbing a handful of front brake even after the ABS kicks in. So against my better judgment and years of muscle memory, I squeezed the front brake
HELMET: ALPINESTARS S-M7 GOGGLES: ALPINESTARS SUPERTECH VISION VISTA JACKET: ALPINESTARS TECHDURA AIRBAG VEST: ALPINESTARS TECH-AIR OFF-ROAD GLOVES: ALPINESTARS MX PRO DURA PANTS: ALPINESTARS TECHDURA BOOTS: ALPINESTARS TECH 7 ENDURO
The road never ends. The new KTM 1390 Super Adventure R is ready for off-road thrills whenever you are.
RIDERMAGAZINE. COM / SEPTEMBER 2026 / 31