2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S
Only KTM would choose a racetrack to shoot an adventure bike!
The subject here above is the new 2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S EVO, a model I got to ride briefly in unfinished prototype form last month in Austria. This model debuts KTM’s new AMT gearbox. We covered our thoughts on that development here, so click through if you want the full story on that.
Now if all that sounded great to you, here is the bad news… Australia is not on the current production schedule for the EVO model. It will be available in Europe next year, has been slated for North America in 2026, but as of now there are no concrete plans for the model in Australia.
However, Australia is definitely getting the new 1390 Super Adventure S with a conventional manual gearbox and clutch.
We are also definitely getting the new 1390 Super Adventure R, but unfortunately, we can’t tell you all about that until just before Christmas.
But today, we can fill you in on the 1390 Super Adventure S, which will be arriving in Australia and New Zealand around May, 2025.
While the bike’s moniker has changed from 1290 to 1390, the actual capacity change is from 1301 to 1350 cc via a 2 mm larger bore.
Power is up from 160 horsepower to 170 horsepower. That means the KTM now matches Ducati’s Multistrada V4 for power. KTM’s stats sheet actually says 173 horsepower, but I believe that is metric horsepower, as the stated 127 kw figure equates to just over 170 mechanical horsepower on the old scale, and this was also the number used by KTM staff when we rode the prototype in Austria last month.
Torque is boosted from 138 Nm to 145 Nm. That is a lot more torque than the Ducati and only just bested by BMW’s R 1300 GS.
The 1390 also debuts what KTM call their ‘CamShift’ technology. In essence, this seems to be much the same as BMW’s ‘ShiftCam, with two different intake valve lifts that change from low lift to high lift imperceptibly at 6,500 rpm. I found the engine in the S model remarkably smooth and strong throughout the rev range.
A big bonus is that valve clearance checks are now doubled, now requiring inspection only every 60,000 kilometres. That matches the Ducati Multistrada V4, and three-times less often than required on a GS.
New radiator fans were developed to better cool the engine and provide less heat for the rider on hot summer days.
The entire gamut of electronic rider aids, are updated as are the riding modes. I won’t bore you with the acronym jumble for all the others here. The S does miss out on the front radar and adaptive cruise as standard, but they will be available as options.
While the frame design follows its predecessor some significant changes have been rendered in the diameters and wall thicknesses of the tubes and the engine is used as a stressed element. The frame is now 13 per cent stiffer in the longitudinal plane, 23 per cent stiffer laterally and a huge 73 per cent more torsional rigidity.
The 1390 range bikes are also fitted with the latest generation of WP Apex semi-active suspension. This now features new Pulse Width Modulation sensors that offer quicker and more accurate information to the control system, which results in improved performance. I can vouch for its performance after a quick ride on bikes featuring the new set-up in Austria last month.
Another new feature to debut on the 1390 are huge new touchscreens. We cover the new instrumentation and switch-gear in more detail here. Highlights include an in-built navigation system that requires no smartphone connection to operate. The touchscreens are glove friendly and cover a wide colour gamut.
Somehow the styling has evolved to be even more distinctly KTM than ever. The lines brought to the eye in the orange coloured section in the above picture takes me back to the earlier 990 models. The design language from the front takes angular to a whole new level.
New wind-tunnel-designed windshields offer improved wind protection and reduced wind noise. The windscreens are also adjustable, offering 70 mm of adjustment compared to the previous generation’s 55 mm.
The seats are also new and the adjustment mechanism improved. Incredibly, 11 different seat options are available via KTM’s PowerParts catalogue. The foot-pegs are now positioned 8 mm lower and are 10 mm wider for more comfort.
The storage compartment between the fuel cap and steering head is now larger, providing enough space to swallow the latest iPhone Pro Max, but I had to remove my QuadLock case in order to fit the phone in properly. A USB-C connector is nearby. A second USB-C port can be found below the dashboard to charge additional devices such as action cameras or GPS units.
KTM promises that their new headlights are a significant improvement and claims that they are, in fact, a new class benchmark.
I got to check out KTM’s headlight test facility where they put the headlight designs through various tests on a simulated rolling road backdrop amongst a myriad of sensors. They also use this facility to test the competitors headlights, and while I was there a Ducati headlight was being evaluated.
A new onboard tool kit with a wider selection of tools is now also included, packed in a compact toolbox located in the seat base.
KTM claim a wet weight of 227 kg with the 23 litre tank full.
After sampling and being mighty impressed by the not quite finshed prototypes, I can’t wait to throw a leg over the production machines when they hit our shores.
2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Specifications
- ENGINE – 2-cylinder, 4-stroke, V 75° (EURO 5+)
- DISPLACEMENT – 1,350 cc
- BORE/STROKE – 110/71 mm
- POWER – 127 kW (173 hp) @ 9,500 rpm
- TORQUE – 145 Nm @ 8,000 rpm
- COMPRESSION RATIO – 13:1
- TRANSMISSION – 6 gears
- FUEL SYSTEM – Keihin EFI (throttle body Ø 54 mm)
- CONTROL – 4 valves per cylinder / DOHC / Camshift
- PRIMARY DRIVE – 40:76 FINAL DRIVE 17:42
- COOLING – Liquid cooled with water/oil heat exchanger
- CLUTCH PASC – slipper clutch, hydraulically operated
- ENGINE MANAGEMENT – Keihin EMS with RBW, double ignition
- FUEL CONSUMPTION – 6.7 l/100 km
- CO2 EMISSIONS – 139.5 g/km
- CHASSIS FRAME – Chromium-Molybdenum-Steel trellis frame, powder coated
- SUBFRAME – Aluminium, powder coated
- HANDLEBAR – Aluminium, tapered, Ø 28/22 mm
- FRONT SUSPENSION – WP SAT (semi-active technology) Upside-Down Ø 48 mm
- REAR SUSPENSION – WP SAT (semi-active technology) shock absorber
- SUSPENSION TRAVEL – FRONT / REAR 200/200 mm
- FRONT BRAKE – 2 x Brembo 4-piston, radially mounted caliper, brake disc Ø 320 mm
- REAR BRAKE – Brembo 2-piston, fixed caliper, brake disc Ø 267 mm
- FRONT / REAR RIMS – Cast aluminium wheels 3.50 x 19”; 5.00 x 17”
- FRONT / REAR TYRES – Dunlop Meridian 120/70 ZR 19; 170/60 ZR 17
- WHEELBASE – 1,558 mm ± 15 mm
- GROUND CLEARANCE – 223 mm
- SEAT HEIGHT – 847 / 867 mm
- TANK CAPACITY – approx. 23 litres (5 l reserve)
- WEIGHT (READY TO RACE) – 227 kg
- AVAILABLE – May 2025
