Syarikat automotif Perancis, Peugeot sedia mengorak langkah sulung dalam segmen skuter adventure dengan memperkenalkan model serba baharu yang bakal menyaingi Honda ADV350.
Seperti ADV350 dan Kymco DT X360, skuter ADV Peugeot itu juga menawarkan ciri praktikal yang sama namun dengan kemampuan off-road.
Seperti Honda ADV350 yang berkongsi platform sama dengan Forza 350, Peugeot pula bangunkan skuter ADV itu dengan daripada model popular, Metropolis 400.
Ini bermakna model baharu terbabit akan dikuasakan enjin satu silinder 400cc yang menawarkan 36hp dan 38Nm.
Keseluruhan rupa skuter tersebut ternyata menampilkan elemen lasak, dengan penghadang angin tinggi serta ‘paruh’ yang wajib ada pada semua motosikal seumpamanya.
Meskipun menawarkan ciri ADV namun berdasarkan imej dikongsikan ternyata saluran paip ekzos jelas berada pada kedudukan yang terdedah berbanding ADV350.
Namun, DNA ADV tampak lebih menonjol pada model ini terutamanya dengan kehadiran rim jenis spoke (lidi) berbanding aloi pada pesaing lain.
Bagaimanapun, tiada pengesahan bila model ini akan diperkenalkan namun melihat kepada imej lengkap dikongsikan, hampir pasti Peugeot akan melancarkan model ini tidak lama lagi.
KTM was recently spotted testing a new variation of the Super Adventure.
While it may look like a typical 1290 Super Adventure, some components are clearly designed to mimic the likes of Ducati’s Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak.
Like the Italian Pikes Peak edition, KTM has fitted the 1290 Super Adventure with road-going 17-inch front and rear wheels, replacing the 19-inch stock front rims.
The different wheel size also lowers the bike and helps to shift the weight onto the front, which speeds up the steering to ensure better cornering ability at high speeds.
The smaller front also allows for sportier tyre options and turns the 1290 Super Adventure into a supermoto.
While the suspension setup appears to be the same fully adjustable WP units, KTM fitted the new Super Adventure with a lighter swingarm.
However, maintaining the same suspension kit might be a backward move from Team Orange as the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak gets the yummy semi-active electronic suspension.
Nonetheless, other key highlights on the new variants is a carbon fibre front mudguard, shorter windscreen and the fancy Bosch radar sensor technology.
However, the test mule does create some questions as to why there is a need for a Pikes Peak killer build from the 1290 Super Adventure when the Austrian firm has the Super Duke GT in its stead?
The KTM 1290 Adventure S was launched to a great following.
As a special year-end promotion, KTM Malaysia offers the Travel Pack as a complimentary package.
The promotion is available via authorized KTM Malaysia dealers.
The 2017 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S was launched in Malaysia just a few months back and has already enjoyed a huge following among adventure-touring enthusiasts.
KTM already has a winner when the Austrian and largest European manufacturer launched the 1290 Super Adventure (later renamed as “Model T”) in 2015. It was promptly named the “Best Adventure Touring Motorcycle” by many reputable motorcycle publications around the world.
The 1290 Super Adventure T was both a mechanical and technological marvel, and became THE high-performance adventure-tourer, bar none. It was also the basis for the 2017 1290 Super Adventure S and 1290 Super Adventure R. The 1301cc, DOHC, 8-valve, 75-degree, LC8 engine (based on the insane 1290 Super Duke R) punches out a whopping 160 bhp and 140 NM of torque. But that’s just part of the story because the engine is already producing 108 Nm at 2500 RPM. That’s why the bike pulled like the clichéd freight train.
The bike features technological advancements such as MTC (Motorcycle Traction Control), MSC (Motorcycle Stability Control), ABS, LED Cornering Lights, and WP’s Semi-Active Suspension.
The 2017 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S utilises the same, albeit uprated features. But more telling, it had been totally redesigned to reflect a new KTM identity, starting with the headlight.
The headlight is now split into two sides with a cooling “channel” in between to address concerns of the LEDs getting too hot. The consequence of this redesign produced a headlight design unlike any other motorcycle in the market, and for KTM themselves, as well.
Other features were uprated, including the engine and electronics for more refinement and even more reliability. New for the 1290 Adventure S is the 6-inch TFT display, which the owner may install the My Ride option which includes hands-free audio playback via Bluetooth.
The latest TFT meter panel for the 2017 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S
All these electronics make the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S sensitive, right?
Not so. We saw how reliable they were firsthand during the recent KMOG Borneo Ride 2017. Not a single bike broke down despite being trashed in arduous riding conditions including earthquake-damaged roads, no road, mud, gravel, sand, rain or shine. They just kept going and comfortable for the riders and passengers to boot!
As 2018 looms, KTM Malaysia is offering the 1290 Super Adventure S with a special promotion.
For a limited time only, KTM Malaysia is throwing in the Travel Pack option, worth RM 5,424 – FREE! With the purchase of a new 1290 Super Adventure S.
The Travel Pack includes the aforementioned My Ride, Quickshifter+, Hill Hold Control (HHC) and Motor Slip Regulation (MSR).
My Ride allows the rider to connect his mobile phone to bike via Bluetooth, allowing for music streaming and making/receiving calls hands free.
Quickshifter+ is an evolution of the run-of-the-mill quickshifter. It allows for smoother and positive clutch-less gear changes not only for upshifts but for downshifts as well. A novel feature of KTM’s Quickshifter+ is the absence of an “activator” on the shift connector shaft.
As any veteran rider can tell you, taking off on an incline is never easy, requiring the rider hold on to the front brake and slip the clutch like mad! Hill Hold Control (HHC) holds the bike on a slope during idle, even if the transmission is neutral. This is a very useful feature especially on a tall bike, laden down with luggage and passenger.
Motor Slip Regulation works in tandem with the other traction control features for a safer ride. While the MTC and slipper work to relief the rear wheel from hopping, MSR limits back-torque to the rear wheel by increasing the engine’s speed. A useful feature in low-grip situations. (It’s akin to riding MX, where the rider needs to keep the engine spinning at higher RPM for more consistent traction compared to fully shutting off – no doubt learned from KTM’s heavy involvement and success in offroad competition.)
The Travel Pack features bring additional safety and entertainment to an already great bike, so hurry to your nearest authorized KTM dealer today!
