KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo (2025) - Review

Motorcycling doesn’t get much more high-tech than this: KTM’s 2025 1390 Super Adventure S Evo sports not only the latest generations of semi-active suspension and radar-operated adaptive cruise control but also debuts the company’s first automated gearbox – all packed into the world’s most powerful showroom adventure bike.

That might sound like hyperbole but, on paper at least, the KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo really does have it all, from near-superbike performance to technology that promises to make riding both easier and safer than ever before. Whether that’s enough to sway riders away from the default choice in the big adventure market – the BMW R1300GS – remains to be seen, but KTM can’t be accused of making a half-hearted effort.

Pros & Cons

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Price

At the time of writing we’re still waiting to hear the official RRP of the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo – but as an additional model to sit at the top of the Super Adventure range it’s not likely to be cheap.

Then again, it’s not swimming at that end of the pool. BMW’s semi-auto R1300GS TE ASA starts at just under £20k, and that’s before you add the £795 ‘Riding Assistant’ package that gives it radar cruise control to come up to the KTM’s level. Even then it’s down on power with ‘only’ 143hp. Ducati’s Multistrada V4 S comes close on performance with 168hp, and like the KTM features radar cruise and semi-active suspension, but it’s £22,495 in radar-equipped form and you’re expected to work your own clutch and gearshift.

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Engine & Performance

The engine in the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo is KTM’s ‘1390’ LC8 V-twin, which debuted last year in the 1390 Super Duke R and is sure to spread through the range as a replacement for the previous ‘1290’ motor.

Those numbers aren’t representative of precise capacity. The ‘1290’ engine actually measures 1301cc and the new ‘1390’ comes in at 1350cc, so there’s only a 49cc moped’s worth of capacity increase between the generations. The performance boost, however, is much more than a moped’s-worth. Where the old 1290 Super Adventure S managed 118kW – that’s a respectable 158hp – the new 1390 manages 170hp, or 173PS to use KTM’s favoured mode of measurement. It’s down compared to the 188hp of the engine in the 1390 Super Duke R, but still enough to reestablish KTM’s Super Adventure as the most powerful standard adventure bike, just eclipsing the Ducati Multistrada V4.

The disproportionate power hike is courtesy not just of the extra cubes but the addition of variable valve timing and lift on the intake camshaft, using a ‘Camshift’ system that works in essentially the same way as BMW’s ShiftCam setup. The maximum power arrives at 9500rpm, with peak torque of 145Nm (107lbft) at 8000rpm.

However, it’s the transmission that’s the KTM’s real talking point. KTM’s new ‘AMT’ (automated manual transmission) is a rival to the likes of Honda’s DCT, Yamaha’s Y-AMT and of course BMW’s ASA, but it operates a little differently to any of them.

While DCT is in a league of its own, with dual clutches and essentially two transmissions in one, the BMW and Yamaha designs are both automated versions of conventional manual boxes, with electromechanical actuators replacing your left hand and left foot when it comes to operating the clutch and shifter.

KTM has gone its own route, introducing an actuator to rotate the shift drum but opting against an electromechanical clutch. Instead, it has a scooter-style centrifugal clutch that automatically disengages at low rpm. That means to get going, you simply put it in gear and twist the throttle, and when you stop, the engine can’t stall.

On the move, the servo-operated shifter works in harmony with the engine electronics to provide lightning-fast shifts – sub-50-milliseconds – without the need for electronic control of the clutch. The system’s design means that it’s impossible to leave the bike in gear when parked to stop the rear when from turning – the clutch will be disengaged – so KTM has added a locking pawl into the transmission, and a ‘Park’ setting along with Neutral and the six gear ratios, to allow the transmission to be locked when the bike is sitting. That should make it that much harder to steal, too, as without the key a thief won’t be able to simply wheel it away.

As well as three fully automatic shifting modes, the transmission gives riders two options when it comes to manual operation. You can use either bar-mounted paddles to shift up or down, or a conventional-feeling foot shifter. Both methods will override the auto shifts, even in fully-auto mode, and because the foot shifter is really just an electronic control, you can even program it to adopt a race-style, ‘upside-down’ shift pattern if you prefer.

The gear sequence is also changed, moving away from the standard down for first, up for the rest of a manual. Instead it’s a more logical layout of P-N-1-2-3-4-5-6 – the electronics won’t let you accidentally select neutral or park on the move.

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The previous 1290 Super Adventure S already used KTM’s semi-active suspension, and the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo ups the game with an even more advanced version of the system.

KTM says that the latest version of the setup uses new Pulse Width Modulation sensors and a through-rod fork design that combines elements of both open cartridge and closed cartridge systems.

The forks themselves are vast 48mm upside-downers, and thanks to the semi-active system you’ll be able to adjust them and the matching WP rear shock via the (new, bigger) touchscreen dash.

Brembo provides the brakes, as before, with 4-pot radial calipers at the front and a two-piston one at the rear, with cornering ABS as standard. The brakes are also tied into the brake assistance system that comes with the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo’s front-facing Bosch radar.

KTM claims a wet weight, including a full, 23-litre tank of fuel, of 245kg, or 228kg when measured without fuel. That’s a single kilo more than the old 1290 Super Adventure S.

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Comfort & Economy

The final judgement on comfort will come when we ride the bike, but the changes made to the Super Adventure’s riding position and bodywork bode well for improvements.

The pegs are 8mm lower and 10mm wider-spaced than before, making for a more spacious riding position, and the new bodywork includes a reshaped windscreen, new headlight and a new storage compartment. The semi-auto transmission also promises to reduce stress and strain on longer rides, handling shifts on your behalf, and the radar-assisted cruise control is yet another element to take some of the effort away.

Fuel economy, according to official figures, comes in at 42.16mpg. That’s not exactly sipping, but this is a big, powerful, heavy bike. With a vast 23-litre tank, you should still be able to eke out a theoretical 213 miles from brimmed to bone dry.

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Equipment

We’ve already covered the semi-active suspension and the automated-manual transmission but the 2025 1390 Super Adventure S Evo still has plenty of extra kit to delve into.

This leads off with the first example of KTM’s new ‘V80’ TFT dashboard. Able to display more colours than previous designs, the V80 is a portrait-oriented, 8.8-inch touchscreen, so it’s like having a tablet in front of you to access all the bike’s tech, including the riding modes, suspension settings and the latest adaptive cruise control.

This is the next of the bike’s party-pieces. Powered by a fifth-generation Bosch radar, the system offers the usual ability to monitor the traffic in front and keep pace with it at a safe distance but adds more functions including ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Street’ settings, plus a ‘Group Ride’ mode designed to be used when, as the name suggests, you’re in convoy with other bikes.

The AMT gearbox helps expand the system’s abilities, too. Since the bike can shift its own gears and come to a halt without needing you to pull in a clutch, the radar-assisted adaptive cruise control can now operate all the way down until you come to a halt, with its new ACC Stop & Go function. Like the ACC systems on many modern cars, it will brake gently to a halt if the traffic ahead stops, and if it starts to move again in less than three seconds, the ACC automatically gets going again. Stops longer than three seconds require a rider input in the form of a slight tweak of the throttle or a touch of the ‘resume’ button to get going again.

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Rivals

The big adventure bike market is as competitive as ever, so the KTM has some serious rivals to beat including the newly updated Ducati Multistrada V4 and BMW’s still-fresh R1300GS – now one of the few to also include its own semi-auto transmission. And don’t forget Triumph’s Tiger 1200, too.

BMW R1300GS ASA | Price: £20,695 (with radar)

Read more

Power/Torque

143bhjp / 110lb-ft

Weight

237kg

Ducati Multistrada V4 S | Price: £22,495 (with radar)

Read more

Power/Torque

168bhp / 91.5lb-ft

Weight

232kg

Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer | Price: £18,695

Read more

Power/Torque

148bhp / 96lb-ft

Weight

256kg

2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Verdict

We’ll tell you when we’ve ridden it.

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2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo - Technical Specification

What is MCIA Secured?

MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible.

As we all know, the more security you use, the less chance there is of your bike being stolen. In fact, based on research by Bennetts, using a disc lock makes your machine three times less likely to be stolen, while heavy duty kit can make it less likely to be stolen than a car. For reviews of the best security products, click here.

MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:

• A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard

• An ignition immobiliser system

• A vehicle marking system

• An alarm system

• A vehicle tracking system with subscription

The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.