The KTM 1290 Adventure S seems finally set to come to the United States, after debuting last year at the EICMA show. Ever-tentative about new model releases, KTM North American only brought in the KTM 1290 Adventure R this year, leaving its road-focused ADV counterpart for the rest of the world.
First spotted in filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) by the folks at Motorcycle.com, it looks like the KTM 1290 Adventure S has proven its worth abroad, enough so that KTM feels comfortable bringing it into the largest ADV market in the world.
As such, this news surely means that the 2018 KTM 1290 Adventure S is coming to the USA. It features cast wheels (19″/17″), cornering ABS, semi-active WP Suspension pieces, and 158hp of fun on tap.
The KTM 1290 Adventure S stacks up nicely against the BMW R1200GS, Ducati Multistrada 1200, and Triumph Tiger Explorer. It will always puzzle us why KTM North America waits on certain models for release.
The KTM 1290 Adventure S was a new model in 2017, and shows a robust package that competes strongly against the other European brands.
Now for the 2018 model year, we see Ducati and Triumph set to update their large-displacement adventure-touring machines, which will better-compete against the KTM. Better late than never, we suppose.
Stay tuned for pricing and availability on the 2018 KTM 1290 Adventure S for the US market.
Source: CARB via Motorcycle.com; Photos: KTM
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