Ergonomics.
Adjustment is the name of the game in ergonomics and KTM have looked
at this with a keen eye. The seating is a gentle two stage seat with a ridge
that keeps you up right. It’s a full sit up and beg for a 6’2” rider in full
touring position. The large screen that has an under layer with smoked
plastic to stop road glare bouncing up is very welcome. Adjusting the big
screen is a simple affair of one pull catch and then a wheel to move the
clear outer screen up and down. The very large 30litre tank is shaped so
that your knees slot in behind the bulk of the tank keeping the wind off
your legs and helping the aerodynamics of the bike.
The handlebar can be adjusted both with lifts and with rotation that is
aided by markings on the bars for you to keep the adjustment level – nice
touch. Pegs have a rubber insert and I didn’t have an issue with vibration
from the bike unless it was full open throttle and then the big LC8 growls
like something from Greek mythology just woke up in bad mood to do
your bidding!
The controls are large and well placed out for a gloved thumb to find with
ease and the display is large and clear. There is a lot of information on the
main display but not overly cluttered with the speed being the main eye
catcher. The rest of the detail is there but discreet for your glance
viewing pleasure. The rev counter stands alone as it down on most bike
and is dial display up to 12,000 revs. On the left hand side is your
settings display and this can be played with before you set off or takes
seconds to adjust when you pull over. I’m not a fan of adjusting things on
the move as I like my eyes on the road to see if that muppet ahead is
going to switch lanes without warning. I really liked the fact that the
cruise control button was all alone, so I didn’t have to look for the button,
just press and my lower sight peripheral picked up on the dash that it was
ready to set. Lower the thumb a cm and you have the settings for the
cruise control, the dash light cruise control turns green and a second
speed comes up on the dash to show you what you’ve set the speed to –
sweet.
A slight issue with the indicator stick; it’s very short and the full beam on
the other side can take a slight hit as you change. This puts the full beam
on without you knowing (in daylight) until I looked down and noticed the
blue light icon on the dash illuminated. It did not take long to take this
into account and the reason it’s there is for speed and ease of use, it’s just
as you tilt your left hand over to get the indicate switch your finger has a
habit of lifting and the knuckle catches the full beam switch.
A little tip on the cruise control – don’t think that a gentle application of
the front brake to take the cruise control off at ... we’ll say 70mph shall
we ... will brake you gently from “70mph” as you’re in gear. So what you
get is an instant snap of engine braking and front brake application. If
you’re catching someone on the motorway who is doing “68” then better
to just bring in the clutch – this will take the cruise control off and you
then apply the brakes as normal .
So a very well balanced set of physical and visual layouts for your riding
comfort and your comfort really has been pawed over on this one. As the
flagship of the KTM adventure touring fleet you would expect no less.
Once on the move you can understand why the KTM 1290 has won a host
of awards in the class.