fuel burned and gravel roosted is a glorious and heartwarming thing beyond words. By the time it is spinning hard in fourth gear, the rear knobs are literally disappearing! And there are still fifth and sixth gears to go! It is a godly experience if ever there was one. Serious self-discipline is required to make a rear tyre last a day if“ Hoon” mode is truly engaged – how cool is that? Extremely cool is the correct answer! Yes, if you want true excitement on an open gravel road and more, this is the bike to own – period.
A LONG TIME COMING Going back a bit, in 2017 I attended the launch of the then new 1290 Adventure R in the Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia. Ever since then I’ ve had a wee longing for this machine deep in my heart. We rode a dirt road there that was so cool it blew my mind. Very fast, wide, snaking and dead smooth with the perfect amount of traction for high-speed sliding. I have never ridden a dirt road like it before or since, I will never forget it. Drifting on dirt at about twice the legal limit … and the 1290 R was the absolutely best machine to do it on. Oh, and 1290s can wheelie a bit too. Although on road it’ s a little better when the knobbly is worn a fair bit, because tall knobs flex and squirm, which leads to wheel spin while the short knobs flex less and grip more.
CIVILISED PERFORMANCE Now, enough about the lunatic fun zone. The big 1290 can also be quite civilised. In fact, the engineers have done a remarkable job of making the power delivery predictable and useable. If you want to ride quickly on gravel with little wheel spin, even with the TC switched
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