There aren’t many people who can put a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R through its paces off-road. At 160 horsepower and 529 pounds wet, it’s a lot of bike, to put it mildly. It has a host of modes and computer assists to help Average Joe turn in a competent performance, but to really make the bike sing in the dirt you’d almost need to be super human. Like Chris Birch.

In a recent  video, “12 Hours With the 1290 Super Adventure R,” Birch flogs the rip-snorting KTM through the glorious scenery of his native New Zealand. For us lesser beings stuck at home, it’s two minutes and 34 seconds of pure, escapist joy.

It begins where many of these sorts of videos begin: early in the morning, pulling out of the garage. We follow Birch down a dirt path and out on the asphalt twisties along the coast on a sun-kissed morning. Then comes a dirt road, a high-speed hop over a tree limb, powerslides and more incredible coastal scenery.

Things get serious with a couple hillclimbs that would give pause to a good rider on a dual sport of half the weight, Birch ripping wheelies and throwing a roost the all the way to the top. Add more log hops, stream crossings, single track and a chasm-spanning jump, shake well and enjoy. In one particularly memorable shot, Birch shoots over the crest of a steep hill, lands the 1290 on its back wheel and wheelies out of the frame as if he were on a trials bike. Don’t try that at home, as they say.

Of course, Birch has the Dakar Rally, Red Bull Romaniacs, the Erzberg Rodeo and a slew of other world-class hard enduros and rallies on his resume. He also travels the globe as a dirt- and adventure-riding coach, and posts cool how-to and big-bike videos on YouTube. You probably can’t ride a 1290 the way he does. But there’s no harm in dreaming.

Author: Bob Whitby

Bob has been riding motorcycles since age 19 and working as a journalist since he was 24, which was a long time ago, let’s put it that way. He quit for the better part of a decade to raise a family, then rediscovered adventure, dual sport and enduro riding in the early 2000s. He lives in Arkansas, America’s best-kept secret when it comes to riding destinations, and travels far and wide in search of dirt roads and trails.