RUST magazine: RUST #44

LONG TERMER
w
IT BEHAVES PRETTY
MUCH LIKE A
REGULAR DIRT BIKE,
PROBABLY HELPED BY
THE 21”/18” WHEELS
AND BEEFY WP
SUSPENSION
the Island thanks to Rallymoto’s
impressive route plotting.
The first off-road section was
fantastic, a long graveled two-track
up over the mountains (or high hills
at least). And when I say long, the
trail must have been at least half
the length of the island as it started
just outside Ballaugh and we exited
it around Peel/Ballacraine. Quite
something after the 500 metres at a
bite experience of riding green lanes
in the South East!
Compared to say the long level
pistes of the Kielder 500, this was
a more technical trail, too. Rainfall
and vehicle passage meant the twotracks
were worn a little deeper with
a raised grassy crown between, and
you got occasional extreme erosion
where heavy rains had cut bikeswallowing
gullies. And you were
riding over often-loose rock/slate,
plus the trail went up/down left/
right quite regularly. On the 1290,
as with any super-ADV, there was
something of a self-imposed speed
limit as the potential for tyre damage
was high – you just can’t go hitting
rock steps at speed with a 250-kilo
machine.
Nonetheless the 1290 was a
doddle to ride over this. Aside
from a fairly high centre of gravity
(which you only notice if you swap
to something like the new-wave
790) it behaves pretty much like a
regular dirt bike, probably helped
by the 21”/18” wheels and beefy WP
suspension. And in off-road mode
you can happily rely on the dirtadjusted
ABS to look after you on
tricky descents – just make sure you
pick a good line. But at no point was
I struggling or wishing I was on the
790 instead, it’s a comfortable place
to be is the 1290 even off-road.
CAREFREE
Again, when we reverted to the road
sections, the 1290 was the perfect
ride. I like the high seat height – you
see over everything – while the
engine means you pick any speed
and just whoosh along letting your
subconscious do the operating. It’s
a 158hp 1301cc behemoth, but the
riding, thanks to all those electronic
aids, can be pretty carefree.
Of the bike-protection upgrades
we had installed (see RUST #43), I
think I only really tested the Rally
footpegs. These are so big (but not
too big), and so secure (no slipping)
that they made the off-road riding
super comfortable. Occasionally
I heard the odd clank of a rock
firing into the upgraded sump
plate, but the standard one would
have been just fine. And we were
never challenged on remaining
perpendicular so the hand guards
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