KTM 1290 Super Duke R

Built:2013-24201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024

Now let's leave out all the superfluous, take a V2 engine, a lattice tube frame and a tank. With the saved coal we let it really crash and grab the 177 hp engine, which is standing around on the shelf. The KTM 1290 Super Duke R, called "the beast", is ready. Sounds like viiiiiel fun? We thought too and got one for the test.

Quickly? But for sure.

Despite her minimalist Naked Bike build-up, the Super Duke can be seen from afar falling into a bucket of magic potion as a child. The whole bike is the opposite of discreet, only the tank apparently grips around the headlight like with claws. The lattice tube frame, which is only partially painted orange, underlines the Duke's wide-legged appearance.

The data sheet tells Dietmar and me that 174 hp hits only 204 kilos of live weight. I find it even more impressive that the engine does not emit less than 100 Newton metres of torque in any speed range. The question arises as to whether the loved ones have just said goodbye with the necessary seriousness ... "It's always been nice with you, but I have to go to the Duke now"?

As always, a planned suicide is certainly not a trip with the KTM. The Austrians packed everything you have today with electronic rescue anchors: in addition to traction control, the Super Duke also has a standard curve ABS. Generous from KTM? Well, how to take it. After all, you have to transfer a whopping 17,099 euros to the friendly dealer's account before you start your journey, there should be something like that.

The drama stays out

First surprise: We actually expected the KTM to go off like a rocket with a killer sound anytime and anywhere. Okay, the sound of the V2 is simply great and signals with every puffthat that a testosterone-dripping moped is coming here. But the hustle and bustle that characterizes many athletes, for example, of Ducati, is alien to the KTM.

The first contact is therefore a surprise: the KTM is a performance monster, but a cultivated one. It does not fall out of the frame unpleasantly. It goes off like a rocket, but you can use the power wonderfully dosed. Excessive reactions or load changes are alien to her.

It's strange: you buy the 174 hp at any time, but you don't notice it very much. This is probably also due to the fact that motorcycles are basically quite fast. There's a motorized as powerfulast as the Super Duke, but it shows the limits of adhesion and physics: its acceleration zero hundred isn't much better than bikes, which leave it at 100 hp.

But the torque of always, always, always over 100 Newton meters? Yes, that too is there. And palpable. But honestly? Hardly mobile: At low speeds, the V2 shakes itself quite nicely, so it pulls powerfully from 3000 revolutions. But low speeds are not fun for him and subsequently for the driver.

The fact that the big drama is not there is also due to the safety net of the KTM: During our extensive test drives, the road was always wet, sometimes rain was added. The excellent traction control does not intervene too hard here, but rather measures the performance in a targeted manner. This is a great match for the KTM engineers, but the dramatic is lost.

In the video recordings I exaggerated it once and braked the KTM on a wet track. What went straight ahead during the brake test thanks to the very good ABS (see in the video at 13:00 min), ensured a short pushing of the rear (19:15 min) during the hard braking before the bend in a slight inclination. The KTM thought I wanted to have a bit of fun, but I was just too fast.

Normally, the brakes are a force. They can be operated almost with one finger, dosed wonderfully and do not let up. That is how it must be.

On the chassis: Especially at the backhand, one wanted a tick more precision, as many Italian motorcycles get, but this is whining at a high level.