Rennie Scaysbrook | November 5, 2019
Headlining KTM’s EICMA Show offerings in Milan is the third generation of the glorious 1290 Super Duke R. This is pretty close to a ground-up revamp of the premium KTM nakedbike that first saw action in 2014, but even though the bike is new for 2020, it still retains some close links to the original model.
Yummy! The new KTM 1290 Super Duke certainly does look like a beast!
Wrapped in all-new bodywork with LED lights front and back and now sporting a steel gas tan and priced at $18,699, the Super Duke is powered by a lighter and more powerful 75°, 1301cc LC8 V-twin. Pretty much everything has been given the once over, from a new intake system that features ram air, new 56mm throttle bodies, injectors, a new gearbox, exhaust, and a new composite subframe is matched to a tubular steel chassis that’s a claimed 4.4 lb lighter than in 2018.
Attached to that is a longer swingarm that’s mounted closer to the output sprocket and with its pivot shaft 5mm higher for better stability and anti-squat when hard on the gas.
The suspension is all new in the 48mm WP APEX fork and APEX shock with a revised linkage set-up, and KTM has taken a leaf out of BMW’s old playbook by numbering the shock (but only the shock preload, not on rebound or compression) adjustments with a small dial so you always know how much preload you’ve got to play with. Dry weight is a claimed 416 lb.
Lighter forged aluminum wheels are an all-new design; triple clamps, too, are lighter with a 32mm offset and the show rolls on Bridgestone’s S22 tires that we tested right here.
On the electronics side, KTM’s Motorcycle Stability Control system comes equipped with an IMU and Cornering ABS with Supermoto mode (ABS on the front but not the rear), lean-angle sensitive traction control, motor slip regulation, but sadly, the quickshifter is an optional extra and not standard fitment.
KTM’s got a couple of different packages for the Super Duke in the Track Mode, which includes launch control, quick shifter, nine-level TC, track throttle mode and rear wheel lift control; the Performance Pack gets the quick shifter and MSR (motor slip regulation), and both packs come with the option of the KTM MY RIDE Bluetooth set up to pair your phone with the brand new TFT dash.
With Ducati releasing the Streetfighter V4 and BMW set to bring a new S 1000 R, it looks like we’re in for a replay of the nakedbike wars that kicked off four years ago. No word yet on when we’ll be testing the new SD but we’ll be sure to let you know how it goes when we do.
