KTM unveiled the 1290 Super Duke R at the EICMA 2019 and its is powered by a 1301cc V-twin motor that belts out 180PS and it looks very intimidating too.
KTM makes quite some sensational naked streetbikes and India was recently blessed with the Duke 790. While its a brute of a machine, its still not the big daddy of them all. That has to be KTM 1290 Super Duke and for EICMA 2019, KTM has come up with an even more hardcore version of the bike, in the form of the 1290 Super Duke R.
The 1290 Super Duke R looks unmistakably like a KTM with sharp lines sculpting out a muscular tank with very long tank extensions. The rear portion of the motorcycle is quite compact in contrast. You get an unobstructed view of the five-spoke ally wheels at the rear and that really is a stunning side. The brake disc has been neatly incorporated on the other side with the single-sided swingarm. The exhaust system looks like a meandering snake as it makes its way from the cylinder heads to the end-can. This being a KTM, the look wouldn’t be complete without an exposed orange trellis frame, would it?
The KTM 1290 Super Duke R uses a 1301cc V-twin motor that belts out 180PS and 140Nm. The power to weight ratio of this motorcycle is enough to send you flying in no time as soon as you open the throttle. There’s even a ram-air intake very smartly integrated in between the LED headlight unit.
This being the flagship KTM, it comes with its fare share of electronic nannies. The electronic suite includes traction control, 4 riding modes, engine brake control, cruise control and supermoto ABS. The Super Duke R also gets a tyre pressure monitoring system and all these electronics can be controlled via a colour TFT digital instrument cluster which also gets Bluetooth connectivity.
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You would need top-spec underpinnings for the craziest Duke ever built, right? The trellis frame in the Super Duke is thus suspended from fully adjustable WP Apex suspension at both ends, with the shock absorber mounted to the swingarm via a linkage. As said earlier, the swingarm is a single-sided unit and stopping power comes from top-of-the-line Brembo Stylema calipers. You might think that this motorcycle would be quite hard to live with but KTM has very kindly provided you with an adjustable handlebar, hydraulically-actuated clutch, adjustable footpegs and adjustable levers for both hand and foot controls.
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It is very unlikely that KTM will bring this motorcycle to India. It only took us so long to just get the Duke 790. Nevertheless, the point of this reporting is just to let you appreciate this beautiful machine and its engineering. This is KTM’s flagship motorcycle and its interesting to note that its not the quite as powerful or lightweight as the new Ducati Streetfighter V4 or MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR. But numbers are only half the story and we will still drool over the Super Duke. What about you?