Brute Force

BRUTE FORCE

Bigger is better on this Austrian hooligan

Blake Conner

If there were ever a doubt that KTM is ultra serious about building streetbikes, the last couple of years have crushed those reservations. Street products now account for almost 50 percent of KTM’s sales, and the new 1290 Super Duke R is sure to be the company’s flagship.

This naked V-twin sportbike redefines the word “hooligan” and will surely give the competition more fight than it can handle.

If bigger is better, then the i,30icc, 75-degree twin is the best LC8 ever. KTM claims 180 hp and 106 pound-feet of torque, and all that oomph is supremely usable thanks to an advanced electronics package with three drive modes and sophisticated lean-angledependent traction control.

At the Super Duke R’s press introduction in Estepona, Spain, a day of riding exclusively on the street was followed by a morning of lapping at the Ascari Race Resort outside of Ronda.

Our first morning’s ride included an ascent up a fast and twisty road from the Mediterranean into the mountains. With so much torque available, frequent shifting wasn’t necessary, but after experiencing the wonderful action of the 1290’s six-speed gearbox, I found myself doing so purely for

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FIRST RIDE 2014 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R

entertainment. As the roads tightened up, the exits only became more fun. With MTC active and the drive mode in Sport, the Super Duke’s rear tire is allowed to spin a bit out of corners but never enough to risk getting sideways. With TC off, the bike was far less of a handful than I anticipated. Excellent fueling combined with very linear power production made traction easy to find. Although Street mode allows the same output as Sport, its MTC settings and power delivery are more conservative, n mode, as expected, limits output and has aggressive TC intervention.

If the engine is impressive, it’s the chassis that allows you to exploit all the power. The most notable trait of the 1290’s chassis is its excellent front-end feel.

A huge 48mm fully adjustable WP fork combines with the chrome-moly steel trellis frame to provide very communicative handling. Even on roads with less-than-ideal grip, the limits of traction were easily detectable. Overstep those bounds slightly and the Bosch 9ME ABS keeps the awesome Brembo brakes from getting you into trouble. Despite a long 58.3-inch wheelbase and 24.9-degree steering-head angle, turn-in is impressively quick, totally neutral, and predictable. The wide tapered aluminum handlebar

provides significant steering leverage but never makes the front feel twitchy. Dunlop’s new European-spec Sportsmart2 tire was profiled specifically for the 1290. At standard pressures, grip was good; lowered a bit, the bike really worked well.

We found the 1290’s real potential at Ascari. A wide variety of its corners emulate signature turns from tracks around the world, and the ultra-fast, fifth-gear back straight really got my attention. The acceleration to 150 mph, followed by braking into the second-gear chicane, was eye-opening. Handling proved perfectly suited to lapping, once the Dunlops were bled down to track pressures.

Although the KTM 1290 Super Duke R has numerous excellent individual traits,

I’m most impressed by how well they work together. The engine is definitely the cornerstone of the machine but is complemented perfectly by the sophisticated electronics and great chassis. And the bike has a very high level of polish and refinement, something KTM streetbikes lacked in the past.

The 2014 KTM 1290 Super Duke R will be available in two colors: matte black or the orange shown here. Expect the bike to arrive in US dealerships in late February. Pricing is supposed to be announced at the Long Beach, California, International Motorcycle Show in December.