Ktm 1290 super duke r

Rennie Scaysbrook | March 23, 2022 Very much unlike the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R is a model of sophistication. By Rennie Scaysbrook | Photography by Kit Palmer This kind of looniness is available in every gear except sixth. Let that sink in for a moment. I remember the first time I rode a KTM Super Duke. We’d just been delivered one from KTM Australia in 2014 and after about five minutes on board, I stopped and yelled at my riding partner and good mate, Simon. “Man, this thing’s nuts!” I blurted out to a very jealous looking Simon. The Beast, as it was christened, made every other twin-cylinder sportbike motor—except for those found in the very highest end of Ducati superbikes of the time—instant also-rans. This thing had so much torque, so much performance, it really was difficult to believe. It reminded me how I felt the first time I rode the BMW S 1000 RR at Phillip Island. KTM, like BMW, had moved the game substantially forward. Over the years the Super Duke has evolved but stayed very true to that original hooligan ethos. It’s effectively a 1301cc V-twin supermoto, which explains why it was so easy for supermoto hero Chris Fillmore to obliterate the course record on one at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in 2017. Refined, but still a bruiser. The new WP semi-active suspension adds a touch of civility to the package. That 2017 model was the first time the Super Duke received any changes (you can read our The Now if you’re thinking you’ve heard t...

The Super Duke GT has always had razor-sharp, confident handling, and the lighter wheels and grippier tires make it even better. (Photos by Kevin Wing) Riding new and unfamiliar motorcycles is one of the best aspects of working for a motorcycle magazine. But what I enjoy even more is riding updated versions of motorcycles I’ve tested before, particularly those on my short list of favorites. What I love about them is still there, but performance has been elevated, refinements have been made, and features have been added. That’s very much the case with the 2023 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT. The 1290 Super Duke GT sport-tourer returns with more power, new wheels and tires, and upgraded TFT functionality but without standard saddlebags. Derived from the 1290 Super Duke R – a 180-hp naked sportbike known as “The Beast” – the sport-touring GT was introduced in early 2016. Rider’s former EIC Mark Tuttle got a first ride on the 1290 Super Duke GT at the global press launch in Mallorca, Spain, and he gushed about it in his review, calling it “nearly flawless, the perfect sport-touring bike for a rider who doesn’t want to give up sportbike levels of engine performance and handling.” I’m not above petty jealousy, and Tuttle’s hi-pro glow after that launch made me green with envy. Good guy that he is, Mark twisted the arm of Tom Moen, KTM North America’s head of marketing, to get us a pre-production 1290 Super Duke GT as soon as one arrived on our shores. I flogged and hogged it for nearly ...

Updated: 12 December 2022 The third generation KTM 1290 Super Duke R burst onto the Still aggressively styled, still finished in orange, and still happiest on one wheel, it is now more refined than ever before – with a claimed increase of 3bhp and less weight to muscle around, yet easy to live with in town and less inclined to chuck you off the back when you twist the noise tube. With an ant-like LED face tucked between a set of broad jagged shoulders, it looks fast standing still – with 30 seconds of riding confirming it’s even quicker on the move. It may be more grown up than ever, but it’ll still carry you from zero to jailtime faster than you can say 'sorry officer.' For 2022, this sophistication has continued with the introduction of a new Evo model. Starting at £1550 more than the standard bike in 2022, it gains semi-active WP Apex suspension for a claimed greater usability on a wider range of road surfaces. It also gets quicker action throttle – decreasing the twist of your wrist by 7 degrees to 65 and allowing you to reach full throttle faster. The suspension upgrade means less time fiddling in the garage finding your ideal spring set-up, with multiple options for stiffness available at the click of a button – allowing for easy changes whether you’re bimbling into town, tackling the commute, having a B-road tear up, or scratching your way around Donington Park. There are three modes as standard, with extra settings available if you’re prepared to shed out a few ext...

For 2020 KTM’s “Beast” offers more monster power but is actually less beastly in the handling department thanks to an all-new frame, wheels, tires and suspension upgrades. Narrowly focused hyper-sportbikes just aren’t my thing anymore. Used to love ’em, but now the ol’ bod protests against low clip-on handlebars, high rearset footpegs and peaky powerbands that demand the motorcycle be ridden like you stole it, or it will buck and complain as if you’re lugging an old truck. Some V-twin sportbikes in particular don’t smooth out until you’re well north of legal speed in anything above second gear. That sort of unbroken-thoroughbred behavior is fine for track days, I suppose, but if it’s your only bike, most of us want something more versatile. While the performance potential of such sportbikes is attractive, to get my full attention comfortable seating is mandatory, with a wide, tallish one-piece handlebar that adjusts, and further adjustability in reasonably located footpegs, levers and pedal is desirable as well. At its heart a V-twin would have to be a model of civility at lower engine speeds, whether by nature or electronic riding mode, so that it can be ridden around town or on a commute without feeling the need to wear racing leathers. And in addition to the expected screaming top-end, it would require a ton of midrange power to make it easy to ride briskly without a lot of shifting, with all of the braking and electronic rider aids aboard to rein the beast in from full...

Engine If it ain't broken, don't fix it. But by all means, make it meaner! Boasting 180 hp and 140 Nm, the 1301 cc LC8, V-Twin has undergone a subtle yet impactful development. Optimized to be lighter but retaining its torquey character, this powerhouse is the benchmark of V-twin evolution. And with engine and linkage mounts that add to the overall structure of the entire package - it quite literally is the part that holds THE BEAST together. Engine case Tanja kućišta motora i revidirani nosači vodenog i uljnog hladnjaka doneli su uštedu od 0,8 kg. Isporuka ulja je ujedno poboljšana pomoću lake aluminijumske uljne linije, i otklanja potrebu za sistemom sa dvostrukim zidovima. Pored toga, nosači motora i lančane veze integrisani su u kućište motora, što omogućava kruću vezu. Ovo je ujedno dovelo do stožera zadnje viljuške višeg za 5 mm za poboljšanu stabilnost i bolji mehanički otpor ogibljenja kompresiji. Gearbox Nisu vam uvek potrebne velike promene kako biste imali velike razlike. U stvari, kad se radi o menjaču PANKL, uneli smo nekoliko malih izmena koje su za rezultat imale brže promene stepena prenosa, kraću akciju promene i lakšu modulaciju ručice. Nesmetanija akcija promene stepena prenosa tu je ujedno zahvaljujući poboljšanom ožljebljenom vratilu i bronzanom bakarnom premazu na viljuškama menjača. Čemu sve ovo? Sasvim jednostavno - brža promena stepena prenosa jednaka je bržem ubrzavanju. Twin spark ignition Kad je reč o efikasnom sagorevanju goriva, dve svećice su...