KTM 1290 Super Duke “The Beast”

The KTM 1290 provides only a ballpark estimate of the actual engine displacement. The powerplant is another iteration of KTM’s  75-degree V-Twin engine, this time enlarged to a 1301cc displacement. Whereas the engines on the RC8 R and the 1190 Adventure have a bore of 105mm and a stroke of 69 mm, the Super Duke R is bored out to 108 mm while the stroke is a bit longer at 71 mm.

The result, KTM claims, is an output of 177 hp at 8870 rpm. Torque, meanwhile, is claimed to peak at 106 ft-lb., with an ample 74 ft-lb. available at just 2500 rpm. According to KTM, the 1290 Super Duke R can go from 0 to 200 kph (124 mph) in just 7.2 seconds. The fuel tank holds 4.75 gallons while KTM claims a dry weight of 417 pounds.

Helping control the power delivery is a ride-by-wire throttle system and a traction control system. The R-b-W system offers selectable ride modes that control power output as well as traction control and combined-ABS. Rain mode offers smooth but limited power with early traction control intervention. Street mode provides a sportier ride for everyday use. Sport mode offers full power and less traction control intervention. An all-new Supermoto mode which only engages ABS for the front wheel, allowing the rear to slide. Traction control and ABS can also be deactivated.

KTM is launching the third model of the Super Duke line, which they have been selling since 2005 (note: KTM mentions it’s the fourth edition because of the small upgrade in 2011).

The new KTM 1290 Super Duke R has a brand new 1,301 cc v-twin engine, that delivers a huge amount of horsepower (180bhp) and a mountain of torque (106 lbs•ft). The 1290 Super Duke R only weighs 417 lbs dry.

Engine

The previous iterations of the LC8-lump were always hampered with a difficult throttle response. According to KTM, this part-throttle behaviour has been reworked extensively on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R, and we have to agree it does feel fine now, apart from a minimal on-off reaction when you first open the throttle mid-corner.

Overall though, we like the driveability of the ride-by-wire system. The big v-twin sounds amazing and runs so smoothly that you can use a broad RPM range in any gear, although you do need to stay above 4,000 rpm to avoid bucking.

Above that the engine truly is a beast: turn the traction control off and it’s simply impossible to keep the front wheel down in the first 3 gears. In fourth, fifth, or sixth, a tiny crest in the road will result into a power-wheelie. KTM definitely didn’t lie when they christened this bike as ‘The Beast’: the 1290 Super Duke R is faster, stronger, wilder than you can imagine.

It is however geared too long. At freeway speeds in 6th, the engine is lugging along as it sits below 4,000 rpm, and doesn’t feel particularly happy about it. You really don’t need more than 4 gears on public roads unless of course you are addicted to prison speeds. Gearing The Beast shorter however doesn’t seem like a valid solution because of the enormous power that’s available.

Electronics

This is where KTM’s state-of-the-art electronics package, a modern Bosch ABS and traction control system, comes into play. It should be noted that these systems are not the same as the ones on the KTM 1190 Adventure, which means that KTM will not be offering the recently flaunted Bosch MSC stability system on the big Duke.

The ABS system is different from most other sport bikes too, in that it works fine on the street, but on track it seems that you can get the most out of the brakes by disabling the ABS altogether. Even in its sports setting, the ABS system comes in too quickly on track. It’s probably more a gimmick than anything else, but experienced riders can also choose a ‘supermoto’ setting for the ABS, which allows you to slide the rear tire.

The Bosch Traction Control on the other hand is fantastic. The rough asphalt of the Spanish mountain passes didn’t phase the 180 hp / 106 lbs•ft bike at all as the system worked overtime on the broken surface. At first this felt a bit awkWard, but soon you gain full-confidence in the electronics.

The system worked just as brilliantly on the Ascari track: we could see the TC light coming on in the 90° left-hander, but we couldn’t feel the system working at all, and the Super Duke R stayed perfectly stable.

The only downside of this electronics package is the irritating way of turning it off and on. You have to push a button for 5 seconds ,while being stationary, which means that you can’t make any changes on-the-fly and react quickly to changing conditions.

KTM says that they have done this for safety reasons, but this doesn’t seem to add up with their ‘ready to race’ image, and the simple fact of introducing a 180 horsepower bike into the market.

Chassis

The Brembo M50 monoblocs already proved themselves on other bikes, like the Ducati 1199 Panigale, and they are no different on the 1290 Super Duke. The braking power is immense, but you get so much feedback and feel from the system that you never lose confidence in the front. You can execute emergency stops on loose surfaces without fear of lowsiding.

The comfortable seating position really adds to this feeling of total control with a great stock seat and a gentle knee-angle to the pegs . Shifting gears is very easy, although we did get a couple of false neutrals on the rough twisting roads, most probably because of the hectic riding conditions and dodgy roads during the test.

The all-new trellis frame is suspended – as always with KTM – by high quality WP elements. The front forks each have separate damping controls, meaning that one leg controls the rebound, while the other one takes care of the compression damping.

All in all, there’s more flex in this chassis than you would encounter on a superbike — this is not a hot rod RC8 without fairings. When riding fast, the bike moves around quite a bit and in these extreme conditions it feels nice to have a steering damper as a fail safe.

The flexibility does take some getting used to, but you definitely gain confidence after a while. On public roads there’s plenty of Ground Clearance, but on track our toesliders got a good workout. The race-version we tried had much more Ground Clearance for this exact reason.

The performance of the front end was somewhat hit and miss however. The Dunlop Sportsmart2 tires gave full confidence at one point while lacking grip a little while later. According to KTM no changes were done to the bikes, so we don’t really know why the front-end feedback and grip was so changeable.

The rear suspension is of a beautiful single-sided construction, which always feels stable, tight, confident, and perfectly in control thanks to the traction control system.

Details

The KTM 1290 Super Duke R is a quality product: the fit and finish looks wonderful except for the contrasting cheap looking exhaust system. Of course KTM likes you to solve this issue by buying a full Akrapovic system…very expensive but then again, it promises an extra 12 horses.

The headlight with striking LED daytime running lights is mounted very low on the forks and takes some getting used to visually. It turns on and off automatically and we still feel that the rider should control this but luckily this setup doesn’t flicker as nervously as the Adventure headlight.

Conclusion

Priced at €17,599 in Europe (not pricing is available in the USA yet), the 2014 KTM 1290 Super Duke R is a hell of a lot of money for a naked bike. For that amount we feel that KTM should have thrown in some carbon bits and a better race-ABS system.

But all-in-all this brand new 1290 Super Duke R doesn’t have any real flaws (apart from the MTC and ABS controls). This bike delivers what’s been promised: a insane streetfighter with an obscene amount of power, controlled to be enjoyed to the fullest.

You can ask yourself if all this power is really necessary, but in practice, the huge and addictive wave of torque gives you riding pleasure few bikes can match: powering this beast out of corners feels fantastic, over and over again. It has more power than you’ll ever need or want.

The commanding seating position and the wild ride nicely finish off the concept of this big ballsy naked. Just try to keep your licence, if at all possible.

Review

Austrian manufacturer KTM has been making some impressive strides the past few years. Its off-road catalog has been carving out an ever-larger share of that market, and the orange-liveried motorcycles are now viewed as equals (and in some cases superior) to the more established brands. And its 250cc single-cylinder powerplant has forced Honda to work overtime in order stem the onslaught of KTM-engined dominance in the Moto3 class in MotoGP.

But its on-road lineup hasn’t been exactly sleeping either. After coming away impressed with the nimble and feedback-rich handling of its RC8 R supersport machine last year, we were anxious to see what KTM would come up with after hearing it was developing a naked streetfighter-style machine that would lay waste to anything in its path. And the initial reviews certainly didn’t disappoint.

We had Roland Brown cover the specifics of the new KTM 1290 Super Duke R in his first ride story in our March issue (“The Beast”), and needless to say, we were chomping at the bit to get our hands on one after reading his brief experience with the bike. So when KTM North America called and said it was stopping by with our test unit, the Sport Rider staff was already fighting to see who would get the key first.

Duty and the Beast
For an engine that pumps out a very impressive 152.3 rear-wheel horsepower at 9,200 rpm and 93 foot-pounds of torque at 8,300 rpm (including an astounding 80 foot-pounds at 4,000 rpm, almost as much as the RC8 R at its 6,800-rpm peak), the KTM’s 1,301cc, 75-degree V-twin is surprisingly docile when not ridden in anger. The Super Duke can be ridden away with little warm-up in cold mornings and not suffer the coughing/sputtering that afflicts some other big-displacement sporting V-twins. Clutch engagement is smooth, and effort is light (assisted by the two-way ramped clutch that not only acts like a slipper clutch during downshifts but also uses engine torque to increase clutch plate pressure under power), with none of the snatchy action of other similar power-assist clutch assemblies.

Overall ergos are some of the best we’ve encountered on a naked bike, with a nicely padded saddle that isn’t too narrow or slanted leading up top to a tapered aluminum handlebar that is set at an optimum height for sport riding; just high and wide enough for comfort and control without turning you into an aerodynamic barn door. Down below, there’s plenty of legroom for 6-footers, yet ground clearance is abundant with no major hard parts dragging when aggression levels start going up. We had no real issues with longer stints on the new Super Duke, which is a good thing considering it sips fuel to the tune of a 40-mpg average, consistently allowing us about 180 miles per tankful.

Speaking of mileage, the KTM’s secondary LCD info panel to the left of the analog tach/ primary LCD panel provides a plethora of selectable data, one of which is miles left on remaining fuel (even though the primary display has a fuel gauge). We thought this was a nice idea until we noticed that the mileage counter jumps in increments of 10—not a good feeling to suddenly go from 20 miles remaining to just 10 while searching for a gas station.

Naturally, like most big-bore V-twins, the Super Duke R is geared very tall, and the engine is loafing along at 4,000 rpm at an indicated 80 mph in sixth gear (though the speedometer is very optimistic at those speeds). Interestingly, the vibration from its 75-degree V-twin with counterbalancer is much more subdued than prior Super Duke generations, despite the R’s significantly larger displacement. This keeps the view from the adequately sized and positioned mirrors from getting fuzzed out, which allows you to better identify what’s behind you—another good thing considering your driver’s license will be at constant risk on this bike.

Simply put, it doesn’t matter how tall the stock gearing is on the Super Duke. The KTM has so much torque from literally just off idle that it will lift the front wheel and carry it from a dead stop simply by sliding out the clutch with a moderate amount of throttle. Even thinking about full throttle in the first three gears results in law-enforcement-frowning wheelstands without any provocation (provided you have the traction control turned off…more on that in a minute). Those of you out there attending Hooligans Anonymous classes would do well to steer clear of the Super Duke R at all costs.

Don’t assume the KTM is all low-end and midrange with nothing on top, though. Nor is it some slow-revving tractor engine. The Super Duke R’s V-twin powerplant zips through its rpm range in the same voracious manner in which it inhales lengths of pavement, pulling with a ferocity that continues unabated until just before the rev limiter kicks in at 10,000 rpm. Paying attention to the tach or the adjustable shift light on the dash is paramount to avoid upsetting the acceleration party.

With such monstrous power and acceleration, you’d think the KTM would be an abrupt handful coming off closed throttle, but the Austrian engineers have done a superb job of taking the edge off the Super Duke R’s jump to light speed without overly neutering the initial launch. There are three ride modes available—Rain, Street, and Sport—yet even the Sport mode’s throttle response is smooth while offering up more power at smaller throttle settings than Street mode, which requires a tad more throttle twist for the same power until around one-third throttle, where both modes then offer identical performance. Rain mode smooths out throttle response even more while capping peak power to 100 hp, but it works well in the wet.

The KTM’s MTC traction control system utilizes lean angle sensors to help determine the proper amount of wheel slippage while accelerating, with each riding mode offering progressively less tire spin; Sport mode lets you hang the rear end out a bit, while Street keeps the rear tire more or less in line, and Rain mode intervenes immediately to prevent any rear slip whatsoever. Because the system works the throttle plates instead of ignition or fuel, intervention is very transparent, and most power slides are smooth and controlled.

The MTC also keeps wheelies in check (especially in both Street and Rain mode), but it isn’t as obtrusive in Sport mode as some other traction control systems we’ve tried. If you try to snap a wheelie, then it will intervene aggressively to get the front end down; but if you simply accelerate hard, the MTC allows the front tire to get a few inches off the ground and holds it there. Combined with the generous amount of rear tire slip allowed in Sport mode, acceleration is maximized compared to what would normally be possible with an average rider with the MTC turned off (which is easily accomplished with the engine on and the bike at a stop; the system defaults back to MTC on every time you start it, so the engine must be running).

Even with all that power on tap, the Super Duke R’s chrome-moly tubular space-frame with aluminum single-sided swingarm is more than up to the task of harnessing it. Overall handling is agile despite the KTM’s 58.4-inch wheelbase—the wide handlebar surely helps here—with none of the twitchiness we’ve experienced with some other high-power naked bikes (though the steering damper obviously plays a role). Chassis feel at all lean angles is excellent, aided by the Euro-spec Dunlop SportSmart2 tires (no relation to the US-spec Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart II or Q3) that provide good grip with decent bump absorption and wear characteristics. We even took the Super Duke R out to the racetrack during last issue’s Honda CBR-SP test, and it handled that environment with ease, with the suspension and brakes proving more than capable in that setting.

The WP suspension front and rear perform admirably whether on the street or track, handling everything in stride no matter the pace. We liked the high- and low-speed compression damping adjustability of the rear shock, which helps make up for the lack of a progressive suspension linkage and provided good compliance along with soaking up the big hits at higher speeds. While we appreciated the tool-less rebound and compressiondamping knobs on the 48mm inverted fork, we were a little disappointed at the lack of spring preload adjustment.

Bleeding off the speed generated by the engine and chassis is ably handled by radialmount Brembo M50 four-piston calipers biting on 320mm discs with the latest Bosch 9M+ two-channel ABS. The antilock system threshold is determined by which riding mode you are using; Rain mode prevents any lockup whatsoever, while Street allows some limited slip before it activates, and Sport permits limited slip with a little more delay before it cuts the party for maximum stopping power. We found the Sport mode to work the best for most street and canyon situations with good feel and power up to the point of intervention, though we obtained best results on the track with the ABS turned off (which is easily accomplished via the four-button pad on the left handlebar).

As would be expected with a motorcycle of this performance and intentions, not only can the ABS be shut off completely, but it can also be set to “Supermoto” mode. This allows the ABS to be functional in Sport mode for the front brakes, but the rear brake is free to do what it wants—meaning backing it into corners with the rear end hung out to your heart’s content.

The Number of the Beast
The performance naked-bike category in the US has suddenly become a very crowded—and formidable—group. The class was blown wide open by Aprilia’s Tuono V4 R two years ago, and considering its outstanding performance, it appeared likely the Tuono’s reign was going to continue unchallenged for the foreseeable future. But now the Aprilia is going to be facing some very stiff competition in the form of BMW’s S 1000 R, Kawasaki’s latest Z1000, MV Agusta’s 1090 Brutale RR…and the KTM 1290 Super Duke R.

Test Notes

+ Awesome V-twin engine
+ Superb chassis, brakes
+ Good electronics package
- No spring preload adjustment on fork
- A bit pricey
- Traction control non-adapting
x Could be the new king of the hill…

Suggested Suspension Settings

FRONT: Rebound damping—9 clicks out from full stiff; compression damping—9 clicks out from full stiff
REAR: Spring preload—19mm thread showing on shock body; rebound damping—10 clicks out from full stiff; high-speed compression damping—1.5 turns out from full stiff; lowspeed compression damping—12 clicks out from full stiff

Source Sport Rider