You can faintly hear a collective groan of ecstasy let loose by horsepower junkies worldwide. KTM has taken the wraps off its 1290 SuperDuke R and published full specifications. Does 180 HP in a 415 pound (claimed dry weight) naked do it for you? Appropriately called “The Beast” by KTM, this new monster gets top drawer components to go along with its stupendous 1,301cc v-twin engine.
Sophisticated electronics, of course, including much needed adjustable traction control and ABS. The brakes are superbike-class Brembos, and the suspension includes a massive 48mm WP fork.
Most recently, we posted a video of the big Duke playing on a racetrack with a BMW S1000RR which you can see in our story posted here. Below are the specifications released by KTM. You can also follow this link to a special web site set up by KTM with all the details. We currently have no information on U.S. price or availability.
ENGINE
| ENGINE TYPE | 2-cylinder, 4-stroke, V 75° |
| DISPLACEMENT | 1.301 ccm |
| BORE/STROKE | 108/71 mm |
| POWER | 132 kW (180 HP) at 8.870 rounds/min |
| STARTING AID | Electric starter/12V 11.2Ah |
| TRANSMISSION | 6 gears |
| ENGINE LUBRICATION | Pressure lubrication with 3 Eaton pumps |
| COOLING SYSTEM | Liquid cooling |
| CLUTCH | PASC slipper clutch, hydraulically operated |
| ENGINE MANAGEMENT/IGNITION | Keihin EMS with DBW, double ignition |
CHASSIS
| FRAME | Chromium-Molybdenum-Steel trellis frame, powder coated |
| HANDLEBAR | Aluminium, konifiziert Ø 28/22 mm |
| FRONT SUSPENSION | WP-USD Ø 48 mm |
| REAR SUSPENSION | WP-Monoshock |
| FRONT BRAKE | 2 x Brembo four piston, radially bolted caliper, brake disc Ø 320 mm |
| REAR BRAKE | Brembo fixed mounted two-piston brake calipers |
| BRAKE SYSTEM | Bosch 9ME Combined-ABS |
| CHAIN | X-Ring 5/8 x 5/16″ |
| STEERING HEAD ANGLE | 65,1° |
| WHEEL BASE | 1.482 ± 12 mm |
| GROUND CLEARANCE | 140 mm |
| SEAT HEIGHT | 835 mm |
| TANK CAPACITY | 18 l Unleaded premium fuel (95 RON) |
| DRY WEIGHT | 189 kg |
This “naked bike” styling fad needs to go away. Bolt a couple of stepladders together and stick an engine and wheels on it? Nah. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
What is it with KTM?? They build some of the most incredible bikes on the planet, then throw those hideous gas-tank-fairing things on the front. Sorry, but I don’t get it, and I have been fantasizing about buying one for years. I love the powerful v-twin motors, the generally rugged and functional styling and build quality, but those plastic fairings make it look like some kind of very expensive toy. Anyone know if they can be removed without opening up other issues?
KTM is first and foremost a dirt bike manufacturer. Those “gas tank fairings” or styled to resemble a radiator shroud. I think they look fantastic.
Yeah, but at 180 HP this ain’t no ‘dirt bike’.
Sorry can’t agree with ya on the tank “fairings” – just a styling add-on at first impression. The headlight may have an aero design purpose but an earlier post suggested a close encounter of the hammer kind would be the best thing for it.
If these tiny areas of concern provide the sum total of negative comment then KTM may have a sales success with this model if they don’t price it too high.
A lot of KTM haters will find anything they can to knock the bikes. Its only because they can’t afford the bike.
As for KTM’s higher price, KTM Owners don’t buy KTM to save money, they do it get get a high quality bike and superior tech that last.
I thought my S4R with 110RWHP and a shade over 400 pounds was more than enough. Nailing it in 3rd at 60 popped a long scorching wheelie, I can’t imagine nailing the throttle on this beast.
Well, with the kind of person that I am & the bike that I ride now (09 Yamaha V-Max) modded & makes 198 hp & 157 ft pounds to the wheel at a mile high in elevation… I think I just might have to give the Duke a try… It’s just the fact of knowing that you have that much power on a bike & have to respect what it can do & know your limits. The minimalist styling is a plus but the tank shrouds will have to go when/if I own one… All in all, I like it & if it does make it here to the US, there will be one right next to the MAX…
I’d like to see a “Classic” version of this bike sort of like the mid-80s version Suzuki GS1150 with a conventional round headlight, set higher relative to the triple clamp and without the bizarre looking KTM shield affixed to the tank. Everything else looks-wise seems spot on.
An interesting number of “will I / won’t I – should I / sharn’t I” posts regarding this bike. It appears the power and minimalist styling stimulates the “Warning Warning Will Robinson” in some folks and has others needing to stand in the corner for a while until the boner wilts.
The base model will make an outstanding platform for further evolution:
– headlight off the 1190 Adventure R
– wind protection off the 1190 Adventure R
– nasty big exhaust off the RC8R
Awesome bike. Being an old guy, I would like a round headlight on it. And it would look good that way too. Otherwise, wouldn’t change a thing. Except maybe a frikkin’ loud exhaust can.
What a beast!
Nice bike once you fix the head light with a hammer.
I really like the style of this bike, and I also welcome the coming of our robot overlords.
Gary,
It’s always about throttle control. If you have none you shouldn’t be on a bike with 180hp.
This is not a bike for beginners or for people with low self preservation instinct. Just like any “superbike” this will hurt you if you don’t ride it with skill and brains.
If I had the money there would be one of these in my stable.
Touche
Awesome bike and kudos to KTM! If there is a market, KTM will reap the benefits and if not, it will go away. To all the haters I have to say that there are those who said the same types of things about the CB750 or KZ900. If it’s not your thing, go buy a bagger and cruise from stoplight to stoplight with the rest of the crowd.
I have to say, in all honesty, that it might be difficult to keep from wheelying this thing over backwards, unintentionally. Upright ergos, with that much power, might be difficult to control. Unless its got some kind of electronic nanny that short-circuits the power when the front end comes up. I’d love to try one out.
Very long swing arm extending out back looks like it’s designed to minimize wheelies. But that minimizes handling in the corners, I think. Anyone?
illusion. that’s not a long swingarm. if one question’s their ability to control the throttle on this thing…? then that’s their first (and last) clue to… “step away from the motorcycle”.
Norm … I don’t think throttle control is the issue.
talk to me goose.
Quack quack quackquackquackquack.
Aflac …
A Gixxer 1000 wheelbase is 1.405 m, and the SuperDuke above is 1.482. A little longer, but you’re right, it looks to be like a lot longer.
It “looks” long to me but not any longer than what we’re used to seeing on Liter class superbikes these days. While I Don’t know what effect on cornering swing arm length alone has, it didn’t seem to be a detriment on the original Yamaha R1 when they rolled that out as a feature.
At any rate, horsepower wins all in racing. MotoGP bikes are 4-5″ longer in wheelbase than road going superbikes. They gladly sacrifice a little handling in order to put 250hp on the ground without looping out as easily as on a short bike.
The Honda Repsol SuperGP wheelbase is 1.435 m, per this website world.honda.com/MotoGP/spec/.
That’s near the mid-point between the GSX-R 1000 and the long SuperDuke.
Still sayin’ it’s a long wheelbase, which is good.
I look at this bike (and lots of other bikes on MD) and I don’t understand the people for whom it is apparently impossible to comprehend that anyone could disagree with their assessment that it is just incredibly ugly.
Translated: to some this bike is ugly, to some it’s not ugly. Both opinions are valid.
let me take a stab at that – I think he likes the way it looks. Wait a minute…. ahh, maybe not. whatever
Amazing. Good ergos, check. Gobs of horsepower and torque, check. Light weight, check. Most important of all – no tank flange, check. I’ll buy it!!
Prepubescent. We live in an era of overly stylized motorcycles. It’s getting hard to just find an honest bike any longer.
Uh..CB 1100 Honda
every Harley since the beginning of time, Triumph, Royal Enfield, the new(?) Indians…
there are plenty out there. some companies just prefer to advance design.
Well, given that Capitalism is based on “conspicuous consumption”, one would assume the longer it lasts, the more honesty and wholesome values it would by design squeeze out of its system. With that said, I quite enjoy the look of this bike… but then I also quite enjoy loose women, booze, and the short sighted, live for today, self-destructive lifestyle.
It seems as if Western Civilization as we know it, as Eastern European profs. have been warning us for the past 100 years, is on an inevitable decline – meaning most of us are on a road of destruction along with it, one which we can’t get off even if we wanted to. So we might as well make the best of it and enjoy the sites and sounds of the road of destruction – the false, superficial images, the deception and inability to be honesty with ourselves, and the temporary highs – while we are on it.
“False, superficial images, deception and inability to be honesty with ourselves, and temporary highs”, along with too expensive, would definitely describe in a nutshell this new KTM. But so what, I still like it.
If this is dishonesty, then give me dishonesty or give me death.
Im guessing you are not in your 60s jake. the world was going to end when I was your age too. Guess what..it didn’t lol
Not saying it will end, just that it will get worse, more frustrating, and less tolerable.
Since “conspicuous consumption” is based largely on impressing and being noticed by others (I know, most of the true and rugged individuals on here would never even think of such a desire), there was always an element of decadence and degeneracy in it from the very start. Think in terms of Hannah Montana vs. Miley “Half Naked” Cyrus. At the beginning, it is always easy to impress others. Being cute and cuddley is enough, but as time passes such safe and socially acceptable expressions of individualism become insufficient to arouse much attention, admiration, or envy. In response, cute Hannah then resorts to becoming naked, annoying Miley, sticking her tongue out inappropriately, sitting naked on a wrecking ball, and making simulated love to an unwashed sledgehammer in public. She in a nutshell is the story of America.
It’s just the natural evolutionary path of degeneracy inherent in a Capitalistic society. Knowing all of this, I still like this wretched excess of bike though. Just as I’d like decadent Miley more too, in spite of her antics, if she was better looking and had more singing and dancing talent.
Quite the contrary, I think today you can find just about any type of bike you could possibly want. I’m not exactly sure what an “honest” bike is but I don’t think a bike gets much more honest than the new SD. Frame, big motor, great brakes and great suspension with a comfortable riding position. Yes, it will have traction control and ABS but that’s something we’re all going to have to get used to with modern bikes and so long as it’s reliable I welcome the technology. The styling is hard-edged but it is also very minimal. There’s not much unnecessary stuff on there unlike so many cruisers and large bore touring bikes I see today. “Prepubescent”…..that’s great! You obviously have a good sense of humor. 🙂
I’d have to compare every detail with the concept bike, but this is looking a lot more homely than what we were originally shown. Obviously the stock exhaust, mirrors & rear fender aren’t helping. Maybe the paint scheme is at fault too? Just looks more frumpy than before.
I like it. My 919 takes off from a stop nice and smooth and will practically idle in
traffic with no problem. I can’t imagine that much horsepower on public roads, but then again, on the street it is all about getting more torque and horsepower at the same time which a twin does well. I like a bike which makes you want to ride it. Too cold? A little wet? Lazy and want to take the car? You don’t commute? This is a bike that could make you want to ride no matter what. The tank and bodywork are pretty ugly. Bug like. But it’s really about the ride in the end. Would you want to ride it more than once? My Suzuki TU250 has plenty of power at all but highway speeds and even then it winds onto the highway with the aftermarket pipe and larger front sprocket just fine. That being said, I like this machine for what it is. Brute power and aggressiveness that say, ride me.
this is what should’ve become of Honda’s jewel of an RC51/SP1. there’s nothing wrong with that engine. just bore it out and recycle it in a minimalist (read low cost) chassis like KTM, and like they’re supposedly doing with the V4. perhaps there’s still hope…? though, the trend will certainly have come and gone at the “glacial” pace moto-ops tend to happen inside BIG RED.
415 pounds, 180 horsepower. If you don’t want to ride this bike (at least once), then you’re not a motorcyclist. Yea, I said it.
I completely agree with you. It hits all the senses with the subtly of a large sledge hammer.
BAM! +1
Can you hear the collective gasps of millions of riders who don’t care?
I’d like to ride it once, but wouldn’t buy one. Is that what you mean?
Agreed KR. I love this bike… and I hate it. Forgive me for explaining.
My whole life, I’ve been guilty as much as the next guy wanting more, better, faster. A stint of club level road-racing and some cross-country racing when I was younger allowed me to develop that mindset of weekend superhero. Yeah, I can handle it… wanna see a wheelie? This is what motorcycling was for me, as it likely is / was for many. There is nothing more rapturous than rolling hard on the throttle when you’re heeled over, knee down, tipping back up through an increasing radius corner and feeling all that the motor can deliver. Triple shot espresso please.
The hate part you ask? It’s what’s wrong with our society in general I think… the unceasing need for more – the definition of unsustainability. From an unfamiliar and certainly unpopular perspective in motoring circles, the desire for more is rarely tempered by the reality that more simply accelerates our sprint to the lemming cliff. Bigger housing, more kids, more food choices, more fashionable clothes, more wow, more killing in the movies, keeping up to the Dow Jone’s… all of it promotes what is loosely referred to as the ‘American Dream’ but none of it can be sustained.
In a society deeply invested in this mindset and these values, it is difficult to draw back from the guilty pleasures. I still love the freedom and thrill of motorcycling and recently introduced my wife to long-distance touring. We’ll continue to enjoy that as long as it’s practical but there is a strong sense that the playing field is changing… in fact, the days of the game as we know it may be numbered. Personally, our motorcycling will evolve into much less ‘new one every year’ and much more ‘McGuyver it to the end’. With any luck, a new and less materialistic set of values will free us from our addiction to Mo, Mo, More.
That my friend is a nice speech. I agree with you and then,some.
Who is John Galt?
I guess Yamaha thought they would address some of your concerns a couple of years ago when they penned and then manufactured a “Less is More” triple called the FZ-09.
Or Honda with its simple CB500s
Me thinks thou doest protest too much. Just becasue so many people are materialistic and spoiled doesn’t mean you have to be caught up in it – Go ride your motorcyle
Hey James, I think you are making a fundamental mistake by equating the march of technology with a ‘lifestyle group’ that is never satisfied with what they have, even if what they have thoroughly delivers on its original promises. Sure there are some people out there who can never get enough ‘stuff’ in their garage. They buy whatever shiny new toy comes along. But there are many more who buy something, use it, appreciate it for what it is, and only replace it when they believe a significantly better product has arrived. Since I am still driving a 1982 Goldwing I guess I am in the later group.
There are plenty of things ‘wrong’ with out society, and you noted a few that I agree with, but people buying things they don’t really need isn’t one of the major ones, IMHO. Most people don’t act that way. It’s too hard on your savings account. What’s a savings account, you say? HaHa. Most of us still have them so we at least will not starve when we can’t work any more.
Anyone who consumes conspicuously usually sees the light and changes their behavior, eventually. It’s part of getting ‘older and wiser’. But because some do is no reason to lose faith in the ‘American Dream’. After all, there is nothing in ‘my’ American dream about having the latest and greatest of everything.
Sorry, I know this is just a motorcycle comment forum, but you brought up some very interesting points, and they do relate somewhat to this particular edition of the ‘excess express’.
I guess I’m just another spoiled, materialistic poser trying my best to keep up with the Jones’s.
My house is large. Much, much bigger than I need. Even bigger than I want. I didn’t buy it to impress anyone, though. Nor did most of the people living in my neighborhood.
I buy whatever toys I want. I don’t need any of them, and I can sustain this errant behavior indefinitely. I am not trying to keep up with anyone: I just like toys. Why is this bad?
Sometimes I run out and buy the newest, more-est, best-est thing to hit the market. Sometimes I don’t. Why should either scenario bother anyone?
I think you have confused the “American Dream” with the concepts of entitlement and instant gratification. My Pakistani neighbor can tell you all about the former. The latter two are byproducts of half-wit politicians and prosperity respectively.
Want to know one of the main reasons I buy the latest and greatest when I do? So that I don’t HAVE to “McGuyver it to the end.” I much prefer to ride the darn thing. Those great used bikes don’t just materialize into the marketplace. Show some love!
(insert gratuitous transformers comment)
done.
Because we want to:)
Im not mad at it. My bike has 150 rwhp and I never use it fully. So what. I like going from 0-50 quickly to. This bike is remarkable. Complete excess. Well done
Not for me. Far to much power for any open road. Two years from now, if nothing changes we will have street bikes exceeding 200 hp, what is the point. Don’t give me that, “because we can, bs either.”
If you’ve never had the opportunity to crank the throttle on something like this, then you just don’t understand. You either fear it and condemn such a machine, or fear it and love it. Even if just a few times a year you find yourself on an open road all by your lonesome even for just 30 seconds at a time, the feeling of awe is worth it.
Or pony up the $150 every now and then and have a ball at the track for some real addiction.
Saddle up boys, we’re going for a spin! The marketplace sells people what we want, not what we need. Wretched be such sweet excess. I’d love to scare the Bjesus out of myself for 8 months of the year and recover with garage candy extraordinaire, for the remaining 4 months of winter.
If that’s what it’s all about, then why not just go more often to the amusement park. You’ll get the same insane, out of control acceleration, you won’t have to wear a helmet, and it’d probably be alot safer (and possibly cheaper too).
It is about excess, pure and simple. If I were that concerned with cheap and safe, I wouldn’t ride a motorcycle at all. And being a passive rider on a roller coaster is not comparable to piloting a motorcycle in my opinion.
Besides, why would I go to an amusement park to get my thrills when I could have one parked in my garage, available to me whenever I want? Even if I didn’t get the chance to truly flog such a bike that often, it can still bring me joy every other day of the year. Almost any bike is fun, even slow ones. This one just has a warp drive button for when you feel so inclined. And I like that. I might even ride it to an amusement park.
Wow, this bike and my poor impulse control would be a very bad combination.
no worries, you’ll only do it once. someone driving a range rover or some other 4-wheeler will straighten you right out.
hint, time for a thread about the NY incident (it’s now gone national) and the long-term ramifications to motorcycling created by irresponsible behavior.
Another great KTM bike that will probably not see the shores of North America anytime soon. Of course if it does ,I will guess $18,000+ for a base model, if available. ABS, TC, selectable power mode, upgraded HP / brakes/ & suspension, i.e. R-Spec $20,000+ . I do love the bike, but more customers would do better with a 690 Duke, 200 EXC playbike, and still have some $$$ left in there pocket.
Why did KTM build a bike like this? Because they can. The same reason Harley built the Blast. Companies like to show the world what they are capable of building.
this is a backhanded slap at HD….that’s why I’m laughing
Haha. Very Clever.
😉
An open letter to the designer of the Kawasaki Ninja 1000’s exhaust system:
See how not-ugly the KTM’s muffler is? How tidy the little sheet metal cat shield is? That’s how it’s done.
Totally agree. Nicer than an aftermarket pipe at that.
If motorcycles were dogs and I was a vet, one look and I’d be able to tell this KTM was suffering from rabies.
🙂 Yeah, definitely a case where human euthanasia would be the kindest outcome. But then, I think the dame about mots bike with this look, maybe I’m getting so old the vet should do the same for me.
This bike puts the Ducati Monster to shame and the new Yamaha FZ9 doesnt even compare.
180 hp at 415 lbs…..power to weight ratio is huge
Rabies ? you clearly dont understand the KTM product…cutting edge design that others follow and performance specs that make them a leader in innovation…you need to ride one to clearly get it.
Trading in my 2008 Superduke 990…first on the list
Whoah there, rabid fanboy!!
I meant rabies as a good thing. You know the “goes like a rabid dog” saying?
I guess producing this bike means KTM does not subscribe to the “its more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow” theory of biking.
Actually, it does – remember that they make the 390 Duke too.
I’m guessing most of us would never use (or need) 5 of the 6 gears. Jesus I can’t imagine this for my daily driver. Nice to know it can be built but not sure for who.
This motorcycle has no practical purpose at all……….that’s why I love it so.
This “Creature” has become the MMA Cage Match Master of motorcycling. Orange has become my favorite color. OOPS, sorry I’ve just wet my jeans.
In a way, it’s a good think that I am getting older and my fear of death is real.
Better get to know your local tire dealer….real well.
I love it. I’am in the market for a new naked bike. it will be this or the Tuono.
“but, I would still take another “American Made” 2004 Buell XB12S Lightning over this KTM motorcycle.. because you never had to over spin my Buell to have a fun ride, along with it’s maintenance free design. Those who had one like me or still do know what I’m talking about. There is no replacing.. a motorcycle that weighs only 395 lbs dry, with it’s low rpm V-twin air cooled engine, and high torque, that can develop 103 HP in a compact machine.”
Not to mention, ……….the Buell Blast!
too bad they dont make them anymore….parts are a nightmare to get and the value has hit the basement over the last 2 years…fun bikes to ride…Buell was a
master
Comparing a Buell XB12S to the new Super Duke; is like comparing a Model T Ford and the latest Formula 1 car. Dudes got to quit running with the Dinosaurs.
I hope they finally went to a linker shock instead of the direct attached shock.
The lines of the bike look killer and the seat height looks a lot lower of which a lot of my friends did not like how high my 2007 Super Duke seat was. I always wanted more power on my Super Duke but 180 ponies ought to do just fine! Hmm any one looking for a 2007 Super Duke?
Bitchen
Good Gravy, when I look at this thing I run out of skin
This is one of those machines that can only be authentically commented on after actually riding it. I very strongly suspect it would be such an amazing riding experience that it’s colour or shape will be irrelevant to anyone who’s just pulled up after a fast fang.
This thing is the ( . )( . )s.
today’s winner
That’s okay, I really don’t need a big wad of money, or my driver’s license.
This offering to the Motorcycling Gods by KTM is indeed a thing of bone, muscle and menace. The feeling I used to get before a speedway race – excitement / want to / serious sh!t’s about to happen, this bike would do it to me every time I walked to it.
There is no antidote for a severe dose of LUST – wants one – real bad.
This looks like some mid-90’s predecessor model of the actual 990 Super Duke…I think it’s about time KTM should get rid of Kiska Design.
never….makes it unique…copied in mass production by others
I’m calling it the Jimmy Durante, for that schnoz of a headlight.
no no, laserbeak from transformers. c’mon get hip. embrace your inner decepticon…! 🙂
Will this engine fit into a 990 Adventure.
No, but it might fit in a 1190 Adventure. 🙂
make it a 1290 SM-T
lol…wouldnt that be awesome !!
I predict there will be many exciting YouTube events, like this one –
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bitterly-embarrassing-stupid-crash-video-68039.html
You should look in to the spec sheet of the 1290 Superduke. You might see many exciting videos, but no like that.
well that certainly went pear shaped in a hurry.
Absolutely incredible…as in, incredibly ugly!
ya know im so guilty of saying stuff like this… “its so freakin ugly”, or whatever.
i do it all the time. but im telling you, go ride one of these. KTM just does it right, they are comfortable, fast as hell and have top shelf components.
I admit I’ve been bikeless since a few years ago when I sold my Yamaha WR250X. The following experience I had on my mountain bicycle could never happen on motorized transportation: I’m riding on my favorite mountain bike trail, single track running N-S on the Wasatch Range (Rockies) about 1M E of where I sit typing. A “wildelife fence” is on the W edge of the trail (downside).
Generally wildlife remains E of the fence, civilization W of the fence. After about 40 minutes of continuous steep climbing I’m heading N and just approaching a fast, straight, light up/down section. At the exact moment I look W and see a herd of six elk fifty yards W, the heads of the elk turn and spot me. The elk had passed through a hole in the fence about 1M N of our location.
The elk ran NW to escape through the hole then up the mountain. At first they were in no extreme hurry, but this part of my trail is more or less flat, allowing me to accelerate to close the gap. Now we’re almost parallel, they turn it on, and I’m riding about 75′ from a herd of mostly adult elk running at full gallop.
Hearing the sound of twenty four hoofs, and feeling the earth shake was a high point I’ll not soon forget. If I only had a helmet camera and microphone…
If I was on on motorized bike they would have heard me a mile before we met, and would have been gone.
I think KTM needs to hire an Italian to help with the design of their bikes. The performance is there, but the ugly factor is also off the scale!
KTM is going for the masculine, rough, unfinished looked (like the 5 o’clock shadow on a macho man) blended in with hints of futurism along with industrial and aerodynamic cues. An interesting mix, but in this an Italian would not have helped. Italians are not known for the overly masculine, rough, unfinished, industrial look. The more mechanical Germans are to an extent though.
Nope, Italians, along with the French, are known more for the speedo look – not the look KTM was shooting for.
I think the KTM looks meaner than anything out of Italy. Perhaps not prettier, but meaner. This bike was made to put foot to arse, and I think the designers nailed the style. It works for me.
Hold that thought while I go powder my nose. It’s designed by Austrian men. Hiking the Alps. Surviving winter storms. Not letting neighboring countries take them over. Having an empire at one time. I believe people critiqued my 919 for being too “nice”.
“Not letting neighboring countries take them over.”
Really??? Sorry. Had to say it!
I believe that it’s more of the “emperor has no clothes” story. Everyone is thirsting for such performance that we make up excuses and say that it’s a wonderfully clothed machine, when in essence it’s anything but.
I think it is an “eye of the beholder” story. What works for me may do the opposite for you. I’d like the design just as much if they were tucking the old 990 LC8 into the frame.
Oh, and one other thing. For the love of all that is good and holy, two things must now happen:
1. Norm G. and mickey both have to buy one of these Teutonic space shuttles (mickey’s being the traditional KTM orange model shown above, while Norm G. gets that wild red, white and blue “Captain America” version we saw a couple of months ago), along with a pair of Go-Pro units.
2. After attaching the Go-Pros to their faux mohawk-bedecked Rossi “Mugello” Replica AGV lids, they must then film their very own version of the Big Sur TT…and none of this mamby-pamby time-trials wussification stuff, either. Nope, Our Heroes will set out together from the parking lot of Hearst Castle, banging bars all the way up Hwy 1 to Bixby Bridge. The winner won’t receive anything as crass as money, oh no. Nope, instead, he will receive spiritual enlightenment, for starters, plus his pick of his favorite Monster umbrella girl for a weekend bacchanal in the otter tank at the Monterey Aquarium.
I’m all in.
LET’S ROCK…!!! (Vasquez voice)
Whoa! Boy,is my wife going to be pissed when she sees what I came home with! Oh wait, I don’t have a fun warden. This bike is to die for!
This may be the first full-zoot, no apologies, no “tuned for midrange” (meaning: detuned) naked superbike to come down the pike. The Tuono comes close. The B-King wasn’t really a sportbike. Buell? Ummm…no. The naked version of BMW’s S1000RR hasn’t arrived yet, and we don’t know whether it too will receive the usual neutering during its transformation from Godzilla to Rodan.
I always expected hp-monger Kawasaki to be the first major manufacturer to do it, and if not Team Green then perhaps the Boys from Bologna, but nope, it looks like KTM beat everyone to the punch.
Kudos to those psychotic Austrians and their massive “melons” for stepping up and producing this bike. – Tom Sykes
Looking at that enormous text-based information cluster, though, one question does spring to mind…
Does it get motorcycledaily.com?
Hang on………. OMG!
More like “Hey, hold my beer, and watch this…..”
BIF, that’s what I like!
Why does it have to be so ugly?
We are approaching day of judgement, that’s why! If most are ugly, those who are average will look pretty.
An effort of KTM to be different and standout from the crowd – and the young, affluent before their time buyer or the older, balding dude trying desperately to hang on to his youth, which this kind of bike will mainly attract, want to stand out from the crowd.
The lines on this bike are irregular, but it’s still a pretty good looking bike in my opinion. As BMW has proven time and time again, high quality fit and finish and paint can make even ugly, asymmetrical bikes look fairly attractive.
Count me in as an older balding dude:) But I have had a soft spot for insane motorcycles my whole life so nothing new. And the youth was gone long ago, but the fun just keeps on going!
KTM IS different and DO stand out from the crowd, lol, thats what they do best! its a good thing!!
Because if KTM could style their bikes they’d take over the motorcycle industry. Lots of people would be out of work all over the world.
Not my cup tea but I can see why others are excited. Less than 2.5 pounds per HP? Wow
Goose
Many of us looked in the mirror this morning after years of sun and wind pulverizing our faces as we rode into the sunset and asked ourselves the same thing! It actually looks a bit like a hawk racing down to sink its talons into its prey! Arrrgh! This would draw a crowd even in the Harley parking lot! This thing is so hot, you’d stop at a light, raise your visor and the beautiful lady in the car next to you would give you the “Meow!” Look. To which you, with that idle rumbling would reply, “Oh Behave!”
Fifteen large, at least.
BTW, if it’s 1301 cc, call it a 1301 SuperDuke…sounds cooler than 1290.
By calling it a 1290, it’s a “sleeper”. Buy one and fool all your Hayabusa and Concours 14 riding friends.
I’m losing my license just looking at it…cubist brutality. C’mon lottery!
I might have bought one if it only had a beak.
I test rode a Diavel last year and thought that would be a great bike if they put it in a good chassis. Enter the 1290 Superduke R! Already have my deposit down. I am a huge fan of v-twin motors so this one does the trick for me! Properly setup this think is going to set off a lot of car alarms!!!!
Interesting.. but, I would still take another “American Made” 2004 Buell XB12S Lightning over this KTM motorcycle.. because you never had to over spin my Buell to have a fun ride, along with it’s maintenance free design. Those who had one like me or still do know what I’m talking about. There is no replacing.. a motorcycle that weighs only 395 lbs dry, with it’s low rpm V-twin air cooled engine, and high torque, that can develop 103 HP in a compact machine.
“because you never had to over spin my Buell to have a fun ride”
Which is good because the Buell can’t spin. Which I also think makes them quite dull. That is no more fun than a peaky powerband in my opinion. Plenty of bikes that weigh as much or less than the Buell are both torquey AND can rev out. The KTM will likely weigh a full 20 lbs less than the XB12 and make twice as much power. It is too soon to know for sure, but I suspect there will be enough power on tap that you won’t need to twist the KTM to have fun either unless your idea of fun is opening a wormhole.
It occurs… an odd looking unicycle with an optional front wheel.
Hammer should have one.
Wow!!! (and lots of other less intelligible expletives accompanied by prodigious drooling.) Great observation Motowarrior… even the small number of riders who can and will ride this beast can have unattentive moments and when something goes sideways at this level, it will go sideways very quickly. I hope the electronics rider’s aids can forgive on the same scale as this bike’s power. Posers need not apply… or else.
Funny they release ti just in time for Halloween, nice orange.
Wow! What a hot bike I’d love to put some miles on. Sure it has insane power, but I bet it handles like a dream. KTM is putting out some top notch products these days.
Complete and total overkill. I must have one!
Plenty of power for the power-mad, super-light for the weight watchers. What are you guys going to find to complain about on this one. Oh, wait, it doesn’t have a centerstand! NO DEAL!
What, no centerstand?! How can I tour on it?
Ummm…no self-cancelling turnsignals?
Yes, I have actually witnessed people on this very website list that one as a deal-breaker.
A chain drive???? No deal without the shaft drive, fairing, hard luggage, stereo, and GPS? And why does it weigh so much????
*cough*
Don’t worry, there will be plenty who complain about it. Me personally, I love it! I think it looks amazing and the power to weight is off the charts. If the riding position is anything like the outgoing Super Duke model then it should be a comfortable ride too.
I see where you’re headed with that one……
Actually, I think it’s absolutely spot on for the intended concept. If it were ostensibly an off road bike, then I’d have complaints.
Is this engine going into an RC8? Is the RC8 going to be the tamer little brother?
please, something other than orange. . .
Also, is it still called a supermoto when it has cast rims, SSS, v-twin engine, tubular frame, 5″ of suspension and a metal gas tank?
I think we have what is called “category drift” going on here.
metal gas tank??? where did you read that?
This will make for most excellent and expensive to produce YouTube videos.
Charles Darwin approves.
As the saying goes… nothing exceeds like excess!
This thing is way too much and I like it.
It’s obscene and offensive, immoral and irresponsible. Nobody should be allowed to have something like this in public!
I can’t stop looking at it..
1+
can someone explain to me how a V-twin engine can generate that much horse power? Unbelievable!
ask Ducati
Hopefully not by pushing the power into the stratospheric portion of the tach like Ducati. That’s fine for a pure sportbike, but I’d like to think this is going to be a torquey beast as well, more Tuono than Pannigale.
they moved the power up higher to make it more ride-able…before the torque was so nasty it couldn’t be handled as smoothly – these are WSB riders we’re talking about.
I prefer a more “street-able” motor myself…I was only responding to the question.
Q: can someone explain to me how a V-twin engine can generate that much horse power?
A: HP=(torquexRPM)/5252. elementary my dear Wats… err… David.
Wow, the power-to-weight ratio of this bike makes it waaaaay overqualified for all but a handful of talented riders.
Hope it’s got wheelie control.
Damm!!! this one hot bike… I hope there will be more color combos besides de classic orange…
Wow! There may be a few riders who follow this site who can take advantage of the performance of this bike, but I’m guessing very few. I’m certainly not one. Still, those of us who got into riding years ago because of the speed rush never imagined a naked bike like this one. Glad I’m not 20 years (or so) younger, or I’d be tempted, and the outcome may not be pretty. 180 hp at 415 lbs? Unreal. Buyers beware!
“Buyers beware!” Really? Why? What about BMW’s S1000RR.. or Ducati’s Panagale? They have more power than the new SDuke.
I suppose a man has to know his limitations.
Well, considering I had a friend killed on a BMW S1000RR, I think “why” is a pretty ridiculous question. And yes, he was a very experienced and fast rider. He just overestimated his skill level in comparison to the bike’s capabilities.
I have nothing against this motorcycle. It’s just that all of you think you are qualified to ride it, and only a few are right. In the hands of the extremely skilled, it is very likely an amazing bike. If you still don’t understand “buyer beware,” you probably should give some thought to buying one. Knowing my limitations has served me well in over 500,000 miles of riding.