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• With 180 hp and a new chassis from 18,295 euros
• Euro-5 and new manifold
• Erlkonig KTM 1290 Super Duke R (2020)

Motorcycle fair in Milan

EICMA 2019

Presented by

Jorg Kunstle

17th photos

KTM

1/17
The new KTM 1290 Super Duke R actually dares to use a matt blue tank.

KTM

2/17
The main changes are immediately visible from the outside: New frame, deflection for the central spring strut, new manifold, new colors, new rims.

KTM

3/17
On the racetrack, the 1290 Super Duke R should finally score with a good chassis.

KTM

4/17
The already strong V2 will get another six horsepower in 2020.

KTM

5/17
The wheels also got a different look with a new 5-spoke design.

KTM

6/17
The distinctive features of the Duke front are also retained in the 1290 Super Duke R 2020.

KTM

7/17
In the second color version, the 1290 Super Duke R is significantly less orange.

KTM

8/17
It should now score significantly more in terms of handling and chassis – we are excited.

KTM

9/17
The new manifold catches the eye.

KTM

10/17
Despite the Euro 5 standard, the new 1290 Super Duke R gets 6 hp more.

KTM

11/17
The seat height is still 835 mm.

KTM

12/17
The tubular space frame remains in front.

KTM

13/17
At the rear, however, comes the new 1290 Super Duke R with a cast tail.

KTM

14/17
The tank now holds 16 liters.

KTM

15/17
Significant weight savings were made. Minus 6 kilos and thus 189 dry.

KTM

16/17
It comes as standard with Bridgestone S22 tires.

KTM

17/17
The swing arm is also new and should be significantly lighter.

KTM 1290 Super Duke R (2020)

With 180 hp and a new chassis from 18,295 euros

EICMA 2019

The powerful 1290 Super Duke R is getting some updates for the 2020 model year: A new frame, a new chassis and six more horsepower are a clear message to the competition.

It’s been over five years since KTM presented the over-naked bike 1290 Super Duke. Now, at EICMA 2019, after a long guesswork, the certainty comes: The 1290 Super Duke R has been thoroughly revised and the assumptions based on Erlkonig and teaser have been confirmed. The focus is clearly on improving the chassis and geometry, because this is precisely where it has so far been a little behind the competition. There was no doubt or criticism of the strong V2, the Austrian engineers also know that and let it continue to score – but there is a small plus in power for 2020.

More than just a facelift

In fact, the significant changes are immediately apparent – and we’re not talking about the new colors here. The top priority was improved handling for 2020, which is why the decision has finally been made in Mattighofen to redirect the central strut – goodbye directly hinged strut.

This should be much more evident in the driver’s mind than abstract exhaust gas values. Of course, such a change is not possible without a new frame and new engine mounts. At a noticeably more acute angle, the top and bottom tubes of the tubular space unit come together, while the rear frame now consists of a bolted-on cast part, just like its little sister 790 Duke. Underneath, an inevitably new swing arm guides the mighty rear wheel with a new five-spoke rim design.

Euro-5 and new manifold

Another update on the new KTM 1290 Super Duke R is the opulence of the manifolds and their guidance. A murder pipe meanders along the right side of the engine in a bold sweep, then nestles against manifold number two before the two thick pipes curve once around the engine block to flow into the common front silencer on the left side of the vehicle. “Euro 5 – I’ll hear you trap,” the Berliner would say and would be right.

When looking for performance, KTM was almost certainly only second in line with the revision of the V2, while the significantly stricter exhaust emissions (from 2020) on the mighty V2 are not only causing KTM some headaches. Nevertheless, the 1,302 cubic engine has grown by six horses and now has an impressive 180 hp at 9,500 rpm and 140 Nm at 8,000 rpm.

Erlkonig KTM 1290 Super Duke R (2020)

7th photos

Pictures: KTM 1290 Super Duke R (2020)

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Technical data and details

The new 1290 Super Duke R comes again with a PASC anti-hopping clutch, MTC traction control, WP-APEX chassis, two Brembo monoblock four-piston radial fixed calipers brake system at the front and Brembo two-piston fixed caliper at the rear. The switchable ABS cornering with Supermoto mode is also on board again. The ground clearance increases by almost 2 cm with the new bend, the seat height of 835 mm remains, the tank now only holds 16 instead of 18 liters, which is one of the reasons that the dry weight has been reduced from 195 to 189 kilos.

The new 1290 Super Duke R is available in two color variants: the frame of both shines in bright orange, one of the two versions comes in restrained black and gray tones, the other in even more orange, and – if we have actually seen it correctly have – with a good amount of blue. The new KTM 1290 Super Duke R will be available at prices starting at 18,295 euros.

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