2020 KTM 1290 Super Duke R review: the Beast is angry !
Released at the end of 2013 in the jungle of sporty roadsters, the 1290 Super Duke R makes them bend their backs with its monstrous 180 hp twin-cylinder. But all its prey want the skin of the "Beast": reason why the KTM returns to the top of its form for 2020 ! Test on the roads and circuit of Portimao (Portugal).
Test 1290 Super Duke R page 1: the Orange does not make a quarter
The Net Motorcycle Journal’s last encounter with the – nicknamed "The Beast" – at an event dedicated to the Duke family in Thailand. MNC had tasted it in its golden juiceangeligine before enjoying its version "Race Kit" force-fed 12 additional horses. That is a total of 192 good reasons to be afraid !
- Video test :
- MNC report : How KTM became a Duke of the road
- MNC file :
Its relative good manners finally surprised us: pleasant driving position, ideally balanced suspension compromise and above all an engine with contained violence despite its bestial power. A brief test run on its evolution of 2017 – amputated by 3 hp with Euro4 – convinced us that the Beast is not mean, because the Beast is disciplined !
But the grumbling of its rivals – literally and figuratively – obliges KTM to revise this subtle balance: the third generation of 1290 Super Duke R is sharpened at all levels to gain in performance (179.5 hp and 140 Nm) , lose weight (-6 kg, for 189 kg dry) and boost its dynamism via new suspensions and state-of-the-art electronics (details in).
Visually, the bike retains its compact silhouette made up of a stocked front and a raised rear. The dual LED optics take up this intimidating "insectoid" aspect now common to a large part of the range. It also conceals an unprecedented air intake and the whole is topped by a 5-inch color TFT screen that is both complete and readable, in addition to being controlled from the handlebars..
In terms of style, the 1290 Super Duke R is faithful to the habits of the "house" designer Kiska: lines roughed with a bill hook then refined at a square. The set, painfully sharp, is the opposite of the sensual curves lent to Latin motorcycles. The Beast cuts to life without neglecting the essential: the finish is excellent, the cable and hose passages are discreet and the beautiful parts are legion..
Ready to go !
Starting with the handlebars: this wide (760 mm) and flat element made with care in Mattighofen (Austria) has the good taste of being adjustable back and forth in four positions over an amplitude of 21 mm. It ends with levers adjustable in spacing and provides intuitive control of the front axle, otherwise neutral and precise.
Other good surprises: the backlit controls (it should be mandatory!), The keyless start – with transponder remote control -, the angled valves, the shock absorber preload adjustable from a remote knob on the right and the trunk deep enough to fit a disc lock and a yellow vest. So many rare attentions on this kind of motorcycles but nevertheless welcome !
Has the "Beast" become civilized? Not really: it’s even the opposite! The ergonomics are radicalized with a handlebars certainly accessible but on the condition of tilting the bust. The rest is to match: from the tank refined at the crotch to the footrests set back enough through the saddle high perched at 835 mm (a flat foot and a point on the ground for a pilot of 1.75 m ). Everything contributes to a more forward position.
On the circuit, this more sporty approach hits the mark: discovered on the demanding track of Portimao (Portugal), the 1290 Super Duke R 2020 proves to be devilishly effective in addition to being damn fun. Think about it: a roadster as rigorous as it is easy to handle with a "big like that" engine, on this hilly and technical circuit, it gives lines on the line and exits from curves with the front wheel raised !
An example ? The last double straight which conditions the straight line of the pits: the blind entry is negotiated at 160 km / h before plunging into a long basin while accelerating strongly full angle. On the KTM, confidence in the front axle is total, the exemplary traction and the additional rigor of the chassis annihilate any parasitic movements. Staggering in view of the constraints and the speed !
Track beast
Riveted to the ground, the Super Duke R springs from this bend at 190 km / h in 4th gear with a hell of a dose of energy to spare: the thrust of the twin is such that the front sheds even more weight when passing 5th on a drop. A pressure on the optional shifter – fast but a little catchy on the descent – engages the 6th which takes us to 269 km / h, the helmet tossed about by the eddies for lack of any protection. Mazette, it’s hard !
The heavy braking that follows delivers two key information: on the one hand, the new Brembo Stylema radial calipers are damn powerful and controllable, especially associated as here with a quality master cylinder and avia hoses. The force of the deceleration evokes a Rafale landing on the Charle-de-Gaulles, without any intrusive intervention of the ABS sensitive to the angle.
On the other hand, the 1290 Super Duke R remains perfectly in line and stable throughout the braking phase before accepting to dive to the right without having to brutalize it. The trim does not tilt excessively forward thanks to the support offered by the new "Apex" fork: behavior worthy of a Superbike !
Its positions on the angle are surgical but the association of its large handlebars and its short wheelbase (1497 mm) require dexterity and to remain "light" on its direction, especially with the reacceleration which is never sad on this motorbike ! We appreciate being able to move easily and consolidate its support on the thighs and the footrests, thanks to its redesigned saddle and reservoir..
As long as you follow this logical operating manual for a roadster, tasting this "overpressed" Orange on the track is a real delight! Not to mention that its substantial ground clearance allows all fantasies. But on the road, however, the flavors are more bitter …
Tame the beast on the road
It is actually to the detriment of the pleasure that the 1290 Super Duke R has progressed: comfort suffers from the new constraints of its position – less relaxed than in 2019 – and its really firm damping. Its WP suspensions (KTM brand) excel on the smooth surface of a circuit, but not on the often fried bitumen of the secondary network.
The fault is an uncomfortable lack of progressiveness at the start of the race: the fork as the mono-shock absorber react strongly to the slightest impact, as if they have no dead travel. Their reactions of extreme sensitivity simply lack … cushioning! And it’s not his firm saddle that will compensate for this lack of padding.
On the perfectly smooth asphalt of a circuit, this is not a problem. But on the imperfections of a departmental road, the matter becomes more difficult: the bumps tend to disturb its stability before being reflected directly in the lower back. The "Beast" gesticulates to the point of impressing and tiring its "tamer"…
Too bad, because its suspensions then offer a satisfactory behavior after having passed this first stage called "the attack": of course, the bike moves, but it does not deviate from its trajectory. Its traction is also excellent despite the assaults of the twin, proof of the good work of the shock absorber..
Clockwork Orange
Its engine, in fact, remains the massive argument of the 1290 Super Duke R: an incredible monument of power and torque! At first glance, this 1301 cc block is a monster: its guttural sound commands respect, its hard clutch lever tortures the left wrist and its heat releases are scorching..
Its spectacular performance is also the source of a surge of power and extraordinary sensations between 3500 and 9500 rpm (switch at 10,500 rpm). The slightest rotation of the sensitive electronic accelerator immediately summons a wave of gargantuan torque, the intensity of which never seems to weaken..
This V-twin derived from the late RC8 gives the sensation of dealing with a giant with Herculean strength, which happily propels you forward without the slightest downtime. The lack of inertia of this huge engine in its revs is simply stunning !
But as intimidating as it is, this "steel monster" is not wildly bestial: its colossal thrust occurs in a predictable way, without aggression or spike in violence. The KTM tears off its arms and makes the eyes widen, of course, but in a sufficiently "civilized" way not to end up in the background at the slightest approximation !
This domestication of the "Beast" is based in particular on an excellent connection between the accelerator and the rear wheel, especially with the "Street" mode activated by default. MNC preferred it to the optional "Track" mode (+ 344 €), more brutal in its management of go-arounds and engine braking (details of the electronics in).
The opportunity also to salute the progress made in terms of flexibility: the twin resumes without batting an eyelid between 2000 and 2500 rev / min on the first reports, when the previous model was fishing by its roughness and its lack of elasticity at low speeds. There too, it is a sacred feat with such a mechanism !
On the other hand, vibrations annoy the feet at 4000 rpm and the hands at 6000 rpm. Between 7 and 8000 rpm, badly shod teeth even begin to fall out! And MNC verified it as a duo: the passenger is not better off, in addition to having no access to any handle and being seated on a narrow saddle, on a slight slope and as hard as it is exaggeratedly high..
Verdict: a reputation to defend
With a slogan like "Ready to Race", KTM obviously cannot stay with both feet in the same shoe against the competition: Aprilia Tuono V4, Ducati Streetfigher V4 and other Kawasaki Z H2 and Yamaha MT-10 (see list below) "sniff" the "Beast" too closely to remain passive in Austria…
The evolution of the 1290 Super Duke R towards more radicalism is therefore as predictable as it is logical: the "Beast" is caught in its own trap of "XXL" performances and the technical sheet of all the superlatives. In this too, the KTM roadster has never been closer to a Superbike: condemned to "always more" … under penalty of disappearing.
But this arms race has a price: 18,199 euros against 16,999 in 2019! And if this tidy inflation is technologically justified (apart from the case of the optional shifter), it is more debatable as regards the loss of versatility and pleasure. Because ultimately, the Beast’s hunting ground remains the street and not the circuit, where it actually gallops faster in 2020 !
- All the details of our 2020 1290 Super Duke R test in captioned photos
The motorcycles competing in the 2020 1290 Super Duke R
- Aprilia 1100 RR: 4-cyl. in V, 175 hp, 121 Nm, 209 kg and 14,849 euros
- BMW S1000R: 4-cyl. online, 165 hp, 114 Nm, 205 kg and 14,690 euros
- Ducati Streetfighter V4: 4 cyl. in V, 208 hp, 123 Nm, 201 kg and 19,990 euros
- Kawasaki Z H2: 4-cyl. in line (supercharged), 200 hp, 137 Nm, 239 kg and 17,099 euros
- MV Agusta Brutale RR: 4-cyl. online, 208 hp, 118 Nm, 186 kg (dry) and 29,990 euros
- Suzuki GSX-S1000: 4-cyl. online, 150 hp, 110 Nm, 210 kg, 12,899 euros
- Triumph Speed Triple S: 3-cyl. in line, 150 hp, 117 Nm, 192 kg dry, 14,050 euros
- Yamaha MT-10: 4-cyl. online, 160 hp, 111 Nm, 210 kg and 13,999 euros
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