2020 K TM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
R I D E R E V I E W
P90
FROM THE HOTSEAT
The 1290 Super Duke and I have a long history. Three
times on two different models I've raced one up Pikes
Peak, once on my old 2015 model and twice on a 2017
edition, but I had not even sat on one since I took a
close second to Carlin Dunne in 2018.
That first feeling of bum-on-seat was just like meet-
ing up with an old flame. Only one that had been to
the gym while you were out frolicking with other girls.
Our first half of the day in Portugal was on the
street, perfect given the dreary fog that caked the
Portimao hills. Immediately you can feel this third
edition of The Beast is more slanted towards its
nose—the handlebar is slightly lower and more for-
ward than in 2017 and puts you in more of an attack
position for corner entry.
But you lose none of the long-distance comfort in
the new riding position. The tank is wider, and the seat
Rennie aboard the
PowerParts bike. With that
exhaust, WP race-spec
suspension, Bridgestone
V02 slicks and taller and
more rearward rearsets,
everything the Super Duke
is good at gets ratcheted up
a few notches.
