2020 K TM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
R I D E R E V I E W
P92
The suspension action on the street is
brilliant. It'll soak up almost anything you
can throw at it, and because you're in an
almost dirt-bike-riding position, whatever
whack you get doesn't feel as harsh as if
you were on a proper sport bike.
The rear suspension is especially im-
pressive, with a softer and suppler feel over rough
bumps and g-outs that's surely a by-product of the
new linkage system.
Move to the track, and that new rear suspension
advantage really shines through. During our Pikes
Peak years, much time was spent trying to get the
bike to finish off the corner, to allow the rider to es-
sentially point and squirt the bike.
You can busy the front of the Super Duke into cor-
ners better than previously. The extra weight on the
front allows you to really push the chassis on corner
entry and not rely on using the rear brake to settle the
bike as much as the 2017 model. You can be far more
aggressive on the 2020 model than you'd
believe.
The new Super Duke does this much
better than my old race bike did, which
was equipped with all the KTM/WP
PowerParts suspension I could get on it.
The chassis doesn't sink down in the rear
stroke like before, and you can really boss the thing
on the gas harder than previously.
We had a few laps on a full race-bike build,
one with a plethora of KTM PowerParts including
an Akrapovic exhaust, WP race suspension and
Bridgestone slicks. I tell you now, I'd take that thing
to America's Mountain in a heartbeat. Everything
the base model did, this bike did twice as good.
Braking stability was excellent, mid-corner throttle
response was improved, and the grip on offer from
the chassis and Bridgestone slicks was amazing. It
was genuinely difficult to fault.
The track highlighted just how good the elec-
KTM doesn't make
a sport bike, or so
they say! The Super
Duke is about as
sporty a bike as
you'll ever need for
the street.
