2020 K TM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
R I D E R E V I E W
P82
(Left) Switch off
the wheelie control,
and you can do this
stuff all damn day
on a Super Duke. It's
just too easy.
THE MOTOR
For 2020, KTM and the design
team at Kiska went firmly back to
the drawing board when dream-
ing up the new Super Duke. But
one fact, or rather, two, remain.
Although the motor has been
reworked, it still produces the
exact same number of horsies
and torque-ies as in 2017, with 177
horsepower at 9500 rpm and 103
lb-ft at 8000 rpm of torque. The
2017 edition would hit peak power
at 9750 rpm and peak torque at
7000 rpm.
The output may be the same
but the motor has changed. Still
measuring 1301cc, KTM's fitted
twin shower injectors for the first
time, replacing the single injector
setup previously used. The 56mm
throttle bodies remain, although
the airbox has been extensively
reworked and now features an
intake that sits either side of the
steering head.
Previously, the intake sat either
side of the bodywork, and was
more than a bit of a pain to line
up when refitting the plastics (I
should know). Now the intake is
