Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/531222
2015 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R FIRST RIDE P62 fork does not come with preload adjustability, which for a machine carrying such a high asking price is a huge omission. That means the only adjustability you have on the front end is rebound damping on the right leg and compression on the left. That's fine for most road applications where this bike is aimed but you'll soon find the outer limits of the front end if you go to the track and really try to push it. The 4.9 inches of wheel travel is about standard and when matched to the 6.1 inches on the rear, I didn't have any bot- toming problems at reasonable speed, however when I head to the track the Super Duke will be getting a serious stiffen up. Regardless, the Super Duke is so easy to maneuver and so nimble for its size you'll be carv- ing beautiful wide arcs as easily as squaring off corners on the rear brake and firing the orange beast up the next straight. The front brakes are about as good as it gets in the Brembo M50 four-piston Monobloc calipers matched to the Bosch 9M ABS system, so there's no complaints there. These calipers grace the Panigale and posses more stop- ping power than the engine can throw at them, which is saying something. Our testbike had a slightly warped rotor and would give a bit of a pulse through the lever, but still the braking power was nothing less than impressive. As is the whole machine, really. WANT ONE, GOT ONE There are very few bikes out there today that are as genuinely versatile as the Super Duke. It's made such an impression on us at the Cycle News office that we begged and pleaded for one as our next long termer, and got it! So you'll be seeing lots more of this bike in the coming months as we delve deep into the KTM Power Parts catalogue to try and improve this machine yet further. However for a standard ma- chine, this is truly a stupendous bike. It's so easy to ride even a beginner could do it (but I suggest they don't just yet), is great as a two-up ride thanks to the massive rear seat that thankfully is not an afterthought but has been incor- porated into the original design, and it's capable of sending you powersliding and wheelie-ing your way into prison if you're not care- ful. I'm yet to ride the new Aprilia Tuono 1100, but I've ridden the rest of the naked bike contingent and this one stands above all else. The KTM Super Duke is an epic machine. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2015 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R ENGINE: .......................75° V-Twin, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, liquid-cooled DISPLACEMENT: ............................. 1301cc BORE X STROKE: ...................108 x 71mm HORSEPOWER: ...............132kW (claimed, rpm not given) TORQUE: ..................................... Not given COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................... 13.2:1 IGNITION: ..............................................Key TRANSMISSION: ........................ Six-speed FRONT SUSPENSION: .............. 48mm WP inverted cartridge fork with adjustable rebound and compression damping REAR SUSPENSION: ................. Single WP shock absorber with adjustable spring preload, rebound, and high/low-speed compression damping FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ................... 4.9 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ...................... 6.1 in. FRONT BRAKE: ....................................Twin 320mm discs, Brembo M50 four-piston Monobloc calipers, Bosch 9M ABS REAR BRAKE: .....................Single 240mm disc, Brembo twin-piston caliper, Bosch 9M ABS FRONT TIRE: ........... Dunlop Sportsmart2 120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE: .............. Dunlop Sportsmart2 190/55 ZR17 RAKE: ..................................................24.9° TRAIL: ............................................... 4.2 in. WHEELBASE: ..................................58.4 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ................................32.9 in. WEIGHT: .............. 443 lbs (dry, claimed). COLOR: ............................... Orange/Black MSRP: ........................................... $16,999 The best standard naked bike seat available on the market today. You can sit all day in this thing and still feel good at the end of it.