2015 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
FIRST RIDE
P56
mortals could only dream of got
this bike off to a flying start in
the public eye. This bike is the
epitome of Austrian awesome-
ness. A bigger engine than
everyone, better brakes and
styling that looks like a cross
between Mad Max and the
Avengers make this thing stand
out. I mean, who doesn't notice
a massive orange cacophony of
rumbling hate thundering past
the driver's window?
LIKE A ROTTIE
There's two sides to a Super
Duke. One is the mental image of
a crazed madman with malice in
his heart riding to the end of the
world on a rolling orange fireball,
the other is of a guy trundling
down to the shops to pick up
tonight's sushi and a bottle of
white. That's because the Super
Duke does both with absolute
ease. This thing is nothing, ab-
solutely nothing, like the old 990
(Above) How good
does that look!?
The Super Duke
just oozes charisma
and anger at the
same time. It's like a
mechanical version
of Dwayne Johnson.
(Left) That beautiful
single-sided
swingarm is hidden
by that ugly muffler.
Why for?
Those M50 Brembo
calipers work well –
this kind of carry on
is dead easy on a
Super Duke.
Super Duke. That escaped men-
tal patient of a motorcycle had
the throttle response of a Gatling
gun and a seat made from the
disused concrete of a Mattig-
hofen back alley. It was like a
Rottweiler that was abused as a
puppy, ready to eat you at any
given chance. The new Super
Duke is like a Rottie that's been
loved at birth—happy to be nice
and play the family protector,
but tick it off and it'll go mental
