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KTM SuperDuke 1290 R : First impressions
Its a dream come true riding this bike
I cant really put it into words what it feels like to ride this Beast! But I will try my best..
I have vlogs as well but I messed up the mic connection and many videos have no audio at all!
I will try to upload it soon.
This was one of the bikes which was on top of my "Must Ride" list and I had the bike with me for almost a day. But due to rainy weather, I couldnt ride it as much as I wanted to.
Engine :
It is the biggest Vtwin from KTM at 1301cc, churning out a crazy 173hp and 144Nm of torque. The truly impressive figure here is the torque, which is a lot more than what superbikes make and it is very evident when you are riding. There is instant torque all through the rev range, just a slight twist of the wrist and the bike is pulling you along with so much ferocity as if it is in a real hurry to go somewhere!
The engine is quite smooth, smoother than I expected it to be. There are hardly any vibes unless you are at too low rpms. You cant expect "inline 4 like" smoothness from this but whatever vibes this has is no issue whatsoever.
The gearing is not like superbikes, the first gear is limited to around 80kmph as opposed to 150+kmph on SBKs. Because of this 0-80kmph is like a rocket! And also 120kmph at 6th gear feels like lugging! I had to be in 5th gear to ride at that speed comfortably. 130kmph is ok though, which is the usual speed limit on motorways in many countries apart from Belgium (where it is 120). But the problem with riding at 120 in 5th gear is that just a slight twist of the wrist and it shoots past 140 before you realize! Which begs those automated speed cameras to send a ticket to home 
There is no way one can be lazing around at 50kmph in 6th and simply shoot past 200 just like that. You need an inline 4 to do those sorts of things.
The exhaust note is simply amazing. Even while idling, it has that low growl and once the throttle is whacked open, it goes bananas! That growl it has totally suits the bike and the character they want to portray on this. But the exhaust sounds best when I am at 8k+ rpm and suddenly let go of the throttle, it has a brilliant thunderous sound as the rpm keeps falling. I love hearing that and I kept increasing and reducing speed many times just to hear that
I personally love exhaust notes of inline 4s and triples but this V twin was really something.
Styling :
This is where it beats the competition hands down! No other bike has such aggressive styling (apart from Z1000) and it really turns a lot of heads. I got quite some looks here while riding it. It looks best from the side and not as great when you are looking directly from the front.
Even though it has single sided swingarm, it isnt as good looking as a Ducati or MV Agusta. Maybe because the exhaust and swingarm are all black so the rear alloy doesnt stand out & also the big exhaust covering it is not helping either. A rim stripe or shorter exhaust will definitely make it better. They also have a limited edition 1290R which has orange wheels along with many other things but I personally feel it is a bit too flashy.
Handling :
Its so good, that I dont even have anything to say! I just had one observation, to turn into a corner, slightly more handle bar input is required than Duke 690, maybe because of wider tyres and slightly heavier weight. But once on the corner, it holds the line like its on rails
Equipment :
The electronics this bike has got is what makes it such a brilliant bike. Managing so much power under your wrist on a bike like this is no easy feat esp for someone who has never ridden bikes like these! This was the most powerful bike I rode at the time of the test ride (I rode an even powerful one after this, but more on it later
) But the ride by wire, traction control and power modes make it so easy to ride. The throttle is never snatchy and it cleanly pulls. It never scares you when you are riding slow. I am no expert to disable traction control and ride! So I didnt even bother doing that.
One thing I observed was that the speedo cant keep up with the actual acceleration of the bike. I saw that when I whacked the throttle and stopped, the speed was still increasing for a second or two and then started reducing.
The Brembo brakes, I cant complain about it can I?
Comfort :
Somehow they managed to get a perfect balance of sporty feeling while also not being too aggressive. I personally prefer slightly hunched over posture than sitting upright. And this bike is exactly that. My height is around 5'7" and I was totally at home on this bike, be it the posture, putting the foot down (even though seat was 835mm, thanks to good shape of seat) and the usual maneuvering of the bike when it is off. Based on other reviews even riders with 6ft plus height had no issues on this bike.
Another surprising fact is the windblast, it is very low for a naked street bike like this. Taller riders might have different opinion but for me, the wind was mainly on helmet and if I crouch it was even better. It must be because of the angular styling of the tank shrouds and the headlamp, which makes it better at cutting the wind than say Duke 690.
Suspension is fully tunable, but I think it was in its default setting. It was plush enough for bad roads and super stable in corners so no complaints whatsoever.
Quality :
Top notch. Nothing I found to be out of place or cheap looking.
Issues faced :
There was a slight squealing sound from front brakes while braking at low speed. This is an extremely minor issue (not even an issue really!) but just thought of mentioning it.
Price & VFM :
It is considered one of the most expensive street bikes here priced at around 15,000 euros. It is difficult to think of this bike in terms of VFM. This type of bike is something you buy when your heart truly wants it! And sure there is BMW S1000R and Aprilia Tuono V4 which offer lot more in terms of electronics for slightly lesser price but they are not V twin and they dont have the character the SuperDuke has. But anyways, I am not thinking of buying it So I am happy with just a day long test ride!
Some more pics,
Its a dream come true riding this bike
I cant really put it into words what it feels like to ride this Beast! But I will try my best..I have vlogs as well but I messed up the mic connection and many videos have no audio at all!
I will try to upload it soon.This was one of the bikes which was on top of my "Must Ride" list and I had the bike with me for almost a day. But due to rainy weather, I couldnt ride it as much as I wanted to.
Engine :
It is the biggest Vtwin from KTM at 1301cc, churning out a crazy 173hp and 144Nm of torque. The truly impressive figure here is the torque, which is a lot more than what superbikes make and it is very evident when you are riding. There is instant torque all through the rev range, just a slight twist of the wrist and the bike is pulling you along with so much ferocity as if it is in a real hurry to go somewhere!
The engine is quite smooth, smoother than I expected it to be. There are hardly any vibes unless you are at too low rpms. You cant expect "inline 4 like" smoothness from this but whatever vibes this has is no issue whatsoever.
The gearing is not like superbikes, the first gear is limited to around 80kmph as opposed to 150+kmph on SBKs. Because of this 0-80kmph is like a rocket!
And also 120kmph at 6th gear feels like lugging! I had to be in 5th gear to ride at that speed comfortably. 130kmph is ok though, which is the usual speed limit on motorways in many countries apart from Belgium (where it is 120). But the problem with riding at 120 in 5th gear is that just a slight twist of the wrist and it shoots past 140 before you realize! Which begs those automated speed cameras to send a ticket to home There is no way one can be lazing around at 50kmph in 6th and simply shoot past 200 just like that. You need an inline 4 to do those sorts of things.
The exhaust note is simply amazing. Even while idling, it has that low growl and once the throttle is whacked open, it goes bananas! That growl it has totally suits the bike and the character they want to portray on this. But the exhaust sounds best when I am at 8k+ rpm and suddenly let go of the throttle, it has a brilliant thunderous sound as the rpm keeps falling. I love hearing that and I kept increasing and reducing speed many times just to hear that
I personally love exhaust notes of inline 4s and triples but this V twin was really something.Styling :
This is where it beats the competition hands down! No other bike has such aggressive styling (apart from Z1000) and it really turns a lot of heads. I got quite some looks here while riding it. It looks best from the side and not as great when you are looking directly from the front.
Even though it has single sided swingarm, it isnt as good looking as a Ducati or MV Agusta. Maybe because the exhaust and swingarm are all black so the rear alloy doesnt stand out & also the big exhaust covering it is not helping either. A rim stripe or shorter exhaust will definitely make it better. They also have a limited edition 1290R which has orange wheels along with many other things but I personally feel it is a bit too flashy.
Handling :
Its so good, that I dont even have anything to say! I just had one observation, to turn into a corner, slightly more handle bar input is required than Duke 690, maybe because of wider tyres and slightly heavier weight. But once on the corner, it holds the line like its on rails
Equipment :
The electronics this bike has got is what makes it such a brilliant bike. Managing so much power under your wrist on a bike like this is no easy feat esp for someone who has never ridden bikes like these! This was the most powerful bike I rode at the time of the test ride (I rode an even powerful one after this, but more on it later
) But the ride by wire, traction control and power modes make it so easy to ride. The throttle is never snatchy and it cleanly pulls. It never scares you when you are riding slow. I am no expert to disable traction control and ride! So I didnt even bother doing that.One thing I observed was that the speedo cant keep up with the actual acceleration of the bike. I saw that when I whacked the throttle and stopped, the speed was still increasing for a second or two and then started reducing.
The Brembo brakes, I cant complain about it can I?
Comfort :
Somehow they managed to get a perfect balance of sporty feeling while also not being too aggressive. I personally prefer slightly hunched over posture than sitting upright. And this bike is exactly that. My height is around 5'7" and I was totally at home on this bike, be it the posture, putting the foot down (even though seat was 835mm, thanks to good shape of seat) and the usual maneuvering of the bike when it is off. Based on other reviews even riders with 6ft plus height had no issues on this bike.
Another surprising fact is the windblast, it is very low for a naked street bike like this. Taller riders might have different opinion but for me, the wind was mainly on helmet and if I crouch it was even better. It must be because of the angular styling of the tank shrouds and the headlamp, which makes it better at cutting the wind than say Duke 690.
Suspension is fully tunable, but I think it was in its default setting. It was plush enough for bad roads and super stable in corners so no complaints whatsoever.
Quality :
Top notch. Nothing I found to be out of place or cheap looking.
Issues faced :
There was a slight squealing sound from front brakes while braking at low speed. This is an extremely minor issue (not even an issue really!) but just thought of mentioning it.
Price & VFM :
It is considered one of the most expensive street bikes here priced at around 15,000 euros. It is difficult to think of this bike in terms of VFM. This type of bike is something you buy when your heart truly wants it! And sure there is BMW S1000R and Aprilia Tuono V4 which offer lot more in terms of electronics for slightly lesser price but they are not V twin and they dont have the character the SuperDuke has. But anyways, I am not thinking of buying it
So I am happy with just a day long test ride!Some more pics,
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