KTM has unveiled the latest version of its flagship street bike, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo.
The model has undergone dramatic weight savings with a reworked LC8 engine, while the electronics package has also been updated.
Drawing on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R’s already legendary status among riders, the EVO brings more tech to the fore, adding 2nd generation WP APEX semi-active suspension .
With new Semi-Active Technology (SAT), the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo retains its class-leading hyper-naked ferocity but gains an even wider range of usability.
This allows the model to go from a comfortable rocket on poor road surfaces to a hardened track-ready apex-splitting weapon – at a simple click of a switch. Three different damping modes – Comfort, Street, Sport – are available as standard.
In addition, the spring preload of the rear suspension can be set via the TFT menu to up to 20 mm in 10 steps, depending on the requirements of the rider. In this case, the adjustability setting ranges from 0% to 100%, in 10% or 2mm increments.
In addition to the standard suspension settings, the optional Suspension Pro package offers three more damping modes, namely Track, Advanced, and Auto.
Suspension Pro also offers three automatic preload auto-leveling settings – Low, Standard, and High. In this instance, the suspension is able to adjust the preload automatically in accordance with the weight of the rider and recreate 3 defined geometries (Auto-Standard, Auto-Low, Auto-High).
Another optional feature on Suspension Pro is an anti-diving setting that keeps the front-end high under hard braking. As with most electronic functions, it can of course be switched off if desired.
KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo, as well as the 1290 Super Duke R continue to feature the Rain, Street, Sport, and optional Track and Performance ride modes, affording riders improved feedback about what the engine is doing, with less intrusive traction control and anti-wheelie mitigation. Selecting any of the above settings can be performed on the fly.
Throttle response is given a further boost with the addition of a new quick-turn throttle twist grip, reduced by 7 degrees to 65 degrees. KTM R&D developed this solution not only to offer a faster and more responsive throttle, but also to reduce the rider wrist angle as well as the elbow drop at full throttle.
In terms of looks, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R and KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo retain an aggressive street presence but introduce two new body colours.
A familiar blue and orange livery is flanked by an all-new silver and orange, which complement the aggressive and hard-hitting appeal of the Super Duke R. A full range of specially created KTM PowerParts has also been developed to personalize the bike.
