Just when you thought KTM couldn’t make their 1290 Super Duke R any harder edged, they‘ve announced a limited run of an even angrier beast, the 1290 Super Duke RR.
Limited to just 500 examples, the Super Duke RR boasts a perfect power to weight ratio of 1:1 thanks to a drop in weight to the tune of 9kg with even sharper handling from WP’s best suspension.
Up front is fully adjustable WP APEX PRO 7548 Close Cartridge forks which are matched with an adjustable WP APEX PRO 7117 steering damper. At the rear, an APEX PRO 7746 Shock takes charge, which has been custom-made to the specification of the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR.
KTM says the chassis of RR is more agile, stiffer, and offers better high-speed stability than the standard KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R. The wheels have gone under the knife, shedding a massive 1.5 kilograms of unsprung weight. These are wrapped in ultra-sticky Michelin Power Cup2 tires, dramatically upping the track readiness of the bike which, let’s face it, was already a strong prospect for track dominance in its stock form.
The engine still produces thundering amounts of power with 180hp and 140Nm extracted from the Euro5 compliant 1301cc V-twin, which exhales through the obligatory lightweight Akropovič exhaust.
It gets its power down to the ground thanks to a new quick-turn throttle twist grip, with a 65-degree opening angle – a 7-degree reduction over the standard KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R’s 72-degree grip. This was developed to deliver improved throttle response, but also to reduce the rider’s wrist angle and elbow drop at full opening.
In between the rider’s wrist and the ground are a host of track focussed rider aids to help tame the beast of a bike. These include Track and all-new Performance modes, which allow riders near-unlimited adjustability options for rear-wheel slip, throttle response, Launch Control, and Motor Slip Regulation.
Other unique features to the Super Duke RR include a carbon fibre subframe and bodywork, solo seat, and full range of KTM PowerParts has also been developed for those riders looking to boost its already frightening performance and track-ready viciousness to an even higher level.
European pre-orders open online at 10:00 CET on the 8th of April while New Zealand allocation and pricing are yet to be announced at the time of writing.
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