BEN KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Running the bugger in...”
It was a beaut of a day when I received the call to say that my termer was winging its way to me. I’d been eagerly awaiting this news for a good few weeks and was gagging to get out for a blast and find out what all the hype was about. Until now I hadn’t seen a 2017 model in the flesh, and I found myself casting an inquisitive eye over my steed as it was rolled off the back of the van.
Love it or hate it, the styling is nothing less than extreme but over the couple of weeks that the KTM has been in my possession I’ve grown to love it – and for plenty more reasons than just its looks! I’ll openly admit I’m a pretty fussy git when it comes to all those wee details that make you feel at home on a bike. But, from the moment I cocked a leg over and perched my arse atop this brute, everything felt just right. The bar width, lever position, footrests and seat height all felt like they’d been custom made for me, which was mint.
I was immediately a fan of the minimalistic cockpit, with its keyless ignition. It’s one of those features that you may initially consider as non-essential but soon begin to wonder how on earth you could ever go back to farting about with keys and fiddling with steering locks.
Keyless thingy majiggy mastered, I could no longer resist thumbing the starter button and with that came a welcome, thunderous note from the standard pipe – although I can’t wait to fudge it off for the Akro system that I’ve got on order!
There are more bolt-on goodies for this bike than you can shake a stick at, and I hope to kit this bike out with as many as possible over the year. There’s all sorts of bike porn to drool over, assured to make you clock up a bit of overtime to earn the necessary moolah for some of the fancy additions that are available.
But, as happy as I was to stare at the Katoom and listen to its motor burble, there was no substitute for getting out there and letting rip with the V-twin’s 177bhp motor. Ya bugger! It didn’t disappoint, to the extent that my 12-mile commute home morphed into a 100-miler. Dinner was in the bin, but it was worth the sacrifice for the experience gained. It hooked me there and then, which is why I’ve clocked 600 miles in the few weeks it’s been with me. I’d have done more if it wasn’t for the scheduled first service, which took place at KTM’s HQ at Silverstone, where the bike’s electronics got unlocked to enable both the Track Pack and Performance Pack, which together lightened the wallet by £728. Money well spent. As much as I might have thought it was a beast before, now I know a whole new meaning to the word. What an absolute weapon. I’ve a feeling it’s going to be a great summer.