KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Pimpin’ my ride...”
Forget your morning pick-me-up of a double espresso. Instead, why not plonk your arse on a Super Duke and give it the beans, because that’ll waken your senses like nothing else. Only by riding this big beastie will you fully appreciate just how good the thing truly is – even in standard trim – but when the Austrian factory have such an irresistible selection of Power Parts goodies to whet your appetite, it’s basically impossible to resist a little pimpin’. To be fair, the only element of the bike that held it back from being a full-on hooligan tool was that gash (Euro 4 compliant) standard pipe that toned down the bike’s appearance and muted it to an uncharacteristically sedate note. But let’s face the facts, what standard zorst doesn’t look chuffin’ naff?
Thankfully, my most recent addition put paid to that wee bee in my bonnet – although, for that reason, I’m now a little less popular with the neighbours – and the addition of the Akrapovič Evolution Line kit has not only made it look the absolute tits (and gave me a proper rod-on when I saw it for the first time) it also sounds it too. The Super Duke now provides a sweet little crack when you thumb the starter button, bringing it to life in all its thumpin’ glory and sounds even sweeter when giving it the beans on the fly, providing the odd little pop and bang between shifts.
I already loved the nature of this monstrous V-twin lump – all 1,301cm³ of it – with its mammoth power, stomping torque and thumping characteristics that make it feel ‘alive’ – honestly there’s not much out there that can give you this sort of riding experience – which has now been raised to a whole new level, making the bike live up to the KTM strapline of being ‘ready to race’!
The Akro system is a proper bit of kit, made from high-grade titanium. It comes complete with high-flow racing air filter, SAS disassembly kit and is then remapped to suit, providing both substantial weight savings and pony gains – happy friggin’ days! You won’t get much change from 2,100 notes, so it’s not cheap, but if you’ve got the cash to splash then why wouldn’t ya? The only downside for me is the fact that you lose the ‘Rain’ map, which did come in handy when things got a tad hairy-lairy.
The bling doesn’t stop there! Honestly, I’ve been more excited than a kid at Christmas this past month. While the boys over at KTMwere waving their magic wand (no pun intended there you filthy sods) over the Super D, they also conjured up a stunning set of wavy discs that now adorn both front and rear wheels. Again, the brakes in standard guise were already more than adequate, with the beautifully manufactured Brembo M50 calipers packing enough power, feel and precision to be worthy of a place on any race bike – let alone a road bike. But with the new wavy discs – which KTM claim offer an increase in braking power of +25% – I’m sure the proof will really be in the pudding once you start cracking on, on track.
I’ve been stupidly busy at work over the past few weeks, which has meant that my commute home in the wee hours of the morning has seen me rack up a large proportion of my miles this month in the dark – which I normally find to be a less enjoyable riding experience. I’d imagine that there are a few critics out there who may be thinking that those pretty audacious headlights are all for show but let me assure you, they sure as shit ain’t. They do a sterling job of lighting the road ahead with a broad and bright beam, meaning that folk like me, whose eyesight is far from 20/20, can see where the hell we’re going.
Right, I’ve gotta shoot, I’ve got some scrubbin’ to do – just changing the hoops, but more about that in next month’s issue.