Torque of the town
With 145Nm, 2024 KTM 1390 Super Duke might just be quicker off the line than the Ducati Streetfighter
THE R GETS A FULLY ADJUSTABLE WP APEX SUSPENSION
THE 1390 SUPER DUKE R COMES IN as a successor to the 1290 Super Duke. The meat of the matter is that bigger 1350cc V-twin engine. That might not sound as substantial considering the 1290 displaced 1301cc. But KTM has sprinkled some fairy dust on it – variable valve timing, variable fuel mapping, new airbox, a redesigned ram air intake, new throttle bodies and a repositioned top-feed fuel injector. All of that helps the 1390 Super Duke R make 187.4bhp at 10,000rpm and 145Nm at 8000rpm, which is about 10bhp and 5Nm more than its predecessor. KTM has also revised the fifth and the sixth gears, which should help with the top-end performance. The fuel tank has gone up by 1.5 litres to 17.5 litres, which KTM claims pushes the Super Duke’s range to 300km. While the 1290 Super Duke had the magical 1:1 power to weight ratio, the 1390 weighs in at 200kg, which means that it can no longer meet that golden figure.
The chassis remains the same as before but there are changes to suspension. The R gets a fully adjustable WP Apex suspension USD fork, and a monoshock with compression and preload adjustability. The R Evo gets WP semi-active suspension. Braking duties are handled by twin 320mm front discs paired to Brembo Stylema callipers and an MCS radial master cylinder, and a 240mm rear disc. On the electronics front, the 1390 now has TPMS, traction control, multi-level anti-wheelie control and five riding modes — Street, Sport, Rain, Performance and Track. All of which should help you tame those 180-odd horses without getting too overwhelmed. And if you still feel they are, the Rain mode will dial them down to about 128bhp to help you better rein in the Super Duke.
Coming to the styling, KTM has set a new design language which we first saw with the new 990 Duke, as well as the new 390 and 250 Duke. While it might be polarising, it’s certainly offset by the gruntier engine with its meaty torque. KTM India has been shy with the previous iterations of the Super Duke and that’s unlikely to change with the new version as well. ⌧