King of the nakeds: can the new KTM 1290 Super Duke R finally dethrone Aprilia’s best Tuono?
Superbike power with tourer practicality: Can you really have it all?
Regular readers will know the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory has been MCN’s top super-naked dog for a very long time now.
A straight-barred, scantilyclad RSV4 superbike, the Tuono was born in 2011 but shot to dominance in 2015 when its V4 powerplant grew to 1077cc, adding extra sparkle to what was an already a formidable performance bike. Nothing’s been able to beat it since.
Last year it was updated to include semi-active Öhlins suspension, but for 2020 it’s just colour changes and a smattering of carbon fibre (our test bike is a 2019 model) but is that enough to hold
off a glut of powerful new rivals. Has the big ape finally had its day?
KTM comes out fighting
We tested the cream of the new super-naked crop in MCN recently: the new 205bhp Ducati Streetfighter V4 S, Kawasaki’s 197bhp supercharged Kawasaki Z H2 and the heavily revised 177bhp KTM 1290 Super Duke R. It was a surprise to find that the ‘modestly’ powered KTM was the best for the road, neatly proving that 200bhp is pretty much irrelevant and midrange grunt is king.
But is the Super Duke better than the Tuono? Well, it’s fitting how these two have finally met each other. It’s Austrian V-twin versus Italian V4. Both bikes make 170bhpish power figures and they each cost around 17 grand. The Aprilia is a bit more and with KTM’s Tech Pack, fitted to unlock all its electronic rider aids (which should really be standard). The Super Duke is a bit under. But it’s worth bearing in mind the Tuono is cheaper with an equivalent PCP deal and because it’s been around a few years, there are silly money deals to be had on ‘old’, box-fresh showroom stock. Before we rode any of 2020’s new super-nakeds we figured the Ducati would be the one to beat. Derived from the Goliath that is the Panigale V4 S, it’s riotously quick, electronically well-endowed and racetrack-sharp, but it takes life very seriously. The new, thirdgeneration 1290 Super Duke R covers ground every bit as quickly, but it’s more fluid on the road and although the updated engine, new chassis and brakes are designed to work flat out on track, it’s far more playful than the Ducati.
Super Duke comes of age
The KTM is incredibly polished, too with classy new switchgear, a glass-fronted colour dash and a supple ride from its tweaked WP suspension. Bars are wide and supermoto-aggressive, but the riding position is kind to joints. There’s no bodywork to hide behind, unlike the Aprilia, but motorway speeds are tolerable and anyway, life’s more exciting with the wind in your vents.
Make no mistake, the latest Super Duke is still wild, growly and brutally quick, but it’s never flattered its rider like it does now. Its 1.3-litre V-twin LC8 lump is perfectly fuelled and has so much oomph at low revs you rarely need to play with the gears. Swift, effortless cornering comes courtesy of crisp steering, a chassis that refuses to get out of shape and the power from the new Brembo Stylema calipers literally takes your breath away if you squeeze too hard on the lever.
Aprilia’s old but gold
Jump on the Aprilia and it feels slightly dated in comparison. The KTM’s bolder, brighter, fresher dash makes the Tuono’s seem small and busy, the Italian’s switchgear buttons are fussy and unlike the KTM it doesn’t even have an adjustable clutch lever.
The Tuono might have a less chunky, bulldog-like feel to it, but oh my word, when it barks into life and takes you on a journey, gliding on a bed of Öhlins and sticky Pirelli opulence, it’s clear just how right Aprilia got the basics when the RSV4 first appeared in 2009. Much of the Tuono’s brilliance is down to its magnificent V4 engine. It’s longer-legged, revvier and more involving than the KTM’s polished V-twin, but it still has plenty of bottom-end grunt and a bombastic midrange. It’s a motor happy to reward lazy riding or let you hammer up and down the gears – this is, after all, a thinly disguised superbike. But no matter how you ride, the fuelling couldn’t be smoother or the soundtrack more addictive: wailing like a MotoGP racer on the throttle - popping and crackling off it.
Pegs are high for ground clearance, but not cramped and the seat nicely padded. Many would say it’s cheating for a super-naked to have a hint of fairing, but more fool Aprilia’s rivals for not doing the same. In any case, with its wide bars and minimal plastics it still feels exposed and more alive than a race replica, but your head and neck will thank you for the extra protection on long, high-speed blasts.
Proper racing genes
You can count on one hand the production bikes (Triumph Speed Triple RS, RSV4 1100 Factory, Panigale V4 range and KTM 890 Duke R) that ride UK road surfaces so exquisitely, have such feelgood front ends, or are so solid
‘No matter how you ride the Aprilia, the fuelling couldn’t be smoother’
‘The Super Duke is still wild, growly and brutally quick’