Being One of the Most Anticipated Bikes in Recent Years, Ktm's 1290
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group test WORDS: ALASTAIr ‘NON-SMOKER’ FAGAN PICS: JONNy ‘SaT NaV’ GawLER BEING ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BIKES IN RECENT YEARS, KTM’S 1290 SUPER DUKE R HAS TO TAKE ON THE CLASS LEADER... prilia’s Tuono V4R has been busy transformed sportsbikes and created a new and just as able as a fully-faired superbike, crushing its naked opposition in breed of fairingless hooligans that have to be offering undiluted hedonism mixed with A recent years. Equipped with added to your wish list. Manufacturers believe everyday comfort and unadulterated joy. WSB-spec plums and true RSV4 DNA, the this too, choosing to plough big-bucks into 2014 sees the arrival of BMW’s all-new S Tuono hasn’t had a rival to play with in a naked bikes and all-new projects instead of 1000 R and KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R. There dynamic sense. Until now, that is. developing slow selling superbikes. To the are several other fresh naked bikes making 2014 is the year of the supernaked. Whether complaining purists out there, the harsh reality debuts this season, like the Kwak Z1000 and you like it or not, an exciting evolution has is that bikes like the Tuono are just as rampant Ducati Monster, but they’re second-tier stuff. 30 may 2014 www.fastbikesmag.com SponSored by When some ‘journos’ say a Super Tractor on two wheels to keep up. compromises so it can make bold claims. Ténéré can upset S 1000 RR riders in the Upright bars and no clothes are where Now it’s showdown time. twisties, they’re lying. These new-gen the similarities end with these two. The Rather than risk another week of rain, naked bikes genuinely spunk all over Aprilia is, essentially, an RSV4 stripped of potholes and police, we trekked down to RSV4s, S 1000 RRs and Fireblades, packing its fairings and clip-ons, gently tweaked the south of France. The Millau Bridge just as much punch but saving you a big for a liberal lifestyle. The KTM, on the offers an idyllic backdrop and some chiropractor's bill. Rider parity means you other hand, is a thoroughbred naked unbelievable roads where we could let need something with skills, not a Chelsea monster of a machine, with no these two rip. Bon voyage! may 2014 www.fastbikesmag.com 31 group test KTM 1290 Super Duke R ne of the Super Duke R’s biggest downfalls was ‘The oBeast’ in prototype form, ridden by Jeremy McWilliams. Months of choreographed teaser snippets released by a deft PR campaign left most of the motorcycling world drooling – and customers formed a long queue at the showrooms to lay down big deposits. In reality, emission laws and road regulations meant the finished product resembles very little of the prototype’s beastly conduct and awesome aesthetics (notwithstanding we all boast very little of Jeremy McWilliams’ supreme skills...). On paper, and judging by the ridiculous amount of money you have to hand over in order to own one, the Super Duke R should wipe the floor in 2014. It boasts a brutal power-to-weight ratio controlled by race-inspired electronics and You want info? anchored by über powerful Brembo You've got it! Monoblocks. It’s still a beast, just not the rabid fiend we were expecting... Whereas previous KTM’s have heard, toggling between and the rear brags a bounty of been relatively agricultural and fairly the array of electrickery is mechanical grip that you’re rarely basic, the SD-R is a complex animal, a pain in the arse, with relying on the TC as a safety measure. packed with different power modes the bike resetting itself Turning off the electronic rider and rider aids. As you may have when the ignition is cut. aids won’t kill you. Apart from the But it’s still a cinch to ride health and safety Nazis swarming, KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R £13,999 fast, and slow speed everyday stuff is KTM could well have released the also easy peasy. bike without the traction control and Other than that sexy swingarm/ anti-wheelie, such is the finesse. rear wheel partnership, there’s no Granted, the systems function doubting the KTM’s redeeming perfectly on a fast road jaunt, subtly feature; the engine. It is epic, exactly taming to improve pace. You just what you’d expect from a booming can’t hoist fatties on demand. The big-bore v-twin. It owns lashings of buttons are there, the throttle works lowdown grunt that usually (if the both ways. Get over it. electronics are switched off) means As aggressive as it looks, there massive wheelies and bigger grins aren’t any nasty surprises lingering in then develop into a lively midrange the SD-R’s handling traits. The KTM that continues to flourish until the excels in flickability and lesser lean redline. But one of the initial standout angle manoeuvrability, scything features was the SD-R’s action when I through twisty sections with supreme closed the throttle for the first time. aptitude. It changes direction far Born from the hearty RC8's motor, this new Highlights Nothing happened. No agricultural quicker and sharper than the Tuono, engine has been modified into something ˲ 1,301cc nutty motor engine braking threatening to lock the swivelling on the front-end pivot far more potent. Bore goes up from 105 to engine ˲ Lots of buttons rear wheel. No chain clatter. Nothing. point, but it feels a little more edgy, 108mm, and stroke increases from 69 to 71mm. Pistons use an F1 design, and though larger, ˲ Awesome Brembos One of the biggest gripes that too. Its bump management and road are 47 grams lighter than the RC8's. Cylinder ˲ WP suspension previously aggrieved us was the holding is also sublime – far more heads are fitted with dual-ignition, utilising ˲ 189kg dry weight fuelling and throttle response. The adept than the Aprilia's when coping separate maps for both. Service intervals are ˲ 150bhp old 990 Super Duke, as awesome as it with any bumpy sections. But such is near 10k miles and the lump weighs 62 kilos. was, fuelled like it was drinking stale the softness and lack of control TRACK 8 during the initial stoke, the stupidly Far from out of place. Irn Bru. Now, although the gearbox is still a little notchy and is crying out powerful Brembo brakes could be a The frame is typical KTM, and still the right FAST ROAD 9 colour. It's a trellis chrome-molybdenum Proper road scalpel, needs q/s. for a quickshifter, there’s a certain little too fruity for the standard construction weighing less than 10kg. Every newfound refinement that comes set-up, so the ABS is welcome. chassis manufacturer wished they had suzzie gurus HOOLIGAN 8 All the ingredients... with the 1290. Every throttle like WP in their pocket, a big reason why increment is crisply controlled KTM's all handle very well. Giant 48mm NEW RIDER 4 Verdict 8/10 WP forks grace the front, fully adjustable, Still brutal, too tall without losing any sensitivity. There’s Excellent return to naked madness for the Super Duke. though no preload is available. Brakes DESIRABILITY 7 still an element of arcade-ism that It's just not what we were expecting. KTM? Refined? Er... are top notch Brembo M-50 calipers. Not 'The Beast' but still über cool comes with a super-direct throttle + MOTOR, ELECTRONICS, THROTTLE, stUNts action, but the engine is so tractable - NOT A RIOT, ELECTRONICS, PRICE 32 may 2014 www.fastbikesmag.com SponSored by Bike name xxxxxxxxxx Rootsy's opinion The 1290 has lots of amazing elements to it, but for me they don’t quite create the ultimate naked – but that promised machine is not far away. Certain parts of the bike would look brilliant on the fourth plinth of Trafalgar Square, while others look like its designer grumpily penned it to meet legal or engineering obligations. The motor is nothing short of amazing. Soft at the bottom, gradually getting ever harder through the midrange, to a knock out top end, it offers the full gamut of performance. Clinical injection, excellent TC and surprising manners mean your preconceptions can stay in the garage, because it’s a breeze to ride – and a beauty on the back wheel! REAL DEAL tURNING Off THE ELECtrONIC rider As the SD-R is so in demand, you'll be lucky Aids WON'T kiLL YOU... to get anything off the ” price. So prepare to do a hold up! may 2014 www.fastbikesmag.com 33 group test Thankfully the ABS can be turned off... Aprilia Tuono V4R hen a bike leaves the when the wheels are turning. showroom floor with an Dynamically, there’s nothing else W arsenal as extensive as (yet) that can match the Aprilia’s skill the Tuono’s, you don’t mess with it. set. Take it to a trackday and enjoy Launch control, traction control, the most comfortable fastest laps anti-wheelie and a V4 motor; this you’ve ever set. Its APRC electronics concoction is unrivalled – and these are lifted straight from Guinter’s and aren’t pointless gizmos. The updates Melandri’s race bikes, but it’s just as for 2014 are insignificant, in that the caustic on the highways. Tuono would still be #1 in its slightly Its world beating genetics are older guise. New ABS (which is pretty evident as soon as your botty touches nifty), some racier electronics, the wafer thin seat. Despite the suspension tweaks, a few extra suspension changes, which do aid ponies and a bigger fuel tank further bump management, a quick bounce distance the V4R from its rivals.