When the public first saw the concept version of this particular KTM their jaws dropped in a similar fashion to seeing and having Maria Sharapova standing in your bedroom wearing nothing but a smile whilst holding a bottle of hot baby oil, well sort of.
Even though this big and brash KTM projected new and unsurpassed levels of lunacy, and I had a similar reaction, it became, overnight, it became the most desired bike to ride before it even hit the showroom floors in 2014. Now that’s a good thing, especially for the KTM dudes that put this weapon together but, as we all know, concept bikes can lose their attraction by the time they hit the shops. Look at Yamaha’s MT-01 for example, a masterpiece at the Tokyo show but, unfortunately, lost all of its drool -ability in reality, shame that.
So, after seeing all of those mental YouTube videos of Jeremy McWilliams howling around some track somewhere and causing pre-order hysteria, I also wanted to mount and enjoy, the 1290 not Maria Sharapova (big lie). 
Anyway, KTM wisely chose to launch their ‘Beast’ (as it’s called in the brochure) at sea level or, in our case, Cape Town. Why, because at Joburg’s mile-high altitude we lose around 18% of the engine’s power, which isn’t nice. So, for full-on scary ‘full-power’ mode, Vaughan Swanepoel from KTM SA (and old friend) did the correct thing and flew us to the seaside – sweet.
When I first saw the 1290 Super Duke R I liked it. In your face, orange, mean, aggressive and sort of cute, but enough of me I also liked the bike. Humour aside, I didn’t really listen to the brief much, well bits of it, because I just wanted to get on and ride the thing, wouldn’t you?
Now I don’t want to get into all that technical stuff here because you can read all that off the Net but let me compress the data quickly for you anyway. Its engine is the biggest ever from KTM with 1,301cc, it’s a 75-degree V-twin with a claimed 180hp, 144Nm of torque and a dry weight of only 189kgs. Electronics are everywhere (of course), like traction control, Ride-by-Wire, fancy ABS, different power map settings and thankfully (for me) no confusing, and sometimes unnecessary, electronic suspension thingies, just good ol’ and ‘normal’ WP suspension.
Anyway, I finally got to sample the 1290 and, after switching everything to maximum and everything off and everything to full power mode, I was away. WTF IS THIS THING? Monster and instant torque lifts the wheel in a ridiculous fashion and even in fourth gear on the highway at 150km/h you just flick out the clutch and the front wheel, again, points rudely towards the moon. The acceleration is nothing but brutal and most certainly not for the faint of heart or inexperienced. If you could sit inside a football and someone kicks it, that’s what it feels like. Fantastic, fierce, a bit scary and immensely fun, but enough about me again let’s get back to the 1290 ‘Beast’.
So it’s as powerful and mad as the early press releases said it was and not just some promotional bollocks. But what about the rest of the 1290, handling, ride and the like?
Well one thing that impressed me as much as the outrageous motor is the overall ride quality. These types of bikes tend to be way too hard for general road riding, and I’m pointing the finger at Ducati, MV, Aprilia and even Triumph. But the 1290 is refreshingly the complete opposite. The superb WP units are firm when needed but plush when the bumpy bits appear and it’s so comfortable to ride as well that you feel you could ride off into the ‘Hollywood movie’ horizon. You sit in it, rather than on it, and it just feels correct ergonomically from the moment you mount. So the 1290 Super Duke R really is a perfect bike for day-to-day travels as well, quite a feat for such a focussed performance package. And you can buy a full pannier set and screen if you want to go that touring route but, in my opinion, that version makes you look a bit of a twat – buy the 990 SMT instead if you want that sort of KTM.
After tearing about the roads of Cape Town we ended up at the Killarney racetrack for a spot of track action. This was a good idea until a force nine hurricane appeared and blew me around like a butterfly in a sandstorm. Still, had loads of fun with Vaughan and me pulling wheelies everywhere and, again, the 1290 felt right at home in this environment as well. The huge Brembo brakes also had their moment here and retarded the 1290 in a familiar Brembo way and I kept on churning out lap after lap when I usually get bored after a couple, which says it all folks.
Once I returned home it kept going through my mind how accomplished this Super Duke R is, with a genuine all-round appeal. We also ran it on the dyno the following week and it made a whopping 153hp at the wheel and 130Nm of torque – how’s that for a naked street bike? 154hp is more than a Yammy R1 to put it into perspective and at 4,800rpm it makes more torque than a BMW S 1000 RR race bike, no wonder it felt so quick.
The 1290 Super Duke R is, therefore, a modern classic and deserves to be so. It’ll scare you, excite you, caress you and leave you astonished with its complete package every time you ride and, for a mere R180,000, or just under, it’s most certainly worth it, but only in this orange option please. Would I buy this Wild Child? Yes I would and it’s my favourite KTM ever. I wonder if I called Maria if she would she come out for a ride – I’ll provide the oil?
Buy this bike from www.radmoto.co.za also visit www.ktm.com for technical details.
