No shortage of tech toys for high-powered Super Duke R

KTM’s resident hooligan, the 1290 Super Duke R makes an appearance at the Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS). The heavyweight naked street bike features a V-twin coddled in a trellis frame.

BIMS 2018: KTM Super Duke 1290

Despite what the name indicates, it’s actually powered by water-cooled 1301 cc 75-degree V-twin that produces 177-PS at 6,750 rpm and 141-Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm. It’s paired with a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch. The engine is wrapped by a trellis frame paired to a single-sided rear swingarm with mono shock. The front is suspended by 48 mm forks riding on 17 inch wheels in the front and back. It’s brought to a stop by 4-piston Brembo calipers in front and a 2-piston Brembo caliper in the rear.

As is expected of KTM, lightweight materials are integrated all throughout the bike, from the Chromium-Molybdenum steel frame, the slim design and lightweight engine, titanium inlet valves, and light alloy swingarm.

Besides the hardware, the Super Duke also has lots of software to fully reign in the bike. It features ride modes like Street, Sport, and Rain which govern traction, ABS and stability control. The bike is also fitted with cornering ABS. A Supermoto mode allows the rider to lock out the rear wheel for deliberate drifts while still keeping ABS on for the front wheel.

There are also optional comfort features like keyless ignition, cruise control, automatic turn indicator reset, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Finally, the bike can also designed to integrate with a smart phone with displays for incoming calls and messages on the LCD. All this is gleamed from the fully digital colored LCD screen.

BIMS 2018: KTM Super Duke 1290

As for bodywork, KTM has gone to great lengths to minimize the amount plastic parts to truly live up to its naked nature.