KTM 1290 Super Duke RR 2021 — Specifications

Is the power-to-weight ratio of 1:1 the last bastion of motorcycle madness? With the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR 2021, the Austrian factory responds with a 1301 cm3 V2 engine that delivers 180 horsepower while carrying a dry weight of 180 kg. This almost mythical figure places this machine in a category of its own. We are talking here about a track tool that has never pretended to be a comfortable road bike. Its chrome-moly tubular frame, where the engine plays a structural role, announces unparalleled rigidity. The price of the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR 2021, at nearly €25,000, confirms that we are not in the realm of accessible roadsters.

Compared to a Triumph Speed Triple RS, the RR doesn’t play in the same league when it comes to torque. Its 140 Nm, available at 8000 rpm, provides immediate and brutal traction that is sometimes lacking in English triples. This excess of force is served by a range of equipment worthy of a prototype. WP APEX PRO suspension, adjustable in all parameters, Brembo Stylema brakes with optimized air ducts, and Michelin Power Cup 2 tires create a consistent package for the track. The weight of the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR, fully fueled, drops to 200 kg thanks to radical cosmetic surgery: forged rims, lithium battery, and a quantity of carbon fiber for the mudguard, rear fairing, and heel guards that would make a Formula 1 car blush. This obsession with saved grams is also evident in the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR graphics kit, where every element aims for minimization.

But this motorcycle is not just a stylistic exercise. Its seat height of 837 mm and ground clearance of 160 mm define an aggressive posture, ready to attack corners. The electronics, already rich on the R, gain here two additional modes in series, bringing the total to five. The Track mode, in particular, reconfigures the TFT screen for a track-oriented reading and allows for fine tuning of traction control and anti-wheelie. Launch Control and the Up&Down quickshifter complete the arsenal for standing starts. The top speed of the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR, estimated at 290 km/h, becomes almost a secondary detail compared to this ability to exploit every curve.

The target audience for this RR is clear: the pure track rider, the one who seeks the sharpest tool possible, without compromise. Production limited to 500 units, sold in a flash, makes it a collector's item, but don't think that the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR belongs in a museum. It is made to be scraped, to burn rubber and prove that naked bikes can humiliate hypersport bikes on their own turf. Its 16-liter fuel tank and fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km however, recall that it is not a grand touring machine. It is the ultimate expression of a KTM philosophy: unfiltered performance, even if it bites the hands of the novice rider. For those who master its language, it offers a mechanical dialogue of rare intensity.