KTM SUPERDUKE 990 RR 2006 — Specifications

Who, in 2006, could look a Superduke 990 in the eye and find it lacking anything? KTM, apparently. The Austrians, never satisfied, decided to push the envelope even further with this RR version, a machine built for those who found the standard model too civilized. And when KTM decides to turn up the heat, you'd better hang on to the handlebars.

The principle is simple: take the 75-degree V-twin displacing 999 cc, its 122 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 99 Nm of torque available from just 7,000 rpm, and wrap it in a serious weight-loss program. Carbon replaces steel or plastic wherever possible. Wheels, fenders, clutch and ignition covers — everything gets the treatment. The result: the scales show 179 kg wet, a figure that would put many pure sportbikes of the era to shame. Against a Tuono 1000 R or a Speed Triple, the KTM competes in a lower weight class while retaining an engine with a raw, almost primitive character in the way it delivers power.

The racing kit included with the RR isn't just there to look good on the spec sheet. The WP suspension, already excellent on the base version, gets stiffer fork springs and a rear mono-shock that raises the ride height by 15 mm. The bike gains precision, high-speed stability, and sheds that slight vagueness some criticized on the standard Superduke through fast chicanes. A steering damper completes the package, because with a chrome-molybdenum trellis frame this rigid and a short wheelbase, tank-slappers are no myth. The brakes, with their twin 320 mm front discs clamped by four-piston calipers, deliver stopping power worthy of the performance. KTM even goes so far as to supply Pirelli slick tires — SC1, SC2, and even SCR 2 rain rubber — a quickshifter reverse kit, and DOT 4 racing brake fluid. We're talking about a motorcycle sold with its own track-day starter pack.

The Akrapovic exhaust system and revised engine mapping unleash the V-twin's breathing, and even though KTM stays tight-lipped about the exact horsepower gain, the power-to-weight ratio of a 179 kg machine with an engine that breathes more freely leaves little room for doubt. At 14,000 euros in 2006, the entry price was steep, but the standard equipment made the bill almost reasonable when compared to the cost of buying track gear separately.

This Superduke 990 RR isn't aimed at the Sunday rider or the freshly licensed. It's a machine for the knowledgeable enthusiast, the occasional track-day rider, or the hard-charging road warrior who wants to feel every imperfection in the tarmac transmitted through his palms. It perfectly embodies KTM's philosophy of the era: no compromise, no electronic safety net, just a ferocious engine, a razor-sharp chassis, and the promise of a solid backache after 200 kilometers. A magnificent brute — provided you've got the arms to hold on.