New KTM 1290 Super Duke R released for 2020

Read our 2020 KTM 1290 Super Duke R review here.

Describing it as a ‘re-beasting, KTM has updated its flag-ship super-naked with a new chassis, updated styling and renewed electronics…

How is the new KTM 1290 Super Duke R different to the old one?

For 2020, KTM has shaved 6kg off the claimed dry weight of the 1290 Super Duke R, taking it to 189kg. The Austrians have also taken two litres off the tank capacity, so full of fuel and ready to ride it’ll be lighter still – we estimate it’ll be between 200 and 210kg as you ride away from the petrol pump. Given that Fuelly.com reported an average consumption of 44.8mpg for the Super Duke R in 2018, maximum range of the new bike has been trimmed by about 20 miles, taking it to around 158 miles. That’s assuming fuel economy is unchanged. We’ll have to wait until we get the first review of the 2020 KTM 1290 Super Duke R to find out…

Power has increased slightly from 174bhp @ 9,750rpm to 177bhp @ 9,500rpm, while torque is slightly down from 104.0lb-ft (141Nm) @ 7,000rpm to 103.2lb-ft (140Nm) @ 8,000rpm. While complying with Euro5 has seen a very small increase in power, it’s at the expense of torque – only by a fraction, but it’s 14% higher in the rev range too.

The engine’s capacity is unchanged at 1,301cc, while compression has dropped slightly from 13.6:1 to 13.5:1.

Gearing is the same as the previous model and the suspension is now the APEX fork and shock from WP.

Brakes are now Brembo Stylema four-piston radially-mounted calipers with cornering ABS (as well as cornering traction control). The rear wheel has also gone up from a 190/55 ZR17 to a 200 section.

The steering angle is 64.8° (it was 65.1°), and trail has decreased by 1mm to 106mm. The wheelbase has increased – from 1,482mm to 1,497mm, while ground clearance has gone from 141mm, up to 160mm, with no change to the seat height of 835mm – this is likely down to the reworking of the exhaust system, which now has two catalytic converters.

The addition of cornering ABS is the main attraction of the new bike, but current owners will probably be happy know they’ll probably be able to ride that little bit further, and potentially have a slightly better mid-range response from their engines. We’ll have to see what the first road test brings…

New KTM 1290 Super Duke R 2020 specification