Feature
F
irst time round, it was nicknamed the Beast. KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R snarled onto the scene as a powerful V-twin prototype; a star of promotional movies and on Goodwood’s Festival hill. But although the production model that reached showrooms in 2014 blasted out 170bhp and was seriously fast and agile, its refinement and rideability led to suggestions that the Beast was… well, if not tamed, then not all that wild either. Enter the bike that KTM is calling Beast 2.0 – a revamped 1290 Super Duke R built for added performance and aggression. Last year’s introduction of a more versatile, sports-touring 1290 Super Duke, the GT, has encouraged the Austrian firm to take the original model in the opposite direction. The new R-bike is more powerful, firmer and even more hardcore. It’s certainly every bit as naked. Its style set by an eye-catching, low-slung headlight whose central aluminium structure helps cool the LED lenses while supporting much of the light’s structure. Elsewhere there’s sharp-toothed bodywork, a colourful new TFT (Thin Film Transistor) instrument panel, and a slimmeddown tailpiece that contributes to the predatory look. The 1301cc, 75-degree motor remains on display, and is revised to get the KTM through Euro 4 emissions tests, while also making an extra 4bhp to lift maximum output to 174bhp – serious stomp by naked bike standards. Internal changes include new titanium inlet valves and higher compression ratio. The extra power comes from revving 500rpm higher, helped by shorter intake trumpets and a new exhaust system.