Last Friday afternoon (May 23rd), the fine folks of Fastrack Riders (http://www.fastrackriders.com/) and KTM North America were kind enough to allow me to thrash the piss out of a SuperDuke 1290R for a few sessions at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA (http://www.autoclubspeedway.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Club_Speedway).

This is anything but a well-rounded review of the new SuperDuke, but more for those of you who are considering track use of your 1290R and track junkies alike. I have yet to demo a 1290R on the street, and the closest to it I've experienced was the 100 yards from a paddock to the hot pit at < 10 mph, then immediately attempting to stand up the bike entering the track into a 120+ MPH left hand sweeper. I challenge anyone to justify a SuperDuke 1290R if you have no intention of ever putting it on track.

A bit about the circuit: this is a fast, no rest anywhere course. You are either on the throttle, or on the brakes - or you ain't doin' it right. If you're "coasting" anywhere - you will be passed. You use at least 4 or 5 gears (more on that follows), several chicanes (fast left/right combinations), and some huge speed-change braking areas that will wilt all but the best binder setups. For you SoCal guys: It's pretty much the polar opposite of the 2-gear nearly constant-velocity (slow) and only 2 short "technical" Chuckwonky that you all like(d - ?) to exercise your 990s at.

I am of the view, that all modern sport bikes should be track exercised/exercisable. 20-Large OTD for what is advertised as a "sport" motorcycle, should be very track capable for this kind of scratch. That stated, this is how the bike was operated:

- I ran it the entire time in Sport mode. The other modes are pointless on the track. You want all the power it can produce, as immediately as the bike can deliver it.

- There were zero modifications to the bike with one exception: tyres. No PowerParts installed either - bike was as you would purchase it. The mirrors weren't even taped off... The the rear "shovel" and signals were removed; headlight and tailight were disconnected (front signals worked!).

- The tyres used were Dunlop KR448 (front) KR449 (rear) US-made N-Tec slicks.

- Suspension was initiallty set at KTM's advised "Sport" settings. And subsequently beyond that: +5 clicks front comp and rebound, +5 clicks rear LS comp and rebound + 1/2 tun on HS comp - which helped - a lot. Some folks including suspension-knowlegable people and a KTM Product Development Manager certainly recognized the suspension was less than ideal for the application. More follows on this.

- As I am no skinny miss, my bias in experience is more toward you other beer-loving bastards.

- The bike was the (slower) Orange color.

At this point you may be thinking "... enough with the Nerd-noise dude - how well does the girl dance ... And does she put out?"

My operational instructions from the KTM guy weren't more than 20 seconds in length, shouted as we both had helmets on and earplugs in:

"tyres are hot!"

"It's in Sport mode!"

"It's standard - NOT GP - shift!"

"Use the bike's torque to make speed and control the chassis on exits!"

"OH - and ignore the errors on the mode display!"

Yep - that was it. Off I went.

First thing I learned is that 1290R has absolutely stonking torque. The bike lifts in the first 3 gears, and can be coaxed up in 4th (tyre grazing the pavement - inducing the anticipated headshake). We're talking 'Busa and ZX-14R class toque here. KTM should sponsor drag racing it! LOL - I can envision a PowerParts nitrous kit for it. Yes, the girl puts out - big time.

On that sweeper entry as I leaned it over hard (knee on deck), what I suspected might be a problem on my way out - is. The rearsets are WAY too low for serious track use - pegs got a nice grinding at several points around. Toe sliders on my boots were somewhat obliterated. I don' have a clue whether the rearsets are adjustable in some way - nor did I take the time to find out. The 1290R being undersprung for my fat ass - certainly exacerbated this.

Next was the wheelie control - it's a little abrupt, and isn't well-programmed IMO. Damn shame that in order to use the TC, you're stuck with it. I get it: The goal is to sell a 150+ HP bike to the deep-pocketed, who may or may not have any real riding skills. Last thing you want is the liability - or expensive bikes collecting dust on the showroom floor - of people start reporting that the bike is "too much".

After the first couple laps, I found that I ran better times at a gear higher than I normally would on I4s (e.g. 3rd instead of 2nd for most corner exits of the circuit). The bike was simply more manageable and less work to ride this way, and there was always more torque and horsepower on tap to get out of any corner as fast as any bike that was out there (inclusive of some AMA superbikes - no joke). And damn if the thing wouldn't want to lift - I couldn't always pin the throttle for the fastest exits.

TC is not as refined in engagement as say the Tuono, Monster 1200S, or say a ZX-10R. But it hooks up the bike amazingly well. Maybe it was ACS's tarmac and tyre combination; As if in Sport mode the programming was to maximize traction as soon as possible versus enabling big long gratuitous darkies without consequence. Hey - that's the fast way IMO, more power to the ground sooner - the better. On the street, it would plain be more safe that way.

When you really start to wind this thing up - you start to realise how easy the power comes. I thought the RC8R Race Spec made a kind of "lazy" power - the 1290R trumps that easily. The engine is so incredibly smooth - I couldn't believe I was on a KTM! Seriously - the only thing comparable among v-twins is the new Ducati Monster 1200S, which I estimate makes about 20 less HP. All the juicy v-twin goodness you can eat, with the refinement of a Japanese 4 cylinder.

Fueling was superb. Also smooth, no jerkiness or unexpected behavior on or off throttle. No matter the gear or how slow I would go for a given gear. it never lugged. Almost carburetor good. I really look forward to a thorough street ride on one of these.

Power did seem to roll off a bit early - perhaps at 9K RPM (or a little more ...). No matter how much I tried to tuck down on the tank, I just couldn't get it to go much past 160-and-change MPH in 6th (indicated - which is probably optimistic - I don't know), and it didn't seem to want to gain very quickly past 150 MPH or so. I'm sure it can do more, but real-estate being finite and all ...

The rev limiter was pretty soft IMO - you can barely tell when it kicks in except for lack of power gain. No real reason to go up there anyway - butt dyno says you are out past peak power, and well past the torque peak there. Again, ~9K RPM felt like the magic number - and the engine will get you there quickly.

The shortcoming in the lump where the power comes from - and perhaps an artifact of it being a demo bike - the transmission. It absolutely didn't like lightning-fast clutchless upshifts. Compared to say Japanese I4s. Then again, my experiences with both V4R Tuonos and again the 1200S are that they could shift as fast as I could unload the transmission with the throttle. My clunky 990 shifts faster. I had to slow down the shifting just a tiny bit for consistent performance. I don't clutch-upshift modern sportbikes unless I can't get them to otherwise. While currently unadvised (by KTM) - the 1290R could benefit from a quickshifter.

The slipper clutch however, works flawlessly. As good - and maybe better - than any Japanese OE unit on an I4. No drama - no matter how hard you're braking and/or ruthless with the clutch lever. Never could upset the chassis with the clutch - even when braking as hard as the tyres could bear, while banging down a couple of gears from 130 to 40. No freewheel lag that I could perceive either - pick up (or whack) the throttle, and power is there for you immediately.

Which brings me to the brakes. They are simply fantastic. As good as any brakes I've experienced. No compromise in feel from the ABS system, and if I got the ABS to engage - I couldn't perceive it. Very reasonable initial bite, then firmly progressive; consistent lap after lap - I could not get the brakes to fade. These brakes need nothing. Very confidence inspiring, allowing braking as late as you could stand, and all the way to the apex without concern. All bikes should have brakes this good, and If the 1290's brakes are any indicator, the future of ABS on bikes is certainly bright.

The ergos were downright pleasant. It seems you sit much lower and forward on the bike than on the 990 SDs. Forgive me for comparing the 1290R to the 990s here - but the 990 is a baseline that most of us on sd.net are familiar with. The bars were kind of close - like MX/SM close. The reach seemingly much shorter than on the 990 - but I didn't feel cramped. For my "long in the saddle" torso, it seemed like I was sitting bolt upright. I could easily tour on this bike - seriously.

The seat seemed reasonably comfortable - and at the same time well-suited for monkey antics of hanging-off and super-quick direction changes through chicanes. Again, the OE rearsets, while affording decent legroom, are less than ideal for spirited track use of a 1290R.

The chassis was the most significant shortcoming of the bike. Please don't misunderstand this remark, but unless you weight 170 Lbs. or less, the suspension is just overwhelmed. The suspension absorbed bumps well; the shock and forks seemed to be better sorted as-is than the 990 did. Where the bike failed was that it wallowed somewhat severely. Particularly from full-throttle upshifts at speed - the bike would get all out of shape. The problem was amplified if leaned over even a little, e.g. when entering a fast sweeper from a tight corner or slower chicane. It was severe enough to where I couldn't always accelerate as hard as I wanted to (that being WFO as soon as an upshift was completed). I think these problems could be fairly easily corrected, and it's unreasonable to expect that conventional suspension be one-size-fits-all.

On the upside, the 1290R changes directions impressively well. Given it's length and heft, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at just how well. I think that with the suspension sorted - this could only improve (I could then brake mid-chicane confidently when entering a slower corner upon exit of the chicane).

Others that rode the bike - including the KTM folks - acknowledge the suspension shortcomings (and laughable lack of front preload adjustment ability) for high-speed circuit use.

As I consider steering dampers to be important part of the suspension (as well as tyres), I am sad to state that the damper that comes on the bike is junk. Non-adjustable, and worthless. Would be the 2nd thing I'd do to improve the bike. Would have helped in quelling the wallowing/instability - if even adjustable.

Probably due to the long wheelbase, the 1290R was pretty stable leaned over hard (little thanks to the suspension and steering damper). Because of the chassis shortcomings, it required a steady hand, easily maintained due to the excellent fueling of the 1290R.

The console - while arguably an improvement over the RC8, is cluttered and too small. I could barely see the gear position indicator, and the upshift light - if that's what it was (red LED - ?) - also puny and ignorable. So I spent too much visual time looking at the tach and mentally tracking gears for best speed around the circuit. Perhaps there are other display modes (?) that improve its readability. The crappiest part was the mode display - which also shows errors from the CANBus, e.g. errors from disconnected lights etc. I don't know whether you can shut that visual noise off - but in the US, disabling the head and tail lights are usually trackday requirements.

Conclusions:

Is it "Ready-to-Race"? No, it isn't. At least not as-is. Wouldn't need much - but then, what class would have you? That's TBD I suppose ... Rearsets, suspension sorted, and good to go. Unless you're getting paid to go fast - additional power isn't necessary, almost no matter how good you think you are. If you think you need more - IMO no amount of tuning (or expense) is going to get you to S1000RR or uncorked ZX-10R territory. That's just not what the 1290R is.

What the 1290R is: One fantastic, crazy-fast and fun street bike. Comfortable, and easy to ride. It is as close to the ideal all-mission performance bike I've yet to ride: Hooligan, sport-tourer, and with a little love, worthy track tool.

That's as thorough a write up as I've ever seen. Think you've missed your calling.

Great write up, thanks SDNerd - submit it to some magazines, better than I've read from some "proper" journalists!
Looking forward to getting mine onto the track sometime this summer now.

I found that the Akra system has sorted out the top end - there's no drop in power till you hit the limiter.

Errors can be cleared by multiple presses of the "back" button, thankfully. Unfortunately I don't think there are any other modes for the main display - everything has it's own digits, it's not a matrix type display which can vary things. The red light is the shift light, you're correct.

I think the TC has to be somewhat abrupt with the wheelie control, as the bike can come up very very quickly at times. I got a LOT more air than intended in third the other day when accelerating hard over a small bump in the road (TC off).

Did you ever find the initial crack of the throttle mid-corner problematic? It's probably my ham-fists, but I find just that first little bit is hard to modulate at times.

Now I really want one.
Thanx Nerd, good job

Thanks Nerd, great read, at last a description from a Superduke owner that tells things like they are.

The one I've been waiting for.

bic i think you have been having too many afternoons breathing two stroke smoke (meant in a nice way), there have been many true and no BS reviews by people who have had many past sd`s including myself and each have had the same conclusion about the short comings and strong points.

i do not think that in general the people that have bought an new sd have rose tinted spectacles, the bike is what it is and as i stated is not quite the track day bike that KTM would have everyone believe with thier adrenaline junkie videos and x racers scutching around on a not so standard bike, it is a very good road bike for the right reasons and if you spent money in sorting the items could also be a very good and enjoyable track day but if you want a track day bike then buy a track day bike and not a road bike.


grunt over jajajajaaja i have been sat too long at the desk!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great review, thanks for taking the time to do it. I'm a little surprised that there isn't preload adjustment. I would guess suspension internals as the first mod I'd do. Shame about that dash. Would be good if the settings were more customizable and you didn't have a bunch of flashing lights and warnings when you track it.

There is nothing on the new 1290 that money won't fix?

Great write up dude! I was wondering what the 1290 would be like around Portimao while I was there. Superdan's V4 had great drive out of some of the slower corners and I'd imagine the 1290 would be off like a shot from them. It is a shame there is no preload as it's an essential for fast track riding. Still I'd love to take one on the track for a few sessions. You're a very lucky guy.