2018 KTM 1290 Super Duke R Favorites & Fails

The best and worst things about Austria’s super naked.

When you ride as many different motorcycles as we do it gives you good perspective on a given bike’s strengths and weaknesses. And whether you’re shopping for your next bike or just want to be in the know, it’s helpful to get an experienced rider’s opinion. So as a quick way to convey the highs and lows of the bikes we’ve been riding we came up with this new video series. Favorites & Fails is exactly what the name suggests, a concise list of the good and bad for the bikes we’re riding.

This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive evaluation or road test, but rather a candid snapshot, delivered with the same sincerity and honesty we’d show to a friend that wanted our opinion on a given bike. Hopefully you find it helpful or at least informative. Don’t agree with us, or have a motorcycle you want us to put through the F&F wringer? Feel free to chime in below in the comments section.

Without anything to compare, the KTM Super Duke’s dyno chart just looks like nice, linear power and a flat torque curve. It is that, but also makes more torque at 3,500rpm than most bikes ever do, with around (or more than) 80 pound-feet on tap from 4,000 to 10,000rpm.Robert Martin

QUICK SPECS

PRICE AS TESTED $17,999
DISPLACEMENT 1301cc
MEASURED WEIGHT 472 lb. (214 kg)
FUEL CAPACITY 4.8 gal. (18L)
SEAT HEIGHT 32.9 in. (835mm)
MEASURED HORSEPOWER 154.7 @ 9960 rpm
MEASURED TORQUE 92.5 lb.-ft. @ 7390 rpm