KTM fans, if you’ve been eagerly awaiting news of a 1290 Super Duke RR, we have excellent news for you. It appears from these spy shots that the long-rumored KTM 1290 Super Duke RR is indeed a reality.
As expected, the Mattighofen factory’s focus on this design brief was clearly weight reduction. Through extensive use of lightweight materials including carbon fiber, titanium, and magnesium, the Super Duke RR is said to have lost around 9 kilograms of weight. That’s nearly 20 pounds, which is pretty impressive. Total weight of the RR is believed to be around 180 kilograms, or roughly 396 pounds.
There’s a whole bunch of carbon fiber to see here, too. The rear subframe undertail cover piece is made of carbon fiber, as is the front fender, the little flyscreen, and brake ducts. The chainguard is apparently also carbon fiber, according to Secret Squirrel, although you can’t see it in these photos. Still, we’re confident you can extrapolate a reasonable facsimile in your mind’s eye from what you’re seeing here. Just above that carbon fiber undertail bit, you’ll find that the pillion seat has also been deleted on the RR. No passengers for you if you buy one!
Gallery: KTM 1290 Super Duke RR Spy Photos
Now, if there’s one thing you can say about Akrapovič, it’s that the company loves titanium. That’s good for bike fans, in general, because it also happens to do titanium very well. This lovely titanium exhaust probably sounds just about as good as it looks. Very importantly, it also reduces unsprung weight in the finished 1290 Super Duke RR, which any and every rider who uses it as a very potent track weapon will likely appreciate. Those lightweight, forged aluminum wheels will also help quite a bit in this category.
As you’ve probably noticed by now, we haven’t said anything about the engine. That’s because the already powerful LC8 V-twin found in the current 1290 Super Duke R is believed to remain largely unchanged. Engine mapping may be slightly different, but no major changes are said to have occurred. Keep in mind, these are spy shots and preliminary information, so the finished product could differ from what we know so far, since it’s all unofficial.
The KTM 1290 Super Duke RR will be released as a strictly limited-edition model, and only 500 will be made and sold. No pricing information has been hinted at as of yet, but with all those lightweight and expensive materials in use, it’s clearly not going to come cheap. More official information is expected on or around March 30, 2021, and we’ll keep you up to date as soon as we hear more from KTM.
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