With four days still on the countdown clock, we didn’t expect to see the 2014 KTM Super Duke 1290 R until its October debut, but those crafty Frenchies at Moto-Station have gotten their hands on a couple photos of Austria’s new street hooligan machine.
Giving us a glimpse into “The Beast’s” final lines, we see that the new KTM Super Duke 1290 R retains the headlight shape from the prototype concept (better seen on the Patriot Edition concept), though sadly does not incorporate Kiska’s underslung GP-style system, opting instead for the standard single-can setup that was seen in the various spy photos that we have shown.
Overall, it would seem that KTM has chosen to pick a design path that keeps the Super Duke 1290 closer in style to its 690cc single-cylindered cousin, the KTM 690 Duke. At nearly twice the displacement, the KTM Super Duke 1290 R has also twice the cylinders, borrowing its v-twin powerplant from the KTM RC8 R superbike.
KTM has maintained its position that the Super Duke 1290 R’s peak horsepower figure was “enough” but we expect that detuned “ready to race” engine to put down figures north of 160hp.
We would expect traction control and ABS to come as standard on the Super Duke 1290 R, though we cannot see the wheel-speed pick-ups for those electronic systems from these photos. It will of course be interesting to see if KTM includes the new Bosch MSC stability control system with the new Super Duke as well.
Just four more days dear readers until we will know everything. Patience remains a virtue.
Source: Moto-Station
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