KTM isn't sitting on its laurels with the 1290 Super Duke naked sports bike. The EVO model now boasts electronic semi-active suspension from long-time collaborator WP

KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO Announced

KTM's insane 1290 Super Duke has long been the standard-bearer for massively powerful naked sports bikes. Rivals BMW, Triumph and Yamaha have thrown everything at the Austrian model but have never quite managed to unseat it from the throne: if insanity is what you are after, the KTM has it pegged. Ducati has come closest with the Streetfighter V4S but now KTM has countered this challenge with yet another upgrade.

The current Super Duke R was introduced in 2019, with evolutionary changes across the board and, more recently, the Super Duke RR brought limited-production bling to the model.

Now, sitting bang in the middle of those two models is the Super Duke R EVO, which sees the introduction of electronic semi-active suspension technology to the existing WP APEX set-up. The point of this is to retain all the track ability but to make it less compromised in every day, real world riding on the road.

For everyday riding, there are three damping modes - Comfort, Street and Sport - while the rear shock can be adjusted for pre-load by up to 20mm via the TFT dash.

The 'Suspension Pro' package gives three further specific riding modes - Track, Advanced and Auto. In truth, these are designed primarily for advanced track riders looking to get the best out of the machine. KTM describes the three modes as follows:

- TRACK provides the stiffest available setting developed internally by KTM test riders to provide the ideal setting for track days and specifically for faster race tracks where you need additional support under hard braking.

- ADVANCED allows the rider to select the level of damping for the fork and shock on a scale from 1 to 8. This suits more technical riders who are looking for the smallest marginal gains and want to fine-tune and tailor their suspension settings for their riding styles.

- AUTO is the most intelligent of the trio and is capable of detecting different riding styles and automatically adapting the suspension damping, being softer and more comfortable when cruising through the city, and harder and more focused when riding aggressively on a fast mountain pass. This auto adjustment between modes happens almost instantly without any interference in the ride.

These settings also adjust the levels of traction and wheelie control for riders who have the skill to use such actions to their advantage. With all this, the Super Duke R EVO can basically adapt itself to any one of dozens of riding styles and conditions.

The EVO will make its public debut alongside the 'standard' R at the upcoming EICMA motorcycle show at the end of November and should be available through KTM dealers at the beginning of 2022.