Can you believe that the Duke has been around for 30 years already? The year 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of KTM’s Duke series and it has been an awesome run.
And there is no better way to celebrate than to release the maddest iteration of the Duke, ever.
The numbers don’t lie, the KTM 1390 Super Duke R is the craziest ever – with the 1,350cc engine producing 190hp at 10,000 rpm and 145Nm of torque from 8,000rpm.
The new Super Duke R has some rather menacing updates, such as the all-new LED headlight unit that is 700grams lighter than before, new tank spoilers and winglets. There is also a new subframe cover that eliminates the brake light which makes the design look even sharper.
This together with a low profile and a compact chassis makes the Super Duke R look more muscular and aggressive. KTM says it has upped the attitude of the 1390 Super Duke R by lowering the altitude.
The air intake and airbox has also been redesigned with the fuel tank increasing to 17.5-litres, which is an increase of 1.5-litres over its predecessor. KTM says this bigger fuel tank gives the Super Duke R a possible range of 300km.
The LC8 engine has also been updated, with its bore increased to 110mm to achieve the total displacement of 1,350cc. There is also an all-new can shift that has been integrated onto the cylinder heads. These updates provide more power and torque and allows for an updated fuel mapping to meet Euro 5+ emission regulations.
Also new is the WP Apex shock absorber which is fully-adjustable for low and high speed adjustments, with toolless rebound and pre-load adjustment. There is also a new 48mm WP Apex Open Cartridge fork with split function duties up front.
On the Super Duke R Evo though, the suspension management is taken to a different level with the latest generation WP Semi-Active Technology (SAT). Said to be the most advanced suspension system on the market, the SAT features electronically controlled magnetic valves for variable damping, providing for a wider range of adjustability – from very comfortable to track-day ready stiffness.
Working behind the scenes is a Suspension Control Unit (SCU) that adapts the damping rates via the magnetic valves in real-time. It reads the road surface and rider style to automatically adjust the suspension on the fly.
Both the Super Duke R and Super Duke R Evo also feature new riding modes – Performance and Track modes complete with lap timer and telemetry stats. KTM also provides optional engine brake control and updated Suspension Pro module for them Evo.
As usual, KTM also has a full range of specially developed KTM Powerparts and KTM PowerWear parts.
