KTM had already massively raised the stakes in the hyper-naked motorcycle class with the debut of its third-generation Super Duke R in 2020, though the Austrian outfit nonetheless doubled down on these efforts the following year, unleashing its most powerful naked superbike to date — as well as its first-ever RR-spec bike — with its 180-hp 1290 Super Duke RR.
Almost 25lbs lighter than the already potent 1290 Super Duke EVO, the new 1290 Super Duke RR wears a sharp and aggressive-looking suite of KISKA-designed matte-finished carbon fiber bodywork that’s been decorated via contrasting white graphics and orange accents and a matching orange frame. The result of KTM’s development team being given total freedom to design the ultimate naked superbike, the Ready To Race firm’s latest two-wheeled track weapon is propelled by KTM’s most powerful V-Twin engine ever developed, with a liquid-cooled 1,301cc mill cranking out an impressive 180hp and 103.25ft-lbs of torque — all while the bike tips the scales at under 400lbs.
The hyper naked’s running gear is unsurprisingly all of the top-of-the-line track-focused variety and includes a carbon duct-cooled braking system with Bosch 9.1MP 2.0 ABS-backed radially mounted four-pot Brembo Stylema Monobloc calipers and fully-adjustable WP APEX PRO suspension in the form of a 7548 closed-cartridge fork, a 7746 mono-shock, and a 30-click 7117 steering damper – all of which have been tailored specifically for the latest 1290 Super Duke RR. Sold with a bespoke individually-numbered carbon fiber key box, the 1290 Super Duke RR also gets adjusted CNC-machined rear-sets, an anodized billet triple clamp, a lightweight race-spec Lithium-ion battery, ultra-lightweight forged seven-spoke wheels, and an Akrapovič slip-on exhaust — the latter of which can be upgraded to an available full system Akrapovič EVO line exhaust system — all as standard amenities. What’s more, in addition to a monoposto tail perched on a new lightweight carbon fiber subframe, the latest RR naked also comes with what KTM describes as its most state-of-the-art, track-orientated electronics pack of all time.
Limited to 500 units worldwide, the 2023 KTM 1290 Super Duke RR is available for order now. Pricing for the latest model year RR bike has yet to be revealed, though we expect it to carry a similar MSRP to the 2021 1290 Super Duke RR — which sold out in less than an hour.
