These are some of my favourite roads in Europe and they're ideal for a KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo

I had some outstanding rides on my KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo in 2024. Riding Spa Francorchamps was pretty special, as was a tour of the Picos and Pyrenees with my mates, but the highlight has to be the day I rode from Antibes to Grenoble.

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• Update one: Can wheelie control turn you into a stunting god?
• Update two: Testing the Evo’s advanced electronics on track
• Update three: 3250-mile navigation test in Spain
• Update four: Two-up round the Nürburgring
• Update five: Super Duke is a touring all-rounder

The south of France plays host to some of Europe’s most breathtaking roads and scenery. Best of all, you can get there in a couple of days from the UK, or even one if you do your best Nick Sanders impression.

Basking under golden skies, the rocky coastline from Marseille to Monaco doesn’t seem to know the meaning of bad weather and unless you’re unlucky it’s generally warm and sunny, even in the winter. The locals are motorbike mad and just inland from the deep blue Mediterranean are the twists, turns and rollercoaster elevations that scale the iconic French countryside.

You could spend weeks exploring this motorcycling playground, but on this day, heading back to the UK at end of a two-up riding holiday with my girlfriend, we chose this one. The best bit is the run from Grasse and Digne, via the N85 (Route Napoleon), D4085 and D6085.

It’s littered with flowing third- and fourth-gear corners and wide hairpins. I’ve been riding it for years on holidays, bike launches and MCN tests and it never gets old. Being able to ride it on a bike that’s so effortlessly quick, with such sublime comfort and suspension control was the icing on the cake. 

Like most days during our holiday, we bought our lunch from a bakery that morning, strapped it to the SW-Motech tail pack with bungees and looked for somewhere with a view to eat, al fresco. That day we stopped at the crystal blue Lac de Sainte-Croix at the Verdon Gorge, washed down with an ice cream and coffee in the local town. 

Travelling around Europe mid-to-late September is the best time to go, too. Not only is the weather more like a UK summer’s day, there’s no holiday traffic, so the roads are nice and quiet. When it comes to taking time out, the French bars and brasseries are still open without being too busy. 

We stayed in Antibes for a few days, which is a handy base from which to explore the roads… and beaches, especially the spectacular Calanques near Cassis. That was the plan, anyway, but we ended up holed-up in our AirB&B with colds. That wasn’t so nice, but it gives us the perfect excuse to go back…