2014 KTM 1290 Super Duke official first ride!

KTM’s long-awaited, all-new 1290 Super Duke is finally being put through its paces at the world press launch in Spain by MCN Senior Road Tester Adam Child. Here are his first impressions:
 
“KTM may be calling its new Super Duke ‘The Beast’, but on the evidence of my first ride here on the fabulous roads near Ronda in southern Spain, they’ve managed to tame it, too.
 
“Yes, the new super naked has massive amounts of power and torque, but sophisticated rider modes and engine management means that you can’t get into trouble by unleashing it all at the wrong time. For example, around town in first gear it simply won’t release all that stomp if you whack open the throttle.
 
“On the other hand, out of town in third or fourth, you can crack open the twistgrip and it simply takes off like little else. While on track – where I’m headed this afternoon – you could simply turn the electronics off and have one helluva blast. It’s even got a ‘supermoto’ mode for its sophisticated ABS system which lets you ‘back it in’ to corners, supermoto style!
 
“Overall, the new Super Duke so far seems, not just much more refined and sophisticated than before, it’s also more powerful and compact.”
 
Read Adam’s full review in next week’s MCN – out Wednesday October 23.