Two decades ago, the original Duke was nothing short of revolutionary. KTM’s first single-cylinder street bike grew into a cult classic, adding extreme fun to a raw and radical concept. In 2017, the fully revised 690 DUKE stays faithful to its ancestor’s ways, but adds future-proof refinements: impressive smoothness, sophisticated electronics, improved ergonomics and a good old power boost over last year’s model. This firmly cements the world’s strongest single-cylinder production motorcycle at the cutting edge of engineering. Speaking of which: carving corners has never been more fun, thanks to its revised fork offset. Long live the Duke!
The 1290 Super Duke R got us thinking. What if we could match The Beast’s interstellar performance to all day, two-up comfort? What if we would train the most dynamic naked bike ever to race any paved road the world has on offer? Regardless of the weather. Over and over again. So we brought out the big guns, aiming for state-of-the-art ergonomics, electronics and extreme stamina. The result is a long distance V-twin rocket that proudly roars past the top of the food chain, hungry for more. For miles. The faster, the better. A motorcycle that is equally happy hunting horizons, as it is chasing superbikes. And crushing them – not only at cruising speeds. Welcome to the world of the 1290 Super Duke GT, where refinement, comfort, speed and ultimate performance rule.