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Smash Hit KTM 1290 Super Duke RR Returns for 2023 as a Darker Hyper Naked Beast

The Austrians over at KTM are a very innovative crew. Not exactly one of the most talked-about bike makers in the world at street level, the company relies heavily on its competition successes and limited edition motorcycles to get by. It’s the latter approach that’s of interest to us today, after KTM decided to bring back an older smash hit.
2023 KTM 1290 Super Duke RR 15 photos
Photo: KTM
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Back in 2021, the brand’s fans were treated to a very special version of an orange motorcycle called 1290 Super Duke RR. It was the first two-wheeler the Austrians made with the RR moniker attached, and as usual with KTM’s limited edition bikes, fast to sell.

Two years ago the company announced a limited run of just 500 units of the ride. It did so on April 8 that year, and just 48 minutes later, the entire batch was already spoken for.

Since that time KTM has been busy rolling out other exciting motorcycles, but somehow it circled back to the 1290 Super Duke RR and decided to have another shot at it for the new model year.

Starting March 13, a bit earlier than in 2021, KTM opened the order books for the 2023 iteration of the motorcycle. It too will be made in just 500 units, and apart from some minor visual tweaks that have to do with colors, it’s pretty much the same machine as before. Still, another chance for those who missed to original to get their hands on one of these.

The bike is based on the 1290 Super Duke R, but is a heavily evolved version of that. The 1,301cc in its frame, described at the time of its introduction as the “biggest Euro 5-compliant V-Twin engine currently available in a Hyper Naked motorcycle,” comes with an output rating of 180 hp and 140 Nm of torque.

2023 KTM 1290 Super Duke RR
Photo: KTM
That’s impressive on its own, but given how the bike weighs just 180 kg (397 pounds), it translates into one horsepower for every kilogram of bike (or one per 2.2 pounds). To achieve this weight (which is also 11 kg/24 pounds lighter than the KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO), a lot of carbon fiber was used for the build, from the body parts to the subframe.

The Super Duke in this configuration is a monster from a mechanical standpoint as well. The forged wheels fitted on it are backed by some of the most hardcore pieces of hardware money can buy: a fully adjustable WP APEX PRO fork up front, and WP APEX PRO shock at the rear.

As said, the only differences compared to the 2021 version you’ll see on this one are visual ones. The black on the hyper naked bike is a bit darker now and comes in either gloss black or matt carbon. Naturally, it is contrasted by white graphics and the usual KTM orange accents.

Unlike what it did before when it launched a reservation page on its official website, KTM this time chose to sell the bike via dealers. What that means is that yes, there is a dedicated 2023 KTM 1290 Super Duke RR page to go to, only this time it’ll help you get in touch with your local KTM store.

It also means we now have no way of knowing how fast these things will fly off the shelf, unless KTM tells us. The company did not officially reveal the selling price for the bike, but to get an idea you should know the EVO variant goes for $20,399.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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