It comes from a family of hooligans, its prototype revelled in the nickname of “The Beast,” and its blend of 180 hp, light weight, and raised one-piece handlebar sounds like a recipe for uncontrollable wheelies and general craziness. This most powerful Super Duke also brings a new level of sophistication to the breed. On both road and track it's improbably well behaved—its smooth, perfectly metered throttle response and advanced electronics helping to make its ferocious performance remarkably controllable. It even generated a few rumblings of complaint that The Beast has been tamed, if not actually neutered—at least unless its wheelie-limiting traction control system is deactivated. KTM certainly made a lot of effort to make this the most refined Super Duke yet. The power comes from a biggest version yet of the firm's familiar 75-degree, DOHC V-twin. Increasing the 1,195cc RC8 R engine's bore from 105 to 108mm and stroke from 69 to 71mm boosts displacement to 1,301cc. Cylinder head design is very similar to the RC8 R's, but the Super Duke has bigger valves and shorter rods to compensate for its longer stroke.
The big V-twin's maximum output of 180 hp at 8,870 rpm is impressive, but it's the broad spread of torque that defines this engine. The peak of 106 foot-pounds is 40 percent up on the old 990 Super Duke, and even more significantly this bike produces more torque at 3,000 rpm than the smaller unit does at its maximum. Vibration was a key issue on a motor of this capacity. The 1,301cc lump has twin balancer shafts to the 990's one, and the redesigned pistons weigh slightly less despite being 7mm wider. the KTM showed it should prove respectably practical for a naked bike. Fuel consumption ranged from 30 mpg when thrashed to around 40 mpg, suggesting a typical range of around 150 miles from the 4.8-gallon tank. The seat seemed reasonably well padded and caused no discomfort on a day's ride with several stops. There's neither much room nor much to hold on to for a pillion. This bike, like all our bikes will be fully serviced, inspected and detailed at the time you take delivery. See this and other great deals at www.cyclehunters.com
haldemanAuto/cyclehunters.com
102 Old Ebenezer Rd
Lebanon Pa, 17046
717-273-1809