2005 KTM 990 Super Duke

"You can't compete with established companies in the streetbike market by copying their products," says KTM boss Stefan Pierer. "You have to do it your own way, or not at all." With the 990 Super Duke, KTM has done just that.

In fact, KTM has created a whole new market segment with this motorcycle. It is lightweight and sporty, agile but muscular, minimalist but substantial-feeling. There is a yawning generational gap between KTM's new Super Duke and any of the existing V-twin roadsters, whether naked Euro-bikes such as Aprilia's Tuono or Ducati's Monster, or half-faired Japanese machines such as Suzuki's SV1000. This is no small achievement for KTM, a firm that was essentially belly-up in December 1992. Now it's Europe's second-largest manufacturer in terms of volume.

As the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean and I sat back with a beer for a last look at the Super Duke's unmistakable styling during the bike's world launch in late November, I couldn't help but smile when the editor in chief of one of Europe's biggest bike magazines said, "When I read that first piece you wrote about the 950 Duke prototype two years ago, I said to myself, `What's Alan on? Did they give him too much Austrian schnapps after he rode the bike, or introduce him to a compliant blonde Tyrolean milkmaid to skew his perspective?' But now that I've ridden it, I reckon you observed classic British understatement. This bike is the most two-wheeled fun I've had in years, and I defy anyone who calls themselves a serious biker not to say the same after they try it!"

If I thought the prototype I rode merited nine points out of 10, the production version earns a solid 9.5. KTM has made the best even better, mainly in terms of refinement, but also in performance. Here's why.

Thumb the Super Duke's electric starter and listen to the high-pitched but meaty-sounding 75-degree V-twin crank to life. Blip the throttle and watch the analog tachometer's needle whip around its face. KTM's LC8 engine revs so quickly it's difficult to believe it originally powered a sand-slinging off-road bike.

Thanks to superbly mapped Keihin fuel injection, the Super Duke pulls hard from as low as 2500 revs with zero driveline snatch. This mild-yet-wild character is a direct consequence of the twin-butterfly throttle now employed. The result is immediate pickup when you open the throttle. It accelerates ultra-strongly, too, delivering a fantastic yet linear drive toward the 10,200-rpm rev limiter. Maximum power is rated at 120 horsepower; torque peaks at 7500 rpm, with no dips or steps in delivery.

What this means on the road is that any time you want to really rip, just kick it down a gear using the light-action, clean-shifting gearbox--truly one of the few European transmissions built to Japanese standards--and be prepared for intense acceleration that keeps you hanging firmly onto the tapered, one-piece Renthal handlebar. The thing is fast!

Chassis geometry remains unchanged from the prototype's, with a 23.5-degree head angle for the beefy 48mm inverted WP fork matched to a relatively conservative 103mm of trail to deliver quick, nimble steering coupled with above-average stability. Although I saw 145 mph on the digital speedometer, this really isn't a bike for high-speed mile-eating; the intense windblast at higher speeds will make your shoulders and arms ache on extended rides. Still, cruising at 100 mph with the engine turning 6000 rpm is no problem; the tiny cockpit fairing diverts quite a bit of windblast.

The reason the Super Duke doesn't score a perfect 10 for me is the still-bothersome vibration coming through the rubber-clad footpegs under full load. You don't notice it so much under part- or trailing throttle; the vibes start at exactly 5800 rpm--though only through the pegs--then fade away 500 revs later before returning strongly at 7000 rpm. Then, at exactly 9200 rpm, they disappear as suddenly as if someone flicked a switch, leaving another 1000 revs before you hit the limiter. KTM tried to iron this out with lighter pistons on the jumbo 999cc engine and by rephasing the counterbalancer shaft, but the slight vibe problem remains.

But while KTM's V-twin now has the midrange grunt it lacked in 950cc prototype form, it's also retained an appetite for revs. The key to this is the LC8 engine's lack of reciprocating mass in the engine, which has at least two spinoff benefits in terms of handling. One is that you can use plenty of engine braking to slow hard for a turn. And two, the almost unreal manner in which the Super Duke flicks so effortlessly side to side along a winding road or steers so quickly into tighter bends. An added bonus is tons of cornering clearance due to the bike's slimness and the fact that everything's tucked in. No other bike of any kind with an engine this large--and especially not with this much power--handles so quickly or steers this easily, and the reduced engine inertia is surely a factor. The Super Duke feels extremely short and compact for a V-twin sportbike, as well as nicely balanced front to rear. Feet-up U-turns at little more than a walking pace are child's play.

In fact, the Super Duke feels nearly as lithe, slim and nimble as a single. Look at the Super Duke from directly behind: It's so narrow you'd swear it could only have one cylinder, being hardly any wider anywhere except at the handlebar than the 180/55 Pirelli Diablo rear tire. And the relaxed yet commanding riding position offered by the surprisingly comfy seat and plushly damped WP suspension will make you think you're riding an enduro single rather than a V-twin sport-rod.

Actually, the riding position is a key factor in making the KTM so much fun to ride. The way in which designer Gerald Kiska's sharp styling has your knees tucked tightly to the fuel tank's flanks helps make the bike extremely maneuverable. And the fork didn't compress unduly under heavy braking from the big 320mm front Brembos, whose conventionally mounted four-pad calipers deliver excellent stopping power. Softish fork springs and a linkage-free cantilever rear shock offer surprisingly good ride quality for such a hard-nosed machine.

Producing 120 bhp and weighing just 395 pounds dry in production form, the Super Duke is now the lightest 1000cc twin-cylinder streetbike of any kind from any manufacturer. Even the Ducati 999 or Aprilia RSV-R weigh more. But project leader Philipp Habsburg is even prouder that, complete with oil, water and 33 pounds of fuel, the Super Duke weighs just 428 pounds, which compares very favorably with Ducati's Monster S4R and Aprilia's Tuono.

The only downside is the Super Duke's restricted fuel capacity, coupled with the lack of a fuel gauge and an erratic warning light, which surprised many journalists at the launch. The Super Duke is extremely thirsty, with many riders reporting less than 23.5 mpg.Still, the Super Duke's awesome on-road performance makes it the surprise hit of the season--so far. The only problem is that KTM isn't quite ready to bring the Duke Stateside until '06. Which, like the Yamaha MT-01's no-show U.S. status, is a major bummer for American enthusiasts.