Burst Mode

WHEN TESTING A BIKE ON TRACK I USUALLY NEED A SESSION OR two to get both machine and rider dialled in before really feeling the benefit of any updates. But not at Portimao astride the updated 1290 Super Duke R.

KTM’s lead rider had pulled in after a couple of warm-up laps, leaving clear tarmac ahead. And by the time I’d dispatched the main straight with the wind tugging at my neck, clamped on the ultra-potent Brembo Stylema calipers and then carved through the Portuguese circuit’s opening series of right-hand turns, it was clear that this Super Duke was far more at home here than its predecessor would have been.

The bike’s stability under hard braking was impressive, as was the precision with which it flicked into each turn in response to light pressure on the handlebar. And under acceleration the difference was even more obvious. As the KTM charged