For 2020 KTM’s “Beast” offers more monster power but is actually less beastly in the handling department thanks to an all-new frame, wheels, tires and suspension upgrades.
Narrowly focused hyper-sportbikes just aren’t my thing anymore. Used to love ’em, but now the ol’ bod protests against low clip-on handlebars, high rearset footpegs and peaky powerbands that demand the motorcycle be ridden like you stole it, or it will buck and complain as if you’re lugging an old truck. Some V-twin sportbikes in particular don’t smooth out until you’re well north of legal speed in anything above second gear. That sort of unbroken-thoroughbred behavior is fine for track days, I suppose, but if it’s your only bike, most of us want something more versatile.
While the performance potential of such sportbikes is attractive, to get my full attention comfortable seating is mandatory, with a wide, tallish one-piece handlebar that adjusts, and further adjustability in reasonably located footpegs, levers and pedal is desirable as well. At its heart a V-twin would have to be a model of civility at lower engine speeds, whether by nature or electronic riding mode, so that it can be ridden around town or on a commute without feeling the need to wear racing leathers. And in addition to the expected screaming top-end, it would require a ton of midrange power to make it easy to ride briskly without a lot of shifting, with all of the braking and electronic rider aids aboard to rein the beast in from full throttle and protect me from myself.
Did someone say “beast”? Reread my description above—there is a V-twin sportbike that fits it, one not so ironically nicknamed The Beast by its creators at KTM. Since its introduction for 2014, the 1290 Super Duke R has mixed comfort with track-level handling, and strong, usable lowspeed and midrange power with explosive top end. For 2020 the 1290 SDR has become ever more the all-purpose sportbike—although so much has been changed that it’s essentially an all-new machine, Super Duke R fans will appreciate that the basic versatile formula is retained and improved.
Along with new top-feeder fuel injectors and 56mm throttle bodies, the 1290 SDR’s liquid-cooled, 1,301cc LC8 75-degree V-twin gets a new ram-air intake and larger exhaust headers, all of which contribute to its claimed 180 horsepower (up 3) at 9,500 rpm (redline is 10,100) at the crankshaft and 103 lb-ft of torque at 8,000. Engine cases are thinner to save weight, and new cast-in engine mounts allowed the pivot for the longer swingarm to be raised 5mm for improved stability. The bike has always shifted well, yet the Pankl gearbox has also been refined for quicker shifts and shorter action—shifting is racebike quality now, and the throw can be fine-tuned to two positions.
A new ram air intake, throttle bodies, fuel injectors and larger exhaust headers give the 1,301cc LC8 V-twin slightly more power and smoother performance.
The engine refinements are immediately noticeable from the moment you fire up the 1290. Power delivery is smoother throughout the powerband yet no less hell-for-strong, with an urge that builds without any bucking from low-speed to afterburners, and a ripping- velvet feel and throaty exhaust note. The most obvious improvement is to the bike’s handling and stability, which comes chiefly from the stiffer, lighter new chrome-moly steel frame and composite subframe in place of the former trellis. New lighter CAD-designed wheels mounted with specially designed Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22 tires increase stability and grip in corners, too, and together with a .5-gallon smaller fuel tank the bike has shaved about 15 pounds wet overall.
In the electronics department, as you might imagine on a bike that makes this much power, there is a setting for just about anything you can imagine, and a bushel-basket full of rider interventions that redline our acronym meter. MSC (Motorcycle Stability Control) with cornering and Supermoto mode ABS; Rain, Street and Sport ride modes and multi-stage, lean-angle sensitive Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) are standard. The MTC uses a 6-axis lean angle sensor and two different controllers to keep things in check. A wheel-slip controller regulates the amount of spin at the rear wheel, and a pitch angle controller identifies and regulates abrupt changes in front wheel lift. For track days or racing, an optional Track Pack adds Track and Performance modes with launch control, a 9-level spin adjuster, a track ride mode and anti-wheelie off function. Performance mode has the basic settings of Track mode, but is for the street and allows Cruise Control and KTM My Ride (a Bluetooth connection with the rider’s smartphone) to function. A dealer-installed $750 Tech Pack includes the Track Pack, Motor Slip Regulation (MSR) and KTM’s excellent up/down Quickshifter+. I especially like the new rotatable 5-inch TFT display, updated display menu and paddle switches, and keyless ignition, steering lock and gas cap.
Throwing a leg over the 1290 SDR, it can’t be emphasized enough how friendly it is ergonomically compared to most sportbikes in this class, with the exception for shorter riders of the high seat. With my 29-inch inseam I can easily plant one foot on the ground at stops, but only the balls of both feet. Still, the bike is so light that it’s easily pushed and paddled around, and once underway offers a relaxed but sporty riding position that is comfortable enough for longer rides but allows the rider to attack corners aggressively.
Updated and lighter fully adjustable front and rear WP Apex suspension can be quickly changed from commuter comfortable and controlled to track-day ready thanks to damping thumbscrews atop the fork legs and a remote rear preload adjuster. Brakes with new Brembo Stylema radial-mount calipers and a radialpump lever up front inspire bags of confidence that you can rein in all of the bike’s power. Between the suspension and new frame the bike feels much more controlled and stable when it’s really pushed, particularly on a bumpy road.
Newly developed WP Apex rear shock absorber features separate gas and oil reservoirs, making it lighter and more compact than its predecessor.
As a rider who typically only sees racetracks on TV, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R makes way more power than I would ever need—were I to invest in one of its naked sport bikes, it would probably be a 790 or 890 Duke. But it’s hard to ignore the 1290’s combination of comfort, convenience and breathtaking performance, all of which there is more of for 2020.
Any motorcycle with this exceptional level of sportbike performance simply has no right to be this comfortable. And the handlebar, levers, footpegs and shift lever all offer some adjustability.
Four days after fracturing his right arm in a nasty highside crash at the first MotoGP of the season, and two days after surgery – Honda Racing Corporation factory rider Marc Marquez has been declared fit to ride again this weekend, at Round 2 at Jerez. Crazy!
For a number of years, any improvement in sector time achieved under a double Yellow Flag has led to the cancellation of a rider’s laptime as a matter of course. From now on, that will now be extended to include single Yellow Flags. A rider can no longer improve their laptime under a Yellow Flag of any kind, and as soon as a rider enters a sector with a Yellow Flag, their laptime will be cancelled. This applies to all Free Practice and Qualifying sessions.
Before track action begins at the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia, seven riders took a seat in the pre-event Press Conference. Joining MotoGP™ race winner Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Moto3™ Championship leader Albert Arenas (Solunion Aspar Team Moto3) as they digested the previous weekend of racing, as well as looking ahead to the second Jerez helping.
The charismatic Aussie certainly thought so as the MotoGP™ cameras caught his fascinating post-race reaction with his team and Ducati figureheads, admitting he “had incredible arm pump from maybe 12 laps to the end and, in the right-hand corners.” Miller was asked about the issue he faced in the pre-event Press Conference, but is it something he’s worried about this weekend?
Alongside the Spaniard, compatriot Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow have also been declared fit to ride in Jerez this weekend. Crutchlow also had surgery on Tuesday to fix a small scaphoid fracture, with all three riders looking to add gain their first points of 2020 at Round 2 of the MotoGP™ World Championship.
Four riders are currently three points adrift of Nagashima, with Marcel Schrotter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Marcos Ramirez (Tenner American Racing), Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) all tied on seven points after the quartet set the fastest speed through the speed traps during either the Losail or Jerez races.
In order for you to properly prepare for the upcoming Grand Prix, motogp.com has the Official Programme for you to by CLICKING HERE. In it you will find numerous key information on the schedules, the circuit itself, the riders, as well as plenty of statistics on your favourite riders and teams – and so much more!
Following injury to defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, five-time motorcycle World Champion Mick Doohan spoke with Fox Sports reporter Chris Stubbs, ahead of the Grand Prix of Andalucia at Jerez, this Sunday to talk about all things MotoGP.
We have taken some of the most pertinent bits from that conversation and reproduced them for you here. If it doesn’t flow particularly well it is because we have just pulled the more juicy bits out, and not that Mick was all over the place. The headline image is from Honda’s 60 years of racing celebration 12 months ago.
Mick on the season opener
“It was an interesting race, very unpredictable in a way, from what the qualifying and practice sessions displayed. Marc was always going to be a contender, the Yamahas were consistent, Marc had the outright speed but for one reason or another ran off and almost crashed early in the race, before then clawing his way back up to third and then that turn three, which is an easy corner to crash on to be honest, from reasonably slow to accelerating hard and he unfortunately hurt himself. But all in all it was good to see the bikes back on track and give everyone enough motorsport for the weekend.“
“Marc rarely crashes in a race but quite often crashes in practice sessions, I think maybe even once or twice on the weekend. As soon as I saw the bike hit him, to me that looked where the damage was caused, you could see the arm was fairly loose, as if it had either dislocated or broken, but you knew there was some injury. You could see straight away that he was a bit hesitant to move it too much, so I was just hoping he wasn’t too hurt because of all these races being back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and we are going to lose the championship contender, or one of the contenders, but really bar injury looking at the sheets you would have to say he was on course for another title.
“That said Quartararo was always going to be tough for him to beat, had he beaten him on the day who knows, but back to Marc it is a shame to see him actually injure himself, I believe it is just the humerus on his right arm and I am not sure as to what other damage he sustained in the crash.
“There is no doubting how quick he is, I think he has all his competitors scratching their heads as to where he finds his speed, he went back down to 17th or 18th, and I am sure he is thinking from where ever he is now in hindsight that he should have probably settled for that third or whatever it was before had the crash, but you know that’s not in his nature, it’s not in his DNA to take second best. He felt as though he could win, and failing that crash, I believe he doesn’t run much traction control, but you can see when the bike lit up he was actually on the painted kerb, so whether or not that sort of helped the bike spin and flick him off the way it did, but all in all it was one of the better rides and that is what makes MotoGP so exciting.
“You know in car racing it is difficult to come from the back of the field, especially in dry conditions, but to come all the way through he certainly showed there how good the racing in MotoGP is. We have seen it in the past with Valentino Rossi coming from the back of the grid and all the way through to the podium, MotoGP is such a good spectacle like that. But at the end of the day it is unfortunate that we might not see Marc do it again for a little while.
“It wouldn’t be Marc to just sit there, he had come through the pack so quickly and was all over the back of Vinales when he crashed, Vinales did seem to pick the pace up a little bit, but you know, should he have been in that much of a rush, there was still enough laps really to perhaps try and get Fabio but as an ex-racer, that mind-set.. You know I am sure he is sitting back where ever he is now and thinking about the way things should have unfolded but in the real life situation outside of racing we all have those type of bright spark moments where we think we should have done this or done that, but you know he is a racer, and he wins because he is so…. Well number one he is just so talented, but number two he does push it to the limit every single time and evey single lap he is out there, and that’s what we all love watching him for and that is what he is respected for, so if he was to start to roll off and think about his approach to racing differently he would be a different rider.. I suspect he will come back and he won’t be any different.
“Hopefully the arm will be strong enough in a few weeks, I don’t think he will have the full strength required to man-handle the MotoGP bike, they are not that heavy in comparison to a street-bike but you’ve still got 300+ horsepower and 150kg of bike that doesn’t want to turn, stopping from incredible speeds, and just the physicality of moving yourself all around the bike. Basically all the stopping power is on the front brake so he needs his right hand for that and the gas and also to steer it so there is a fair bit happening with that right arm, more so than the left, so it is not going to be an easy recovery for him because there is no time to recover, there is not a weekend off or two weekends off, they are just back-to-back-to-back so I think MotoGP is going to be a little bit different without him being in there and in the mix for a little while, but that said I think the Yamaha, especially at that circuit, they look to be strong, and maybe they will continue on and we can see some great racing, and watch for Marc to be coming back through the pack as he gets stronger.
“If the soft tissue element side of it gets strong enough quick enough then he will be back doing the same thing and not thinking about finishing second if he thinks he can finish first, and that’s what makes him a multi-time World Champion.”
Marc Marquez with the Honda brass and the 8 Ball after wrapping up the 2019 MotoGP World Championship in Thailand last year
Doohan also crashed in that part of the track at Jerez
“I think in 1995 I was leading the race there and I crashed in that exact same spot, and crashed out of the race, but it was madness to crash but that is again, back to the racers DNA to just keep pushing, I was about six-seconds ahead in that same spot, same sort of crash but the bike didn’t hit me.
“Then in 1999 I was out of that turn and on the white line on the exit before going into the next one where I just touched that and it was damp.
“For sure I know the circuit, I know the corner, and I have crashed there twice and once with career ending injuries, but I don’t really go back to the space and that go well that feels like me, I was more hoping that it was just a walk away incident injury-free for him, although it is quick, there is probably second to third gear so say somewhere between 140 to 180 km/h when he has launched off the bike, so still reasonably quick, but almost slow enough to, quite often on these bikes you get hurt on the slow-speed high-sides because you are not like a skimming rock, so the thing has just flipped him up and he slammed down and landed in front of the bike and that is what happened to break his arm.
“The faster ones, even mine in 1999 where I was a bit quicker due to being further out of the turn, a bit over 200 km/h, and I hit the gravel trap feet-first and then flipped into the wall, the sudden stop really did all the damage to me.But generally the faster, not always, but quite often, if you skim like a rock on a fast high-speed turn you are pretty good.”
The opening round of the season has taken a heavy toll
Coming back from injuries as fast as possible…
“I knew I could hurt myself, okay I hurt myself, what is the quickest way back, that is the mind-set of any sportsman or sportswoman. How do I get back as quickly as I can, let’s take option A.
“I am pretty sure at the end of if 1989 in a test, at Suzuki in Japan, it was a very cold day, back in those earlier days the tyre warming, especially in tests, wasn’t that important. The track temperature was that cold that it spun up in a straight line at about 160 km/h and flicked me over the top, and when I landed broke my left humerus, and I did exactly as what we saw Marc did, sat there and went to move up and could feel the bones grind, sounds worse than it is, but you start thinking well that is not a feeling I really enjoy…. Then basically the mind goes straight to how do I get back testing….I think Wayne Gardner was my team-mate at that period, and I think we were testing the following month somewhere in the world, I can’t remember where, but I got it bolted together and then at the end of that season I had the hardware removed to give you a chance to break it again if you need to, instead of shattering it with all the metal in there.”
Is the Honda that hard to ride?
“Dani Pedrosa was his team-mate and win a couple of races a year and push him, but I don’t think it is an easy bike to ride, for sure, the Honda has always got an inherent trait of not wanting to turn, it will lean over, but it still won’t want to turn. Always got good power, but you have to physically man-handle it compared to some of the other bikes… especially if you are used to riding one of those other bikes, which are probably a little more stable going into turns and through the middle of the turn and able to change direction, instead of a one-line type bike… the Honda is pretty much get the thing in there and that is where you are going to stay, and then you want to fire it out.
“Are there other people who can ride it, absolutely there is, are the right people on the bike at the moment, well I am not close enough to it to really say that but, you know Honda technologically are a superior company than some of the others, Yamaha are probably their biggest competitor in that aspect, but if they needed to change the bike or the handling of the bike just a little bit to suit another rider, I think they would.
“You know the bikes have always been notoriously difficult to ride, right back from when Wayne Gardner was riding them and when he won his championship, to Freddie Spencer, all the way through…you know if you look back through the history of the sport really there are only a couple of guys at the front who were doing different things than the other guys on the bikes which were similar behind them so…
“Marc has just been that far head and shoulders above the field, let alone the other guys on the Honda….you know I think if Honda get behind the next guy, if there is a next guy coming through, then… His brother hasn’t really had any time to test or anything really, but he seems a little gun-shy of it at the moment, but you know maybe Pol Espargaro might go well…Cal Crutchlow has shown signs of brilliance occasionally but for me he is just a little bit inconsistent, but it does show that the bike is capable, especially in qualifying, it’s just the likes of Marc can do it lap after lap after lap.. so yeah the bike isn’t easy to ride, but nor are any of them.”
Jerez MotoGP
Can Marc win the championship?
“He can, if he is strong enough, depends of course on how many races he will miss, but you know he has won previous championships by four maybe five race margins, I would have to go back and have a look exactly but he has certainly won with a very clear margin over his next competitor.
“Number one if he does go out there and put the pressure on and starts winning, winning, winning then that puts the pressure back on to the guy he is chasing, then that rider could make a mistake then that closes the gap even quicker.
“You know the good thing about watching Marc and MotoGP is, but mainly Marc, is you just never know what is going to happen, you never say it is impossible with Marc, because, honestly, the guy has a different mind-set, and that goes back to what we were talking about with the bike, he is prepared to do what others aren’t…you know it wouldn’t matter what bike he was on, he would make it look for everyone else on that bike as though the bike is difficult to ride, if he was on a Yamaha it would be the same.
“He has 100 per cent got a chance…. He has already missed one, let’s say, as he scored no points, even if he missed these next two and then came back, or even if he only misses this weekend, he will still score points as soon as he comes back, even with one arm, because he is that good, as long as he doesn’t fatigue he will score some points, and that will just motivate him to just keep getting stronger..”
Marc Marquez post surgery this week
What about Jack Miller?
“Jack is now on a factory bike, and next year on the full factory squad, and you know he is maturing and he certainly has got the pace…. touch wood, again, he doesn’t make that many silly mistakes, like he has in the past, and when I say silly I really mean just pushing and learning basically…he is certainly capable of winning the championship and fourth on the weekend was a great start to the season….with the season being so compact this year, back-to-back-to-back and realistically at this stage we don’t know exactly how many races there is going to be, scoring points is what you need and if he can go one better and maintain podiums for the duration, then he is in the hunt.
“I certainly think there are going to be some wet races, this year in Europe there seems to be a fair amount of rain about, and Jack is great in the wet, he is good in qualifying and quite often on the front row so he is in the box seat to make it happen.
“It would be great this year, but certainly within the next couple of years he is World Championship material without a doubt, I think he is understanding what it takes every day he is out there, more and more, to obtain that championship.”
Jack Miller
So who is the favourite in Mick Doohan’s mind?
“Quartararo was always going to be strong, he has been strong in qualifying, well last year he was the dominant qualifier really, and Marc sort of played with him a couple of times in the races and made him feel like he was going to win some races, and perhaps that might have been the same on the weekend if Marc hadn’t crashed, but Quartararo is championship material, he is certainly consistent, he is fast, I think if he gets another win under his belt you will see his confidence grow and he will just get faster and faster, I think he is certainly a championship contender.
“Vinales has been up and down over the years.. He has always won the off-season testing championship, he’s always been quick then… He got a quick start in Jerez and if he can keep that going then he is going to be a challenger.Both Fabio and Vinales are on the same bikes, same level of equipment, so it could be a Yamaha year…
“And the rest of it, I am not sure that the Suzuki is really in the play as yet and let’s not discard Dovizioso. Okay he hurt himself with that dirt-bike accident and did a collar-bone, but he was also up there and got on the podium in the end at the season opener. He is certainly capable of winning, he is mature enough, if Ducati can keep the motivation and keep the bike on track….I think you know as far as the Ducati squad it will be good for him and Miller to be pushing each other for that honour of best Ducati, and that might push them towards a championship, either one of those guys.”
Fabio Quartararo – The win was also his eighth podium so far in MotoGP, not a bad hit rate for a new rider only 20 races into this premier class career
Is Rossi out of contention?
“Look you can never say never with Valentino, he is 41-years-old and put it on the second row in qualifying, he is sort of in and around there the whole time.
“How do you say this, with respect to the guy, I think if there is an opportunity, and I think the opportunities need to present themselves, if there is an opportunity he is going to be there and able to win a race.
“He was on the podium a couple of times last year from memory, so he is certainly no slouch, he is double the age of some of these guys on the grid. Is a championship in his grasp at the moment, it’s not something that comes to mind that he is going to be a championship favourite but you can never discard him and we are only one round in so let’s see, he certainly been doing plenty of racing in the off-season at his dirt facility, with all the other Italians and whoever else wants to come, so the motivation is 100 per cent there, he is committed, he is passionate and he is performing well, so I wouldn’t discard him but you know the younger generation just probably have more hunger than what he has right at the moment. but for him and the sport it is great to see him in and amongst it all.”
Valentino Rossi
Thanks to Fox Sports for the audio. The Fox Sports MotoGP commentary team is back in studio on Sunday night for the Grand Prix of Andalucia, at the Jerez circuit, with stand-in Host Tara Rushton, alongside experts Chris Vermeulen and Kevin Magee.
Foxtel subscribers can stream FoxSports MotoGP coverage – anywhere, anytime using Foxtel GO and Foxtel Now.
Fox Sports is available on Foxtel, Foxtel GO, Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports
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