2012 KTM 990 Super Duke R

Have you ever pictured what the perfect bike is like? You know, the kind of uncompromising riding machine that, in its purest form, just speaks to how perfect engineering could give birth to something so beautiful?

Open your eyes and you’re looking at the ultra-sporty KTM 990 Super Duke R.

With its muscle-flexing V2 and perfectly controllable power, the 990 Super Duke R has been regarded as the ultimate scourge of the superbike. The bike’s performance capabilities means serious business. After all, when you have a 999cc water-cooled V-engine that packs a powerful punch to the tune of 123 horsepower, you’re controlling a bike that can just wallop anything it sets its eyes on. The 990 Super Duke R’s engine also comes with state-of-the-art four-valve cylinder heads, each with flow-optimized ducts, two overhead camshafts,

and an electronic Keihin engine management system that regulates the modern fuel injection system on the 990 Super Duke R, focusing on maximum power, efficient, and spontaneous responsiveness.

As far as handling characteristics are concerned, the 990 Super Duke R’s orange, powder-coated tubular space frame that’s made from chrome-molybdenum steel with a bolted-on, light alloy subframe is as strong and sturdy as any in the market. On top of that, it provides a steeper steering head angle in the "R" setup than the Super Duke and therefore slightly less trail for even greater maneuverability. The sports bike also has an upside-down telescopic fork with TiAlN-coated sliding surfaces and a directly connected shock absorber from WP Suspension with a TiAlN-coated piston rod that allows optimum individual adjustment of the chassis to suit load, riding style, and track.

From front to rear and top to bottom, the 990 Super Duke R possesses the kind of all-world capabilities that makes it a true sports bike in every sense of the word.

The Super Duke R’s water-cooled V-engine packs a powerful punch with 92 kW (123 hp) and sets the benchmark for free-revving twins. Its intelligent design principle with multi-function balancer shaft makes it the lightest and most compact V2 in its class. The tried and tested power unit impresses with explosiveness and spontaneous throttle response.

Aside from optimum combustion chamber design, the major factors behind the outstanding performance of the 990 Super Duke R’s V-twin with 75° cylinder angle are the state-of-the-art four-valve cylinder heads, each with flow-optimised ducts and two overhead camshafts.