SLIGHTLY UNUSUALLY FOR A TRACK-ONLY launch of power-mad hyper-naked, KTM opted to run standard Michelin Power GP rubber (without tyre warmers) and not slick tyres, which would be the norm.
This meant I took the first few laps a little gingerly, which gave the 1390 R the chance to demonstrate that, despite the immense hype surrounding its performance (190 hp at 10,000 rpm), it can be ridden sensibly. The throttle connection and power delivery have been much improved.
In the standard Street mode, you could almost describe the KTM as mild. I also rode as gently as possible in an attempt to feel or hear the new shift-cam system working, but it is not obvious as in an old Honda. It is a smooth system for KTM first time out.
Of course, the big Duke has always been the king of the torque figures, churning out more grunt than the larger capacity V4 Ducati Streetfighter and even Kawasaki's Supercharged Z H2. Now KTM have given their flagship hyper-naked even more of the stuff (145 Nm at 8,000 rpm) and, as the tyres came up to temperature, I began to use the bike's ace card: its mind-twisting, tyre-torturing stomp.
Almeria is a track I know well but I do not think I have ever ridden it at a quickish pace with so few gear-changes. For a fast lap, the 1390 only needs third and fourth gears (plus a couple more for the long back straight). In fact, it could easily do a decent lap-time using fourth gear only. Second-gear corners became third-gear corners and still the bike drove like crazy from the exit, still punishing its long-suffering Michelins.
Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Bike India.
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Denne historien er fra May 2024-utgaven av Bike India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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BMW F 450 GS Concept
EICMA 2024 IS GENERALLY NIRVANA FOR MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS as they're treated to plenty of new machines from a number of manufacturers. BMW Motorrad are one of them.
Toprak is the 2024 World Champion
Toprak Razgatlioglu took home his second World Superbike Championship (WSBK) title after a good battle with the Italian rookie, Nicolo Bulega of Ducati.
A Toprak Sandwich
The battle for the title heated up as Toprak Razgatlioglu won Race One and Race Two while Nicolo Bulega won the Superpole Race in Estoril, the penultimate round of the 2024 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) season.
Navaneeth Wins Double
Navaneeth Kumar S, Rohan R, and Yogesh P were the winners in the second round of the J K Tyre Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup INDIAN RACING
Ross Branch and Team Hero MotoSports are the new FIM World Rally-raid Champions
TEAM HERO MOTOSPORTS was founded in 2016 and Ross Branch joined in 2022. Since then, he has been a Hero MotoSports rider and their years of toil have borne a particularly sweet fruit: Ross Branch and Hero MotoSports are now the FIM World Rally-raid Champions.
The Rise of a New 'Rad'
Reise Moto invited us to the COASTT High Performance Centre in Coimbatore to experience their all-new radial road tyres, the traceRads.
Feels Like Graduation
The third and final round of the TVS Young Media Racer Programme (YMRP) saw us take P2 in the race and P3 in the overall championship. Here is how it went off
In the Shadow of the Colossus
TVS have given the base Jupiter a complete overhaul, including a new engine. We had checked it out on a closed course back in August. This time we let it loose on the urban jungle and observed if it could survive there
Pay Win
THE ATHER RIZTA WAS LAUNCHED TO much fanfare in April this year and then we got to sample it for a short burst in May.
Agile and Aggressive
The Kawasaki KLX 230 is a superbly built dual-sport that has the ability to take on some big hitters in our market. We hopped on it for a while and kicked up some dirt at the Prodirt Adventure Park.