#ktm

From the inauguration of KTM’s new RC16 MotoGP project the brand made clear it would eventually sell a track-only, customer-spec model somewhere in the six-figure range.

But soft! What shiny LED headlight through yonder video doth break? It is the Beast – the new 2017 KTM Super Duke R – and Juliet Brasfield is at EICMA to tell us all about the new stuff that makes our 2014 Motorcycle of the Year even more fair than he, including more power, updated suspension, and the welcome upgrade of color TFT instrumentation. 

While KTM’s updated 1290 Super Duke R and 790 Duke may be the talk of the Austrian town at EICMA 2016, the newly revised 2017 390 Duke also debuted in Milan and is shaping up to be the undisputed class king in the sub-400cc category. Right off the bat, the first notable change between new and old is the updated styling, with sharper, more angular lines providing a meaner, aggressive stance. Like the rest of the Duke line, the 390 also gets the split LED headlight with LED daytime running lights, while at the back the little Duke receives a new, bolt-on subframe colored in contrast to the main steel trellis frame for a striking appearance.

Here at Motorcycle.com we’ve made no secret about the KTM 1290 Super Duke R being one of our favorite motorcycles, even going so far as to name it our 2014 Motorcycle of the Year. Since then, however, KTM’s competition has been upping their games in order to make their bikes compete with the almighty Super Duke. So, naturally, KTM had to respond, and it’s done so with this heavily revamped 2017 1290 Super Duke R, unveiled today at EICMA 2016.

KTM’s focus at EICMA 2016 is clearly aimed at its naked bikes, with the 1290 Super Duke R and 390 Duke getting big changes for the new year. But perhaps KTM’s most intriguing introduction in Milan was for this, the 790 Duke concept. KTM was sparse on details about the bike, including engine size, but we first brought you spy shots of the Duke back in February, and now we can clearly see the parallel-Twin that’s been rumored about since early 2014. Considering the name, our guess is a displacement around 800cc.

Husqvarna’s new Vitpilen 401 is focused on “providing a pure riding experience.” Using a 373cc Single borrowed from KTM’s 390 Duke housed in a stripped-down layout with clip-on bars, Husky says it will appeal to “an entirely new generation of riders looking for an honest and highly accessible machine.”

It’s that time of year again: New Bike Season. We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come in 2017 thanks to the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, and AIMExpo in Orlando last month, but when we really want to drool over what awaits us in 2017, EICMA is the show to pay attention to. No less than 30 companies will be making big announcements over the course of the three days that span Nov. 7-9, and our man Evans Brasfield will be on the ground in Milan covering the action as it happens. He’ll even be shooting some video footage we’ll post right here on these pages.

KTM has launched a microsite teasing a redesigned Duke for EICMA. The site, KTMDukes.com, created in September, shows a 34-second video and the phrase “How Duke are you?” with the promise of more information on Nov. 8, the first press day of EICMA.

If GoPro Man’s video doesn’t make you want to immediately leave on an epic adventure, you’re dead inside. Riding an average of 144 miles per day, GoPro Man rode 3,318 miles in 23 days across the Himalayas. Had he contacted KTM beforehand, the trip may have been pro bono. What a great advertisement for KTM! You have to wonder, though, if GoPro Man edited out any content of him with an exhaust pipe full of water from some of those river crossings?

At Intermot 2016, KTM today unveiled the 2017 1290 Super Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure T. As one would expect from an R model, the 1290 Super Adventure version is designed to be the ultimate KTM travel-enduro machine. For its part, with just a few minor tweaks, the 1290 Super Adventure T has long distance on-road touring set as its focus. But since it’s a KTM, a little venture off the beaten path is also possible.

At Intermot 2016, KTM today unveiled the 2017 1090 Adventure R. With its smaller engine, some might call it the weaker little sibling to its 1290 brethren, but KTM instead refers to the 1090 as “the purest offroad travel-enduro.”

Soon we’ll be assembling the combatants for our third naked bike shootout this year. Why another one? Because Yamaha’s new FZ-10 is forcing our hand. Our First Ride Review of the FZ-10 was published at the end of July, a mere week before our Naked Sports Six-Way Shootout hit the digital newsstand in early August. Prior to that, our 2016 Ultimate Streetfighter Shootout between the two reigning kings of the naked bike world – Aprilia and KTM – was published all the way back in April. Leaving the FZ-10 as ridden but not juxtaposed.

For many, Autumn is the beginning of the end of another riding season. But for any motorcycle enthusiast, Autumn is also the time of the year when we see the fruits of R&D departments being unveiled, enticing us with fresh motorbikes that we’ll be anxious to ride in the year ahead.

The fall motorcycle show season kicks off next week in Cologne, Germany, at the semi-annual Intermot exposition. Although manufacturers try to keep secret the news of upcoming bikes that are nearing production, we already know of several that are due to be revealed this autumn. Here’s a list of some of what we’re expecting to see this year:

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) and promoter Dorna announced a new entry-level racing class that will join the World Superbike Championship in 2017. The new Supersport 300 World Championship will open a new avenue for developing young racers while also giving manufacturers a venue to showcase their small-displacement sportbikes.