KTM 990 Super Duke: Unless you're an avid follower of track and enduro racing, the name KTM might well mean little or nothing. Well, Kronreif, Trunkenpolz & Mattoghofen began life as locksmiths who fixed bikes as a sideline in Mattighofen, Austria.
In 1937 KTM began to sell bikes and by 1953 it was producing them, using bought-in engines.
One of its 125cc machines won the Austrian championships on its first outing. Since then its forte had been unashamedly off-road machines using its own engines.
In recent time KTM's successes on the track, winning three Motocross World Championships, the world Rally Cup and the Dakar Rally, have been impressive by any standards.
Now it has begun to produce road-going machines, the 990 V-twin Super Duke being the first example. This bike cashes in on the increasing popularity of naked bikes. Its enduro ancestry may not be apparent when you look at it, but it certainly is once you are aboard.
Immediately noticeable are the meaty exhaust note, the great torque of its beautifully smooth engine, fast steering and really powerful brakes.
This machine weighs just 184 kg but feels to be a lot less. Within just a few yards, it tells you that it's just raring to go in a way that is hard to resist.
Just before we set off we noted the exhaust system's silencers are only partly shielded, leaving two very hot exposed sections just where a pillion passenger could inadvertently touch one of them. We've seen what one of these hot silencers did to a mechanic's arm - not a pretty sight.
Speaking of "could do better", the throttle twistgrip has to be mentioned. It's the high-geared variety, more commonly seen on enduro machines and rarely on a road machine. The slightest hand movement brings an instant response with torque by the bucketful, enough to upset an unprepared rider. The twistgrip is not combined with the brake reservoir, so it could easily be changed for something more suitable to road use. It's a modification we would insist on.
Despite these drawbacks, the Super Duke delivers a most enjoyable riding experience. The rider's seating position is comfortable with everything where it should be. Steering response is light and rapid.
The Brembo 4-piston fixed-calliper brakes are the most powerful we've experienced on any machine. We found the clutch a little on the heavy side - all the effect, from full in to full out, occurs right at the forward limit of the lever's travel. The gear lever is a touch on the short side, better suited to size 8 boots rather than our size 10.
There is no screen but the front, swept-back nacelle / headlight cowling looks as if it was intended to be topped by a small screen. The effect of the swept back angle is precisely right to deflect some slipstream to the underside of one's helmet chinpiece. This gives a lifting effect - but only at speeds frowned upon by the powers that be.
With 1,000cc to hand, it's never easy to be a thorough law-abider - and it's even harder with the 990 Super Duke. It's so powerful and responsive that what you feel is an "appropriate" speed is way beyond legal limits. The 6th gear, for instance, gives an ideal, long-legged, touring gait and is virtually unusable below 125 km/h and doesn't feel happy until around 130 km/h.
The Super Duke's suspension coped extremely well even on the poor surfaces over Sally Gap in the heart of the Wicklow mountains. At all times it stuck to the chosen line, regardless of bumps.
Mirrors give a reasonably good view. There is a centre stand.
The fuel tank holds 15 litres, the warning light came on after just 9.7 litres had been used. Then the light wouldn't go off - actually there's a reset button to turn it off.
The KTM 990 Super Duke gave us as exhilarating, enjoyable and safe ride on all manner of surfaces as we could wish for. Those seeking substantial, confidence inspiring performance coupled with race-level build quality should take a test ride, they'd be impressed.
Priced at €12,600 this is a serious contender in the naked bike stakes for those who want real, cutting edge performance.
Next week we test the Adventure, a globetrotter by KTM