2024 KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo Review: Too Much for the Road?

The raucous KTM Super Duke has undergone quite the transformation in 2024, with a new engine, improved electronics, and variable valve timing for improved delivery.

To find out how the new king of the hooligan bikes goes, we booked one out for a two-week loan and covered several hundred miles of on-road riding only (no trackdays!) and hunted out twisty B-roads, dual carriageways and motorways.

What’s new with the 2024 Super Duke R Evo

The primary differentiator between the Evo and the 1390 Super Duke R is the inclusion of WP semi-active, electronically adjustable suspension at both ends of the bike. The stock machine’s WP kit is still fully adjustable (and about as high-spec as you can get this side of Ohlins equipment) although the higher-spec electronic setup on the Evo is claimed to bring even better handling and increased refinement.

From there inwards, the Evo gains all the updates that the stocker gets, including the new 1,350cc LC8 engine, variable valve timing, 190bhp and 107lb ft of torque and of course the much-talked-about new styling.

How much is it and how does it compare to the competition?

The Evo model of the Super Duke commands a price tag of £19,599 in the UK, making it £1,600 more than the £17,999 stock 1390 Super Duke R. Comparing that to the competition from other marques, the new Evo is nearly £4,000 less than the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S, although nearly £3,000 more than the £16,616 Yamaha MT-10 SP.

Another element to take into account is the electronics on the Super Duke that you’ll have for a demo period of around 1,000 miles before they are whipped away from you meaning you have to cough up to keep them. Two that should be on your shopping list are Track Pack and Suspension Pro add-ons. The combo of these two will allow you to engage launch control and bleed some pre-load out of the rear shock, dropping the rear ride height just like the Austrian firm’s RC16 MotoGP machines. That will be slapping £1086.36 for the Track Pack and around £300 for the Suspension Pro onto the price of the bike.

What’s it like to ride?

One of the nice things about the Super Duke range of bikes is that it isn’t and never has been a watered-down sports bike that’s had its fairings ripped off and some flat handlebars bolted to the top clamp, as per some super nakeds. That means those bonkers people from KTM can create a bike with a very distinctive character, one that no other bikes in the super naked category can match. It has always been a hooligan of a machine, and while some of the updates for the latest generation bike promise added refinement, I’m keen to see if that is at the expense of its brash, and quite frankly bad-ass, demeanour.

Nope, it’s still very much there, and it takes just a couple of hundred yards of riding out from KTM’s Silverstone base to have the front climbing skywards as the electronics try their best to contain the rabid-sounding 190 horses that are contained within the casings. If there is added refinement for the 2024 editions of the 1390 Super Duke, they aren’t in the engine, which is brutal as ever, even in the softer of the rider modes.

What has improved on the engine front is the torque, and while you are thinking “why? It has all the torque in the world,” it’s not the amount on offer, but the way it’s delivered. The new variable valves mean the engine is more flexible, switching to a more aggressive cam at around 5,500 rpm. The switch-up is also staggered between the cylinders to help make the transition a bit smoother. And it works too. On some bikes, you can feel the VVT click in, as a noticeable step-up in grunt arrives. The KTM system though seems to be better than most and once engaged all you can do is hold on for dear life as it’ll white-knuckle ride you all the way to the redline.

On the electronics front, the KTM is very much as before. The throttle connection is sharp and direct and as I’d been riding a much softer bike prior to picking up the 1390, it did take a bit of getting used to. The rider assistance systems also feel much like before, although the TFT dash and interface are now easier to use and much neater than before. The wheelie control isn’t the smoothest out there, but the addition of a graphic to give you an idea of how high the front wheel will go is a handy addition.

Another area of improvement over the previous generation 1290 Super Duke is the quickshifter, which I’m found to be very good. It’s helped by the direct and accurate gearbox, but matches the revs both up and down the box flawlessly and allows up and downshifts on a trailing throttle which is a nice touch.

The real story with the 1390 Super Duke R Evo is how the bike handles and that trick semi-active suspension. Much of the hardware for this bike is the same as the previous gen’ 1290, although to ride it feels a very different beast. I hasten to call the R Evo easy to ride, as that is a very subjective comment, although it does feel easier and less intimidating than the outgoing 1290.

It will still shake its head in complaint if you get on the power hard out of slower corners, but it feels like you need to provoke it much more than the previous bike to get its back up in this way. The steering feels light at any speed and you have a surprising amount of lock making tight town riding surprisingly easy. It’s out on a country road though where it feels most at home. With seemingly never-ending torque on offer, the KTM is the epitome of a point and squirt bike. You can ride a gear or even two higher than you should, and it’ll still shrink the horizon without much fuss or bother.

What I didn’t find was hugely improved over the 1290 was the ride quality offered by the new suspension. It’s not jarring as such, it’s just on some more aggressively, fast undulating sections it can seem a little choppy. The bike’s poise on smoother roads is great, and it’s a set-up that inspires lots of confidence and begs you to just go faster. I’d just like to have felt a little more composure over bumps and potholes, as we have quite a few to contend with here in the UK!

Braking for a bike with all this performance on tap can really only be done by one company, Brembo. They wheeled out their deliciously good Stylema calipers and then mated them to a Brembo MCS adjustable master cylinder. It is a superbike-spec braking system and as such stopping performance is nothing short of jaw-dropping. At 201kg wet the 1390 Super Duke isn’t a featherweight, but with that much performance on offer, and a supremely roomy riding position, fast riding on the road is a doddle. Almost every overtake is made without even breaking a sweat, and you’ll need to recalibrate your braking markers as you can nibble away some time there too!

Should you buy the 1390 Super Duke R Evo

The 2024 Super Duke R Evo is still very much the wild child of the super naked class. KTM’s very own enfant terrible that is as happy to hoist a wheelie as it is at chasing an apex. And it’s better at both of those things, and a hell of a lot of other things, than ever before. Really though, the improvements made in speed, power, and handling are only part of the story. It’s the improved rideability thanks to the variable valve timing and electronic suspension that really should be the headline. Sure, I’d have appreciated a little more composure and comfort from the suspension, but I suspect if I’d had the bike for a little longer I could have dialled in a slightly more compliant setting. It’s still one of the best super naked motorcycles you can buy, and with a very different attitude to the rest of the pack.

There is another question mark around the Super Duke though, and it relates to its definition as a street bike, primarily designed for road riding. Do we really need all this performance from a road bike? Is a bike with 190 bhp and 107lb ft of twist really necessary? I know that to both of these questions, the answer will, undoubtedly, be yes from most of you and I totally get that it’s a question that really can be aimed at any of the latest breed of super nakeds. But after my time with the bike, I try to recall one occasion that I used everything the engine had to offer while riding it on the road, and rather unsurprisingly I don’t think I ever did.