2026 KTM 1390 Super Duke RR Preview
Every couple of years, someone high up at KTM makes a comment about how the company is moving away from high-performance street bikes. We’ve learned not to take those comments too seriously, because a few months later, they’re usually followed by the release of something like the new 2027 KTM 1390 Super Duke RR.
What’s the RR all about? Wasn’t there already a 1390 Super Duke R and a 1390 Super Duke R EVO with the same engine? Yes, and yes. But KTM appears intent on pushing naked bikes even farther, and now we have the racy RR model, which looks like the company’s attempt to build the highest‑performance naked bike ever made.
Chassis and Suspension
That should come as no surprise; KTM offered an RR version of the 1290 Super Duke as well. But it didn’t simply transfer the old hardware to the new 1390 platform. Instead, the 1390 Super Duke RR gets an all‑new shock developed specifically for this machine by WP. Since KTM owns WP, that was presumably an easy arrangement.
While the EVO model has semi‑active suspension that fine‑tunes its settings to adapt to changes in traction and stability, the new 1390 gets a manually adjustable WP Pro closed‑cartridge fork, along with the all‑new WP 8750 shock. It is also manually adjustable, with separate high‑speed and low‑speed compression circuits. Why manual adjustment when it’s less premium and luxurious? Because the real performance junkies buying the RR for track use want hands‑on tunability.
Along with the upgraded suspension, the RR also gets upgraded stoppers, with Brembo HyPure Sport 320 mm front brake calipers.
Chassis changes continue with forged seven‑spoke aluminum wheels, developed using lessons learned from KTM’s MotoGP bike. KTM says the new wheels cut nearly 7 lb of unsprung weight by themselves. The bike also gets plenty of Carbon fiber bodywork, including aerodynamic winglets on the tank that provide downforce at speed. The fairing, of course, is typical KTM: angular and drenched in orange. With the new wheels and lighter bodywork, the RR supposedly weighs only 417 lb at the curb, without fuel.
Engine and Performance
Power comes from a 75‑degree DOHC V‑twin with four valves per cylinder. It’s KTM’s classic LC8 architecture, the same as the other 1390 models, with the only difference being an Akrapovič silencer. But this is no recycled slothmobile engine; KTM’s hot‑rod twin was updated for the 2020s with electronic management that enables a bi-directional (up and down) quickshifter, so you can bang through the six‑speed gearbox in either direction as you exploit the 190 hp at 10,000 rpm and 107 lb‑ft of torque at 8,000 rpm. Or not. Nobody says you have to be a hooligan while riding this thing, but if you’re not, what’s the point?
Electronics and Modes
While we’re on the subject of electronics, wheelie control, launch control, engine‑brake control, lean‑sensitive ABS, and a TFT screen that integrates with your phone and helmet comms via Bluetooth all come standard. So does Track mode, which dials in traction control, throttle response, and other electronic settings for a track day, or a race, if that’s your thing.
Those electronic features are familiar thanks to their availability over the last few years, but the KTM 1390 Super Duke RR also gets a new Beast mode, another one‑off developed for this machine. Beast mode reduces electronic intervention from ABS and traction control to the bare minimum required to remain street‑legal in markets like the EU and Australia.
Price and Availability
For now, the EU market is the only place we’ve seen this bike approved, with British buyers given a £24,999 MSRP. That’s just under $34,000 USD, so expect a price tag somewhere between $30,000 and $35,000 if it comes to the United States, which is likely. but not certain. Only 350 units will be produced, and given KTM’s sales performance on these special‑production models, the vast majority may already be spoken for.
Marketplace Inventory
Zac Kurylyk
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