SuperBike Magazine June 2020

61
Town on Turn 2 trying to get
my head around trusting the
electronics fully with a open
throttle and the easy way in
which the bike allowed me to
do this was a clear indication
of what racing had been doing
in the bikes DNA, the cut in
was not abrupt, almost like a
gentle hand on your shoulder
asking you to calm down.
Roll on 2020 and we have
the new Gen 3 available. Just
look at it, where will it all
stop I ask, they just become
better looking all the time,
the lines, the agro stance the
big exhausts, it is just a piece
of Austrian art. As I swing a
leg over for the first time I
love the view that I have just
sitting there. The new switch
gear is so modern, the new
TFT dash is large and can
interface with your phone
completely for maps, music
and phone functions. The new
colours on the bike which
harks to their Moto GP effort
is apparent. I start the bike,
still keyless and immediately
the smoother uptake
on revs is very apparent. I
head out on arguably a kart
track called KF circuit in
Benoni, not the ideal place to
release 180hp/144Nm naked.
But immediately it’s not as
intimidating a the previous
generations, its still all there
but it has manners now. The
electronics have managed
to calm the franticness of
the bikes, especially relative
to Gen 1, down a lot. The Gen
1 when exiting a 2nd gear
corner would cut the power
quite abruptly when the front
wheel lifts and gives it back
to you (all of it) all at once as
the wheel came down again,
this causes quite a seesaw
reaction. On the Gen 3 exit the
same corner just as hard but
it just keeps on accelerating,
with the front wheel just
hovering off the ground in a
very controlled manner. You
have to stand back and be
amazed by the progress of the
software; I mean its only been
a few years and the progress
is significant.
KTM claim they have given
the new 2020 KTM 1290R