2020 bikesales Bike of the Year Winner: KTM 1290 Super Duke R

The KTM 1290 Super Duke R has officially been crowned the 2020 bikesales Bike of the Year, with its insane performance, clever tech, and surprising versatility ultimately winning over our judges.

It marks the second straight year that KTM has taken out the top gong, with the 790 Adventure R winning the 2019 bikesales Bike of the Year title.

Unlike the dual-sport 790 Adventure R, however, the 1290 Super Duke R is a pure-bred road weapon that is equally at home on the track as it is on twisting mountain roads (or prowling city streets, for that matter).

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2020 Bikesales Bike of the Year winner: KTM 1290 Super Duke R

Powered by a storming liquid-cooled 1301cc LC8 V-twin engine, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R provides the kind of lunatic fun that only comes with sheer power and torque. And with 180hp (132kW) at 9500rpm, and 140Nm at 8000rpm, there is plenty of both.

While crazy performance and daredevil antics have always been the name of the game for the 1290 Super Duke R, the 2020 version adds even more sophistication and rideability, making this one of KTM’s most complete tarmac offerings to date.

After five days of riding in the Victorian High Country, the judges were unanimous in their praise for the KTM 1290 Super Duke R.

“The KTM 1290 Super Duke R is a massively capable motor, in a massively capable chassis,” said Bike of the Year judge, Brian Harding.

“It’s just a fun machine,” said fellow judge, Scott Kessler, adding: “Super horsepower, amazing handling; the ability to throw it through the twisties is just amazing.”

The versatility of the KTM 1290 Super Duke R was another highlight, with the judges falling in love with its do-everything approach.

“Super-naked bikes are a jack-of-all trades,” said Cam Donald.

“They do everything well, and the 1290 Super Duke R does everything very well. It’s a refined package that is reasonably comfortable to ride slow, and a hell of lot of fun to ride fast.”

But it was ultimately the fun factor that gave the KTM 1290 Super Duke R the edge over the other contenders, and former bikesales Editor, Mark ‘Mav’ Fattore, said it best.

“As a motorcycle that makes you feel good, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R is top of the pops,” he said.

Even though the KTM 1290 Super Duke R finished on top of our hotly contested Bike of the Year leaderboard, it faced some seriously stiff competition.

The BMW S 1000 XR and the BMW R 1250 S finished second and third respectively, with just three points between them. And the remaining contenders were also packed very tightly, with every bike touted as a potential winner at one stage or another over the five-day test. It was the closest bikesales Bike of the Year Awards ever.

Congratulations to KTM for taking out the 2020 bikesales Bike of the Year Award, and also to all our category winners and LAMS winners. It might have been a tough year in so many ways for so many reasons, but 2020 will go down as yet another in which motorcyclists were truly spoiled for choice...