Devastating Power: KTM 1290 “Super Enduro R”

180-hp Erzberg Rodeo Weapon…

The KTM Super Duke R is a simply staggering hyper-naked bike, housing the most powerful version of the company’s renowned 75-degree V-twin LC8 engine ever built. Motorcyclist named the 177-horsepower SDR their 2014 Motorcycle of the Year, saying of the machine:

“The 1290 Super Duke R wowed us most, boasting a stupefying balance of performance and usability. Simply put, its vast breadth of talents on every possible paved surface is unprecedented.”

Nicknamed “The Beast,” the big Duke has earned a reputation for embarrassing sport bikes on the track while remaining surprisingly docile at lower speeds, comfortable for long-distance cruising, and virtually any other non-dirt duty thrown its away.

But Jiří Heiník, a lifelong off-road motorcycle racer, decided to find out what that lethal weapon of an engine could do in the dirt. And not only that, Jiří had in mind the most infamous off-road test of them all:  Austria’s Erzberg Rodeo. In this hard enduro event, some 1500 riders start at the bottom of an iron ore quarry and try to conquer the “Iron Mountain.” The result is a battle of attrition of devastating proportions — something akin to Dante’s Inferno on dirt bikes.

If you’re unfamiliar with Erzbeg, we highly recommend you watch the film Enduro at Erzberg:  The Iron Mountain Strikes Back, in which famed motocross riders Jeremy McGrath and Travis Pastrana took on the Iron Giant — a must-watch flick. Fortunately, Jiří is no stranger to such mammoth two-wheeled tests. For instance, he competed at Pikes Peak in 2012 on a modified 990 Supermoto R, so Erzberg seemed like a logical step.

The Erzberg Rodeo used to have a twin-cylinder elite class, which has morphed into a multi-cylinder “Desert Bomber” class — where Jiří planned to race the bike:

“The goal was to build it as light and as thin as a single cylinder bike, but with the devastating power of a fully tuned LC8 engine.”

In order to carry out the transformation of this street-centric naked beast into a machine capable of conquering the Iron Mountain, he enlisted the help of Prague’s RaceTool KTM — the biggest KTM dealer in the Czech Republic — including our friend Jan Žuži of JZ Handmade, who recently built this KX500 carbon motocrosser we featured.

The street-focused forks on the Super Duke have been swapped with those from a 1290 Super Adventure, and the bike now sports larger Kineo rims shod with the highly aggressive knobbies required for the Iron Giant’s steady diet of mud, water, and rocks.

The bike has been lightened as much as possible, and clad with bark busters, fenders, and other off-road essentials. Says Jiří:

“The KTM 1290 SUPERENDURO R is not an exhibition show bike, it is ready to race and the most powerful twin enduro bike ever built.”

Below, we get more of the story from the man himself.

KTM 1290 SuperEnduro R: In the Owner’s Words

Hi, my name is Jiri Heinik, I’m 65 and I’ve been around motorcycles for all my life. My passion is racing and as far as I do not find any of the stock bikes to fit my visions and needs, I decided to build the bikes by myself. There are also pictures of my previous project attached – the 990 Supermoto R, I attended Pikes peak 2012.

The KTM 1290 Super enduro R was built on the 2015 Superduke R engine and parts of the chassis and electronic.

The bike was built for the world most famous extreme enduro race — The Erzbergrodeo and the Iron Road Prologue with its twin cylinder class.

The goal was to build it as light and as thin as a single cylinder bike, but with the devastating power of a fully tuned LC8 engine. My visions were realized by RACE TOOL company from Prague the biggest KTM dealer in Czech republic.

The KTM 1290 SUPERENDURO R is not an exhibition show bike, it is ready to race and the most powerful twin enduro bike ever built.

Build Process / Photos

 

Video Slideshow