KTM is quietly working on what looks like its next statement bike, with European type-approval documents confirming a 1390 Super Duke RR is on the way alongside the existing R. And while Super Duke RR bikes aren't exactly earth-shattering news (as KTM has done this quite a few times before), when taken in KTM's recent context, this might be the clearest sign yet that KTM is really back.
Not long ago, KTM was in real trouble. Production stopped. Employees got laid off. Cash got tight. The future looked shaky. Then Bajaj stepped in and basically saved KTM’s ass. Not with vague promises, but with real financial backing and long-term intent. What we’re seeing now is a company that isn’t just surviving, but getting confident again. Launching a low-volume, no-compromise RR model isn’t something you do when you’re panicking. It’s something you do when you know you’re standing on solid ground.
Based on the European type-approval documents unearthed by Cycle World's Ben Purvis, the upcoming 1390 Super Duke RR will follow a familiar blueprint. KTM did this before with the 1290 Super Duke RR in 2021 and again in 2023. Both were limited to 500 units, both were more expensive, and both focused on weight loss and track-ready hardware rather than chasing bigger numbers. This new RR sticks to that same philosophy, and that’s exactly the point.
