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The Brabus 1300 R Edition 23 is a meaner KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo

The second bike from the collaboration elevates the riding experience to a whole new level

These bikes look gorgeous. PHOTO FROM KTM

If you can’t believe what you’ve just read, your eyes aren’t failing you. German luxury brand Brabus is known for souping up Mercedes-Benz vehicles and is now doing the same to motorbikes. In fact, the one we’re going to talk about is the second of its collaboration with KTM.

Just last year, Brabus and KTM prettified the latter’s flagship motorbike with the 1300 R. For this year, they’ve come up with the even better 1300 R Edition 23.

Other than the frame and the engine, many of the bits and pieces of the 1290 Super Duke R Evo have been given the Brabus treatment. This starts with the two color schemes, Superblack and Stealth Gray.

The Brabus treatment certainly did wonders to make this bike look better. PHOTO FROM KTM

The body panels have been replaced with carbon fiber, while the saddle has the Brabus crest stitched into it. The headlights are now round, and the fairings have been changed. The air scoops get the signature stripes of Brabus, and a redesigned pillion seat cover is on top of a new one-piece undertray.

The side mirrors can now be found at the handlebar ends, while the levers, the foot pegs, the reservoirs, and the oil tank caps are all CNC-machined. The dashboard gets a unique animation and color scheme. Even the turn indicators are replaced with LED units with integrated brake lights.

We wonder if traffic enforcers will flag you down for those bar-end mirrors. PHOTO FROM KTM

But the 1300 R Edition 23 is not just about looks. Powering it is the same 1.3-liter LC8 V-Twin engine that makes 180hp and 140Nm. Crank it up and you’ll love the note of the exhaust, which now has a dual-pipe slip-on design. There are five riding modes: Street, Sport, Rain, Performance, and Track.

For better performance, a lithium-ion battery is used because a regular one is deemed too heavy. It also features WP Apex semi-active suspension and a WP Ape Pro 7117 steering damper for better handling.

Naked bikes have never looked this good. PHOTO FROM KTM

While most of us motorcycle lovers could only dream of owning one, a few very rich individuals can get one by preordering on KTM’s website.

Only 290 units will be produced, 145 for each of the two colors. The bike will cost €42,500 (P2.51 million) in Germany.



Red Santiago

A jack of all trades, Red is passionate about cars, motorcycles and audio. He sometimes drives for a ride-hailing app company—just because he really loves driving.



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