Since 1977 BRABUS have been synonymous with blinging cars up, to make them look and feel really trick. They?ve gone from strength to strength over the years, they?ve even started making boats. And the time?s finally come for them to move into the motorcycle market. Sort of, anyway. Because KTM are releasing a new bike, the BRABUS 1300 R, which is being marketed as a BRABUS, but is actually just a KTM.

Stupid Duke

Not that that?s a bad thing, mind. If you use the KTM 1290 Super Duke R as a starting point for any new bike, you?re not going to go far wrong. In fact you?d have to try really hard to fuck it up. In the press release about the new BRABUS 1300 R there was no mention of the Super Duke R, but the email did come from KTM. So I assumed this new BRABUS was at least based on a Super Duke. A quick look at the pictures confirmed this ? the engine, frame and suspension (well suspension off the Evo version, anyway) all looked identical to that of the Super Duke. Probably because it is.
Being a ?tuning? company, rather than a manufacturer, I think we can let BRABUS off with that. Although they don?t appear to have done any tuning to the actual engine, which still makes 180bhp and 140Nm of torque, the same as the latest Super Duke. Don?t get me wrong, that?s plenty of power, but it?s obviously not a tuned engine.

So what have they done then" Well, quite simply, they?ve done what they tend to do to all their Mercs and Maybachs. They?ve bolted a lo...