KTM BRABUS 1300 R EDITION 23

Fair play to KTM, it doesn’t hang about. Not content with taking on brands like Husqvarna and GASGAS, as well as tie-ins with MV Agusta in Italy and Bajaj in India, the Austrian out t is now expanding its relationship with posh German car tuning rm Brabus.

You might remember the rst fruits of that partnership from last year – a factory special Super Duke 1290 packed with tasty bolt-ons and a nasty price tag. And it’s basically more of the same 12 months on. The KTM Brabus 1300 R Edition 23 is a ‘luxury’ version of the Super Duke 1290 R EVO, with similar engine and chassis performance, but tricked up with a host of Brabus parts. The price is just as steep as last year: £37,000.

The most obvious upgrade is the forged aluminium ‘Monoblock Z’ nine-spoke rims, together with the Brabus slip-on dual can exhaust and a black- nished frame (rather than the garish stock orange). Brabus has also designed the heated custom seat and grips (essential for all the winter commutes the bike will no doubt do), and also the carbon bre body parts. Those include the headlight fairing, mudguards, pillion seat cover, engine air intakes, belly pan, engine case protectors and radiator surround. The chassis trinkets that aren’t carbon are generally CNCmachined aluminium; footpegs, levers, yokes, pedals and master cylinder reservoirs are all premium black-machined and saucy. Add on a lightweight lithium-ion battery, a quick-release throttle and the bespoke paint and you have the complete upgrade list, pretty much.

They’re all good changes, to be fair, and the basic bike doesn’t need too much anyway. The 1290 R EVO already comes with the 1301cc LC8 V-twin motor that makes 180bhp, Brembo Stylema brakes, sweet single-sided swingarm, 194kg dry mass, WP Apex semi-active suspension and stacks of electronic riding aids: cornering ABS and traction, wheelie control, quickshifter, rider modes and loads more.

There are two colour options, stealth grey and black black, with just 145 of each being produced. And, of course, they all sold out within a couple of days of going on sale, apparently, which is good to hear in this economy. Still desperate for one? You’ll probably nd one on sale by a scalper at a posh car auction for £10k more in six months’ time. Otherwise, you’ll just need to wait for the 2024 edition…

You’ve probably seen the Brabus car tuning name before, but it is quite a niche brand in the UK. Bought by Mercedes-Benz in 1999, the rm takes its name from the two founders, Klaus BRAckmann and Bodo BUSchmann, and is perhaps best-known here for its tweaked smart cars. It has built some incredibly special cars though, including one-off tuned AMG Mercedes supercars and Maybach limousines. It’s also got a yacht and an aeroplane customising arm, so that’s the sort of market you’re dealing with here. Apparently, the KTM tie-up has come about because of a personal friendship between senior management at the two rms. We suspect many of the bikes sold will go to Brabus car collectors, for whom £37k is less than what they’d spend on supercar trackdays and tyres in a year.

Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition

From one extreme part of the KTM empire to another, with the natty new Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition. It’s a long way away from the KTM Brabus 1300 R, and we think in quite a pleasing way. It’s based on the 2022 Norden 901, itself a variant on the KTM Adventure 890 middleweight ADV machine. Last year’s bike had the typical modern Husqvarna treatment, which is to say a modest performance upgrade thanks to some more premium parts, a restyle with more ‘Scandinavian’ looks, and a smattering of posh bits like premium nish fuel caps and smarter controls. The Norden also got a round LED headlamp for some pleasing retro looks, together with a higher price tag to re ect the classier build.

The Expedition is more of the same, really. As with the likes of BMW’s GS Adventure models, there’s enhanced off-road capability (on paper at least) thanks to upgraded suspension and improved crash protection from the massive alloy sump/engine guard. The WP XPLOR suspension has longer travel (240mm both ends) and is fully adjustable for compression/ rebound damping and spring preload. The engine is the same excellent 889cc parallel twin as the KTM 890, with 105bhp, housed in a steel tube trellis frame, and the brakes are also unchanged, with dual 320mm discs and four-piston calipers up front. The 901 also gets the full rider aids package, with extra off-road settings for the ABS, quickshifter, cornering traction and colour dash.

Add in more dirt-friendly Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, a taller windscreen, centrestand, hot grips and seat and some trick standard luggage and you get the picture: this is a Norden for the Long Haul, on road or off (your skills allowing). One thing’s been missed out, though: the traditional massive fuel tank of the hardcore ADV tourer is absent, and you only get the same 19 litres as on the base bike. That’s probably down to the 890 using a unique saddle-type tank design that comes way down either side of the engine as far the sump guard, which would be tricky to modify easily. You’ll just need to paint a jerry can to match and strap it onto the rear rack.

The new Norden 901 Expedition is in Husqvarna dealers now, costing £13,599.

Stalingrad Custom Chic

BMW Motorrad is 100 years old in 2023, but this one-off special R18 harks back even further into the rm’s roots. Before bikes, BMW made aircraft engines, including the 132 radial engine that powered the Junkers Ju-52 airliner and transport plane in the 1930s. A stalwart of the Luftwaffe in the Second World War, the plane had two nicknames: Tante (Aunt) Ju, and Iron Annie. One of the bikes made it to America postwar, and it’s that Iron Annie this special is named for. Built by Swiss BMW dealer and customiser VTR Motorrad for a well-heeled client, it’s had a ground-up rebuild, with hand-formed aluminium bodywork, a brown leather seat, and a speedometer made by a Swiss watchmaker. The bodywork has lines of ‘rivets’ and aircraft warning graphics, but it’s the grey paint and corrugated sections that really echo the Junkers plane. Ribbed panels helped add stiffness without weight in the early days of aircraft design and featured on the Ju-52 – and copied by Henry Ford for his Trimotor plane. It has lowered Wilbers suspension, slick Kineo spoked rims with a 21in front to make the bike look smaller, and Avon Cobra custom rubber.

Whiskey Throttle

Jack Daniel’s and coke – or Jack and black – is one of the great ‘out drinking’ drinks, we reckon, so there could only be one colour scheme for this limited edition Indian factory special. The Jack

Daniel’s Limited Edition

Indian Chief Bobber Dark Horse (crazy name, guys) is based on the rm’s 1890cc Chief Bobber retro cruiser, with posh black paint, JD logos and a ‘don’t drink and ride’ sticker on the tank, in case you forget. Heavy as hell at 315kg and priced well over £20k, it’s limited to 177 units (which is also the number of alcohol units in a gallon of JD, funnily enough).

The Road To 2023

The Isle of Man TT will be up and running before we know it. And the organisers are running the usual annual launch event next month, at the Mountain View Innovation Centre just outside Ramsey on Saturday, April

15. Tickets are now on sale if you’re on the Island already or looking to make the trip, and the show will have all the big names there, including John McGuinness and Peter Hickman, who’ll be riding a Honda Fireblade and BMW M1000 RR respectively. For all us mainlanders, the evening show will be recorded and shown for free on the TT+ online streaming channel soon after. More info: https://ttplus.iomttraces.com

Kwaks On Tour

Kawasaki UK’s bringing back its Dealer Demo Days from April, giving riders the chance to experience the latest 2023 models. There are 26 dates at dealers around the country, plus more TBC – and it’s a great chance to try out a 2023 bike.

Beginning on April 1 at Completely Gloucester, the tour runs throughout the summer months and ends on September 9 at JW Groombridge.

The full calendar and more info is available online at www. kawasaki.co.uk

• Norton is also offering demo rides on its updated Commando 961 – and it’ll even bring the bike to your door. More details on the ‘Test Ride To You’ service at https://nortonmotorcycles.com/ book-a-test-ride