The KTM Brabus 1300 R Project

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Brabus has filed a trademark for the Brabus 1300 R, which looks to be based on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R (shown). (KTM Motorcycles/)

For nearly 45 years Brabus—the German tuning firm founded by Bodo Buschmann in 1977—has been turning out high-performance versions of Mercedes cars. But soon we’ll see the company’s first two-wheeler in the form of the KTM Brabus 1300 R.

At the moment there’s still no official word on the project but a growing wall of evidence is forming around the machine, not least the fact that Brabus GmbH has filed a fast-tracked trademark application for the “Brabus 1300 R” name in the European Union, specifically intending to use it on “motorcycles; structural parts for motorcycles; parts and fittings for land vehicles; two-wheeled motor vehicles.”

The trademark application doesn’t leave much doubt as to the fact that this is a Brabus motorcycle and that it’s around 1,300cc in capacity, but it’s backed up by an even more revealing piece of evidence in the form of a type-approval document for the machine, showing that it meets emissions rules in Europe.

Related: 2020 KTM 1290 Super Duke R First Ride

Fast-tracked documents show the bike is a derivative of the KTM (shown), with the same engine and power specs. (KTM Motorcycles/)

This document names the bike as “KTM Brabus 1300 R” and confirms that the manufacturer is KTM AG in Mattighofen, with “Brabus 1300 R” as the model’s name. The same paperwork also shows that the bike is approved as a derivative of the existing 1290 Super Duke R, sharing enough components to piggyback on the existing type-approval tests.

Doing that means that while Brabus is renowned for turning out massively powerful, highly tuned versions of Mercedes cars, the Brabus 1300 R has exactly the same engine and exhaust as the standard KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Peak power remains 177 hp at 9,500 rpm, max torque is still 103 pound-feet at 8,000 rpm, which means the Brabus 1300 R will be distinguished from the KTM 1290 Super Duke by its appearance and suspension spec rather than any additional performance.

Electric components are carried over to the Brabus 1300 as well, though the bike is narrower than KTM’s version. (KTM Motorcycles/)

The Brabus 1300 R’s dimensions also show it’s the same height as the stock Super Duke R and RR models, so it doesn’t look like Brabus is adding a full fairing or a screen, but it’s noticeably slimmer than either of KTM’s versions of the bike. That means the bars will be narrower, potentially hinting the Brabus may use clip-ons rather than a one-piece bar above the top yoke.

The main electronic components also appear to be carried over—no loss since KTM already has high-end, IMU-based stability control and cornering ABS—and there’s no change to the wheel and tire sizes for the Brabus machine.

Given that the bike has been type-approved already and Brabus has applied for a fast-tracked trademark on the “Brabus 1300 R” name, it’s likely the machine will be officially revealed in the very near future, going on sale as a 2022 model year bike.

Brabus is known for its highly tuned Mercs, but given that the bike’s type-approved already, we may see the Brabus 1300 R motorcycle as early as 2022. (Brabus/)

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