Brabus to base their first motorcycle on KTM Duke

German tuning company Brabus, known for creating extreme high-performance versions of various Mercedes vehicles since 1977, is planning to branch out to the motorcycles segment with their upcoming 'Brabus 1300 R'.

The name of the upcoming motorcycle was revealed when the Bottrop-based company filed a  trademark application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in August 2021. The application requested the use of the Brabus 1300 R name for "Motorcycles; structural parts for motorcycles; parts and fittings for land vehicles; two-wheeled motor vehicles." EUIPO granted the application on 24 November, 2021, after an expedited objection period.

Although information about the upcoming bike is limited, it has been reported by rideapart.com that the new bike will use the KTM 1290 Super Duke R and RR as its base. In standard R trim, the Austrian Super Duke's liquid-cooled, 1,301cc V-twin produces 180Hp and 103 lb-ft of torque. The RR variant retains the same power figures but trims weight from 441 pounds to 396 pounds. Brabus 1300 is expected to fall somewhere between the two, with exotic materials such as carbon fibre components being used to shed weight.

The new bike is also expected to be dimensionally different as the new model's wheelbase will be 5mm shorter than the Super Duke's one while the width is shortened by 30mm.