KTM 1290 SUPERDUKE R - MEET THE WORST ABUSE IMAGINED, Engine Reliability Review

How well did KTM's 1290 Superduke R engine hold up to the worst abuse imagined? You will be shocked with this reliability review. We recently rebuilt our 2020 Superduke R in preparation for the 2023 race season. I thought I would share the condition of the motor internals - how well they held up to the abuse of racing two and a half seasons, plus too many trackdays to count, and I bought the bike used. We checked crank bearings, heads, valves, rocker arms, pistons, transmission, everything. It is remarkable how well this engine is designed and built, and how well it held up to my abuse. However we did find a few issues. We spun a crank bearing and found a damaged cam chain tensioner which had sent some broken metal bits through the engine. Learn how and why in this video.

This video is sponsored by SUPERDUKED.COM, where you can find the answer to your KTM's handling woes: https://superduked.com/.

Special thanks to Alex Hernandez, at CalMoto in Livermore Ca. Much respect and thanks for his help not only rebuilding my race motor, but for being so thorough and forward thinking.

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
1:11:16 - Engine Use/Abuse
6:04:07 - Pistons and Cylinder wear
8:22:00 - Crank & Engine Cases
9:26:09 - Crank Bearing Failure - Spun
11:28:13 - Heads / Cams / Rocker Arms / Valves
14:29:06 - Transmission Wear
15:38:20 - Clutch Use & Wear
20:39:02 - Oil Pump Wear - metal evidence
21:18:08 - Cam Chain Tensioner Failure
25:07:21 - LC8 Reliability Report Card