FEATURE - 2023 Brabus 1300 R Edition 23

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: KTM

Since its foundation in 1977, German aftermarket tuning and modification firm Brabus has worked their magic exclusively on Mercedes-Benz and closely related members of the Benz family, like Smart and Maybach. That all changed last year, when Brabus announced their first Porsche and Rolls-Royce models. In 2022, Brabus also revealed their first-ever motorcycle. This past February, they presented their second.

For their initial foray into two wheels, Brabus looked across the border to Austria and KTM, with the ‘Brabus 1300 R’ being the result of that collaboration. Based on the 2022 KTM 1290 Super Duke R, the Brabus 1300R left all the KTM hardware alone for the most part, instead transforming the bike’s appearance with a retro-look circular headlight, new intake scoops and an abundance of carbon fibre parts amongst the key visual changes.

Brabus also fitted their own lightweight wheel rims, CNC-machined billet fork yokes, levers and rearset pegs, a slip-on dual muffler, tail tidy, pillion seat cover and a bespoke, heated rider’s seat.

The carbon fibre and billet parts reduced weight by a claimed 6kg over the stock 1290 Super Duke R’s 180kg, but the performance peaks of 132kW and 140Nm from the KTM v-twin engine were unchanged.

Brabus is all about “premium” and “exclusivity,” so when they released the 1300 R, they announced production would be capped at 154 units, split evenly across Signature Black and Magma Red colour options. Keeping the exclusivity theme going was a price tag of 39,500 Euros, which was about double the cost of the KTM the 1300R is based on.

Despite this, when the order books opened, all 154 units had buyers in less than two minutes!

Given that success, it’s perhaps a surprise that Brabus took 12 months to announce their next KTM-based limited-edition – the ‘Brabus 1300 R Edition 23’.

One Year On

Unveiled in February this year, the second Brabus motorcycle project is based on the 1290 Super Duke R EVO. Again, the underlying KTM mechanicals, tech features and cycle parts remain mostly untouched, including the 132kW/140Nm DOHC 1301cc v-twin, six-speed gearbox with slipper clutch, tubular chromoly frame, adjustable WP semi-active suspension, a WP steering dampener, Brembo brakes (with Cornering ABS), lithium-ion battery, LED lighting, multiple riding modes and a quick-twist throttle.

Brabus styling touches and lightweighting measures include even more carbon fibre parts than last year’s 1300 R, while familiar Brabus features from the original 1300 R return, including the Monoblock Z forged alloy wheels, a dual-pipe slip-on exhaust, truncated number plate holder and a bespoke seat with “crest” pattern stitching and built-in heating function. Grips are also heated and, like last year's 1300 R, the Brabus pegs and levers are fully adjustable.

While there is a lot of carryover from last year’s 1300 R on the Edition 23, there are some new features, too, starting with a new headlight surround, new bar-end mirrors and new pillion seat cover. According to Brabus, these upgrades give the Edition 23 a “more compact and powerful silhouette”.

The side panels have been redesigned and join the seat base and underseat cowl in demonstrating Brabus’s decades of skills working with carbon fibre, while the carryover 9-spoke wheels feature a new ‘Platinum Black’ finish.

Two new colours have been created for the 1300 R Edition 23 - Superblack and Stealth Grey. In both instances, paint is limited to the stock KTM fuel tank and Brabus pillion cover, with black or raw carbon fibre everywhere else. The Stealth Grey version does add red highlights to the intake scoops, though.

Finally, Brabus also tweaked the 1290 Super Duke R EVO’s TFT instrumentation screen to include a Brabus animation on start-up and a black-on-red display.

Here – and Gone

Last year’s 1300 R was limited to 154 examples, but emboldened by the rapid-fire sell-out, Brabus increased production to 290 units for the 1300 R Edition 23, split evenly between the two new colour schemes.

Each bike’s build number features in a badge on the carbon fibre tank panel, and while Brabus branding features in multiple locations, it is subtle.

Brabus describe the 1300 R Edition 23 as “an undeniable statement of luxury, exclusivity and Brabus heritage styling” that combines with the “extraordinary riding experience” of the 1290 Super Duke R EVO base.

Pricing for the 1300 R Edition 23 is listed at 42,500 Euros plus shipping, which is an increase of almost 8 per cent on last year’s version. That translates to around AU$65,000, which is almost double the $33,735 starting price for a 2023 KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO locally.

Even with the price hike, all 290 units were snapped up soon after pre-orders opened in mid-February, despite the Edition 23 being unavailable in several markets.

For those who missed out, there is a waiting list to take advantage of any cancelled orders, but if you’re thinking this bike would look right at home in your garage, you’ll have to tap a mate in Europe or the US. As with the 1300 R from 2022, KTM have no plans to offer the 1300 R Edition 23 in Australia or New Zealand.