NHTSA vehicle safety data

2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R Recalls & Complaints

The 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R has 1 NHTSA recall campaign and 2 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized KTM dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R owner complaints

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R, describing incidents dated September 22, 2017 to April 28, 2018.

Most-cited components

Service Brakes 2 complaints

Newest complaints

ODI #11163329 · Filed December 25, 2018
MY MOTORCYCLE'S FRONT BRAKES CREATE A HARMONIC NOISE WHILE COASTING AND APPLYING THE FRONT BRAKES AT LOW SPEEDS. THE PROBLEM IS SO BAD THAT THE HANDLEBARS VIBRATE TO THE POINT OF CONCERN AND CAN BE HAND NUMBING. KTM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM BUT IS UNWILLING TO FIX IT. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP…
ODI #11141019 · Filed October 17, 2018
PULSING, SQUEALING BRAKES, WARPED FRONT ROTOR DUE TO IMPROPER MOUNTING CLEARANCES ON FRONT WHEEL. CAUSING INCONSISTENT BRAKING DURING SLOW SPEED. BRAKES ARE CATCHING EVEN WITHOUT APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE. PRESENT SINCE I PURCHASE THE MOTORCYCLE WITH 83 MILES ON THE ODOMETER ON 4/28/18. WAS NOT…

Read all 2 complaints

Front Brake Master Cylinder Piston May Crack

NHTSA #18V033000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Foundation Components — Master Cylinder · NHTSA notice

Reported January 10, 2018 · KTM North America, Inc.

Potentially affected: 2,361 vehicles

Repair completion: 95.81% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

KTM campaign TB1805 · Owners notified February 21, 2018 · Vehicles built April 21, 2015 – February 3, 2016 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

KTM North America, Inc. (KTM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 1290 Super Duke R ABS, 2016 1290 Super Duke R SE ABS and 1290 Super Duke GT ABS and 2017-2018 Super Duke R and1290 Super Duke GT motorcycles. The piston within the Brembo front brake master cylinder may fail.

Safety consequence

If the front brake master cylinder piston fails, the loss of front braking ability can increase the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

KTM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the piston with an aluminum one, free of charge. The recall began on February 21, 2018. Owner's may contact KTM customer service at 1-888-985-6090.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

2 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R.

Service Brakes

ODI #11163329

Incident: September 22, 2017 · Filed: December 25, 2018

MY MOTORCYCLE'S FRONT BRAKES CREATE A HARMONIC NOISE WHILE COASTING AND APPLYING THE FRONT BRAKES AT LOW SPEEDS. THE PROBLEM IS SO BAD THAT THE HANDLEBARS VIBRATE TO THE POINT OF CONCERN AND CAN BE HAND NUMBING. KTM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM BUT IS UNWILLING TO FIX IT. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEY HAVE MADE A FEW ATTEMPTS, BUT THEY ARE UNWILLING TO TRY ANYMORE. THEY ARE SAYING IT'S A NORMAL FEATURE. THE NOISE AND VIBRATION CAN BE WITNESSED JUST PUSHING THE MOTORCYCLE.

Service Brakes

ODI #11141019

Incident: April 28, 2018 · Filed: October 17, 2018

PULSING, SQUEALING BRAKES, WARPED FRONT ROTOR DUE TO IMPROPER MOUNTING CLEARANCES ON FRONT WHEEL. CAUSING INCONSISTENT BRAKING DURING SLOW SPEED. BRAKES ARE CATCHING EVEN WITHOUT APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE. PRESENT SINCE I PURCHASE THE MOTORCYCLE WITH 83 MILES ON THE ODOMETER ON 4/28/18. WAS NOT PRESENT DURING TEST RIDE. I'M OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY SO DEALER WILL NOT FIX FOR FREE.

Other KTM 1290 Super Duke R model years

Check your 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke R VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your KTM 1290 Super Duke R at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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