2015 Best Naked Bike MOTY Winner: KTM 1290 Super Duke R

2015 Motorcycle of the Year Awards – Why does the 2014 Motorcycle Of The Year win its category in 2015? That question might answer itself, but the deeper explanation is that nothing else has come along in the past year that gets within arm’s length of the crown. BMW’s S1000R is the Super Duke’s main competition, and while the Beemer is a sublime machine, it doesn’t speak to us with the same seductive voice as the KTM. High-end componentry is everywhere you look on the KTM, from the massive Brembo brakes to fully adjustable WP suspension, but that’s only part of the story. Other bikes have power, comfort, amenities, and versatility, but few machines have this much of everything and also leave us with such an indefinable smile after a ride.