A fusion of raw power and refined luxury, the Brabus is back and bolder than ever before
Never say never again. Two years on from building what was supposedly the last of its uber-performing hyper-sports hot-rods concocted in conjunction with KTM, German high-end high-performance automotive aftermarket refinement specialist Brabus has created another in the line of what it terms ‘Ground-Breaking Luxury Hyper Naked Bikes’. That’s the Brabus 1400R Signature Edition, and just 100 examples will be built in 2026 at a price of €49,900 ($A88k) in Germany, including 19 per cent local tax – €41,933 ($A74k) tax free for export. Besides Germany, previous Brabus-built bikes have also been sold in France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, UK, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic, as well as farther afield in South Africa, China, Thailand and Australia. The 1400R is also now EPA-approved for sale in the USA, and is expected to be available to the Australian market by mid to late 2026.
Brabus has been modifying cars to improbable levels of performance, combined with flamboyant styling to get the result noticed, for the best part of the past half-century. Besides Rolls-Royces and Porsches, they work primarily on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including from the German giant’s affiliate brands like AMG, Maybach and Smart. This has resulted in a vast range of Brabus-tuned engines ranging from the 80bhp (60kW) three-cylinder 698cc turbocharged unit in the Smart Fortwo two-seater city car with side skirts and front splitter, to the 900bhp (670kW) twin-turbo units for the Brabus-bedecked S-Class Mercedes sedan.
Brabus’ primary focus is on delivering the ultimate in performance, allied with arresting looks and luxury interiors, via cars which are 100 per cent street legal, latterly with Euro 5+ compliance. Customers ordering a new car from them entails Brabus acquiring the given model directly from Mercedes, then modifying it according to the purchaser’s requests. Customers can also send in cars they already own to be customised and/or tuned up.
The first Brabus motorcycle was presented in February 2022 as a spinoff from that ethos, using the KTM 1290 Super Duke R platform as its base. That first special-edition model was limited to just 77 examples, denoting 1977 as the year that company owner Bodo Buschmann established Brabus, and sold out online in under two minutes – for some, perhaps, as a feel-good post-Covid purchase. This prompted Brabus to build a second batch of such bikes… which also sold out, this time in less than five minutes.
In February 2023, Brabus created a second new model, the Edition 23, comprising two different colourway collections made up of 145 motorcycles times two, each costing €42,500 ($A75k) including tax. Powered by a tuned version of the KTM LC8 V-twin engine found in the 1290 Super Duke R and rated at 132kW/180bhp at 9500rpm, with peak torque of 140Nm at 8000rpm, these 290 examples also sold out immediately, and were all delivered by July 2023.
For 2024, Brabus came up with its 1300R Masterpiece Edition, essentially an updating of the 1300R Edition 23, with subtly different styling and a choice of two colour variants: black and white. This was announced as the final Brabus motorcycle model to be made available, and with just 50 examples built all told, retailing at €49,900 ($A88k) including tax, and billed as the final chapter in its motorcycle line-up. This was the most limited production variant hitherto in Brabus’s two-wheeled catalogue. Indeed the company stuck to its word, and no 2025 Brabus bike was forthcoming, leaving the 494 examples built so far as standalone collector’s items.
But now Brabus says it’s responding to pressure from customers to produce another ultra-extreme two-wheeled model, and has just announced the 100-off 1400R Signature Edition bike, the most powerful evolution so far of this no-prisoners performance product range. Based on the KTM 1390 Super Duke R EVO, this carries the Austrian manufacturer’s ultimate version of its 1350cc LC8 V-twin engine, which is tuned by them before delivery to Brabus to produce more power than ever. With 190bhp (140kW) and 145Nm of torque, both unchanged from the Super Duke R, the lighter sub-200kg Brabus 1400R features a near 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. It takes super naked streetfighting to another level – while also looking super distinctive, as defined by all-new signature styling, which Brabus terms ‘a statement of raw strength and modern elegance’.
The supremely sinister all-black styling that Brabus labels as its signature ‘Black and Bold’ look sees the stock KTM orange tubular steel frame stripped and repainted, then fitted with an array of Brabus carbon-fibre bodywork components to deliver an ultra-distinctive appearance via the factory-installed so-called Widestar body kit. This includes a bespoke handcrafted seat, carbon side spoilers, fuel tank fairing, belly pan, front fender, rear wheel cover, single-sided swingarm cover and chainguard, and Brabus-developed LED headlight unit, with a daytime running light configuration inspired by the Brabus Signature Stripes.
The precision-engineered carbon fibre components are made using cutting-edge prepreg processes, says Brabus.
Twin high-rise silencers flank the underside of the single seat – no room for a passenger on this single-minded sportbike.
Aerodynamic side winglets positioned behind the leather backrest shape the bike’s aerodynamic design at the rear, while 17-inch three-spoke Brabus Monoblock EVO wheels – each CNC-machined from a single aluminium forging – contribute to an estimated 4kg of weight saving for the Brabus 1400R compared to the stock KTM it’s derived from.
Those wheels carry Brembo’s latest high-end four-piston Hypure monoblock brake calipers – 10 per cent lighter than the Stylemas on the KTM donor bike – which grip twin 320mm Wave front brake discs, while the twin-piston floating rear caliper is paired with a 240mm Wave disc.
KTM-owned WP’s fully-adjustable APEX Semi-Active Technology/SAT suspension is employed, featuring electronically controlled magnetic valves to adjust damping in real time. This offers broad variability from maximum comfort to track-ready stiffness, and is able to automatically adapt to the rider’s input or the road surface encountered. Brabus claims it’s set to fulfil its pledge to bring intelligence to the tarmac.
The 1400R features five dedicated ride modes – Street, Sport, Rain and two Custom modes, accessed via illuminated handlebar switches and the seven-inch full-colour TFT touchscreen.
Each example of the model is delivered complete with a dedicated selection of stash, including a tailor-made indoor dust cover to keep the motorcycle protected in style, as well as a high-grade Brabus exhibition carpet! Plus a leather ignition key cover and a carbon fibre key box containing one of 100 CNC-machined tabletop emblems for display.
“The Brabus 1400R is a completely new development with some exciting features like the new headlight unit that was completely developed here at Brabus, the raised exhaust system and the distinctive three-spoke wheel design,” says Brabus’ Business Development Manager and in-house motorcycle guy Tobias Grindel. “Everything now comes in glossy carbon fibre, and the wide-body styling gives the bike a truly bold and powerful look.
“We create modern, individual luxury by developing products with a wow factor that puts our customers in the spotlight.
“Our collaboration with KTM has been so successful because Brabus and KTM have a similar kind of mentality – we are totally passionate when it comes to developing new stuff to the ultimate level of performance and customer satisfaction. I think the bikes we’re building together are really cool, and very much have their own place in the market.
“As proven by the sell-out status of our previous models, the demand is definitely there for them, and we know from customers that they see us as the manufacturer of the bike. So, in the same way that if someone sees one of our cars they say, ‘That’s a Brabus – not a Mercedes S36; it’s a Brabus’… one of our bike customers says, ‘This isn’t a KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO – it’s a Brabus!’”
THE COMPETITION
KTM 1290 Super Duke R Ultimate / EVO Limited Edition – $45-$50k
1301cc LC8 V-twin, ~180–190hp, semi-active WP suspension, hyper-naked streetfighter.
Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP / SP2 – $60-$70k
1103cc Desmosedici V4, ~208hp, single-seat option, carbon components, electronics-rich hyper-naked.
MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Serie Oro – $85-$95k
998cc inline-four, ~208hp, ultra-light carbon bodywork, extreme hyper-naked.
2023 Brabus: same only different
As streetfighters go, the brooding, all-black Brabus 1300R Edition 23 is as mean as they come, more sinister than the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo lurking beneath all that carbon fibre. Climb onto the tall, plush 835mm seat and you get a definite sense of superiority. The wide tapered handlebar and beautifully mapped throttle let you carve through tight turns and traffic with ease. You feel in control – an effortless urban hotrod ready to outpace anything. Fire it up and the deep-throated rumble from the twin Brabus pipes gets the juices flowing. The tiltable TFT’s blood-red screen puts you in command of four riding modes from Rain to Track, plus six damping maps for the electronically adjustable WP Apex suspension and 10 steps of rear preload. Advanced lets you fine-tune damping; Auto adapts on the fly. Owners will have a ball experimenting.
The 1300R truly delivers on its menace, that fabulous engine both thrilling and accessible thanks to benchmark electronics. From 4000rpm it pulls cleanly with massive torque — 140Nm at 8000rpm — and an extra kick on the way to the 10,000rpm limiter. Third gear often does the job. Peak power? Almost irrelevant. Torque rules. It handles, too: WP suspension smooths rough patches in Comfort and tightens in Sport for serious grip from the Bridgestone S22s, especially when braking deep with Brembo Stylemas.
Yes, it’s a dressed-up Super Duke R Evo for twice the price. But if you want uber-rad styling, rarity and presence, the fact that the entire run of 290 sold out in minutes says it all.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type 75° V-twin, liquid-cooled, DOHC
Capacity 1350cc
Power 142kW (190hp)
Torque 145Nm
Fuel system EFI with ride-by-wire
Transmission 6-speed
Final drive Chain (525 X-Ring)
Exhaust Under-seat dual-pipe stainless system
CHASSIS
Frame Chromium-molybdenum steel trellis
Subframe: Cast aluminium with carbon elements
Front suspension WP APEX 48mm semi-active USD fork, 125mm travel
Rear suspension WP APEX semi-active monoshock, 140mm travel
Front brake Dual 320mm discs, 4-piston calipers
Rear brake 240mm disc, 2-piston caliper
ABS Cornering ABS + Supermoto mode
DIMENSIONS
Dry weight 200kg
Seat height 834mm
Wheelbase 1491mm
Fuel capacity 17.5L
WHEELS & TYRES
Wheels Forged alloy, 17-inch
Front tyre 120/70-17
Rear tyre 200/55-17
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 3.2sec
Top speed 270km/h
BUSINESS END
Price: TBC (100 units worldwide)
Contact: ktm.com/en-au
