Brabus 1300R motorcycle | Brabus 1300R bike review

“Hey guys, you would never guess what has just landed on our floor…. AND NO YOU CAN’T RIDE IT, but you can come have a look at it and take a few pics.” was how the call started we got from Mike Collier at Linex Sandton. Turns out, they have a ‘Too Rare To Ride’ Brabus 1300R on their floor for sale. We featured an international story on the revealing of this bike back when we were still in print – so we were intrigued and decided to go have a gander anyways.

Yes, we know it is basically a tarted up KTM 1290 Super Duke, the TFT display still has the KTM branding on it as does the WP Apex suspension, but that is not a bad thing and speaks to the quality of its underpinnings and brutal power and scalpel like handling. The difference is, much like with their Mercedes and Porsche conversions, they take a mass production machine, keep all the really good stuff and then replace everything else with their own very limited in-house bespoke handcrafted bits and bobs and turn them into one of a kind machines. In the case of the Brabus 1300R there were and will only ever be 25 of these particular Diamond White models ever, the other 25 are in Onyx Black.

However, unlike with the Merc’s and the GT Volla’s, they didn’t modify the power and the handling. Flip, can you imagine an even wilder, more powerful, more adrenaline pumping Super Duke? As it is KTM has added baskets full of electronics to make these Beasts less terrifying to ride for us mere mortals. Where they spent their time, efforts and money was on the cosmetics and a few upgrades here and there. It stills kicks out 180HP, (132KW) and 140 NM of torque and it will clock 100kmh in a mere 3,2 seconds….

Where the price starts to click up is the R50k odd value Akrapovic exhaust has been replaced with a very sexy and even sexier sounding bespoke Brabus exhaust, and note the removable DB killer. This bike was designed to be ridden in anger. We are not sure what the RRP would be on that, but we can assume, being a bespoke hand built unit by Brabus, it is going to be way, way…. way more than the Akra.

Eyeball those deliriously beautiful ‘Gold Platinum’ CNC’d light-weight 17-inch BRABUS Monoblock Z forged wheels. A set of carbon BST rims, which by Brabus standards are effectively mass produced, due to set you back about R80k a set for this bike, we can’t even begin to imagine what these units would cost. Even the valves and valve caps are by Brabus.

Still hanging around the bottom of the 1300R are the Brabus bespoke CNC’d billet rearsets, brake and clutch lever by Gilles with adjustable positioning dependent on the size of your riding boot. And this is where the first bit of the most high quality carbon fibre work appears, as the heel guard on the rear sets.

The rear wheel hugger and integrated chain guard are of the same high quality and beautifully crafted carbon fibre, as is the inlay on the single sided swingarm. Move forward to that magnificently powerful motor and you will find more uniquely rare bespoke carbon fibre covers as you keep moving forward to the carbon fibre belly scoop.

Trying to keep focused down the bottom end still, (there is just sooo much to attract your eye upwards!). Continuing forward is the stunningly gorgeous front fender capped off on either side by sculpted carbon fibre ducts directing air onto the brake discs, a case of form meets function elegantly.

Are you bored of us waxing lyrical and overusing words like beautiful, gorgeous, stunning – well too bad, because here comes a whole lot more as we start moving up the front of the bike. In the words of the classics, “Brace yourself Sheila…”

That headlight is also crowned by the same beautifully sculpted carbon fibre. This is where we think Brabus cheated a little bit and rebadged a Husqvarna headlight. Not that that is a bad thing, and it does look really good – but also gives one a bit of insight into what a 1301 Vitpilen might have looked like had Husqvarna gone that route.

They could have put a bit more effort into making that TFT dash a bit more of a “Brabus Experience” for the rider. Everybody else gets to enjoy the beauty of the Brabus 1300R as it cruises past, why not give the rider a Brabus dash to appreciate while they ride? Other than the Brabus logo animating as you switch the bike on, everything else is still OEM – not the bespoke expectation the owners will have paid for. Gripes are over – back to the lyrical waxing again.

Two huge and aggressively styled scoops are on either side of the tank with the ‘frozen gold’ inlays and the ‘Brabus 1300R’ badging on each, complimenting the carbon fibre tank cover very nicely. This is where you find the majority of this bike’s uniqueness as well as its value. No it’s not all the bespoke Brabus CNC machined bits like the triple clamp or the fluid reservoirs or even the bespoke Brabus levers and Brabus bar end mirrors. No, No, No siree bob – it is the almost ‘shy’ little badge at the apex of the tank, almost hiding under the triple clamp denoting this particular machine as number 1 of only 25 ever built.

Genesis – the very first one!

All the other 24 are but mere copies of this bike and why owning this bike is a very worthwhile investment. In our humble opinion this bike should be locked up in a bullet proof glass case, somewhere secure like a museum. Any machine, car, bike, plane, boat with the provenance proving it to be the very first is vastly more desirable to collectors than any other similar machine! Everything else on this Brabus 1300R almost pales compared to possibly the cheapest bit of bling on this bike….. What was that passage in the Bible? “The least of you shall be first” or something along those lines.

Flowing over the top of the Brabus 1300R towards the rear is the diamond stitched bespoke seat which is also heated for some reason. That seems a bit redundant, not just under the hot African sun, but how the heck is warming your bum going to keep your fingers or your toes warm riding in the frigid northern hemisphere winters, where most of these bikes have been sold, on a naked bike?

Underneath that is the very sexy and gorgeously sculpted carbon fibre tailpiece with frozen gold Brabus branding on it and the whole lot is highlighted in that beautiful diamond white paintwork. There is no denying it, the Brabus 1300R is unbelievably beautiful no matter which angle you look at it and is possibly the most cost effective way to own a bit of Brabus artistry. You will most certainly be the “Talk of the Town” arriving at any motorcycling event on this machine – who else would have the genesis, number one, the original, the first of a model line from a very well respected and hugely sought after and aspirational brand like Brabus – you would be one of one in the world.

We headed this article with, “Brabus 1300R…. Too Rare To Ride???” in a bit of a tongue in cheek manner, but do we believe it is really “Too Rare To Ride”?

Well, just that one little innocuous add on makes us give a very big and resounding “HELL YEAH!!!!”

We reckon Linex Sandton is possibly short changing themselves by offering it for sale around the R800K mark.

For your edification here is a list of all the extras Brabus has ladeled onto this bike as well as a list of features on this spectacular, very special, exceptionally rare, very valuable and collectable motorcycle, (copied and pasted from their website just to make sure we don’t miss anything):

BRABUS headlight mask

BRABUS air ducts

Carbon front fender

Carbon inlet for brake ventilation

BRABUS carbon belly pan

Carbon undertray with BRABUS Signature Stripes

BRABUS custom-made heated seat with “Diamond Rising” quilting pattern

BRABUS CNC-machined triple clamp

BRABUS CNC-machined adjustable front brake and clutch lever

BRABUS CNC-machined reservoirs and oil tank caps

BRABUS CNC-machined adjustable racing footpegs

Quick turn throttle twist grip