KTM 1290 Superduke GT | First ride & Review

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@AntaresSQ01 10 ай бұрын

I have owned a 2015 BMW S1000XR, this bikes one and only real competitor, and I own a 2020 SDGT right now, same as this just a slightly different dash and some other tiny changes. For relevant context I've ridden an MT10, Tuono V4, I've ridden Tracer 9 both normal and GT, Ducati Multistrada 1260 and R1200GSA, i think these are the only bikes relevant for comparison Out of all these bikes the only 3 standout are the Tuono V4 and the 1290 GT and the S1000XR. The XR is the most well rounded in touring, performance, comfort and technology. The Tuono is the best performing and handling bike on this list The KTM is 95% the XR and 95% the tuono in one bike. It has niggles but it is by far the highest performance sport tourer and also one of the most capable tourers in general. The GT is a little more sporty riding position than the XR but for me it's still all day comfort, especially after changing the bar position to fit me and a new screen. It's got really good lower body protection, it's got smooth, non turbulent air flow, if a little loud. It's got by far the longest tank range out of all these bikes with the exception of the Enduro and GSA versions of the Multistrada and R1200GS (both of which have 30L tanks or there abouts) The GT, when trying to get somewhere has insane fuel consumption for a 1301cc V-twin, on country roads averaging 60mph, i can get as high as 60mpg, and the longest i've done on a single tank is 260 miles with 1.5 liter left in the tank. Then on the other hand, it's just as quick as the Tuono up to about 130-140mph, it has very very similar handling only a little bit slower than the Tuono due to weight, but a bit easier due to wider bars. The tuono's Öhlins Smart EC2.0 soaks up bumps like nobody's business whilst being extremely supportive, the KTM's is not quite that good but out of all the other bikes it's by far the best compromise between handling and comfort. The XR is harsher and not necessarily more supportive, the MT10 stock is straight up garbage on the front end, can't comment for SP, the Tracer 9 regular is horrific, the GT handles ok but can be very harsh over small rattly bumps and a bit wallowy, R1200GSA and Multistrada are both more comfort less performance. The GT is a good compromise between comfort, and the settings offer a wide "range" whereas something like the XR, difference between "Road" and "Dynamic" are mostly only felt under hard braking or very big bumps/drops. Stock the GT's gearing is incredibly long, allowing for 193mph in 6th gear at redline, this is obviously impossibly high and if you drop below 60mph in 6th, accelerating shakes the whole bike, so gearing down at least a tooth on the front or 2-3 up on the rear is a must for long term ownership, makes the bike that little bit more bonkers. 24:55 Reliability... There is not many around and people like to parrot what they see online... These bikes are extremely reliable once they're past their first 5000 or so miles. It seems there are a lot of "initial failures" which is good because that's covered by warranty and you'll be sorted out. KTM dealers are pretty decent as a whole, better than most japs, not quite BMW levels. Once they're past that initial 5000 or so miles trouble free they'll practically survive forever. I personally know 2 GT owners both with over 50k miles on their bikes issue free. 99% of electronics issues with the bike are from loose battery connections and generally low batteries, this is because the bike has a very "strict" self diagnostic routine and even having as low as 11.9-12.1V on the battery (which would be fine for most analogue bikes to get started and work) will throw all sorts of errors on the KTM. The engine itself is bulletproof and has been for years, the components (suspension, brakes, control modules) are also faultless as they're either all high quality off the shelf parts that are used on many other brand's bikes or they've had years to refine them (the GT's chassis has been in use since 2013) I myself have never had any issues apart from the aforementioned phantom error codes as a result of weak battery. Tl:dr: Arguably the best sport touring bike on the market by some margin, can be a little pricey.

@britboybike_adventures3813 10 ай бұрын

Really appreciate the time you took to write this comment. I’m curious, how did you feel about the MT10? I guess what were the reasons you weren’t happy with it? So far it’s the bike that’s blew me away the most so interested to hear your thoughts. I did really like the SDGT, but I did find the engine quite snatchy which I guess gives it character in my eyes. Interesting about the reliability. You going to upgrade to the new model?

@AntaresSQ01 10 ай бұрын

@@britboybike_adventures3813 I've had a 2022 base model MT-10 with me as a loaner for about 1000 miles with 2700 miles on the clock when I got it. Mind you this is the old gen and the new one has improvements, but on a short test ride I took the new one on it felt 95% the same in terms of handling and engine character, if anything the old was a little more "vivid", brakes and suspension are basically the same between the new and old model and they're my 2 biggest concerns. The brakes on the MT10 are ok when you use them occasionally, and I didn't believe what people were saying about the R1 brakes being incredibly bad, but god damn, I almost went off the road when at the end of the long straight in my local twisties I pulled the brakes and they basically didn't work... I'm sure pads can fix it but even outside of the insane fade they are very spongy and have a wooden feel, especially when compared to the quality stuff on the XR and the even better stuff on the Tuono and SDGT (they both run Brembo M50s and MCS cylinders). The second issue I had with the MT10 was suspension/handling. Apparently it's got the chassis from an R1 but yamaha just can't do front ends... With the exception of the Tracer 9 which is actually fairly nosy, all their bikes have incredibly vague front end feel, The bike I had was on fairly fresh Bridgestone S22s so quality tyre, and I set the sag up, damping, even tried playing around with fork height and I could just not get rid of the feeling that the front end wants to tuck under at mid-low speed corners (say under 30-35 mph) especially as you trail off the brakes, it feels like it just wants to drop. The back end of the bike is incredible, and when on the gas, or going left to right without braking it's very nice but I hate a bike with a bad front end, you can't catch a front end slide unless you're Marquez but a loose back end is easier to deal with. Also very well balanced for acceleration, getting power down but also doing easy wheelies, really fun in that regard. Another 2 smaller pain points is the electronics on that old model which doesn't really apply as it has the same stuff as on the Tracer 9 and MT09 which are fairly good if not quite up there with the Europeans, but the previous gen was horrible. It doesn't catch sideways slides at all, which is not an issue if you know what you're doing but fairly unnerving when exiting a muddy car park, with traction control on max, and the back end just goes out, forcing me to catch it myself before TC did anything. Same for the ABS, it's very abrupt and not "fine", not normally an issue but can be felt when you're nowhere near slipping the front and pushing harder into twisties. It sort of "ratchets" a click or 2 before giving you full braking when getting on the brakes hard. Lastly fuel consumption.... Holy mother of... I'm not a cheapskate, but when the lights came on at 85 miles on a 17L tank, and I was like "maybe it's just an early light, i should be fine until 110-120" Then ended up PUSHING THE BIKE at 98 miles...... I knew I can't afford this bike in the long term... I do about 15-20k miles a year on my bikes so even though fuel consumption and range are not normally a concern on a bike for me, this drank damn near double what my XR did and it wasn't any quicker... When looking at the type of riding I do, which is lots of fast twisties but also touring (the MT10 does have a touring version with soft panniers and tall windscreen) and looking at the value proposition... It's just a no brainer... Even now a good condition old Gen MT10 is in the region of 7-8k which is ludicrous when you can get a fully loaded Gen 2 1290 GT with 3 boxes and all electronics for 9.5-10k. Even the Gen 1 1290GT is "Smarter" and has more electronics whilst being 90% the same bike as the Gen 2 and those can be had for as little as 6.5k. I loved the engine and the noise on the MT10 but I like the noise equally on the SDGT with a can, the shorter gearing actually removes the snatchiness a surprising amount and all around becomes smoother and quicker, chain tension is also very finicky on the SDGT, the marks on the swingarm are OK, but really you wanna stay between t he middle and the lower mark for smooth shifts and no drivetrain lash. I don't have any plans to upgrade, I don't think KTM are bringing the 1390 version of the GT until like 2025 and due to the miles I do on my bikes I usually run them until they start matching the cheapest examples on the market so they still have some residual value, but for now the GT seems like a keeper. I was toying with the idea of trading in my 1290 because insurance basically didn't want to insure me next year, offering me no insurance, then 2 months back they were saying like 2.5k a year for TP only but as i'm nearing my renewal it seems to be going back to normal. The only 2 bikes i'd have considered trading this in for is strictly the Tuono V4, and that strictly for 1 year to scratch that itch for an amazing dailyable sport bike, or a GSA as I want to dabble in more off road and it was a great bike whilst significantly cheaper in insurance and to pick up too, sort of a "side-downgrade".

@britboybike_adventures3813 10 ай бұрын

@@AntaresSQ01 you should be a KTM salesman, I'm half tempted to take the 1290 out again based on your recommendation😂. Appreciate the feedback thank you and safe riding!

@AntaresSQ01 10 ай бұрын

@@britboybike_adventures3813 I'm not trying to sell the bike just my experience with it haha, it entirely depends on your budget. If you have 8k in your pocket a Gen 1 S1000XR is probably a better buy than a Gen 1 SDGT, if you have 10 grand in your pocket, it's 50-50, if you have 11-12 grand, a nice Gen 2 1290 SDGT is a better bike than the Gen 2 XR imo, pick and choose your poison.

@britboybike_adventures3813 10 ай бұрын

@@AntaresSQ01 😉I watched couple of your videos, didn’t think the XR sounded that good!