KTM 1290 GT
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Touring.”
This month has all been about crunching the bigmiles, as me and five of mymates went touring in the Ardennes region for six days, which is a lovely little part of the world between France and Belgium which we meticulously planned down to the last detail. U sually I like to wing it by chucking a bag on and following the wind, but as I had five other reprobates on my tail I had to make a conscious effort to be organised…
And I was, which meant usually eating up about 250 miles a day, taking on some stunning rolling countryside of fast blats and smooth tarmac accompanied by some sweet curves – and I couldn’t have asked for a better bike for the j ob. We covered 1900 miles with only a day of light showers, but in every condition the 1290 GT was mega. What made it even better was the K TM PowerParts Tank Bag and Roll Bag I stuck on before I left which was all waterproof and the perfect capacity for all my dirty underwear, alongside the set of panniers I stuck on last month which j ust clip on nicely. To be honest, the only part of the bike I had a little issue with was the panniers, as they’re a little flimsy being plastic and my stupidly big Hulk-like hands had trouble getting the knack of opening the lock on a few occasions. O nce I mastered it though, they performed a dream, and I’m bloody happy I didn’t leave them at home, as they’re dead easy j ust to detach and use for sneaking a load of beer into your hotel room. The best part though? I had absolutely no idea I had them on! There’s no speed rating on them, which means they don’t bugger about with the aerodynamics of the 1290 GT, and no matter how fast we hammered the thing it made no difference to the stunning agility of the K TM – which is always a worry. Between us, I did clip ametal post in a supermarket car park with the panniers as well, and they didn’t crack, crumble or fall apart – j ust a scratch, which means they’re pretty damn durable.
I can’t give the bike enough credit though, as it really did show its worth on the long stints. Although it’s incredibly comfortable, it still has a slightly sporty riding position to remind you of its mental side, meaning going from sensible to stupid takes one little flick of the wrist, which is j ust what I like. Even the seat which I thought was q uite firmwas a delight, and having done 4 00 miles in one of the days I can vouch for the comfort, climbing off with both bum cheeks intact. Throw in Bluetooth connectivity, a comfort suspension mode and cruise control, and you have all the makings of an absolutely perfect mile muncher… well, besides the self-cancelling indicators which are a bit annoying as they went off a bit early in traffic. But maybe that’s j ust me being petty, I’d swap that out for a blipper any day of the week!
Since I’ve been back, the K TM has developed a little surge in the throttle which I need to get sorted ( hopefully it’s going back to K TM) , but it’s no biggie and it hasn’t spoiled the month at all – I’ll let you know what it is when I know. But, if you’re thinking about a European blast I’d definitely recommend the Ardennes region; it’s a perfect haven to go mad on two wheels with roads and history galore. And for going touring, I couldn’t think of a better bike to do it on than K TM’s 1290 GT. Comfortable, fast and ex citing? Ticks all my box es, and then some…