MILE-EATING DUKE’S A SPORT SUPERSTAR
Known as The Beast, KTM’S 1290 Super Duke R is one of my favourite bikes. It’s a great-looking, beautifully handling, lightweight super-naked sportsbike with an awesome V-twin motor. So I was excited to get the opportunity to test this 1290 Super Duke GT.
The Austrian firm’s idea was to take the Super Duke R as a base, add the comfort and equipment needed for all-day riding, and create a genuine sports tourer.
KTMS have always stood apart aesthetically and this GT is no exception. It’s all sharp angles, big tank hump, big silencer and that trademark orange trellis frame. As this is a tourer it features multi-adjustable upswept handlebars.
Heated grips come as standard and there’s a large windshield which is easily adjustable in nine positions.
The footbrake and gearshift levers also have three positions to accommodate different boot sizes.
Hand guards are standard and the backlit switchgear works simply and intuitively alongside the excellent 6.5in TFT screen.
The dash holds all the information you could hope for, including tyre pressure monitoring, plus KTM’S My Ride navigation software and Bluetooth connectivity.
The GT also comes with integrated pannier mounts and there’s a range of luggage carriers available.
That distinctive tank holds an impressive 23 litres of fuel, and there’s cruise control and cornering lights.
So, everything is in place for a high-performance sports tourer. But what’s it like to ride? In a word, fantastic. That 1300cc twin is a superb motor, offering an incredible 175bhp but with refined delivery. Full power is available in both Road and Sport modes, with the latter providing it more instantaneously.
Rain reduces it by 100bhp and there’s also a Supermoto option, which allows the rear wheel to be locked while the ABS is still active on the front.
There’s also lean-sensitive traction control. Handling is excellent, aided by electronically adjusted semi-active WP suspension. Gear changing felt a tad stiff on my test bike, but that was a minor niggle, although the quickshifter clearly operates best in full Beast mode. Braking is as good as you’d expect from race-quality Brembo M50s – super powerful, sensitive and pleasingly progressive.
Overall, the GT is a superb piece of kit which you could certainly cover many miles on, but perhaps leaning a bit more towards the sports side than the touring.