‘It’s almost certainly the best street bike I’ve ever ridden’

of wheeling the KTM out of the MCN lock-up I was fully au fait with its switchgear and screen. No mean feat for a 50-something Luddite with a loathing of mobile phones.

On the move, too, I quickly feel at home. Though on face value a gruff and fearsome 175bhp beast, the GT is also manageable and respectably light; far less imposing and intimidating than a comparable four such as Kawasaki’s Z1000SX, BMW’s S1000XR or the big boxer R1250GS. Neutral and ‘just right’ in fact. But open the GT’s taps and it’s instantly revealed as incredibly rapid and surprisingly refined, too. Street mode delivers the full 175 ponies but with the response softened from the more instant Sport mode. Rain mode knocks it down to 100bhp. But all impress due to perfect fuelling and slick delivery. Instead, apart from the sheer thrill and ease of riding I concerned myself with the nuances of getting the mirrors and screen ‘just so’ and exploring the immense amount of information available on the dash. KTMs and yours truly have

‘With every mile that went by I grew more impressed’

never been easy bedfellows. I’ve often baulked at their garish, gruff character and been bemused by their dirt bike DNA and underwhelming build quality. That’s changing with this new GT. By the time I roll up at the Super Sausage I’m impressed, as expected, with its performance and ability, but I was blown away by its spec and refinement. Admittedly, the old GT had a lot but this new one has everything, from not just M50 Brembos, tailorable semi-active WP and the three-mode 175bhp power-plant, but also Bluetoothed TFT, USB point, heated grips, tyre pressure monitors, cornering lights, great screen and more. And best of all it all works brilliantly, seamlessly and intuitively. With every mile that

went by I grew more impressed. By the Cotswolds, having sampled every type of road, I’d run out of things to criticise and, two hours in and still comfortable, I was quickly coming to the conclusion that the GT was not just good, it was almost certainly the best street bike I’ve ever ridden.

And by Witney, out the other side of the honey-stoned garden of Gloucestershire and heading back via the A40 to the gridlock and grind of the likes of Buckingham, MK and Bedford, with even the tank range and Pirelli tyres still faultless, I’ve decided that, on the MCN 250 at least, there’s no other bike I’d rather be on. I honestly can’t praise it enough. That’s why it’s got five stars. But, yes there is a ‘but’. after the delightful dash of the B660 and back at base, I looked at the GT again and, at least to some degree, realise I’m still struggling. I’m struggling with all that orange, with its new nose, with its conspicuous lack of the kind of exquisite detailing, milled metal and tactile touches that set, certainly, a Ducati apart. I reflect on some of the stories of warped discs and leaking engines I’ve heard. And I ponder whether, with £17k to spend on a bike like this, I could find let alone enter a KTM dealer when I know I’d feel much more comfortable in one with Ducati or BMW over the door.

And there’s another thing, too. I just had a quick look on MCNBikesforsale and found a couple of low mileage, year-old GTs from as little as £11k . Those kind of residuals are terrifying and can’t be ignored. The bike, though, is brilliant.