Top dash to slap-dash
Unwanted water ingress to the TFT dash halts progress on the 1290 GT
During my year’s ownership of the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT, I have been asked plenty of questions regarding its reliability. For the most part, it’s been spot on and I have happily reported on thousands of effortless miles, come rain or shine, between extended periods of lockdown. Having had the keys since February, it has wormed its way into my heart as one of my favourite road bikes. That said, whilst my love for the Austrian missile has grown, it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows. Since the first occurrence at 917 miles, there have been a handful of phantom warning light pop-ups on the 6.5in TFT dash. Although these were no real cause for concern, it’s not something I’ve experienced as frequently on any other bike. As well as this, the KTM stopped responding to the keyless fob altogether in the summertime – leaving me stranded. Simply fixed by disconnecting and reattaching the battery and then behaving well for the next 3000 miles or so, I was convinced the reliability problems were behind us. Unfortunately, less than a week on from my three-day,
‘The screen went blank as I was riding’
860-mile tour to the south coast (see previous update), it let me down again.
Riding to work the following Wednesday morning, the TFT dash stopped working, plunging the cockpit into darkness. Confused, pissed off and with the bike still running fine, I headed for home to consult KTM UK and discovered on the way that the quick-shifter and auto-blipper were also no longer operational.
It turns out the full-colour screen had experienced a small amount of water ingress. This then had a knock-on affect on the quickshifter.
KTM state that this is ‘an extremely rare occurrence on this model’ and that any bike with a valid warranty would have the issue remedied with a new dash, fitted by a dealer. Although it’s good to know this would be covered under warranty, it is a disappointing development in my time with the GT. For all of its impressive performance, touring ability and handling prowess, this should not happen on a 6500-mile-old bike costing £17,199.
When everything is working, the Super Duke GT is a fantastic package, but longer-term reliability outside of warranty is something to be considered.