2018 KTM Super Duke GT
New-old-stock bikes are cheaper than some used examples!
Power 173bhp @ 9500rpm Dry weight 205kg Price £11,799
YOU’RE AFTER A new KTM Super Duke GT. Good choice. But wait. Before you lay down £16,799 on the 2019 version, know this: You can have a brand-new SDGT with zero miles and a two-year factory warranty for £5K less.
How so? Because manufacturers don’t want last year’s unsold models taking up space on showroom floors — not when there’s the latest range to flog. KTM offers some huge savings on new-old-stock machines; in the case of its superb 2018 Super
Duke GT, we’re talking as much as 27% cheaper than list price. In cold, hard cash that’s £4500 less than 2018 RRP and £5K cheaper than the current model sells for.
Because of this, used values of 2018 bikes are a little up in the air but right now, there are used bikes with a good few thousand miles on them being advertised for more than new discounted ones. Buy the right one and you’re laughing all the way to the bank. Ride it for six months and it’s feasible you could lose nothing at all.
It gets better. Aside from the hefty saving and the satisfaction of riding away on a box-fresh machine, you also — and this is the really sweet bit — have the chance to get the latest model’s best new feature added to your bike for FREE, aside for a small labour charge. That is the 2019 semi-active suspension software, a noticeable improvement over the standard ’18 set-up. So, it begs the question, why would you pay £16,799 for the latest SDGT when you can get an equally unused previous model with the new bike’s best feature — for free — for £5000 less?
There’s little to separate the ’18 and ’19 bikes in terms of ride, too, especially after the earlier bike’s software has been tweaked. Grunt is the motor’s middle name and, allied to a chassis dripping with top quality componentry, the SDGT delivers the agile and accurate handling of a pure-bred sportsbike with the poise,
comfort and versatility of a tourer. It really is the best of all worlds.
While the 2019 bike’s overhaul has undoubtedly honed the proposition further, its improvements (brighter LED lights, better aerodynamics and weather protection, updated instruments and a smidge more power) are not five grand better, or worth that hit in depreciation after only a couple of years, for that matter.
The bike you see in these pics, kindly loaned to us by Swansea KTM, is even easier on the pocket. It’s an as-new 2018 SDGT with only 1835 miles on the clock (so basically run-in), still under manufacturer warranty up at just £9999. That’s £6300 less than the original list price and £6800 cheaper than a 2019 model. It’s taken the whole of the depreciation hit before you’ve bought it — how good is that?
Buy smart, like this, and you’ll not only get to enjoy the complete new-bike experience with all the confidence and back-up that entails, you’ll also still be quids-in when it comes to trade in for your next bike. Deals like this really are a no-brainer — you’re buying a new bike with 90% of the depreciation already accounted for.