2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT review

Name: 2016 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT review
Brand: KTM

How does the Super Duke GT handle Aussie roads? Quickly...

Uh-oh – KTM has softened and fattened its gnarly Super Duke R and called it a 'tourer'... Well, that's what could have happened, except that KTM is masterful at carrying its company mantra throughout its entire range, and while 'Ready to Race' may not seem appropriate for something with a 350km-odd range and heated grips, it still applies. It's a good tourer, but don't be thinking the 1290 GT is less of an animal than the Super Duke R it's based upon.

Yes, KTM has added a big tank, a big seat and a big-ish screen to its nutcase naked, but the list of detail touches are less obvious to look at but just as crucial in changing its focus.

The engine, for instance, is still that edgy 1301cc V-twin, but revised engine management, a quickshifter, a headlight cornering system, heated grips, a beefier rear end to handle the optional panniers (the mounts are there already) and a very easily adjustable screen mean you can rail your corners and enjoy your comfort too.

This bike will have you yelling in your helmet as you carve its name through the curves, but also thanking the electronics gods as you dial in your cruise control setting and rumble away the boring kilometres in style and comfort, before resuming active duty at the next set of bends.

As addictive as a KTM's angry LC8 engine is, bad manners can become a thorn in your boot if you have to deal with it on big riding days. A combination of tougher Euro4 emissions regs and the evolution of the LC8 has resulted in an engine that is even smoother and gentler to use, but without losing its character – the reason the engine is so addictive in the first place.

The fly-by-wire throttle is gentler when first opening it from closed, with more progressive response right through the range, across all the riding modes. Don't think for a minute that the bike is 'mellow', though – it's just that the access to the claimed 127kW of power (at 9500rpm) and the all-important 144Nm of torque (at 6750rpm) is an easier bridge to cross.

You can thrust the bike between corners on medium throttle settings at high pace, or you can ride the throttle like a hyperactive monkey – the bike will do both. The one area of compliance the LC8 still lacks is trying to grunt it up to speed from low in the rev-range – it can get lumpy below 4000rpm if you push the rider-friendliness too far – but it spins so happily you don't feel you're stressing the bike out by riding it up there.

In fact, the bike is so capable at being mellow, it's possible to forget the weapon you have in your hands as a set of twisties approaches. Then, in whichever mode you choose, but particularly in Sport, the bike just livens right up out of corners, and you think, "Oh that's right, this thing punches hard!".

There's an excellent electronics package with one of the best traction controls on the market. This is because it's so unobtrusive in how it works, and it allows you to ride it naturally, without bringing a big stick to quell any of the antics a powerful bike gets up to on a spirited ride.

I do still find the KTM menu system laborious, however. BMW's button system is superior in my opinion – on the KTM you need to scroll through menus to find items such as the heated grips, something I'd much rather a dedicated button for. Yes, you can set up a Favourites menu, but it still requires a few button pushes to adjust.

Part of the reason it feels relatively hard to find what you want, however, is that there is so much to choose from. The GT comes fully loaded – which is reflected in the retail price ($26,995 plus on-roads).

The tyre-pressure monitoring system, for instance, is the kind of safety device I wish would take hold of the market like ABS and TC has. Knowing you are losing pressure in one tyre as you ride is knowledge I want to have before catastrophe strikes, and many of us have discovered a flat tyre only when moving after, having not spotted it when the bike was parked.

The heated grips are magic in winter, though as mentioned would be better if they came with a dedicated switch. The right-hand switchblock is huge; it seems bare without another switch or two.

The cruise control is gold for long trips, though I do find it super rigid when it comes to keeping the selected speed – it tries to keep you on exactly that figure, resulting in the bike behaving abruptly at times as the engine management attempts to fine-tune the touring pace a little too. Opening the parameters would otherwise allow it to work really well.

The quickshifter may seem an odd addition to a touring bike, but this is a KTM touring bike, and quickshifters sound awesome and are fun, so why not? It works best at higher engine speeds and offers a satisfying MotoGP-spec 'pop pop' in use. At lower speeds I found shifting conventionally more satisfying.

While the electronics are full-house, there are many other features to love on a bike built for touring at speed. The adjustable screen, for instance, is easy to manoeuvre on the fly. No knobs, just push it away from you, push up or down, then pull back towards you. Up for freeway, down for twisty…

While the above features are excellent, there are other bikes that offer like-wise. The difference with the KTM is that it doesn’t stop there – the riding position is adjustable through the 'bars and foot controls, both hand levers are span adjustable and the LED cornering lights are excellent additions.

I tried out the lights on the intensely hair-pinned Galston Gorge (NSW) at night, and where the low-speed hairpins offered a surprise every time you turned blindly into one on other bikes, the KTM's extra illumination certainly made it less of a guess as to where the corner ended. At higher speeds it is less effective, but worth having and I look forward to seeing that technology develop as it has with four-wheelers.

So with all those features, the bike has become cumbersome, right? No. No it hasn't.

KTM claims a dry weight of 205kg, just 16kg more than the Super Duke R – it feels like a bicycle relative to other touring bikes.

Weight is one thing, but KTM has again been masterful in how it has sprung that measly mass. The geometry remains as it is for the Super Duke R, and the semi-active WP suspension in Sport mode has been mirrored to the Super Duke R's own lofty standards.

While Comfort mode allows the Suspension Control Unit to keep things at the Touring end of the spectrum, selecting Sport mode means you have a missile between your legs in the corners.

Semi-active suspension seems the thing of witches and warlocks, but the speed of the computer processors these days allows the computer to control the damping in near-real time. Hit a set of road zits and the bike noticeably calms down the further through them you progress.

It's magic stuff and I can only imagine what it will be like in 10 years. Back in 2006, some manufacturers were still having trouble working out how to make shock linkages work properly...

This kind of versatility is the GT's biggest drawcard. You can set up the screen, 'bars, footpegs and levers to be super comfortable in Comfort mode en route to your favourite twisties then, when you get there, switch to Sport mode on the fly to have what is near on a sportsbike at your disposal (albeit a very comfortable one!).

Minor niggles aside, the character, devastating performance, extensive included extras list and sheer versatility of the KTM Super Duke GT is hard not to recommend. KTM's reputation as a fire-breathing company remains intact with this bike, but the ability to smother those traits with rider-friendliness, travel big kays in comfort, yet retain ride day abilities (yep, I'd take this to a ride day any time) is impressive.

If the young rider in you sits not far below the surface of your older, wiser self, then this bike is the scratch to that itch that's been bothering you. It can be wild or mild, sometimes both at the same time, and its progression from the Super Duke R is marked and well directed.

It is priced at the upper end of the spectrum but the value is there because it wants for nothing. If you still need to throw money at it, you can go nuts with the KTM PowerParts catalogue, but even dead standard it will take a new owner six months to truly use and know all that the bike comes packaged with.

There is some impressive competition in this area in the form of Ducati's Multistrada range (starting from $23,990) and the cheaper Aprilia Caponord (from $20,000), and both marques have longer road-bike credentials. But when you see the build quality of the KTM and eye off its spec sheet, you know you have something worthy of a place in your garage. Not that it would stay there much...

SPECS: KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT

ENGINE

Type: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve V-twin

Capacity: 1301cc

Bore x stroke: 108mm x 71mm

Compression ratio: 13.2:1

Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE

Claimed maximum power: 173hp at 9500rpm

Claimed maximum torque: 144Nm at 6750rpm

TRANSMISSION

Type: Six-speed