2017 Bikesales Bike of the Year: KTM 1290 Super Duke GT

There are sportstourers, and then there’s the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT – the most muscular form of the genre. Based on the 1290 Super Duke R hypernaked, the GT is a phenomenally robust machine, in no small part thanks to that booming 1301cc V-twin.

Bikesales first rode the 2017 model GT earlier this year on a fairly short and gentle ride in the Blue Mountains, but it was enough to convince us that it had the gravitas to be crowned number one sportstourer in the 2017 Bikesales Bike of the Year (BOTY) Awards.

So we already knew we were onto something before the four-day BOTY ride began, but what the GT delivered on highways, byways, country roads and mountain passes over the four days was truly impressive.

Unfortunately, what wasn’t so inspiring was the truck driver with the disqualified licence who veered onto our side of the road in the final stages of the BOTY ride, which proved to be an impossible object for one of our riders to miss while he was on the GT. What’s more, the tipper and dog should never have been on such a narrow, twisty road. Stupidity on a number of levels – which is why it's now being dealt with by our justice system...

That’s minor consolation for our rider and mate, Robbo, who sustained three breaks to his pelvis in the incident, as well as severe ligament damage to his right knee. He now faces months of painful rehabilitation, while the massive hole in the crankcase on the GT means it will be a write-off. The panniers are in a million bits as well, if someone wants to piece them back together…

A sobering incident, but in no way an indictment of the GT – it steers with lots of deftness, but the laws of physics come with limitations!

Price and equipment
The Super Duke R has KTM’s ‘Ready to Race’ mantra written all over it, which provides an ideal reference point for the GT’s performance capabilities.

The GT has a phenomenally robust 173hp/144Nm engine with massive 56mm throttle bodies, and the punch off the bottom is sensational – more on that soon. In comparison, the R’s donk is good for 177hp/141Nm.

KTM does electronics as well as anyone these days, and the $26,995 GT has both switchable traction control and ABS, and there’s also a supermoto mode on ABS that allows rear wheel lock-up for the really adventurous. There’s a uni-directional (up) quickshifter as well, which delivers a nice ‘pop’ under harder acceleration. Brembo monobloc brakes and a trellis frame complete the chassis offering.

Other than Sport, are two other ride modes on the ride-by-wire GT: Street, which also produces the full power kick, and Rain. which has a less aggressive power delivery and limits output to a 100hp ceiling.

The lean-angle-sensitive traction-control settings are metered to the different ride modes, and the system can also be deactivated completely. The ABS operates under the same Motorcycle Stability Control umbrella as traction, and as well as the aforementioned 'Supermoto' mode it can be disengaged entirely. Well, it is a performance sportstourer, with a single-sided swingarm and steering damper also a part of the mix.

Touring features include a seven-position adjustable screen, LED cornering lights, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, semi-active WP suspension, panniers and a 23-litre tank.

Master blaster
In sports mode you do really forget you’re on a sportstourer as the corners are stitched together with such flair and poise – until the tempo goes back to normal and you realise you’re on a bike that’s all-day comfortable. And there’s plenty of space to move around as well, so there’s none of that sportsbike claustrophobia.

KTM’s 1301cc engine seemingly can’t do wrong, whether it’s in naked, adventure or, in the GT’s case, sportstouring mode. It’s a giant killer, and even in the less aggressive Street mode on the GT there’s still one hell of a kick.

The GT chewed on average of 7.12lt/100km on the four-day ride, so you’re looking at around 300km between fuel stops.

On the touring front, the hand-adjustable screen provides a decent level of protection, but the mirrors are very vibey when speeds hot up.

The overall ride quality is excellent, though – which you might find incongruous when you first sit on it. The seat feels too firm and the chassis too stiff when contact is first made, but the comfort levels don’t fall away after that – it really is the ergonomic king.

Multiple days in the saddle also allow plenty of tinkering time, and the dash is functional without providing an aesthetic punch – that will most probably come in the next update when the GT gets a Super Duke R-like TFT screen.

There’s no heated grips button on the switchblocks and you have to press a few buttons to adjust the settings or turn them off. It's the same pattern to get to the WP suspension adjustment, where damping can be changed on the fly but you have to be at a standstill to adjust preload.

KTM and WP suspension are so finely tuned to each other’s needs these days (it is a KTM subsidiary, after all), and the setup on the Super Duke GT bears testament to this – the boingers are excellent across a wide variety of applications, but most importantly aren’t too soft in tight and tough situations, even with the extra weight from a beefier sub-frame (compared to the Super Duke R) and the panniers.

Probably the biggest bugbear on the GT is the sidestand, which is too short, has too much of a shallow angle, and is hard to latch onto with your foot. The footpegs are a little too small as well, but easily fixable with a dig into the KTM PowerParts catalogue.

Summing up
The versatility of the GT is its major attraction. You can be super comfortable on the one hand with the excellent ergonomics, but then with the click of a few buttons get some aggression out of the system. And it will oblige, down to those Brembo monobloc brakes.

The GT does both sports and touring absolute justice, and that’s without a hint of exaggeration. It’s an all-day bike that just delivers.

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SPECS: 2017 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
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate, slipper style
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Chromoly steel trellis
Front suspension: WP inverted 48mm semi-active fork
Rear suspension: WP semi-active monoshock shock
Front brakes: Dual 320mm discs with four-piston, radial-mount, monobloc calipers
Rear brake: Single 240mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Tyres: Pirelli Angel GT – 120/70ZR17 front; 190/55ZR17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 205kg
Seat height: 835mm
Wheelbase: 1482mm
Fuel capacity: 23 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $26,995 (plus on-roads)
Colours: Grey or orange
Warranty: Two years/unlimited kilometres
Bike supplied by: KTM Australia