Bike Six: KTM Superduke 1290GT

[Matt]

Picked it up this morning. Bike Five, the lovely R1250GS, went in part exchange. So far I've done 40 miles and had just a lovely time. I must say I am glad to be back in the same power territory as the K again. It feels a bit K-like in some ways I'll have to think more on how to explain properly.

The engine sounds lovely, and really gets going further up the revs. Very quiet though, but then compared to the K that just has the cat in the can, this has that whole gubbins under the belly.

Overtakes are back into K territory! One...two...threefourfive cars weeee! Suspension firmer than the GS but one would expect as much. I've yet to move it out of Comfort for suspension. And it's in Street for power delivery or whatnot, so lots to explore still!

It felt pretty good having panniers and top box on and it still feeling like a mentalist.

[chriscanning]

Bit of a culture shock from a GS, and that's just the bike...wait till you get into the website.

Here's mine/ours... bought it 19.

For some reason... it won't post hey ho.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rv6kihxuxx12eio/2021-08-19%2009.59.39.jpg?dl=0


Still no photo just the link grrrrr

MotoHooligan airbox/PC/Carbon Dymags


What does take some getting used too....gone are the days of trundling in top gear these things won't look at 6th much under 80mph.










 

[black-k1]

That looks superb. (Other than the horrendous top box)! 

Please keep us updated with your experiences of the bike.

[Matt]

Haha thanks man . The top box is flipping huge! I was hoping they made a smaller one! It was on the bike already so I'm not as much to blame as with the GS where I added one :p. I expect I'll stick to the panniers purely from an idiot aesthetic side of things though!

[Phmode]

It seems rather, erm, Orange Matt. Or Matt Orange...

[richtea]

As a lapsed Laverdista orange is the correct colour for a fast bike.
It's also the most visible in terms of safety.

I'm jealous. A good purchase, Matt. 

[farmer]

tidy looking outfit ...fair play to you.
nobody said it matches your hair so i won't either.... just thought mine does too but mines grey....the bike that is...as well

[Matt]

tidy looking outfit ...fair play to you.
nobody said it matches your hair so i won't either.... just thought mine does too but mines grey....the bike that is...as well

You're right, it's a heck of a strawberry blonde bike!

[Matt]

Bit of a culture shock from a GS, and that's just the bike...wait till you get into the website.

Here's mine/ours... bought it 19.

For some reason... it won't post hey ho.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rv6kihxuxx12eio/2021-08-19%2009.59.39.jpg?dl=0


Still no photo just the link grrrrr

MotoHooligan airbox/PC/Carbon Dymags


What does take some getting used too....gone are the days of trundling in top gear these things won't look at 6th much under 80mph.

Looks good. Who did you use for the decat? If I can avoid going the PC route I'll be happy. Garage said something about a map they'd do if I decay but unsure if he wasn't just getting confused with the flap eliminator.

I went out for a loop today and it's still awesome! Seems stronger than the K in the 50+ acceleration but it's been a couple of years so I could be imagining it. Ah internet says both about 140Nm so must just be wherever I am in the power band!

I love how I still have a bike that's happy to trundle through 30s. The noise definitely catches attention, the GS used to do the same but from people at bus stops, which I assume implies it sounded like a bus turning up!

The dash is rather fancy. It has the well known 'feature' of switching between day/night mode too easily with no ability to lock it one way or the other, but otherwise it shows everything. And I mean... almost everything. 4 'favourite' slots on each side of the screen so we can see trip info, temp info, tyre pressure and phone status constantly. On the BMW one had to cycle through a single field at the top of the screen. It also has the programmable shift 'light' as part of the display, configurable to light up and then flash at whatever rpms. Pretty fun!

Oh, and the quickshifter is very much superior to the GS one. Maybe not quite as good as the S1000RR but not far off. At bumbling speeds it does a nice lazy soft change, whereas when going for it the thing snicks up nice and tight. Even 1st to 2nd is lovely (and the manual says yes it's fine). It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.

Only fly so far is they didn't fit the seat stealing sensors when they added the alarm, so going back at some stage to sort that. At present whenever I arm the alarm it does a BOOP to remind me it can't keep my seats safe :/.

[chriscanning]

Biggest surprise you’ll have is the KTM website 😜 the decat was Bodis.

[richtea]

It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.

I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.

The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. 

[black-k1]

Great to hear you're really enjoying the bike Matt. When I've ridden them I've always found them to be great fun and pretty easy to ride fast or slow.

The sad thing is that I think they highlight how poor BMW twin development is. I've not tried the latest 1250 engine but the KTM knocks all the previous boxers into a cocked hat and given the on=paper specs of the 1250, it would appear the KTM engine is not really in danger of being caught, never mined superseded.

It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.

I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.

The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. 

And just for Rich - a glossary ...

Decat - removal of the catalytic converter.
Flap -eliminator - removal of the valve in the exhaust.
Decay - (in this context!) mis-typed decat.
Seat stealing - alarm sensor that activates if the seat is removed.

[Matt]

Great to hear you're really enjoying the bike Matt. When I've ridden them I've always found them to be great fun and pretty easy to ride fast or slow.

The sad thing is that I think they highlight how poor BMW twin development is. I've not tried the latest 1250 engine but the KTM knocks all the previous boxers into a cocked hat and given the on=paper specs of the 1250, it would appear the KTM engine is not really in danger of being caught, never mined superseded.

It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.

I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.

The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. 

And just for Rich - a glossary ...

Decat - removal of the catalytic converter.
Flap -eliminator - removal of the valve in the exhaust.
Decay - (in this context!) mis-typed decat.
Seat stealing - alarm sensor that activates if the seat is removed.

Thanks

I agree, I hope BMW have some medium term plans, but I also hope their approach to vvt gets changed, especially now I see what KTM can do without resorting to electric motors in the heads.

Richard, all the other bikes I've had have pretty much stayed stock other than my well known dalliance with 'that exhaust' . What's driving my present thinking is a mix of EU<pick a number> bikes being ever quieter just as I get one that makes nice noise, and low-level retail therapy disease.

Although if we consider bar raisers fiddling then I did that on the GS and reserve the right to do that here too! And maybe a large ugly screen!

And a fridge.

[chriscanning]

I never understood the fiddling gene. 

Really 😳 motorcycles are built to two parameters price and the TUV, it’s then up to the manufactures to persuade you that it’s bike for you.

[Matt: Fixed quotes so we aren't putting Richard's words in my mouth!]

[Matt]

It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.

I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.

The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. 

On the slipper clutch, I am still giggling every time I drop it down into 1st and don't get thrown about like a crash test dummy!

And after some days I think I was getting ahead of myself, as I am wont to do with new shiny things. In actuality and as has probably been already alluded to, I should and will just ride (and also stand and stare at) the thing for at least a spring season before doing owt bar maybe bar risers. Bar.

p.s.