Super Duke GT Opinions
Discussion
As per the title really.
looking to get another bike and in a bit of a quandry so I thought it would be worth asking what the BB Massive tink.
Bike will be parked at the holday home mainly for use when we're back from abroad and as the cottage is close to some truly amazing roads.
Superbikes are my usual staple but I'm thinking adventure bike would work and be a little more flexible. Don't need off road capabilities, have my trials bikes for that.
So, inital thoughts would be GS 1250 and KTM of some flavour
On the up side I have both dealerships about 60 kms away. This is important as I don't think 800km round trips for a service is a reasonable proposition.
So my thoughts on the possible bikes themselves....
The GS first. Owned a 2016 triple black while in Vietnam and it was a competent enough bike. Good at everything but can't say it made me smile. And I really hate the boxer layout as I use my legs a fair bit ( off road/trials background) and always klaap my shin into the back of the cyclinder. Silly i know but really annoying.
And then there;'s the question of reliability. Mine was good as gold but a friends shat its final drive at 4000 kms and BMW tried to refuse the warranty. And the idea of owning the newer, more complicated model outside warranty isn't too appealing. Remember that the bike will sit for extended periods so mileage over time will be negligible.
But on the upside, they're very capable bikes, lots of aftermarket stuff and excellent OEM luggage.
Onto the KTM
previously had an 1190S which I punted around East Africa for several years and LOVED it. Huge drifts on dirt with the excess power, fun to ride and would really hustle when given free reign.
Was faultless throughout but crazy hard seat, mad heat from the rear cyliinder would cook the back of your right thigh and a constantly reseting rider settings system (cured with a dongle) but things I forgave it as it was immense fun.
Now, I realy love them but they're getting on. The new 1290 I'm not so keen on. Call me a palooka but cast wheels on an ADV bike is a wrong'un. Yes, I know they're lighter and better but any ADV needs wire wheels. end of.
So, and I promise we're getting there.... what about something not superbikey and not Adv(ey)??
Tuono? Zero dealer support for 17000 kms.
Triumph, same problem.
Ducati, as the above.
And here we are, the 1290 SuperDuke GT. Definitely the GT.
Isn't either of the above categories but seems to straddle the genres fairly well. New model is loaded with gizmos and has silly power (this is important)
Can be ridden in Adv type gear or not, carries moderate luggage which is handy... Is this the perfect all rounder?????
So, who has/ had one and can comment?
looking to get another bike and in a bit of a quandry so I thought it would be worth asking what the BB Massive tink.
Bike will be parked at the holday home mainly for use when we're back from abroad and as the cottage is close to some truly amazing roads.
Superbikes are my usual staple but I'm thinking adventure bike would work and be a little more flexible. Don't need off road capabilities, have my trials bikes for that.
So, inital thoughts would be GS 1250 and KTM of some flavour
On the up side I have both dealerships about 60 kms away. This is important as I don't think 800km round trips for a service is a reasonable proposition.
So my thoughts on the possible bikes themselves....
The GS first. Owned a 2016 triple black while in Vietnam and it was a competent enough bike. Good at everything but can't say it made me smile. And I really hate the boxer layout as I use my legs a fair bit ( off road/trials background) and always klaap my shin into the back of the cyclinder. Silly i know but really annoying.
And then there;'s the question of reliability. Mine was good as gold but a friends shat its final drive at 4000 kms and BMW tried to refuse the warranty. And the idea of owning the newer, more complicated model outside warranty isn't too appealing. Remember that the bike will sit for extended periods so mileage over time will be negligible.
But on the upside, they're very capable bikes, lots of aftermarket stuff and excellent OEM luggage.
Onto the KTM
previously had an 1190S which I punted around East Africa for several years and LOVED it. Huge drifts on dirt with the excess power, fun to ride and would really hustle when given free reign.
Was faultless throughout but crazy hard seat, mad heat from the rear cyliinder would cook the back of your right thigh and a constantly reseting rider settings system (cured with a dongle) but things I forgave it as it was immense fun.
Now, I realy love them but they're getting on. The new 1290 I'm not so keen on. Call me a palooka but cast wheels on an ADV bike is a wrong'un. Yes, I know they're lighter and better but any ADV needs wire wheels. end of.
So, and I promise we're getting there.... what about something not superbikey and not Adv(ey)??
Tuono? Zero dealer support for 17000 kms.
Triumph, same problem.
Ducati, as the above.
And here we are, the 1290 SuperDuke GT. Definitely the GT.
Isn't either of the above categories but seems to straddle the genres fairly well. New model is loaded with gizmos and has silly power (this is important)
Can be ridden in Adv type gear or not, carries moderate luggage which is handy... Is this the perfect all rounder?????
So, who has/ had one and can comment?
Edited by Steve Bass on Tuesday 30th June 11:36
I've only ridden the Super Duke R, and didn't particularly like it, but I did have this feeling the whole time I was on it that it would make a belting GT.
A couple of lads on the last ride out I had were on new GT's and were raving about them.
The pace was pretty decent and neither of them found the bikes to be lacking anywhere really.
If BMW's are an option for you you could always look at the S1000XR as an alternative too??
A couple of lads on the last ride out I had were on new GT's and were raving about them.
The pace was pretty decent and neither of them found the bikes to be lacking anywhere really.
If BMW's are an option for you you could always look at the S1000XR as an alternative too??
I bought a new one in 2018,done 12000 miles now.
Been a great bike,couple of small issues all sorted under warranty.
Had a few spurious warning lights up but all cancelled after turning off/on.
Seat is like a plank,ktm comfort seat is apparently little better,had a local upholsterer redo my seat with gel pads,now spot on.
Sw motech bar risers bring bars up and back 20mm,world of difference.
Made myself a rack,bought as motech quick release pannier frames and adaptors to fit givi boxes.
Ktm pannier don't hold enough when the other half needs,hair dryer,tongs and 3 changes of clothes per day.
Loads of power to make it fun to ride and very capable two up touring,been to Poland,Germany,Italy,France,Corsica,Sardinia two up with no complaints from the other half
Corsica last year and the track I made
Been a great bike,couple of small issues all sorted under warranty.
Had a few spurious warning lights up but all cancelled after turning off/on.
Seat is like a plank,ktm comfort seat is apparently little better,had a local upholsterer redo my seat with gel pads,now spot on.
Sw motech bar risers bring bars up and back 20mm,world of difference.
Made myself a rack,bought as motech quick release pannier frames and adaptors to fit givi boxes.
Ktm pannier don't hold enough when the other half needs,hair dryer,tongs and 3 changes of clothes per day.
Loads of power to make it fun to ride and very capable two up touring,been to Poland,Germany,Italy,France,Corsica,Sardinia two up with no complaints from the other half
Corsica last year and the track I made
airsafari87 said:
I've only ridden the Super Duke R, and didn't particularly like it, but I did have this feeling the whole time I was on it that it would make a belting GT.
A couple of lads on the last ride out I had were on new GT's and were raving about them.
The pace was pretty decent and neither of them found the bikes to be lacking anywhere really.
If BMW's are an option for you you could always look at the S1000XR as an alternative too??
IL4's just don't do anything for me... A couple of lads on the last ride out I had were on new GT's and were raving about them.
The pace was pretty decent and neither of them found the bikes to be lacking anywhere really.
If BMW's are an option for you you could always look at the S1000XR as an alternative too??
And as the GS, reliability seems a bit suspect going by RegLocal's experiences.
TBH, I'm not really a fan of BMW's but their only saving grace is their resalevalue here.
Riding a bike I'm not really loving becuase I'll get a few quid more back at the (eventual) end isn't a factor for me. I ride because i love it, not because I need to.BM's don't light that fire if i'm honest
Edited by Steve Bass on Tuesday 30th June 15:00
Um, the 1290R has wire wheels, the S is a tourer. I ran an 1190R with road tires and it was such a good road bike.
I was in a similar boat, the one thing I'd say is the SD GT is a bit of an odd one to buy new - they have heavily discounted them twice in the off season - so the prices are all over the show. If one is price sensitive, I'd wait till December to see what silly last minute deals KTM whip up.
You are right. I think the 1290GT would be perfect.
I was in a similar boat, the one thing I'd say is the SD GT is a bit of an odd one to buy new - they have heavily discounted them twice in the off season - so the prices are all over the show. If one is price sensitive, I'd wait till December to see what silly last minute deals KTM whip up.
You are right. I think the 1290GT would be perfect.
scunnylad said:
I bought a new one in 2018,done 12000 miles now.
Been a great bike,couple of small issues all sorted under warranty.
Had a few spurious warning lights up but all cancelled after turning off/on.
Seat is like a plank,ktm comfort seat is apparently little better,had a local upholsterer redo my seat with gel pads,now spot on.
Sw motech bar risers bring bars up and back 20mm,world of difference.
Made myself a rack,bought as motech quick release pannier frames and adaptors to fit givi boxes.
Ktm pannier don't hold enough when the other half needs,hair dryer,tongs and 3 changes of clothes per day.
Loads of power to make it fun to ride and very capable two up touring,been to Poland,Germany,Italy,France,Corsica,Sardinia two up with no complaints from the other half
Corsica last year and the track I made
Great info!Been a great bike,couple of small issues all sorted under warranty.
Had a few spurious warning lights up but all cancelled after turning off/on.
Seat is like a plank,ktm comfort seat is apparently little better,had a local upholsterer redo my seat with gel pads,now spot on.
Sw motech bar risers bring bars up and back 20mm,world of difference.
Made myself a rack,bought as motech quick release pannier frames and adaptors to fit givi boxes.
Ktm pannier don't hold enough when the other half needs,hair dryer,tongs and 3 changes of clothes per day.
Loads of power to make it fun to ride and very capable two up touring,been to Poland,Germany,Italy,France,Corsica,Sardinia two up with no complaints from the other half
Corsica last year and the track I made
Not a worry about the Mr's being on the back, I ride for selfish reasons
I'm liking the thought of the GT as it seems Superbike fast with 90% Adv bike practicality and isn't a GS. Althought he GS vario luggage is fantastic. But what a sad rationale for buying a bike...
I don't need an Adv for any reason really so I'm trying to avoid the obvious suspects.
Killboy said:
Um, the 1290R has wire wheels, the S is a tourer. I ran an 1190R with road tires and it was such a good road bike.
I was in a similar boat, the one thing I'd say is the SD GT is a bit of an odd one to buy new - they have heavily discounted them twice in the off season - so the prices are all over the show. If one is price sensitive, I'd wait till December to see what silly last minute deals KTM whip up.
You are right. I think the 1290GT would be perfect.
Yeah but I don't want the 21" offroad set up... I was in a similar boat, the one thing I'd say is the SD GT is a bit of an odd one to buy new - they have heavily discounted them twice in the off season - so the prices are all over the show. If one is price sensitive, I'd wait till December to see what silly last minute deals KTM whip up.
You are right. I think the 1290GT would be perfect.
If they did the 1290S with wire wheels i'd be there. but as you say, I'm feeling the GT sits bang in the middle of the genres.
Steve Bass said:
Yeah but I don't want the 21" offroad set up...
If they did the 1290S with wire wheels i'd be there. but as you say, I'm feeling the GT sits bang in the middle of the genres.
Yup, anyways - so I was about to buy a Superduke GT, and popped to Cape Town for a wedding and ended up hiring a R9T. So I bought an R9T.If they did the 1290S with wire wheels i'd be there. but as you say, I'm feeling the GT sits bang in the middle of the genres.
Why am I telling you this? Well, I still want a Superduke GT
Killboy said:
Steve Bass said:
Yeah but I don't want the 21" offroad set up...
If they did the 1290S with wire wheels i'd be there. but as you say, I'm feeling the GT sits bang in the middle of the genres.
Yup, anyways - so I was about to buy a Superduke GT, and popped to Cape Town for a wedding and ended up hiring a R9T. So I bought an R9T.If they did the 1290S with wire wheels i'd be there. but as you say, I'm feeling the GT sits bang in the middle of the genres.
Why am I telling you this? Well, I still want a Superduke GT
My go to bike would be a Tuono 1100 Factory but there's no dealers now in SA other than a small independent italian car importer in JNB which is less than ideal as the Aprilias need specialist care. A car company 500kms from home isn't where I'd want to be taking my bike for every service.
KTM are in Polokwane which is about 60kms south from us.
Steve Bass said:
A friend had a 9NineT and loved it for bugging around Jo'burg but I really want something that is Superbike fast but has a semblence of practicality.
My go to bike would be a Tuono 1100 Factory but there's no dealers now in SA other than a small independent italian car importer in JNB which is less than ideal as the Aprilias need specialist care. A car company 500kms from home isn't where I'd want to be taking my bike for every service.
KTM are in Polokwane which is about 60kms south from us.
I'm starting to wonder if we know the same people..... is the dude with the RNineT's name Eric by any chance?My go to bike would be a Tuono 1100 Factory but there's no dealers now in SA other than a small independent italian car importer in JNB which is less than ideal as the Aprilias need specialist care. A car company 500kms from home isn't where I'd want to be taking my bike for every service.
KTM are in Polokwane which is about 60kms south from us.
Killboy said:
Steve Bass said:
A friend had a 9NineT and loved it for bugging around Jo'burg but I really want something that is Superbike fast but has a semblence of practicality.
My go to bike would be a Tuono 1100 Factory but there's no dealers now in SA other than a small independent italian car importer in JNB which is less than ideal as the Aprilias need specialist care. A car company 500kms from home isn't where I'd want to be taking my bike for every service.
KTM are in Polokwane which is about 60kms south from us.
I'm starting to wonder if we know the same people..... is the dude with the RNineT's name Eric by any chance?My go to bike would be a Tuono 1100 Factory but there's no dealers now in SA other than a small independent italian car importer in JNB which is less than ideal as the Aprilias need specialist care. A car company 500kms from home isn't where I'd want to be taking my bike for every service.
KTM are in Polokwane which is about 60kms south from us.
But i wouldn't doubt we know people in the same circles, especially if you've been in Gauteng riding
The spec on the 1290 GT is always a step behind the standard 1290 R right? So when the Gen 2 1290R was available with TFT display the 1290GT uses analogue clocks etc. To get the latest GT model you have to buy 19 onwards.
I think you cannot go wrong with the GT. As a new owner of a 19 model R I have experienced no problems but I do hear a lot of horror stories about electrical issues etc, so no power washing the bike etc. But so far so good.
The latest 1290 GT does look great have all the tech but is very expensive and will only be discounted when they bring out a new model .
I think you cannot go wrong with the GT. As a new owner of a 19 model R I have experienced no problems but I do hear a lot of horror stories about electrical issues etc, so no power washing the bike etc. But so far so good.
The latest 1290 GT does look great have all the tech but is very expensive and will only be discounted when they bring out a new model .
Steve Bass said:
ash73 said:
Honda VFR1200X Crosstourer worth a look?
yeah, but no dealer for a million miles. And whilst I love the look of it, it might be getting a little long in the tooth..Bought it to do two up euro trips.
Great for covering motorway miles but a big lump once on smaller roads.
I swapped it for the gt because i realised I still wanted sports bike type performance but not the crouched riding position for riding all day
Can't fault the gt for that
I've had a 2017 SDGT from new, done 18000 miles and it has been very reliable. One issue with the preload adjustment which appears to have been user error - I changed setting at lights and moved off before it had completed its adjustment which screwed up the computer and threw a fault. Dealer reset fixed it, but you'd think there would be some failsafe to avoid this happening. Otherwise no problems, just a couple of recalls dealt with efficiently. I like the riding position as standard and although seat is pretty solid I've done >500 mile days without too much grief. Panniers aren't great for space but I use a Kriega drypack on pillion seat and its good for a few days camping solo. Goes well, good handling compromise IMO and lots of grunt but needs to be in the right gear - does not like less than 4000 rpm in the higher gears. Top gear is probably a bit long although just about OK for mway cruising - has improved in this respect as bike has racked up more miles though. Keep it 6000-9000 and its a missile. Gets hot in traffic pretty quick on a warm day - I don't do much town riding and heat seldom a problem in Scotland anyway.....
I have been considering a change of bike for a while, but can't really think of anything I would rather have, other than a 2019 model SDGT. But difficult to justify cost to change for the digi dash, blipper and a little bit more power.
I have been considering a change of bike for a while, but can't really think of anything I would rather have, other than a 2019 model SDGT. But difficult to justify cost to change for the digi dash, blipper and a little bit more power.
rat840771 said:
The spec on the 1290 GT is always a step behind the standard 1290 R right? So when the Gen 2 1290R was available with TFT display the 1290GT uses analogue clocks etc. To get the latest GT model you have to buy 19 onwards.
I think you cannot go wrong with the GT. As a new owner of a 19 model R I have experienced no problems but I do hear a lot of horror stories about electrical issues etc, so no power washing the bike etc. But so far so good.
The latest 1290 GT does look great have all the tech but is very expensive and will only be discounted when they bring out a new model .
Not such an issue in SA and I think the equivalent cost is circa 14k GBP new. Same for the top spec TE GS1250 (not adv)I think you cannot go wrong with the GT. As a new owner of a 19 model R I have experienced no problems but I do hear a lot of horror stories about electrical issues etc, so no power washing the bike etc. But so far so good.
The latest 1290 GT does look great have all the tech but is very expensive and will only be discounted when they bring out a new model .
And yeah, I'd be buying in a little while so definately be after the 2020 MY bike.
And a good friend has an R and loves it but for quick bonkers blasts. I fancy theGT for longer days in the saddle on some epic roads.
scunnylad said:
I had a crosstourer prior to the gt.
Bought it to do two up euro trips.
Great for covering motorway miles but a big lump once on smaller roads.
I swapped it for the gt because i realised I still wanted sports bike type performance but not the crouched riding position for riding all day
Can't fault the gt for that
I think I'm exactly where you were when you moved ot the GT......Bought it to do two up euro trips.
Great for covering motorway miles but a big lump once on smaller roads.
I swapped it for the gt because i realised I still wanted sports bike type performance but not the crouched riding position for riding all day
Can't fault the gt for that
gdr said:
I've had a 2017 SDGT from new, done 18000 miles and it has been very reliable. One issue with the preload adjustment which appears to have been user error - I changed setting at lights and moved off before it had completed its adjustment which screwed up the computer and threw a fault. Dealer reset fixed it, but you'd think there would be some failsafe to avoid this happening. Otherwise no problems, just a couple of recalls dealt with efficiently. I like the riding position as standard and although seat is pretty solid I've done >500 mile days without too much grief. Panniers aren't great for space but I use a Kriega drypack on pillion seat and its good for a few days camping solo. Goes well, good handling compromise IMO and lots of grunt but needs to be in the right gear - does not like less than 4000 rpm in the higher gears. Top gear is probably a bit long although just about OK for mway cruising - has improved in this respect as bike has racked up more miles though. Keep it 6000-9000 and its a missile. Gets hot in traffic pretty quick on a warm day - I don't do much town riding and heat seldom a problem in Scotland anyway.....
I have been considering a change of bike for a while, but can't really think of anything I would rather have, other than a 2019 model SDGT. But difficult to justify cost to change for the digi dash, blipper and a little bit more power.
Says a lot when the only replacement is a newer model of thesame bike I have been considering a change of bike for a while, but can't really think of anything I would rather have, other than a 2019 model SDGT. But difficult to justify cost to change for the digi dash, blipper and a little bit more power.
Panniers would be for cheeky trips to the supermarket 40 kms away but not for big shops. Not needed for ovrnighting etc.
rat840771 said:
The latest 1290 GT does look great have all the tech but is very expensive and will only be discounted when they bring out a new model .
not sure the price in the Uk but there's 2020 models advertised new for 11500K GBP.. I'll see if the spec is different but that seems very good valueGassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff