KTM are discounting the 2017 model GT’s by £5000 to £10999 - guess there’s a new facelift for 2018 Have to say after seeing one at the NEC I’m tempted, and at that price seems a bit of a no brainer. Any experience of the GT and/or that engine and dealers etc etc.
I tried one for size at the show. The non enduro type model was about the same as my multi in seat height. The enduro one metal tall. If I get chance I may pop to a dealer next weekend, get an idea o cost to change again a 2015 DVT S. Just to check out the deals
Personally I would pay the extra for the SuperDuke, it’s got the edge in the performance and agility department. The face lift won’t be out until 2019. It’s a fantastic deal but I’m told the discount units are running out. Having said that, there’s always a deal to be done.
Done 6.5k on a GT. So, engine is very strong, its very quick, but powerband not as wide as you would expect. Suspect gearing is wrong and fuelling could be improved, it hated 6th gear on motorway below 75-80. Quickshifter is a bit slow! Nowhere near S1r or GSlc standard. Hit a few unnerving false neutrals on fast overtakes in Alps this year. Suspension, ah....this is the main weakness, IMO the back works, the front only works some of the time. Basically if the road is smooth, or you ride up to 7/10ths its great. But roads are not smooth and some of us were attracted by sports performance with touring potential. Hit a bump mid corner or even a ripple and its worryingly out of shape. None of the suspension specialists I spoke to have a clue how to sort it or would work on it. Maybe a respring would work as the bike rides fairly well two up... The electronic suspension should be junked in favour of normal decent quality jobs. comfort mode is a waste of time as it just wallows. Next mode, cant remember name, works ok ish. Sport mode seemed to lift the back a tad, reduce dive and improve turn in. But still only felt like it was working some of the time. Its not very comfortable at all. Even with the comfort seat. Man parts make frequent contact with petrol tank, especially on wheelies. Switch gear is bloody bad design, try switching on cruise control when wearing gloves, nearly impossible without reaching over with the opposite hand! Panniers are a bit crap for actual internal space and make the bike wider than you would expect. The lock fell out of mine at 1st use. Luckily tried them before a big trip and got them sorted. Watch for a stupid size back wheel nut that tyre fitters might not have a socket for! If you pick up one of the pre reg at 11k, probably a bargain if you can live with the front forks (or know someone who can work on them). I found myself holding back as I didnt trust what the front end was going to do, not why I bought a supposed sorted 173bhp bike for. Any more than 11k and its way overpriced. Watch residuals tumble fast. I got out just in time before the tumbling prices and returned to a GSlc. The latest versions have amazing suspension, fantastic gearboxes (yes, seriously good for any bike, never mind a GS!) and a great up and down quickshifter. From a fast road bike perspective, the BMW S1r was faster for me. Neater handling and top end felt stronger. Probably more comfy as well once the wind blast is sorted with an MRA touring screen. Defo the one to have. From a quick do it all tourer point of view, I prefer the GS. Seriously. Top end is a lot less, but torque out of corners makes them very usable along with a cracking chassis. Cant get one for 11k though.
@bradders I think you're referring to the 1290 Adr. Yes the R is very tall. The GT is the same height as the Super Duke. I also think there is a major facelift on the way for the GT or conceivably they may discontinue the model. The suspension has come in for a lot of criticism and many people have said that the engine doesn't feel as fast as the Super Duke despite supposedly being in the same state of tune. I suspect the 1290 Adv S and R models have been out-selling the GT, hence what looks like a clearance sale of that model. The 1290 S has wowed with its suspension with every review I've read rating it as superior to the GT. The original Super Duke's suspension wasn't great either but at least being conventional non-semi-active it can be sorted with setting up and there are all the usual after-market options. With the Semi-active system you're stuck with what KTM have given you. (I had similar complaints about the Skyhook system on the 2014 Multi I tried which was one of the reasons I didn't buy it.) But the all new suspension on the '17 Super Duke was a radical step forward and is now more than a match for any rival in the supernaked and even supersports class. They've also boosted power and Bike magazine tested a standard '17 SDR at 174 bhp at the wheel and that's before the decat exhaust system is fitted. KTM have obviously applied the suspension advances to the 1290 Adr S and I would say GT is either in for a serious refit or deletion, hence the giveaways. I'm not sure whether the GT can be fitted with the Akra Evo exhaust system. It makes a HUGE difference to the Super Duke. There's a vast improvement to bottom end shove, a faster throttle response, better torque spread and more top-end. And you lose about 5 kilos. KTM treid to civilise the GT engine with some top-end changes that were supposed to make it smoother. I confess I haven't ridden one because I've got no plans to change my Super Duke, especially as I've got an 1190 Adv as well, but I like the angry rawness of the original Duke engine and I'm not sure I want it civilised. Many people on the KTM forums who've traded their pre-'17 Super Dukes for the new model have said it felt less characterful than the old one, and no quicker, but all was forgiven because of the superior suspension and vastly more sophisticated electronics system. On the other hand many owners love their GT and have no complaints at all. I guess, as with most things its all in the eye of the beholder and you need to try before you buy. Yes an 11 K GT is an awful lot of bike for the money considering what they are supposed to cost, but price slashing on that scale will absolutely murder residuals, so what KTM give with one hand the market will take away with the other. Many who've bought at full price will fell sick at these discounts but dealers are generally pretty good at offering generous deals when you trade in for new models. But they won't if you've bought at bargain basement prices. The lesson is: try before you buy. If you like it and will be keeping it to pile on the miles, its a bargain. If not, better to wait for the mk II which is almost certainly on the way.
I’ve toured on my SDR no problem. The only issue would be prolonged speeds of >120mph down the autobahn.
I’ve ridden the latest SuperDuke R. Did feel odd and I didn’t quite gel with the handling but then it was my dad’s bike and I only took it out for a quick (50 odd miles of back roads) spin. It felt as though there were nothing underneath me. I prefer to bury the front end in corners and feel that grip. This felt more like I had to trust it to do its thing. I really like the idea of the GT model but at the moment I’ve heard too much about it’s little suspension issues, that I’m sure they’ll be bringing out that new and improved model soon. As it stands, I love my KTM 990 SMT so much that it’s got to be bloody amazing for me to want to switch.
I had one for a few months, innitially loved it, but the more I got used to it, pushed it, I started to hate it. The suspension just did not work, I put up with it for a bit but got sick of it. Ktm and the dealer weren’t interested, I got sick of moaning. I swapped it for the Mutley. The GT was also seriously rapid and I had no connection with it, it was too smooth, too good. I’d be at mental speed and not realise it. As soon as it hit a bit of a ripple or deviation in the road it tried to throw me off. The Mutley is totally opposite, it makes you feel connected, part of it. Two completely different bikes imo. The Gt is a two up tourer, it was pretty good in the first three gears/revs on tight stuff tbf. The wind protection was pretty good and it was very comfy. But seeing as its a GT it was totally impractical unless you had the panniers. Nowhere to nail owt on the back. The normal SD is a better bike than the GT for majority solo riding for me. The Mutley is a far better all rounder.
Reasuring to see others had similar thoughts on the suspension as me. I thought I was imagining it for a while. The dealer and Ktm just weren’t interested, pretty dismissive really. Like, how dare you question our technology.
I’ve seen lots of mixed reviews on the suspension, with people pushing on track having no qualms and commuters hating it. Seems to be a mixed bag. Personally for me the big nakeds (SDR & Tuono) are the best bikes money can buy, and I’ll probably just keep swapping between them until Ducati bring out a V4
Very Interesting......thanks for the replies. I started to panic thinking if I don’t make my mind up all the discounted bikes will be gone and I’ll be kicking myself. After reading your feedback there ain’t no way I’ll be buying before an extensive road test and more research. I’ve always fancied a KTM, must of nearly bought a 990 SD 10 times but it was always the discounts that put me off, what does that do for residuals. Next year I’ve promised myself to do more miles, not touring as such just weekend trips into Wales and Scotland. I’m not taking a passenger, don’t really need huge luggage although the option would be good, some wind protection, basically just a good all rounder. I’ve looked at Multistrada but they just seem expensive and still a few quality niggles although the positives seem to outweigh the negatives and still a consideration. The other bike I’ll consider is the BMW XR. A mate of mine has just p/ex his S1000R for a GS and says it’s the best bike he’s ever had ........ really ?! I’ll need, reluctantly to sell my 916 Strada next year to fund, and make space for the new bike. It’s got to be the right bike to see the 916 go.
Their 990s were some of the best bikes. 3/4 of my biking mates (including me) still ride them and refuse to change (one did change and then got a 990 SM soon after as he missed his 990 SD). On the GS front, my dad did numerous road tests on the Duc Enduro, KTM 1290 SA, Triumph, GS and the BMW XR. He ended up with the GS as he said it was just better everywhere whereas the others all seemed to be trying to be best at just one thing. He said the KTM 1290 Super Adventure came in a close second but he got a good deal on the top spec black edition GS.
An extended ride on the GS is also essential, its unlikely you will get what it is all about on a 50mile ride. 2016 (and a half!) onwards are defo the ones though. Older bikes will have agricultural gearboxes. The new ones, well if you have ridden an older boxer then you would not believe its the same manufacturer. Get used to it, set it for max throttle response and taught suspension (dynamic I think, never touched it since found sweet spot). Ditch the weird tyres that come as standard, although they are useable, the bike is transformed with Roadsmart3s or Pilot road4s. An added bonus is the handling is superb regardless of having luggage and or passenger on board.
I clicked agree on this and then thought about it... reason being that I have a 2009 GS and love it very much indeed. In many ways it's my best bike... it's got bags of character, it's huge fun, it's got enough poke. I love it loads... So I agree, but don't disregard the earlier bikes. From about £4k upwards you can get something super-fun and great for everything from scratching to touring.
