1290 SA S Likes and dislikes

paddy

paddy

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Well i have done a few hundred miles now on my SA and wow how different to a GSA BMW. Very agile and light.

Likes -- Engine / performance. Quick shifter, dashboard, sitting position, headlight, suspension heated grips good.

Dislikes-- Hard standard seat, screen made from cheese only washed it once and scratched it, badly, side stand and main stand not in that great a position, but easy to put on stand effort wise ( my 990 Adv was a Pig with a load).


So to sum up i love it with only silly niggles, will get a tinted screen anyway as soon as available.
 
The seat is a joy compared to the rock hard 1190R !!

Im up to about 200 miles (took delivery of it yesterday) and I have to say, I think it's the best bike I've ever owned. Motor (obviously i'm still running it in) is a peach and amazingly smooth at low revs, handling great, ergonomics seem great - the bike seems to fit me really well - no niggles with switch gear, hand levers, foot levers .. Wind protection is pretty average I guess, something like an RT will beat it hands down but on this sort of bike do I want that sterile environment or do I want a bit of wind in my hair / flys in my teeth ..?

Yes, I think the centre stand is pretty clumsy with the pillion pegs and I've yet to wash my screen (which is covered in squished flys at the moment ..!). Shame about the charcoal brick under the pillion seat where I could have put a compressor and a stop 'n go puncture kit (you can blame Engineers poxy Europe for that one), but all in all i'd say it's a dream bike. Absolutely superb ... :thumb2
 
Not washed my R yet but it's covered in bugs from here in Germany.
The screen is great on the R. Love pretty much everything about the bike, apart from the stupid noise of flap opening and closing at near idle which I assume is Euro 4 bollocks.

I'm up to about 1250 miles, of which 13 today was pottering around the N'Ring
 
Just got back home from a 700 mile trip to the West Country on mine. I'm rather taken by it.:D

Agreed about the screen, it's shite. Mine was scratched before I'd even ridden the bike. And I've removed the pillion hangers, as I quite like having skin on my shins!
 
1290 s

DING-DONG said:
Bmw is pipe n slippers, don't you agree !
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Had a 1290 s for the weekend ,found the forks are very harsh/noisy even on comfort mode,switch gear looks like there made of cheese,but f--- me its quick been waiting months for a demo now dont know what to do:nenau
 
bmsouls said:
,but f--- me its quick been waiting months for a demo now dont know what to do:nenau
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My Gt feels hell of a lot quicker, being smaller and 15 bhp up from the sas (GT in stock trim) it makes a noticeable difference, however I think the sas is probably a better all round package.
 
bmsouls said:
been waiting months for a demo now:nenau
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Me too BMsouls... did you get the demo from a local dealer (Northumberland?) I've tried M&S and Teasdales but neither have one on yet.

I wonder if there was something wrong with the one you took out, most people seem to be raving about the suspension on both the R and the S.
Teasdales have got a KTM demo day on June 10th if you want another go on a different bike
 
Last year I had all but agreed a deal on a GSA before a crap trade in valuation made me look around.

Took a test ride on the SA and I can't remember a bike make me instantly smile as much.

Yes it might not have all the refinements of the BM but that is part of its appeal, on top of the performance which is quick.
 
bmsouls said:
Had a 1290 s for the weekend ,found the forks are very harsh/noisy even on comfort mode,switch gear looks like there made of cheese,but f--- me its quick been waiting months for a demo now dont know what to do:nenau
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I cannot believe any BMW has better standard suspension than what KTM fit, not tried the 1290 yet, but my 1190 is far better than my GS was, even after I fitted Wilburs front and rear it was probably still not as good as the KTM is out of the crate.

Not looked at the switchgear but what are you planning to do with it - attack it with a cheese wire?

Looking back at the BMW history for switch gear failures on the GSLC and other bikes, plus all the other recalls and issues they have had and problems with Gearboxes (GSLC Ones being prone to popping out of the cases to say hello) Final Drives, Fuel Pump Controllers, ABS Units, dropped valves I cannot see reliability or build quality worries being a valid excuse not to buy a KTM for anyone who is brave enough to buy a GS

Not forgetting most people looking to buy a new GS or KTM are likely to have it on PCP for a few years and then trade it in, even if the switch gear is a bit shite it is unlikely to be a big issue for the 1st owner.

I must admit I would rather lose the Keyless ignition, electronic suspension and hill hold stuff as it is just a load of unnecessary servo's, motors and circuitry that add cost and weight for so little gain and are just more stuff to go wrong (ABS and TC is fine by me as it is a great safety enhancement) but assuming they are proved reliable the 1290S is almost certainly my next bike.
 
I find the suspension on my 1290 to be fantastic. You can really tell the diffference between settings, and the way it soaks up bumps in comfort mode is fantastic.

There's nothing wrong with the switchgear at all, in fact I really like the feel of the indicator switch, as it has a nice clunk action when you use it!

The keyless works every time, with no issues.

HHC is a great feature, but the only thing to bear in mind is that it only stays on for around 5 seconds, then releases, which I think is a bit daft, but once you know that's what it does, it's fine.
 
The Nutty GSER said:
There's nothing wrong with the switchgear at all, in fact I really like the feel of the indicator switch, as it has a nice clunk action when you use it!
....
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This may be the result of a number of complaints about the 1190 indicator switch which felt unquestionably fragile. I don't think it actually was fragile, (I've certainly not heard of any failed reports) but it never had that reassuring click that you describe in the 1290. So rather than use the same old switch gear, they've dealt with the problem.

One of the things that really impresses me about KTM as a brand, is that they seem to listen to customer feedback and they quickly react to niggles as they float to the surface. (Starter motors being weak, switch gear feel, Air-box issues ... ).

Look how BMW seem to put their head in the sand with clear and obvious faults and carry on manufacturing knowing that something is not right. (That utterly shit fuel sensor that they persevered with for years, the chronic EWS sensor failing for years before they eventually put it right, the current problem with engine paint that they are quite simply refusing to deal with ..... ).

As a brand I feel that BMW don't give a shit as long as they're making money and selling bikes, whereas I feel that KTM have that passion for making stuff well, putting quality of product over profit ... :thumb2
 
AFAIK KTM never fixed the airbox issue. They produced an updated filter holder that addressed part of the issue, but the lid seal is the same as ever. Probably still the same on the new 1290s too.
 
Giles said:
I feel that KTM have that passion for making stuff well, putting quality of product over profit ... :thumb2
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Except for dodgy fuel filters / pumps that have plagued them for over a decade and they still fit the same shit design...

.... The Heat issue which they fixed on the Super Adventure with an insulated / double skinned rear header pipe but never put on the 1190's - an issue they must have detected on the early prototype test rides, and moaned about in the first press reports in 2013, but never rectified even with the last of the 1190's in 2016, when they had a cheap solution they could have used. The pipe is £70 retail, must be less than a tenner extra for them to fit this on the production line in place of the stock one.

The Air Box debacle is also not a good advert for KTM, not so much buried their head in the sand, but poured the sand out of the airboxes to cover their heads.


Not saying I do not love my KTM and I am highly likely to buy another, but they still have a long way to go in regards to putting customers before profits.
 
Yeah but Rasher to be fair .... you out of all of us would moan about the best bike in the world and find fault with something .. !! (I think Bike moaning is your hobby ... !!)

:beerjug:
 
Giles said:
Yeah but Rasher to be fair .... you out of all of us would moan about the best bike in the world and find fault with something .. !! (I think Bike moaning is your hobby ... !!)
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Not true, just saying KTM have failed to fix some known faults, even when a cheap and easy fix is available to them.

Though of another, side stand attached to engine cases, had they listened to the customers who had a small spill turn into needing a replacement engine / ground up rebuild they could of easily fixed that as well.
 
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