1290 Super Adventure v 1200 GSA test ride

[Giles]

Now I don't want to come across like Engineer or Nutty .... So I'm not KTM pissed .....

But ....

My experience of test rides has always been that the first ride ends up like a sort of familiarisation ride, and that actually the second ride a few days or a week or so later is the one where you start to learn a bit about the bike.

So if yer generally intrested Arsey, don't be put off by your underwhelmed initial experience - have another go. (And if yer still underwhelmed then that's fine ... but at least you'll have had a better feel for the bike second time around .. ).

 

[dsb79]

Well just to add another two pence in, I've had mine for just over a week and done 1300 miles and today I saw a GSA LC and wondered if I had done the right thing! Got home from work kit on and had a 40 mile blast to loomies cafe with Mrs dsb on the back, all I can say is I think it's much more planted than both the LC and TC model, there is no buffeting for me at all first bike ever. I agree that the switch gear is a bit mehhh, and cruise is a bit chunky but I got used to it and it works really well. I think it sits at speed much better as well, currently sat at 46mpg but I exspect it will get a bit better when fully run in. All in I think it's a better bike.

 

[DJ GSA]

Have you ordered one then ?

Hi Arsey

Sorry for being thick but did you buy the KTM or the GS and can I ask what swayed your decision ?

D

PS: I too was tossing up between the GSA and the KTM1290 having had a normal GSA I was kind of swayed toward the GS anyway. I will however take the KTM out for a spin just to see what all the fuss is about

 

[Arsey]

Hi Arsey

Sorry for being thick but did you buy the KTM or the GS and can I ask what swayed your decision ?

D

PS: I too was tossing up between the GSA and the KTM1290 having had a normal GSA I was kind of swayed toward the GS anyway. I will however take the KTM out for a spin just to see what all the fuss is about

Neither

 

[Davy F]

Just shows how two different people can come to various conclusions. I thought the 1290SA was brilliant all round with no real negatives (bar colour) against my own 1190. I'd buy one nearly for the way the 1290 engine performs alone with the fabulous suspension taking a solid second place. Still, horses for courses.

 

[xantamisch]

I've just sold my 35000 mile 990 adventure (and 45000 mile 950 before that) and actually got a 1200 GS, which is better in almost every measurable way, as is the 1190 which I also tried

I went for the GS for boring middle aged reasons - practicality, distance ability, residuals, economy, and dealer did me a good deal - KTM dealers put me off 1190 a bit by the treatment they gave my "high mileage" 990 - 2 wouldn't touch it, one offered half what I got privately. So if I come back in 3 years with an 1190 with 30,000 on the clock what were they going to do?

Anyway - I took the 990 out for a last blast and what a bike it is - snappy, sharp, raucous and you ride like a giant supermoto. 1190 / 1290 and GS are better bikes but that 950 / 990 have something....... basically competition bikes with a race DNA that even the 1190r doesn't have (imho....)

would want to ride it on my 60 mile each way motorway commute though!

 

[cookie]

tomoz

but only 'cos i want to see what the screen's like

 

[cookie]

had a 2 1/2 hour spin on Crescent’s KTM1290SA today. venue: dorset. conditions: perfect blue sky day. no major roads were troubled in the course of the test

At first feels similar to 1190 but then i noticed the steering. the 1290 steers better than the 1190. Very very neutral. Feels a lot less bulky than a GSA, but a fair bit bigger than my 1190. all weight disappears when moving, and it’s pretty chuckable. brakes - same as mine. more bite would be nice perhaps.

second thing i noticed was the midrange. dear god! the way this thing grunts out of corners, well, anywhere really…..it’s astonishing.

Sounds great on stock can when doing it too.

Suspension initially seemed good, the anti dive on braking is immediately noticeable. the way it floats along on an undulating straight in Comfort mode, but displays not a hint of wallow as you chuck it into a fast corner which it magically rails is very impressive.

later on, i found the performance over stutter bumps to be poor even on Comfort. my 1190 is much better here, but i have to manually stiffen it up when the going gets quicker.

Screen - no buffeting in hi or low positions. Still a fair amount of airflow though. very nice. might fit one to my bike
Adjuster is a bit crap compared to GSA. Very crap actually. Had to stop to adjust with two hands. even then it was harder than my 1190.

i found the RH cruise controls awkward but useable and some unknown parameters prevented setting sometimes. never had one, but would come in handy.
large area of the RID went blank at one point, then magically healed itself as i rode. dunno what happened there??

Seat is like a plank, a very firm plank, but I thought it may prove comfy in the long term, but it didn’t, it's a plank and would have to go. It's not like 1190 std. or the Power Part accessory seat sold by KTM. arse did not get hot. heat contained better than the older bikes.

the bike has exemplary fuelling. the heavier crank (i think?) making it smoother around town. 30mph in 4th, where my 1190 is happier in 3rd. in fact, i’d say the engine has less vibes throughout the range than the 1190. it’s very smooth for a big V.

Needs alternative colours. More/some orange for starters. white is semi matt, and too bland. KTM going way too far here to attract BMW riders.

it’s still got the shit panniers that KTM have persevered with for a couple of years despite the howls of dismay from owners. i’d keep my AndyStrapz throwovers.

SA or GSA? - got to be the SA every time for me.

i didn’t buy one.

i got back on my 1190 which did seem like a spindly, gutless moped, so i might in the future, who knows??

 

[DutchBryn]

"Guttles splindly moped". Brilliant! I prefer the lack orangie-ness. Each to their own. New SA buyers can bask in the reflected glory of the existing Ready to Race owners (Giles etc).

 

[cookie]

my gearbox is better too. that one was slightly notchy. one gets fussy, even after numerous BMs and guzzis

in fairness, it had only done 340 miles when i got hold of it, but mine has always been "knife through butter". i wondered why the red light seemed to be coming on early, so eventually thought to check the mileage.

probably doesn't need any more running in now

 

[Giles]

All very interesting Cookie ....

It's a bike i'd be very tempted with at some point in the future, but not yet. I still quite like my spindly 1190

It would definitely be a bike for when I'm not going to take a big cc bike off road and for a time when I'm going to retire and spend more time european touring ....

'Till then, i'm quite happy with the 1190 ....

 

[cookie]

I think two up touring is where it would really shine. It's power characteristics lend it a very smooth ride at any speed you want. Not so much point and squirt, which is what my 1190 seems to like.

It's not that it's any faster on the road, it's just easier, much less peaky, and utterly relentless in pretty much any gear from lower revs.

 

[DING-DONG]

I had the SA for 4 hrs and my thoughts are as per cookie's the engine is epic, it's got buckets loads of grunt, I found the suspension and anti dive to be brilliant, after the gs cruise on the left bar, I got used to the ktm being on the right within 5 mins and it was perfect. The seat was like a plank, my arse hurt, I was told its some type of memory foam and when the heat is ON it gets softer ! Side stand was a pain in the arse to kick up (I'm short) I noticed the 1190r side stand has a Sticky out contact point to aid kicking the stand up, the 1190 and 1290 does not have this !

A bike with a huge character, It needs a quickshifter deffo

 

[cookie]

I recently noticed I have a quick shifter option listed in the display on mine. I wonder if KTM will ever produce the hardware to go with it?

 

[DING-DONG]

I recently noticed I have a quick shifter option listed in the display on mine. I wonder if KTM will ever produce the hardware to go with it?

Yeah most of the new ktm bikes have a wire already in the loom for the shifter, ktm was in the process of producing a quickshifter and whilst in testing destroyed several engines, popping the valves off the seats i think, due to shifting up just as they hit the redline so I'm not sure what they intend to do, however there's a disclaimer in the 1290 manual to do with adding a shifter will void your warranty !

Translogic make the shifters for the ktm, and ktm have asked them not to list a shifter option for the 1290, out of respect they don't, but speak nicely to David and he will give you all the details you need.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

I had a quick read of Bike in Sainsburys today, just the summing up of their GS v 1290 'first impressions' test.......yeah I know it's a poxy magazine test.......but.........they seemed to rather like the 1290

Andres

 

[Giles]

Coolio ..... (Although I'd never cough to shopping in Sainsbury's ...... Waitrose would just about be ok ...) ....

 

[fatbob99]

Im pretty sure I've read that the 1290 super duke warranty is void if you fit a QS ?
It was on last years bike though , so they may have fixed it

Read it on superduke.net I think

 

[russ996duke]

had a 2 1/2 hour spin on Crescent’s KTM1290SA today. venue: dorset. conditions: perfect blue sky day. no major roads were troubled in the course of the test

At first feels similar to 1190 but then i noticed the steering. the 1290 steers better than the 1190. Very very neutral. Feels a lot less bulky than a GSA, but a fair bit bigger than my 1190. all weight disappears when moving, and it’s pretty chuckable. brakes - same as mine. more bite would be nice perhaps.

second thing i noticed was the midrange. dear god! the way this thing grunts out of corners, well, anywhere really…..it’s astonishing.

Sounds great on stock can when doing it too.

Suspension initially seemed good, the anti dive on braking is immediately noticeable. the way it floats along on an undulating straight in Comfort mode, but displays not a hint of wallow as you chuck it into a fast corner which it magically rails is very impressive.

later on, i found the performance over stutter bumps to be poor even on Comfort. my 1190 is much better here, but i have to manually stiffen it up when the going gets quicker.

Screen - no buffeting in hi or low positions. Still a fair amount of airflow though. very nice. might fit one to my bike
Adjuster is a bit crap compared to GSA. Very crap actually. Had to stop to adjust with two hands. even then it was harder than my 1190.

i found the RH cruise controls awkward but useable and some unknown parameters prevented setting sometimes. never had one, but would come in handy.
large area of the RID went blank at one point, then magically healed itself as i rode. dunno what happened there??

Seat is like a plank, a very firm plank, but I thought it may prove comfy in the long term, but it didn’t, it's a plank and would have to go. It's not like 1190 std. or the Power Part accessory seat sold by KTM. arse did not get hot. heat contained better than the older bikes.

the bike has exemplary fuelling. the heavier crank (i think?) making it smoother around town. 30mph in 4th, where my 1190 is happier in 3rd. in fact, i’d say the engine has less vibes throughout the range than the 1190. it’s very smooth for a big V.

Needs alternative colours. More/some orange for starters. white is semi matt, and too bland. KTM going way too far here to attract BMW riders.

it’s still got the shit panniers that KTM have persevered with for a couple of years despite the howls of dismay from owners. i’d keep my AndyStrapz throwovers.

SA or GSA? - got to be the SA every time for me.

i didn’t buy one.

i got back on my 1190 which did seem like a spindly, gutless moped, so i might in the future, who knows??

well, Having had a test ride today , I agree with all you say!
I loved the bike its grunty, comfortable riding position but seat needs sorting and sooo much lighter to chuckaround than my fjr, only a few (ahem) accessories needed to fully personalise it, almost signed up on the spot, all that remained was to have a look at it with panniers mounted.....jeez they are UGLY! and wide, suddenly the bike becomes a car width across

filtering
will be interesting to say the least!
so, still tempted but wonder what alternatives work for the panniers, all I have found so far end up making the bike even wider, touratech, etc etc
looks like throwovers best option, is that the current "view" of owners? if so what make?
I guess the same issue arises with the 1190 as it has the same pannier system so maybe its a problem already sorted?
dont want to spend so much on ktm panniers, need to save cash to have the white bits painted any other colour!
what does the panel think?

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

There's a thread in this section all about panniers for the 1190 (1290) with some info on soft luggage etc.

FWIW I've got the bread bins and whilst not over enamoured with them they do the job and as they were 'free' with the bike when I bought it I've no complaints.

Andres