Anyone with real-world owners feedback of a SuperDuke 1290 GT

[SPL]

Guys,

Am seriously looking at a SuperDuke 1290 GT as my next bike but can't get a test ride at the moment.

Went out on a SuperDuke R and really liked it.
I particularly noticed that the suspension felt much better on poor road surfaces than the MT10 (which was my leading contender before looking at the KTMs).

But I have read a few comments talking about the GT's ESA being too stiff/harsh - which is exactly what put me off buying an S1000XR when I test rode it.

Problem is, if you look hard enough you will always find someone with buyer's remorse being vocal on forums

So I thought I'd pose the question here; anyone got a GT and if you have what is the ride quality like?
Even better, anyone with direct experience of how the GT ride compares to an R?

 

[Skid06]

DING-DONGS your man give him a PM

 

[DING-DONG]

Did someone call

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Guys,

Am seriously looking at a SuperDuke 1290 GT as my next bike but can't get a test ride at the moment.

Premier Bikes Didcot have a Demo

 

[DING-DONG]

I'm pleasantly surprised on just how good it really is, so the early days, the first 2000 miles I had my doubts, I'm 12-13 stone and the suspension felt a little harsh but still compliant. Playing around with the suspension you can certainly tell the different modes actually doing something and I found leaving it in sport the best compromise, the Quickshifter is not as good as the XR shifter the delay is somewhat longer and feels a little bland but this is more personally preference and the fact that ive tried about every quickshifter manufacture going allows me to pick fault easily but I'm sure others will find the GT shifter great fun. I fitted some TT 30mm bar risers, these made a huge difference because being small i felt canted over but with the risers I'm more uptight, my first trip out on the bike was 300 miles to Hunstanton and my arse was killing, the stock seat is like a plank, I do have the heated ergo seats but there 20mm higher and means I cannot even tip toe once there fitted and I feel like I'm sitting on the tank when there fitted and I prefer to sit in a bike rather then on it. Performance wise it's really Jekyll n Hyde, I found the gearing very long so I tried the 16th front sprox and it was seriously rapid but it robbed it of its lovely long torque curve and the bike seemed to go through the gearbox to quick so I went back to the stock front sprox and changed the rear firstly from 38 to 39 and now to 40 teeth and it's absolutely perfect now, ktm do say 6th is more of an overdrive, ive also had it Hilltopped as well.

The icing on the cake, I went to Spain 3500 miles and this was the game changer, the suspension got better and better so they really do need some bedding in, whilst I had the panniers fitted I had the bike in sport plus panniers and when solo just left it in sport no panniers and the difference was very noticeable, both settings exceptional and whilst on route some days we had constant rain and they bike was very compliant and very easy to ride quickly, when the rd's were dry and the sun was shining the bike becomes a scalpel and it's razor sharpe, pin the throttle open and you can feel the suspension adjusting under you with everything tightening up, the bike is ballistically quick, it is so much fun you will just giggle in your lid especially when just pull out and pin the throttle open and it's like being catapulted down the road and the induction raw sounds like thunder rolling down the valleys, I spent most of my holiday waiting for my mate to catch up Tank range was good for 230-250 miles if your arse can last that long mine couldn't and just as well my mate wanted fuel every 150-170 miles, the heated grips even after setting them up in my favourites there still hassle to turn on because you have to go through various screens however there very toasty, the cruise being on the right grip is crazy because its more suited on the left like the BM range, it works great tho once you get used to it. KTM placed the horns right behind the radiator so once the bike was hot the horn stopped working as mine did, once cooled down the horn would work again, ktm have updated the horn however ive moved mine and all is well. The quality is exceptional ive had the bike to bits and it's very much a jigsaw but the build quality is exceptional mine still looks as new if not better.

I no of one owner whom has traded his GT in for a multi, he was adamant there was a fault with his suspension and in the end traded It to DMC so whatever you do don't buy the grey bike from DMC.

I never really keep a bike very long and normally I would have sold it by now but ive still got it ! I had someone from the forum ask to buy it and whilst I was prepared to sell it if the price was right I wasn't pushing to sell it neither was I bothered and so I still have it and tbh I think I would struggle to find something to take its place.

The GT and XR suspension is night and day, well for me anyway I think it's crazy for bmw not to add a soft option to the esa on the XR, when i brought the XR my 3 day ownership was enough and the key factor for me wanting to sell it was that the suspension was rock hard.

The R can do everything the GT can do, you can fit a quickshifter, it ain't got cruise but it's no hardship, it will tour easily with a screen and tank range is good and at the mo the SE is a steal @ £11995 .

 

[SPL]

Premier Bikes Didcot have a Demo

Thanks for the tip - problem is I'm a bit old school on this and I feel bad about taking a demo out knowing I have no intention of buying from the guy who's loaned it to me


@Ding-Dong thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive reply - the feedback is really helpful

I am just a little heavier than you, so I suspect our experiences of a low mileage bike with box-fresh suspension will be similar.
It's a surprise to me that you find Sport best as I would expect this exacerbate any harshness as it would be stiffer.
Maybe it's because the SCU function which reduces fork dive is disabled in Sport mode and that makes the forks feels smoother??

Bizarrely I used to own a Multistrada and one of the few things I didn't like was the fork dive under braking, so maye the very thing that made the other chap sell his GT will be the thing that makes me want one

I'm not concerned too much about the QS as my only experience of one is on a boxer - so I'm not used to it being like butter

Good tips about the risers and sprocket too - I'll keep that in mind during the demo ride when I finally get it.

Interesting comment about the seats too (as I was definitely intending to get them).
How tall are you (and what do you think of the screen).

If you don't like / won't use your comfort seats maybe I could buy them off you if I decide to go ahead with the bike...

 

[DING-DONG]

.
1- It's a surprise to me that you find Sport best as I would expect this exacerbate any harshness as it would be stiffer.
Maybe it's because the SCU function which reduces fork dive is disabled in Sport mode and that makes the forks feels smoother??

2-Bizarrely I used to own a Multistrada and one of the few things I didn't like was the fork dive under braking.

3-How tall are you (and what do you think of the screen).
...

1- street eliminates any fork dive I thought this setting would be great just like the gs front with hardly any dive but I found this made the forks jolt when going over pot holed roads and stops you from loading up the front just before you tip in.

Comfort allows the bike to wallow and makes you run wide, that was my experience of comfort and I could feel it wallowing underneath myself when mid corner.

Sport is perfect for myself it really has the right balance, the first contact with bad road surfaces you can feel it slightly try to kick you out the seat but I just grip the tank with my knees, if the road is consistent with imperfections the suspension seems to dial itself in and it smooths things out, Ktm can alter the pre-load on the rear with there pooter but not the front. I went thro the process of checking static and rider sag and they are within spec for my weight but just, the heavier you are I think the better it will be .

2- I owned the dvt with skyhook and agree the fork dive was a lot, I brought another dvt with manual suspension and bizarrely the suspension felt much better then the skyhook bike plus there was not as much fork dive.

3- I'm 5'7" and the screen is great, I leave it in the low position because changing the position makes no difference, I wear either a c3 pro or a neotec or the xspirit 2 and theres no turbulence but I now get wind noise from the base of the lid depending on what jacket im wearing, it seems to be related to when wearing touring clothing and not my summer stuff but this has been resolved by buying a wind jammer for the xspirit 2 and I've since brought a new xspirit 3 and that doesn't need the jammer.

 

[SPL]

Thanks again Ding-Dong - looks like the GT is back to the top of my list

I went thro the process of checking static and rider sag and they are within spec for my weight but just, the heavier you are I think the better it will be

And here's me thinking I should try and shed a few pounds over the winter - looks like I'll have to get back on the pies!!