New bike and first proper ride

[ikkje]

Picked up a 1390SAS from Teasdale’s a week ago and have just returned from a 4 day trip to the Scottish Borders. (Johnny Boxer joined for part of it) 4 days of mainly back roads which were crater filled, strewn with gravel and covered in crap, has given me a good feel for bike. (It replaced a 1290 SAS) There are any number of reviews of the EVO version and yet I couldn’t find a single review of the non auto S version. So here’s the initial feedback:

Shift cam engine - great and super quick, but so was the 1290.
Ergonomics - good and certainly a more comfortable standard seat than the 1290
Interface - a step backwards in my view and the so called ‘improved’ switchgear feels cheaper than the 1290. The menu’s a just not as intuitive and all in I’m a bit disappointed in this aspect. Guess I’ll just get used to it.
Handling, brakes and feel - absolutely spot on, once I’d figured out how to change the damping settings (which took some time to work out)
Arrow silencer from the 1290 fits perfectly

Irritations

My heated seats from the 1290 don’t fit
Neither does the side stand foot
It also looks like the pannier frames have been changed so they’re unlikely to fit
I decided to try out the paid version of the KTM nav app, only to find it won’t connect with the bike and message comes up saying a fix will be due mid year
No bloody centre stand
Centre stand and side stand foot are not yet available (What????????)
No radar (not that I used it much on the 1290)

I started the border ride in a bit of a grump with the above issues, but 650 miles later I’ve definitely warmed to bike, not to mention I think it’s a lot better looking than the 1290. But ……..is it worth the extra cost vs. a well sorted 1290? Nope and there’s still a part of me that thinks I shouldn’t have bothered changing. I hope that over the coming weeks I will change my mind on that score.

 

[MickTheSaw]

looking good, I've just got a used evo 3 months old.Only things from my 1290SAS that dont fit are the seats and high screen.The standard KTM luggage fits onto the 1290 hangers ok on the 1390.
The TFT screen takes some getting used to, so many options.I've had a few issues with bluetooth connectivity with the bike not remembering my phone or headset.Sometimes its fine and then other times something doesnt connect.
The bike is completely bonkers though.! enjoy and ride safe.

 

[ikkje]

I did think about getting an EVO, but decided that with that amount of power, I’d still prefer to rely on making gear choices myself. But you’re right, they’re an absolute blast to ride!

 

[timeandtide]

Not tempted to change my 1190R!

 

[Daxaar]

Properly regret selling my 23 plate 1290 SAS last year. The 1390 just doesn't tick the right boxes for me with a lot of the things you've mentioned such as lack of active cruise and centre stand, I wouldn't touch the EVO S. So I'm now casually looking for another 23 onwards 1290 SAS but they seem to now be fetching strong money. Pity I let mine go for silly money at the height of the KTM doom and gloom.

 

[ikkje]

And to your point on resale values of the 1290’s. The bike I traded in, re-sold quickly for a more than healthy price.

 

[Arsey]

I did think about getting an EVO, but decided that with that amount of power, I’d still prefer to rely on making gear choices myself. But you’re right, they’re an absolute blast to ride!

How is the amount of power relevant ?
You can still change gear yourself in manual mode with the Evo ?
Did you test ride one ?

 

[Daxaar]

On that note, if anyone on here is about to trade a mint 1290 SAS 2023 onwards in orange with less than 6k on it, give me a shout first

 

[cookie]

Not tempted to change my 1190R!

Sadly, decided to sell mine as 'm finding it a bit on the big and heavy side these days

Still the best bike I've ever owned.

 

[jefformston]

Picked up a 1390SAS from Teasdale’s a week ago and have just returned from a 4 day trip to the Scottish Borders. (Johnny Boxer joined for part of it) 4 days of mainly back roads which were crater filled, strewn with gravel and covered in crap, has given me a good feel for bike. (It replaced a 1290 SAS) There are any number of reviews of the EVO version and yet I couldn’t find a single review of the non auto S version. So here’s the initial feedback:

Shift cam engine - great and super quick, but so was the 1290.
Ergonomics - good and certainly a more comfortable standard seat than the 1290
Interface - a step backwards in my view and the so called ‘improved’ switchgear feels cheaper than the 1290. The menu’s a just not as intuitive and all in I’m a bit disappointed in this aspect. Guess I’ll just get used to it.
Handling, brakes and feel - absolutely spot on, once I’d figured out how to change the damping settings (which took some time to work out)
Arrow silencer from the 1290 fits perfectly

Irritations

My heated seats from the 1290 don’t fit
Neither does the side stand foot
It also looks like the pannier frames have been changed so they’re unlikely to fit
I decided to try out the paid version of the KTM nav app, only to find it won’t connect with the bike and message comes up saying a fix will be due mid year
No bloody centre stand
Centre stand and side stand foot are not yet available (What????????)
No radar (not that I used it much on the 1290)

I started the border ride in a bit of a grump with the above issues, but 650 miles later I’ve definitely warmed to bike, not to mention I think it’s a lot better looking than the 1290. But ……..is it worth the extra cost vs. a well sorted 1290? Nope and there’s still a part of me that thinks I shouldn’t have bothered changing. I hope that over the coming weeks I will change my mind on that score.

View attachment 494643View attachment 494644

I think I was probably having a good look at your bike, before you took delivery, when my 1290 was in for servicing. Nice looking bike.

I’m tempted by the 1390 Super Duke, took one for a test ride and it was a lot more comfortable than I expected. Limited luggage space will probably be the thing that stops me swapping.

 

[timeandtide]

Sadly, decided to sell mine as I'm finding it a bit on the big and heavy side these days

Still the best bike I've ever owned.

I’m surprised - you’re taller, and I think, younger than me. . . and scarcely more sensible!

 

[ikkje]

I’ve now nearly 4K on the bike so an update

The bike has grown on me as I’ve explored more of it’s capabilities, but a few gremlins have also been present and a complete pain in the bum on the recent trip to the Black Forest with Johnny Boxer. The first is a reluctance to start, which was the case almost immediately and a new battery under warranty from Tripple D, did nothing to cure it. Apparently there is a recall / update to some part of the electronics to fix this and it’s on order. The downside of low voltage at start up is that it sends the ECU into a hissy fit and all sorts of spurious warnings appear in a seemingly random pattern. From Race On Key not in range, to TPS warnings, engine management light, abs failure and all total bumkum. On the hottest 3 days of the trip I’d park it for the night, to find a pool of coolant underneath the next morning. Temperatures dropped and it’s stopped.

I didn’t respond to Arsey’s comment earlier (no offence Arsey) but have been thinking about it since. I’ve had 3 different Honda DCT’s including the XADV 750 super scooot thingy. They’ve all been interesting and generally I like the DCT, but it would always irritate me by changing when I wouldn’t have had it been a manual. My conclusion with the 1390 is that for the times I ride it at 7/10ths, the decision making process and resulting precision means it changes exactly when I want and how I want and for a performance bike, that is exactly what I want. But …….. how often do you ride at 7 tenths? I can’t answer for you lot reading, but for me I’d optimistically say no more than 5% of the time. And for the rest? Well I can tell you that the thousands of gear changes I had to do on this trip were simply a chore and hence I kept on thinking about the Evo version. So no I didn’t try one Arsey as a demo bike wasn’t available, but I am going to try one now and it’s arriving to replace this one mid July. I’ll let you now what I think.

Finally though, the fact that I’m replacing this one with all it’s faults, with another one, says it all. Absolutely stunning bike to ride with mind warping capabilities.

 

[markie_wales]

Sorry you had problems. I guess it’s going to take a while to get the quality / reliability right, if that’s a priority for them.

Cheers

Markie