Today I had a chance to ride a almost new (less than 1000 miles) EU-5 1290 Superduke my local dealer traded in by a guy who had bought too much motorcycle...He traded it on a R Nine T...Anyways on paper the Superduke is way superior to the 1250 GS being 40 kilos lighter and having 40 hp more...I was really excited to put it to the test to see what the so called "Beast" that is "Ready to Race" is all about Anyways took it on a twisty back road I know well to see how it compares to my stock 1250GS with ADV "sports" suspension and BMW cast wheels in stock 19" front & 17" rear sizes.
The 2020 Superduke 1290 was stock except for a Arrow pipe.My GS has a Akrapovic EU-3 pipe.Tires on the KTM are the sports Bridgestone 22 while I run Continental Trail Atack 3 on my GS...Anyways the KTM is actually pretty comfortable and the sound is pretty quiet even with the aftermarket pipe.Nothing wrong with the brakes either (Brembo Stylema) but the engine needs 4000 rpm to pick up cleanly while the GS thanks to shift-cam picks up cleanly 2000 rpm earlier ! Roll-on thanks to 140NM they feel about as evenly powerful up to 8000 rpm but between 7000 and 10000 rpm (where the rev limiter puts an end to it abruptly) the KTM feels almost superbike powerful ! The GS needs 30-40 hp more to be the perfect motorcycle engine for the street without losing the low-rpm tract-ability ! But anyways the KTM is only a one trick pony...In 3rd and 4th gear hitting 7000 rpm it will wheely.It has too much power for it's own good and can't put the power down in fast forward progress like an over-sized dirt-bike for the steet.This can be either exciting or scary depending how who look at it but definitely not fast on road or track.Power is nothing without control.Be it either too short wheelbase or too much torque a S1000R is just as fast but much easier to ride and thus faster on track or back roads.Even the GS that is 40 kilos heavier and 40 hp short on power is much easier to ride and faster than a 1290 Superduke on twisty backroads... I can't imagine what an M1300GS would do with a 17" front wheel and a 170 hp boxer....
The KTM is definitely not ready to race as I have never ridden a motorcycle that was so twitchy around the steering head and still steered slower than a GS at speeds above 50 mph...Good top end power for a twin (the fun starts at 7000 and is abruptly over at 10000 rpm) but no control...It will wheely and is very unstable in the twisties...What a let-down and another interesting motorcycling experience.Lot of power wasted on a unstable moto-cross chassis...The magazines definitely don't have a clue but I know now why 1290 Superdukes are so easy to pass on trackdays...
Not on the straights but the GS is much faster in the twisties...And with bags,centerstand,shaft-drive and Telelever much more practical... All we need know is 30 more hp on top !!!
Hopefully BMW is listening and doesn't waste their time & resources on junk like the R 18...
The 2020 Superduke 1290 was stock except for a Arrow pipe.My GS has a Akrapovic EU-3 pipe.Tires on the KTM are the sports Bridgestone 22 while I run Continental Trail Atack 3 on my GS...Anyways the KTM is actually pretty comfortable and the sound is pretty quiet even with the aftermarket pipe.Nothing wrong with the brakes either (Brembo Stylema) but the engine needs 4000 rpm to pick up cleanly while the GS thanks to shift-cam picks up cleanly 2000 rpm earlier ! Roll-on thanks to 140NM they feel about as evenly powerful up to 8000 rpm but between 7000 and 10000 rpm (where the rev limiter puts an end to it abruptly) the KTM feels almost superbike powerful ! The GS needs 30-40 hp more to be the perfect motorcycle engine for the street without losing the low-rpm tract-ability ! But anyways the KTM is only a one trick pony...In 3rd and 4th gear hitting 7000 rpm it will wheely.It has too much power for it's own good and can't put the power down in fast forward progress like an over-sized dirt-bike for the steet.This can be either exciting or scary depending how who look at it but definitely not fast on road or track.Power is nothing without control.Be it either too short wheelbase or too much torque a S1000R is just as fast but much easier to ride and thus faster on track or back roads.Even the GS that is 40 kilos heavier and 40 hp short on power is much easier to ride and faster than a 1290 Superduke on twisty backroads... I can't imagine what an M1300GS would do with a 17" front wheel and a 170 hp boxer....
The KTM is definitely not ready to race as I have never ridden a motorcycle that was so twitchy around the steering head and still steered slower than a GS at speeds above 50 mph...Good top end power for a twin (the fun starts at 7000 and is abruptly over at 10000 rpm) but no control...It will wheely and is very unstable in the twisties...What a let-down and another interesting motorcycling experience.Lot of power wasted on a unstable moto-cross chassis...The magazines definitely don't have a clue but I know now why 1290 Superdukes are so easy to pass on trackdays...
Not on the straights but the GS is much faster in the twisties...And with bags,centerstand,shaft-drive and Telelever much more practical... All we need know is 30 more hp on top !!!
Hopefully BMW is listening and doesn't waste their time & resources on junk like the R 18...