Ktm 1290 Super Duke Gt Top Speed

It doesn't seem that long ago that KTM was known almost exclusively for building dirt bikes – motocross, enduro and cross-country. Its "Ready to Race" philosophy fit perfectly with its product mix.

Of course, KTM is now known for having a diverse line-up of street-legal machines, and it still carries the Ready to Race characterization for everything from its dirt bikes to its sport tourer, the 1290 Super Duke GT, which is the subject of this ride review.

The 1290 Super Duke GT was redesigned for the 2019 model year, which we have previously reported. It is motivated by an updated version of the amazing 1,301cc LC8 v-twin engine that we first sampled more than five years ago in the original 1290 Super Duke R. Now with titanium valves and intake resonator chambers, KTM rates this refined motor at 173 horsepower in the new Super Duke GT. Together with all that horsepower, of course, is a massive v-twin displacement that supports a broad, high plateau of torque that kicks in very low in the rev range.

In short, this is one of the most amazing engines ever developed for use in a street legal motorcycle, and this year it is even better (as we found out). But the Super Duke GT is more than just engine performance. KTM's design brief included the goal of mastering, in one bike, "the seemingly impossible split between mountanous twisties, comfortable long-distance highway travelling and breath-taking track day use." As we found out during our testing, it is hard for us to argue that KTM has fallen short of this lofty goal.

The list of changes for 2019 is long. In addition to the engine updates, the Super Duke GT gets a new 6.5″ TFT display similar to that found on the Super Adventure S we recently tested (see photo below), new adjustable windscreen, new handguards, new LED headlight, redesigned cruise control, and updated WP semi-active suspension.

This photo of the TFT display on the Super Adventure S illustrates color and contract of the similar display on the Super Duke GT.

Handlebar controls allow you to dial in the supension settings you want – Comfort, Street or Sport, on top of the ability to change load settings, i.e., rider only, rider with luggage, and rider with passenger and luggage. According to KTM, the Suspension Control Unit adapts damping, load and anti-dive rates in real time, and also monitors rider position. Stroke sensors and accelerometers are designed to "ensure optimal suspension performance in all conditions."

Standard electronic wizardry includes Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) with Cornering ABS by Bosch, and lean angle sensitive Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC). MTC is adjustable, and there are three ride modes (the most aggressive being Sport). ABS can be switched to SuperMoto mode, which allows the rider to lock up the rear wheel.

The Super Duke GT comes standard with a quickshifter, allowing clutchless up and downshifts. Also included is the ability to connect a Smart Phone via bluetooth, allowing audio and phone call control from the handlebar. Ignition is keyless with a proximity-sensitive key fob, with a flip-out key to remove the standard saddlebags.

Comfortable and relatively upright erogonomics and a firm seat go well with the standard touring features which, in addition to the saddlebags, adjustable windscreen and cruise control, includes heated grips.

The excellent Brembo brake system includes a Brembo master cylinder (right).

So the 1290 Super Duke GT is a full-featured touring mount … can it boogie as a sport bike? It absolutely can, with stellar engine performance (no surprise, perhaps) combined with agile, yet stable, handling and awesome brakes.

Those ABS brakes include huge 320mm front discs squeezed by Brembo four-piston, radial-mount calipers fed by a Brembo radial master cylinder. A two-piston caliper operates on the smaller disc in the rear. The brakes offer big initial bite without being hard to modulate. These brakes are clearly up to the tasks of fully loaded touring (with a passenger) and track days.

We have sampled several electronically-adjustable suspension systems at this point, and the system found on the 1290 Super Duke GT is the best yet, in our opinion. With Comfort, Street and Sport settings available, we found ourselves settling on the Street setting for everyday riding, as well as aggressive trips through the canyons. Damping settings in Sport mode are aggressive enough to be appropriate for track days. Comfort setting is soft, without being too squishy.

With a steel trellis frame and stock Perelli Angel GT tires sending excellent feedback to the rider, the 1290 Super Duke GT easily tranistions from high-speed, straight-line touring duties to aggressive attack mode in the twisties. On one of our favorite canyon roads, the big GT offered a combination of corner grip and acceleration we have, frankly, not seen before in a sport tourer.

The quickshifter on the six-speed box works well unless revs are quite low, or you are going from 1st to 2nd gear or vice-a-versa. It can be clunky in those circumstances. The rest of the time it is a welcome accessory that leaves you spoiled the next time you board a bike that requires use of the clutch full time.

That new TFT display is fantastic, with outstanding brightness, contrast and color that heralds a new era in motorcycle instrumentation legibility (the bikes we test without a TFT display, these days, are noticeably lacking). All of those electronic options we talked about above (such as suspension settings, power modes, etc.) are easily and intuitively controlled from the left handlebar grip area. Cruise control is found in the same vicinity and manipulated with the thumb. Frankly, cruise control was the only feature we couldn't figure out without reading instructions … to set your speed you maneuver the lever into a notch on the left before releasing it. Once we solved this mystery, it worked well.

So while the 1290 Super Duke GT doubles as a kick-ass superbike, it also excels at long-haul comfort. The standard, integrated saddlebags are easy to remove from the bike, and (while certainly smaller than some bags) swallowed a large, full-face Arai helmet. The LED headlights provide great highway vision at night, and the tire pressure monitoring system offers some added peace of mind.

To show you how serious KTM is about the sporting capabilities of the Super Duke GT, there is an optional Track Pack that can be loaded on the ECU. This adds a Track ride mode with three drive modes and the ability to turn wheelie control off. It also offers adjustable traction control and launch control.

The 2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT is one of the best motorcycles MD has ever tested. Instead of "jack of all trades" we might call it "master of all trades." The engine performance, brake performance and handling all scream "Sport Bike", while the finely tuned ergonomics, seat comfort, touring features and saddlebags make the "Sport Tourer" label fit perfectly. With 6.1 gallons of fuel capacity, you can also get a long way down the highway between fill-ups (and judicious use of the throttle on the highway, together with a less aggressive ignition map, will provide decent mileage).

In the end, the biggest impression left by this bike comes from the incredible engine performance and acceleration. Fuel injection mapping is superb (open the throttle at only 2,800 rpm in top gear without any hiccups), and accceleration is both viscious and controlled. Hours after leaving the saddle, the unique engine beat and effortless forward motion still haunt you (in a good way).

The 2019 KTM 1290 SuperDuke GT is available in two color schemes, including white with orange accents (our test unit) and black with orange accents (pictured below). Base price is $20,499 in the United States. Take a look at the KTM web site for additional details and specifications.