SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 37
LIST PRICE
$22,499
WARRANTY
2 years, 40,000 km
CONTACT
ktm.com/en
ENGINE TYPE
DOHC, 75-degree V-twin,
four valves per cylinder
DISPLACEMENT
1,301 cc
POWER
173 hp (129 kW) at 9,750 rpm
TORQUE
104 ft-lb (141 Nm) at 7,000 rpm
BORE AND STROKE
108 mm x 71 mm
COMPRESSION RATIO
13.6:1
FUEL DELIVERY
Keihin EFI with twin 56 mm injectors
TRANSMISSION
6-speed
FINAL DRIVE TYPE
Chain
FRONT SUSPENSION
Fully adjustable, semi-active,
48 mm WP inverted fork
REAR SUSPENSION
Fully adjustable, semi-active WP monoshock
WHEEL TRAVEL
Front: 125 mm (4.9 in.)
Rear: 156 mm (6 in.)
BRAKES
Front: Dual 320 mm discs with Brembo radially
mounted four-piston calipers
Rear: 240 mm disc with single-piston Brembo
caliper and Bosch 9ME Combined-ABS
WHEELBASE
1,482 mm (58.4 in.)
RAKE AND TRAIL
24.9 degrees/107 mm
TIRES
Front: 120/70R17
Rear: 190/55ZR17
WEIGHT (DRY)
209 kg (461 lb.)
SEAT HEIGHT
835 mm (32.9 in.)
FUEL CAPACITY
23 L
FUEL ECONOMY (CLAIMED)
5.7 L/100 km
FUEL RANGE (ESTIMATED)
400 km
2019 KTM 1290
SUPER DUKE GT
i
For additional photos of the
2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT
visit: motorcyclemojo.com
torquiness as well as helps the engine
run smoother. The gear-driven counter-
balancer is unchanged and does a good
job of eliminating the vibes inherent in
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Effortless Power
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ferocity that continues unabated until
just before the rev limiter kicks in.
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torque are always at hand – but this
is truly effortless in its application,
so there’s even less need to use the
six-speed gearbox hard than was the
case before. That’s a pity in a way,
because along with smoother perfor-
mance and greater torque at lower
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clutchless downshifter to its positive
and precise Quickshifter+ power shifter
package that forms part of the optional
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trolling engine braking electronically,
as well as a standard ramp-type slipper
clutch. The GT’s gearshift is addictively
easy to use without ever touching the
clutch lever after you depart from rest,
except for having to feather it slightly
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revs drop below 2,000 rpm. The gearbox
ratios are unchanged, but Hill Hold
Control is available as an option, and
sampling it on the test bike proved it
worked okay on very steep inclines.
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further development of the ignition
timing to deliver a smoother, stronger
pickup from low revs. This produces
even more top-end performance while
delivering a noticeable hit of extra
midrange muscle that is maintained
all the way to the 10,500 rpm limiter,
at which point the ride-by-wire digital
throttle simply stops building revs
rather than delivering a hard cutout.
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GT pulls strongly off its 1,500 rpm idle
speed before coming on strong from as
low as 4,000 rpm in sport riding mode.
I could hold fourth gear for kilometre
after kilometre, carving corners through
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straight-line squirts to the next bend.
Thus, the GT lives up to its name as a
grand tourer with sporting pretensions.
Sure, you can knock it down one gear
or even two to get added zest – but the
1,301 cc engine has such huge reserves
of torque that in real-world riding you
don’t need to do this.
Engine-Management Modes
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acceleration on tap, don’t think the new
GT, complete with its greater power and
more torque – and a wider spread of
each– is in any way an abrupt handful
when exiting a turn with a closed
throttle because Eisele’s engineers have
done a great job of taking the edge off
the GT’s voracious jump to terminal
velocity without neutering the initial
launch. Even the sport mode’s throttle
response is smooth and offers more
power at smaller openings than when in
street mode, the latter of which requires
just a little bit more throttle for the same
yield of power until around one-third
opening, where both modes offer similar
performance. Rain mode smooths out
throttle response even more while cap-
ping peak power to 100 hp – although I
only tried this once, thanks to the sunny
weather during my ride.
Of course, if your ride takes you to a
racetrack for a track day, the GT will be
perfectly adept. I didn’t get the chance
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option allows further adjustability of
the electronic settings, as well as extra
settings covering launch control, spin
adjuster, three throttle response settings
and an anti-wheelie on/off function.
Comfort without compromising
cornering ability. Distance without
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lines for the new GT are well chosen.
The most radical long-distance sports
tourer in the marketplace combines
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performance and handling capabilities
in a torqued-up package that’s as happy
munching kilometres at speed as it is in
carving corners.
Still a bike that’s literally unique.
Only better than before.