KTM’s 1290 Super Duke is without doubt one of the craziest motorcycles that money can buy and yet for 2016 the firm has revealed a sports-touring version that’s actually intended to mix madness with a touch of practicality.
Based around the same basic 1301cc V-twin engine as the Super Duke, the Super Duke GT’s version is modified with changes to the crank, heads and mappings to soften its power delivery a fraction. Although with 173bhp, it’s barely lost any peak power compared to the 180bhp 1290 Super Duke it’s derived from. KTM has concentrated on spreading the engine’s performance over a wider range, so peak power actually comes higher at 9500rpm compared to 8870rpm while peak torque is 1000rpm lower, at 6750rpm.
On the chassis side, the GT gains semi-active suspension from KTM’s WP subsidiary – similar to that used on the 1290 Adventure – with multiple modes for comfort, sport and street use.
As has become the norm, there’s a bevy of rider aids to help you handle that 173bhp peak power. There’s the stability control system, which aims to prevent wheelspin even at serious lean angles, and a similarly lean-sensitive ABS brake set-up, all with multiple modes and settings depending on how many risks you want to take.
There’s also hill-start assistance – a feature that’s turning up on several new models for 2016 – that stops the bike from rolling backwards when setting off up a steep slope, and a system called MSR (for Motor Slip Regulation) that alters engine braking to help prevent the back from locking during downshifts.
Chuck in cruise control, as KTM has, along with heated grips and a tyre pressure monitoring system, and you’ve got a machine with the sort of equipment levels that plenty of full-on tourers would be jealous of, but all wrapped in a package that’s just 228kg ready-to-ride.