Motorcycle specifications KTM1290 SUPERDUKE GT 2018 Supercharged tourism

What allows you to hook up two suitcases, tease a Mig-28 on the accèl', ride for a long time without breaking your wrists, and turn corners into accelerated rollercoasters? A hypersport with a rack for luggage? The creation of a workshop coupling Samsonites and turbos? No, but you can mix it all up and see what's going on inside the heads of KTM engineers.
Not long ago, they wanted to create a roadster that was completely crazy, overpowering, beastly, and the result was the 1290 Superduke R. With a huge twin and horsepower like it was raining. But these engineers are like kids. You leave them for two minutes with their connecting rods, their brains bubbling, their adrenalin flowing, and they come up with a new way of thinking about Grand Tourism. At Katoche, it's going to be demonic, ballsy as can be, and it's even got a name: Superduke GT. As far as imagination goes, there was no one there that day. Of course, everyone wanted to taste the virtues of touring with a powder keg. The test confirmed its enormous potential and adrenalin on demand.

this machine for tourers in a hurry and/or very sporty riders is based on the twin-cylinder engine of the big SuperDuke and Super Adventure. Does this mean it's a fusion of streetfighter and maxi-trailer? Far from it. Only the engine is the same. And to underline the sulphurous side of the machine, the 1301 cm3 engine belches out exactly the same ardour as on the roadster. 173 horsepower are waiting under the handle. Outch! Heavy stuff! In its early days, this block produced 180 horsepower. But the Euro4 standard took a few watts out of it. As a result, SuperDuke and Superduke GT models will have to make do with 7 hp less. Never mind; the LC8 still has what it takes to send your guts into a tizzy. Here, it gets new cylinder heads, a revised crankshaft, smoother injection and a few improvements to give its temperament a more roadworthy consistency.
Dual ignition, anti-dribble clutch, Formula 1-style pistons, Ride-by-Wire, insane 13.2:1 compression, over 14.7 mkg of torque... the connecting rods are on fire. But how does this Superduke assert its GT orientation?

Climb aboard. Don't be afraid. Just as powerful as the roadster, the "routiérisé" beast seems more imposing, more paunchy. And it is. By becoming a GT, broad shoulders have developed on its flanks. The chest is menacing: incisive, forked like a trident, thick without being heavy. A warrior, protector of his crew and vilifier of the ladies of tourism. An indispensable assistant then enters the scene: a courtesy-sized bubble, hand-adjustable and fitted with several anchoring points. This little invitation to travel is divided into two acts. Can the first really be used for long-distance escapades? KTM seems intent on proving that it can, with a more generous fuel tank boasting 23 liters (+ 5 L) and 400 km of range. Other settings are reserved for the crew. The passenger has more space and lowered footrests. The rider can adjust the handlebars to 22 mm and 4 positions; the shifter and brake pedal to 3. A softer set of saddles, a reinforced, lengthened rear frame with room for optional suitcases, heated grips and standard cruise control - all this whets the appetite for a big ride.

but these are just appetizers. For Katoche makes this Superduke GT a demonstration of all its technology. It's a case of taking a little zest here, a little touring there, and fitting in whatever you can as long as it fits. Take the EDS suspension. We know them from our Adventure models, and we're delighted to see them fitted here. These are semi-active WPs, whose mission is to adapt damping in real time. 3 programs are defined to suit the mood of the day: Comfort, Street and Sport. The names describe in no uncertain terms how the 48 mm fork and White Power monoshock will react and respond to the road.
The system detects the weight on board and adjusts automatically. The suspensions have 125 mm of travel at the front and 156 mm at the rear to demonstrate their capacity. Significant values for the category, capable of eliminating any dry reactions and delivering quality work.

And what's more, there are so many assistances that it's hard to believe you'll be able to do without them. The brand has put everything it has into the Superduke GT: traction control and ABS that take into account the angle of the bike to determine the degree of intervention, a Supermoto mode in the braking system to lock the rear wheel without losing the anti-lock.it also features tire pressure monitoring, a shifter, an anti-dribble clutch, turn signals that stop automatically after 10 sec and 150 m, and adaptive LED lighting. Transparent claws on the sides of the tank light up as the bike turns. Each headlamp unit contains three segments of LEDs, which are progressively activated according to the angle taken by the machine.
The SDGT is worse than a car: in the options section, you can go even further with a hill-start aid, or the MSR, which lets the engine "slip" in the event of too much torque return on deceleration.
High-tech added value on this bike. Too much, perhaps. What are we to think when engineers provide the means to civilize a monster on demand? Because before becoming a GT, the 1290 SuperDuke is determined to ensure its bestiality in Act 2.

after the road, comfort and co-pilots intermission, the fundamentals return to the attack. For, despite being amply equipped, this impressive machine retains all the spice of Mattighofen's fury. As we've seen, its monstrous engine is designed to be a tad more delicate, to suit less extreme use. Underneath the avalanche of equipment, however, nothing seems more vindictive than the Superduke. Its chrome-molybdenum tubular trellis frame, its Brembo M50 monobloc brake calipers, its large cavalry, more or less tempered by the riding modes (Street, Sport, Rain and Supermoto), its superb single-sided arm... There's plenty of incentive to put the big dipper between each bend. It's a dream come true to turn every stage into a rally special. However, there are other things than suitcases to bring driver and front wheel down to earth. This acronym, this GT claim, means an extra 16 kilos, or 228 fully loaded. And Pirelli Angel GT tires, very well made but less sporty than the Dunlop SportSmart2 fitted to the streetfighter brother.

"A long-distance rocket". That's how KTM defines its Superduke 1290 GT. With all it's got in the belly and in the brain, we'd be tempted to believe it. Are we witnessing the birth of a new category, blending the fury of a hypersport, the versatility of a roadster and the touring capabilities of a tourer? A Streetfighter Grand Tourisme, a totally unreasonable machine capable of knocking out 95% of the bikes on the market, while still allowing you to go to Berck-plage or Chamonix at the weekend. A motorcycle that can enjoy a Ledenon in the morning, climb the Ventou virolos in drift in the afternoon, then comfortably return to the Cap d'Agde campsite in the evening? Utopian, but not so far removed from his prerogatives. Katoche loves this kind of challenge, and so does the bill. The rich endowment and the performance will pay for themselves at the top end of the range. The SMT 990 seems to have found a much more muscular descendant.

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