2019 K TM SUPER DUKE GT
FIRST IMPRESSION
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The aesthetics game
Part the new appeal of the '19 GT is visual, for in just looking
at the two bikes side by side as you walk towards them,
it's evident that the new model's heavily facelifted styling
by Kiska Design has given it more presence, as well as a
greater sense of substance than before.
The new shapelier screen is more protective at speed
than the older one, and is safely adjustable one-handed
on the go through nine different positions over a range of
50mm. Cruising at 100 mph with the V-twin engine run-
ning at 6500 rpm was surprisingly relaxing for a neo-naked
sports tourer, with excellent protection, very little residual
windblast and no excessive noise.
the road surface, as well as the rider's style.
However, impressive as that already was when
I tried it first time around three years ago on the
GT, it's immediately noticeable how much better
it is on the new bike—an impression confirmed
by swapping to the older model for a ride over
similar broken road surfaces.
Okay, so it's a cliché to say that the 2019
model delivers a magic carpet ride, but honestly,
you practically float over bumps and broken
tarmac in a way I wasn't expecting—you see the
imperfection in the road surface, but you hardly
feel it when riding over it, so greatly enhanced is
the ride quality verging on the plushness deliv-
ered by the semi-active suspension.
"We're pretty proud that we could achieve
this improvement using the same hardware as
before, just by developing a new software for it
with different algorithms," says Gustav Greiner.
"The accuracy is more than three times greater
in monitoring the street surface and analyzing
the result than it used to be before." Suspension
travel is unchanged, at 4.9 inches up front and
a massive 6.1 inches at the rear, just that the
damping is vastly improved—and it wasn't so bad
previously!
Moreover, with the semi-active suspension
customers can electronically choose via the
dash the appropriate rear pre-load adjustment
according to the load they have, whether rider
only with or without luggage, or two people with
or without bags.
