VOL. 52 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 6, 2015 P79
just before the rev limiter kicks in at 10,200
rpm. But with such serious power and ac-
celeration on tap, don't think the KTM is in
any way an abrupt handful exiting a turn off a
closed throttle, because Sekira's engineers
have done a great job of taking the edge off
the GT's voracious jump to terminal veloc-
ity, without, at the same time, excessively
neutering the initial launch. Even the Sport
mode's throttle response is smooth, in offer-
ing up more power at smaller openings than
Street mode, which requires just a little bit
more throttle for the same yield of power until
around one-third opening, where both modes
then offer similar performance. Rain mode
smooths out throttle response even more
while capping peak power to 100 bhp, though
I only tried this once thanks to the sunny
weather for my ride. But absent from the
prototype test bike was the MSC/Motorcycle
Stability Control program that combines lean-
angle specific traction control and cornering in
conjunction with the Bosch ABS, but this will
be included as standard when the GT reaches
production, as will the Pirelli Angel GT rubber
fitted to the test bike, delivering a good mix
between grip and high mileage.
So the bike which is generally considered to
be the class act in the Streetfighter sector has
…WE SAW OUR
CUSTOMERS DOING
THE SAME WITH THEIR
1290 SUPER DUKES, WHICH
CONFIRMED WE WERE
DOING THE RIGHT THING.
