VOL. 53 ISSUE 10 MARCH 15, 2016 P59
They offer 30 liters of storage,
with room enough for a full-face
helmet. I know this for fact,
because during a break on
our test ride I whined that my
helmet wouldn't fit and demon-
strated as much to the KTM's
project leader for the GT. He
walked over and held my helmet
in the air, quietly examining the
shape, then plopped it straight
in and shut the bag closed.
When in doubt, ask the experts!
My only real gripe with the GT
is with its instrumentation and
user interface. The monochro-
matic display screen is rather
plain, at least when compared
to the color TFT displays on
some rival designs. Its utilitarian
bent is reminiscent of previ-
ous KaTooM designs. I also
wasn't a fan of the menu navi-
gation buttons housed on the
left switchgear, which I found
cumbersome to operate with my
gloved hand. I'm not fond of the
windscreen adjustment either,
which slides up and down with
riders snapping it in and out of
place by pushing and pulling
the top. While easy enough to
operate, the adjustment mecha-
nism felt clunky and less ele-
gant than other manual systems
I've sampled—like the simple
knob adjustment on the R 1200
GS. But these complaints are
all minor nits to pick at, as the
GT's overall package is pretty
near flawless.
As far as pricing goes, official
MSRP is still to be determined,
though it's promised to be in the
$20K range. If so, the GT will
carry a price tag comparable to
its European rivals from BMW
and Ducati. American riders will
have to wait until the end of sum-
mer before GTs start to arrive at
dealers as a 2017 model, which
is a shame because some epic
summer tours will have to be
postponed until next year.
After a full day in the saddle,
the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT
impressed with it road-going per-
formance. KTM has taken the
raw performance capacity of the
R and made it more flexible with
a dialed-in electronic suspension
and braking package. It's also
comfortable enough to pile on
touring mileage. This GT is how
KTM conceptualizes sporttour-
ing, and riders will not be disap-
pointed. CN
