Anyne had one, own one or riden one, getting an itch to get one, got a test booked but concerned the only dealers is Fowlers in my area and I wouldnt touch them with a barge pole so serving would mean a ride to Didcot, no biggy but relibilty is also a question mark
I tried one when they first came out. I would also recommend trying the brand new 1290s Adventure, looks like an aircraft carrier but is small when you sit in it with much better weight distribution than the GT.
I've got a 2020 SD GT Love it. Best bike I've ever had. I first rode one when this model came out in 2019 and waited until they came down in price by £3K after the new one came out. Ended up getting a mint used one (only 2800 miles) with £2K worth of bits on it for £14K. Back when I test rode it I remember thinking that I'd never felt more connected with a bike. AMS KTM is in Tewkesbury - perhaps nearer than Didcot? I had a 2015 1290 Super Adventure before this which I had from new and didn't have any problems with in 5 years. Same engine in the SD GT but tweaked. I've nothing but praise for them. The LC8 is a truly great engine.
The brand new adventure looks huge and heavy, but ergonomics are superb, seat much lower than before and fuel tank is very low so absolutely not too heavy and so easy to control. I thought before I got on it it would be too much , but I could not have been more wrong.
Fancy a change from any adventure style bike having had 5 MTS hence why the GT caught my eye, that or an MT10 but 4 cyl Japanese bikes don’t really yank my chain anymore as had ZZR1400s etc and although Japanese bikes are good value, and reliable they don’t have soul like Ducati’s KTMs, MV’s etc
The new Adventure 1290S seems to be the journo's bike of choice, some going as far as saying it's the bike of the year already. Any it's considerably cheaper than a Multi V4S
KTM do have a reputation for sudden big discounted prices, so time of purchase, new or old, can be a bit of a lottery. Have owned a 2016 1290 Adventure and the 1290 engine is very good, 11k miles with no problems. Currently own a MT10 which I am very happy with and considerably cheaper than the Duke GT.
I have ridden the GT and it is essentially the same as the Gen 2 SDR but more refined - i.e. great. However, I do wonder where the GT will fit into the KTM range in future, if at all: the current Super Adventure S appears to do everything the GT does, but better.
I did 6500 miles in 5 months on a mk1 GT. Sold it and bought a 2017 1200gs Rallye. Which I much preferred for secure handling and comfort, in fact still got that with nearly 30'000 miles on it now. The mk2 GT has had a lot of revisions, and perhaps is now a great bike instead of deeply flawed. MK1; KTM comfort seat. Dont waste any money on one, go aftermarket. It was torture. Switch gear and cruise control button was very badly laid out. Now revised. Gearbox, too many false neutrals that could be scary on fast rides and overtakes. Quickshifter was poor. Big issue was suspension. Comfort mode was basically useless. Just pitched and wallowed. Sport was good, except if you hit *any kind of ripple or bump mid corner, then it tried to have you off. Very un nerving*. Ok, this was pushing on but that is surely the design criteria for this type of bike and I have ridden enough bikes to know when it is an issue. There was a real lack of available tuning with the suspension, so no chance fettling. No suspension specialists wanted to know, neither did KTM. Apparently KTM have rewritten the algorithm for the electronic suspension and it is much improved. They (KTM) will also update the old bike. IMO you will still be left with a lack of fine tuning, so a test ride would be a must. Bar risers make a big difference to touring comfort. Wunderlich spacers were about £60, moved the bars up and a little bit back. The new dash is also a huge improvement. When road surface was smooth and predictable, it was rapid.* If rather heavy on back tyre wear. Panniers were a poor internal shape for packing, but the mounting system was very neat. I would consider a late version, IF I was satisfied to the issues being sorted. There are a lot of things that are right , with a sensible weight and size for this type of motorcycle. So many motorcycles these days seem to be a bit bloated. They are a bit ugly, colour schemes questionable. Dont buy new. Depreciation was huge.
Nope, totally different steering. The GT feels much more like a sports bike with its 17" front wheel than the SAS does. The SAS feels more like a Multi, the GT more like an S1000RR (but much more comfortable).
The Mk3 GT comfort seat is fine. Mine had one on when I bought it (I wouldn't have paid for it myself because the standard seat is very good). Don't bother unless you specifically want to add heating to the seat. Quickshifter + on Mk3 is very good, up and down. Suspension is good (I'm 19 stone). Can move the bars on the Mk3 without add ons but YMMV. TFT dash is great and user definable layout. I wouldn't have bought a GT earlier than a Mk3.
Good question. I would presume it fails safe and unlocked, but I'll have to read the manual and let you know.
Let me know as sods law states it would fail when the tank is near empty leaving you in the sh*t so to speak
The handbook doesn't specify what the fail state of the fuel cap lock is, but it does say you can turn the bike on with the (passive) spare key which has a microchip in it (which should allow the fuel cap to open). You'd need to ask a dealer for any more info than that.
