Superduke R

I had a 990 SMT which I sold at 18000 miles. No significant problems whatsoever. Small things: KTM clutch slaves are famous for leaking so I fitted an Oberon to be done with it. The headrace bearings failed at about 8000 miles and the clutch master cylinder seals had to be replaced at about 10,000. Other than that it was utterly rock-solid. The independent KTM specialist who serviced it said they'd had several 990s of one sort or another through their hands with over 70,000 on the clock. I had the major 18000 miles service done before I sold it. The valve clearances were checked but they were still as good as new. The bike sailed through the MOT with a clean bill of health and cost me £280 all-in. Find me a Ducati that can be put through a major service for that price.

Currently got a 2016 1290 Superduke and an 1190 Adventure which I bought as a replacement for the SMT. The Superduke has done just over 11,000 miles since March 2016. The fuel pump was replaced under warranty at the first service. I hadn't noticed any problem but the mechanic at AMS said it was down on pressure so it was replaced on the spot no quibble. Surprise surprise the clutch slave played up and I had a spongy lever. It was serviced under warranty at my local dealer with new O rings at no cost to me and touch wood, no more problems. If it goes again I'll just fit an Oberon. Otherwise its been totally reliable. I done never had to top up the oil or the coolant, just ride the nuts off it and throw lorry loads of tyres at it, but that's hardly a fault. I could have bought a 500 twin commuter bike, but I didn't..

I bought the 1190 in May with 2800 miles on the clock and now its up to 7000. Again. rock-solid so far. I topped up the coolant once about 3000 miles ago when the header tank was empty but its given no further trouble and there are no leaks. Cooling systems leaving the factory with air locks in them are not uncommon across the KTM range and bleeding usually solves the problem.
Some of the proper off-road adventure riders on the KTM forum have racked up huge mileages on 1190s with no problems. The engine is a retuned RC8 unit and I know of a couple of those that have gone well past 50,000 miles including track days without any major problems.
The 1190 has a poorly designed air box which can let dust in. especially when used off road. Most of the problems have occurred in dusty conditions in Australia and the US. I've had no problems with mine but I've had it apart and reassembled it with sealing grease and sock filters on the intakes and there are a couple of inexpensive after-market fixes for the airbox if required so again its a minor detail. Otherwise, so far I've done nothing to it but put petrol in it and ride it.

KTM fasteners are a weak point. They look to be no more than anodised mild steel and they're Torx heads which hold water. They are prone to rust if not looked after. I keep mine clean and use ACF50 and all are mint.
Paint finish on both my bikes is spot-on. No blemishes whatsoever. The plastic panels are a good fit and never a struggle to refit, which makes a change.. Stickers have a tendency to peal. Not the proper lacquered-over decals but things like the "Ready to Race" logos on the subframe and the WP stickers on the fork legs. Frankly, who cares..?
Minor niggles really. Servicing costs for the 1290/1190 are about £250 for a minor service and £450 for a big un. I wish I could service my Streetfighter for that..
One great thing about KTMs is parts pricing and availability. Not only are they inexpensive compared with other European brands but every single nut, bolt and washer on every model is available as a numbered part off the parts fiche and there's virtually nothing you can't get over the counter or within a week at a KTM dealer. KTMs seem to have been designed on the assumption that owners will repair them and keep them. They are not a throwaway brand.

Like any make, your factory back-up is only as good your local dealer. Mine is Crescent and I've found them excellent. Their used bike prices are a bit steep and they never seem to quite match the new deals offered by AMS or Premier, but they've been spot-on with me for general parts and servicing.

One thing I would say is that KTM have a bit of a reputation for problems with the first run of new models. There are usually a couple of recalls in the first year of a new model but they're pretty good at listening to feed-back (moans) and quietly fix the problems by the second year. Certainly with the 1290 Superduke and the 1190 Adv almost all of the problems will occur on the early bikes - 2014 and 2013 respectively. If I was buying a new model I'd always wait a year - by which time they've probably started discounting anyway.

I came to KTMs by accident. when I bought the SMT as a budget adventure tourer. That isn't really what its for hence the upgrade to the 1190 but it has been a happy accident. I'm not one for brand loyalty as a rule. A bike is a machine to me not a fashion accessory, but I've been impressed with the whole KTM experience. I'd jump on either of mine and ride them halfway round the planet tomorrow and I would and will buy more KTMs without a doubt.

 

How many miles were on the 17? The power is also locked down till after service time?

 

I've ridden the 16 and 17 bikes, very very similar hence why I thought it might be on run in low power. But if all the dash was locked, then it ain't gonna wheelie much eh?

 

Not different power modes, I was told it's locked low by dealer till after service?

 

Only Rain mode reduces the power. Sport and Street are full power but Street has a milder throttle response.

 

I believe it's not adjustable by the customer, it's something set low by the dealer till after the service, to aid in the running in period? Trevor Pope Ktm was who said this when I test drove there mk1 model a couple of years back. Hope this helps.

 

Not a Superduke but close: take a look at this bloke. It was linked on the KTM forum. He's been riding an 1190R more or less continuously for the last two and a half years on a round the world trip. There's a map showing his exact route as taken from his bike tracker. Its pretty eye-watering. He's criss-crossed every continent but Antarctica. No idea what his mileage is but it must be massive.
As far as I can make out he's had one radiator leak caused by poor mounting which led to a vibration fracture, other than that he's had routine servicing and shed loads of tyres. The state of his tyres gives you a pretty good idea of how hard this ride has been. Poorly built bikes can't do this.
Makes Ewan and Charley's effort look like a weekend jaunt. KTM must be kicking themselves that they didn't supply the bikes for that one when it was offered to them.

http://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_150338341739712&key=05364a6a049b8ac5b166f92a953ea9eb&libId=j6n7njjs01001wdr000DAocbr9gbt&loc=http://www.ktmforum.co.uk/adventure/1285146-fly-wire-other-gubbings-2.html&v=1&out=https://www.facebook.com/GoodwillJourney/&ref=http://www.ktmforum.co.uk/adventure/1285146-fly-wire-other-gubbings-3.html&title=Fly By Wire And Other Gubbings - Page 2&txt=https://www.facebook.com/GoodwillJourney/

Only partially relevant to the thread but interesting anyway. Some great photos too.

 

No reason at all why you couldn't commute on an SDR. Town manners are impeccable. Fuelling is spot-on, throttle is smooth, clutch light and 1st gear isn't too tall (its 6th that's on the high side. You need to be doing at least 85 to use it). Its the easiest big twin I've ever ridden. Its not snappy or overly aggressive at small throttle openings for general riding. Its only when you start digging deeper into the throttle that the fury starts. It won't catch you out.
The relaxed riding position is fine for slow speeds too. There's even fold-out luggage loops under the pillion seats for a tail pack - think I've said that already one page one... You will get very wet if it rains though. Weather protection is precisely bugger all.
Fuel economy isn't bad. I've never quite hit 40 mpg on mine but never dropped below 35 either. Can't complain at that for a bike of this sort. Its better than my diesel car..

@Pavey are you looking at the new '17 bike or a mk 1?

 

Just had my second ride on the 17 SDR this afternoon, getting very close to pulling the pin, very difficult to fault, new TFT screen too small, seat rock hard (Needs the powerpart one) and thats about it, set of bar risers, small screen, near perfect bike, may even sell the Multi to make room for it ??

 

@Pavey , its possible but could be tight space wise ? Will have a look in garage later and do some "moving shit around man maths" ??