2017 KTM Super Duke GT Review 

Your speedo keeps fogging up, everytime the traffic starts driving very slowly on the highway. Coincidence?

TMF, youve just recently cost me £9900 on a 2016 GT with 916 miles on the clock, also like new !. Your excellent video convinced me. Fantastic bike it is too. Many thanks.

I have the GT. It's a fantastic bike. The standard seat needs a little breaking in but otherwise it's great. Done a number of 8 hour days in the saddle and was always very comfortable. Never saw the need to upgrade to the 'comfort' seat (which is also heated).

PRICE NOW REDUCED BY £5000 at most dealers from today..........25/11/2017

I thought i'd update you, having purchased a GT on the back of this video I have to say its flawless. No issues what so ever, puncture aside, Hadn't ridden for several years when i rode this home. Its a brilliant review ,trusted and impartial. Thanks again. No regrets from me.5* almost 4,000 miles this year.

..going to give this a like before it even starts!

I've been subscribed for a while now, and you make some fine content. An awesome channel presented in a professional manner. You sir are a gent and a scholar.

Bought one and loving it so far 25k on it

Great review....I'm currently weighing up one of these or a multistrada and this may have just sealed it

you are the default standard for any bike review well done !!

Liking the new clean briefer intro. Great bike, and nice little look. The style is a bit Marmite for me. I prefer Ducati, Aprillia, style wise an all round quality product though. I imagine it's very wheelie happy. A lot of vloggers seem to own the R or have owned one. Cheers TMF

Nice review mate. You've answered all my questions. I'm sold!!! 😁 Thanks.

Wow TMF don't think I have ever seen you blur out the speedo before, not even on your Panigale. This bike clearly has a lot of go!!!! Loving the reviews as always, just makes me want to buy all of the bikes you test though.

You're right about KTM seats. I put the KTM power parts seat on my KTM1190 Adv, it's original seat was too hard as well.

As always, an adult review, congrats. The Duke GT was one of the few bikes I have considered trading in for, having owned an old 990 Duke - that LC8 is a fabulous engine to make you feel young! I'll say this about you - you are about as experienced as a rider can be and if the GT would have intimidated you, it would have meant that KTM had made quite a mistake - you are precisely the rider it was intended for - older, experienced, unafraid of speed in the right context.......keep the reviews coming - they are respected and appreciated from an equally 'experienced' rider across the pond.

A few things I didn't like about it. a) Crayola Orange...KTM please stop with the orange. b) No luggage rack or ability to fit top box. It is otherwise designed to travel on. c) Single side swingarm. Probably makes tire changing easier, but bike stands already take up enough space in the garage and to own this, I'd need yet another. Something for the Thruxton R guys to ponder. KTM saw fit to shod this 175 hp beast with the same shoes as the Thuxton standard i.e. Pirelli GTs. Still think yout sub 100 hp bike needs Super Corsas?

great review as always and with every detail possible!i would love it if you could give the honda cb1100 ex a go,or the africa twin if you can..glad to be a subscriber for all this time and keep it up!

I did a review on this as well and posted it on my channel. Just loved the fun factor of this bike!! That V-Twin is just awesome!! I could certainly trade up for one of these!!

I think it looks pretty good. I seriously considered the 1290 super adventure which shares the same engine in a slightly different tune. What put me off at the time were reports of poor reliability and problems. Porous crankcases, warped disks and a bike that insisted on spitting out it's coolant. Still, you can always find a moaners forum (birds of a feather and all that) and no bike is perfect....

A bike built for a tour of long twisty roads!

Best British moto blogger always can learn something when I watch your videos.Can you also do Ducati monster R test ride

great review! need to try one myself...

You going to start hanging with RJ now? ;) Tis a beastie that one, quite the machine!!

Great review, any word on the old display? Didn't the Beast and the Adventure both get a new display???

A pouncing rhinoceros eh! I could never really put into words it's looks but I think you nailed it. Good review as ever but you didn't seem that blown away with the bike.

The hard seat must be the reason why every KTM super duke R/GT I've seen has had the upgraded seat on it.

I have the superduke 1290 se with the power parts seat, it is hard to begin with but after about 600 miles it starts the soften.

Wow, I want one now...lol

I have bought that bike yesterday

Hi, throwing lot of questions at you lately TMF :) sorry Budd but hope you can help me again, I have 3 bikes in my shopping basket at the moment: 1290 SRD R, Monster 1200S and MT-10. Last weeks S1000XR test ride brought me here, just watching this SRD GT review now and wondering would windprotection be the same betweeen R and GT if equipped R with aftermarket flyscreen? What do you think, having ridden both? Must say SRD R wins on the looks side of things for me BIG! time but having fair amount of wind protection (GT) is nice idea too. Haven't ridden any yet. Just Beemer S1000R last week but scrapped the idea of buying one (didn't tickle my pleasure sensors big enough).

I absolutely love that bike, looks and all. However they could bring the headlight and screen unit up slightly for better wind protection. This would amplify its touring credentials. As for the seat we would have to pay Touratech a visit i think. Great review, thanks. PS: Dont forget to do one on the KTM superadventure S please.

Nice machine TMF but is there really any point to having so much power? Its a bit like having a super car, you cant use all the power on the road soI struggle to see the point. I barely use all the grunt my 125bhp GS has to offer.

Thanks. Another good review of another bike I have always wanted to ride.....love that engine! The only thing I don't like is the switchgear. And why are the CC buttons on the RH side? Stupid, stupid. My Explorer had the buttons there and it was a right pain in the arse. The BMW system is much better. Rgds Glenn

Thinking about buying one of these, got a deal for 10.500€ for a 2017 model with extras, not a bad deal at all but she already has 48.000 km

Hello TMF, is the GT as much fun as Super duke R or is it tamed and slower?

Good work buddy! My Bro owned a super Duke R for a year and loved it, hopefully you will get to test ride the new Ducati Super Sport in about 6weeks when they hit the showrooms 👍. Cheers, GMAN

Question for you Missenden. Do you prefer a V twin sound or that of a triple?

I've owned many bikes throughout my 30y plus riding, but this is by far the best sports touring. Fantastic machine!!!!!

This bike is heavy as fuck compared to your Triple. Did you notice it whilst cornering?

Anybody remember MAD's Spy vs Spy? I'm not sure why that came to mind....;)

Just picked up a leftover 2017 for $6000 (USD) off MSRP, pretty damned happy with it!

Terrific review. Thanks!

Are your front forks leaking. I'm not sure to get the 2018 or wait for the 2019

It's not a looker is it... but sounds like a great bit of kit for sure. Nice to see KTM putting some great bikes together these days.

Having watched this again it looks like a Golden Eagle which incidentally happened to be the name of the pub you parked it in front of to do the walk around. Not really a rhinoceros, they are big, fat and heavy. Since you made this there may have been issues with that weird front headlight over heating? I prefer it in grey/black.

Looking forward with interest to your upcoming review of the new GT, as it’s on my new bike list. The optional power parts seat is supposed to be extremely comfortable , let’s hope you have one of these fitted.

Iv bought this bike now after doing some research and wanting a replacement to my diavel. Bikes great. Handling is superb just flops into bends like a street or hyperstrader, pulls faster than my diavel and very comfy for such a sporty bike. Looks so different to other bikes and I like that. Downsides I don't like are i think it sounds a little conservative giving it's the beast. It doenst feal as grunty as my diavel. Maybe due to lack of sound. I'd say it feels more like a big cc triple. And it's not good for pillion work. Seats too high and my partner was sliding all over the seat (material is crap). She couldn't grip my waist with her legs as the pegs are too high. Diavel was perfect for that. I'll keep it for a yr but next bike will be the adventure unless the misses gets her bike license then I'll get a tuno!

Q. How did you Shield the Seat from the Heat of the Engine.? It's a Pain in the Arrs after about an hour. Tried the Aluminum Heat 'Roofing' Insulation but that didn't work. Love the Bike but definitely not the Engine Heating up the Seat...

Had a 1st gen gt and I loved the bike but the electronics and switch gear were shit switches felt like legobricks, cruise control on wrong side , kept changing suspension settings by itself if put into pillion setting and cruise control kept cutting out but the engine and usability was brilliant love the bike just think it’s worth investing in a 2nd gen gt

This bike looks superb. I wish I was rich. I love the styling.

Is 170 bhp too much for the road? Eer no, riding is supposed to be exciting. Is 16k too much? Simply beyond most folks although pcp does appear to be getting lots of people onto new bikes that they cannot really afford. Trouble is, like on the BMW's, you are paying for a raft of elecronics, mainly to tame and manage that 170bhp. I owned an early 1200 Multistrada that was a nightmare for warranty issues on the electronic's; wouldn't want to own any of these types of bikes out of manufacturers warranty.

Fowlers are doing these at £10,999,pre reg,I feel sorry for those who paid £16,000, a lot of money to loose, and 2nd hand value goes down as well, strange.

Great video TMF. Any chance of an updated Superduke GT review?

I'm surprised MCN have not head hunted you yet!........do like the KTM's, but always thought they were a bit overpriced, maybe from your review they are worth the money? Excellent review as always 👍🏻

Another great review, terrible time of year to be out riding but your braving the cold / glare to keep the reviews coming !! Nearly 20k subs .. won't be long before your at a million !

TMF, How does this compare to the KTM 1290 Super Adventure line, or is the Super Adventure more like a BMW GS ?

A bike I'd very much like to ride! Unfortunately the nearest KTM dealer is bloody miles away. Great job

Best mix of 1290 ADV and 1290 Duke in this Super GT.

You be careful on the A41, unmarked police cars- don’t ask me how I know 🙄

Ha! oragami bikes - nice description, they do look to be more folded than moulded. As for the sport/tourer tag - more naked muscle bike to my eye. When I hear sport/tourer, BMW K1600 and Yamaha FJR are more likely to spring to mind.

A rather long comment, but I think needs to be said. Just completed over a 10,000 km tour starting in Montana, through Canada to Alaska and back. Love the bike. Surprisingly comfortable for the long ride, especially considering my grey beard, post-retirement age. The engine is superb. Your review is very much on target. But the bike is a long ways away from being ready for North American touring. To me the two biggest issues are the marginal reliability and the very poor cruise control performance. I had two suspension related faults; neither critical. However, a critical fault could easily leave you stranded 500+ km from the nearest dealer, who probably only deals in the dirt bikes. Between towing, waiting and repair, it is easy to imagine several thousand dollars and quite a few days spent getting it fixed. Little, if any mobile phone service to request help and bears; you know the big brown or black beasts that make short time of a person. The KTM dealers along the route all confirmed that they see a higher than usual number of failures with both the Super Duke and Adventure models with many of the faults ending the trip. The cruise control is next to the throttle, which makes controlling throttle on a 173 bhp engine while messing with the controls a bit dicey. Further, often there is a very long delay between pressing Resume and an actual reaction. One can easily lose 15 to 20 kph while waiting. Then there is a long list of annoyances that show that KTM is not familiar with touring. Silly things, like no center-stand to accomodate chain maintenance and, ridiculously small panniers and windscreen. I hope that KTM takes the matters seriously because these bikes are great additions to the market. The dealers say that KTM is slowly responding, but too slow to maintain the SD and Adv's reputations. For now, I would recommend looking at someone else's product. By the way, the tour is absolutely great. Of course, the scenery is wonderful, but the best is/are the people. Sherman, Buckshot Betty, Ernst and Susan, the gas station attendant saw two bears fight until one was killed. The latter in the station parking area, so not a lot of gas sold that day. Amazing, generous people.

Great video...again. A bike made for some riding in the Alps or Pyrenees, and the sound, wow. I don't like the looks but that's personal. Probably I would go for a S1000xr or a multistrada, or even the KTM adventure. When are you testing the "new" GS?

I welcome KTM because I strongly believe: vive la différence! However I am not attracted personally because I'm not keen on these tall motorcycles. 835 mm is the statistic mentioned that puts me off. I'm not short, I just don't want to sit up that high. I think the V twin can help with low CoG because as it is narrow it can be put lower in the frame than say, a transverse four. I have the image of a pouncing rhino in my head now.

MSF, would you say the GT is comparable to the r1200rt or is the comparison not valid? I want a sport tourer but I'm finding the RT just a bit boring when I test rode one recently. I have never rode a KTM & was under the impression that the 1290 GT would be too much bike for me but your review has me thinking otherwise.

Terrible condensation in the display - make sure you don't go too fast if you can't see the speedo! One of those bikes I like, but wouldn't own, bit like a Harley really. So it was a Merc I saw not a Porsche - not quite the detective I thought I was then?! :-)

Friend of mines GT just had a catastrophic gearbox failure whilst on holiday in Italy today. I'm curious if this is a 'lottery win failure' or not. I know my 2014 1290 Superduke had a number of issues before I parted ways. I do love them though.

well I rode the ktm 1290 for 40min (I will test another for longer) and I was not impressed either I was riding it wrong or I was expecting to much.Coming from an in-line 4 fz1 fazer which I am used to the KTM throttle felt baggy but getting up to speed it was also on/off strange really and the sound was like a lawn mower from the exhaust maybe I am missing something as I really wanted one but I dunno now.I suppose a Vtwin is far removed from a in-line 4 ? wind blast did not bother me plenty of protection.

Brilliant review,on a brilliant motorcycle.I test rode this machine before i bought my GS.Just found the GS more refined if that makes sense.How much longer do i have to wait until the MT10 gets a review :)hahahah!!!!

I'm sure it's a great bike , great engine suspension and handling, But the looks well....... debatable to put it kindly and Orange and black are you kidding me? Even Ducati change there colour scheme plus there "home" colours are quite good !

Glad you finally tried one. I was at Redline in Loughborough on Thursday. They have pre-registered 1190 Adventures in stock with £3k off list price. Crazy amount of bike for the money.

Great motor but I can't stand the looks I'm afraid, also I have very little restraint, that's why the GSX-R1000 had to go some years ago and I turned to naked & adventure bikes.

Great review as always. Really not a fan of KTMs. Know a few who have had then inc this one and all said never again build quality and reliably being v bad. One busy of mine brought the super duke. TWO months later told dealer to take it back so many issues with. Like the look Of the duke. But no more than that

Rode this in Europe last year, how is the efi? the one I had (2016 model) was very choppy at slow speed. And it doesn't feel as powerful as the regular 1290 duke.

lovely interesting video, funnily enough I though like you they looked ugly and I was about to say so, but you're right it doesn't look to bad, shame about the seat though. I do like the comfort and torque of some of the adventure bikes, would be interested on you comments if you ever get the chance to ride a yamaha tracer 900. "unless you have already".

Thinking about going from a gs 2014 to a gt 2017.Not for “racing”,also got to keep in mind touring and pillion any comments appreciated 🤟

Hello there. I was following your reviews on different bikes. So, what would you choose between 1290GT and 1200GS?!

Great review Mr TMF. Really have a soft spot for these. I like how it seems to be a jack of all trades, bit like the Street Triple, but just has that bit of protection from the elements and has some tidy luggage if you want it as well. Would love a Street Triple like this if Triumph saw sense and brought one out. Speed Triple may be would be better still with that bit more power if you were carrying decent weight.

Does it rain there all the time?

17 model year Super Duke come with keyless start, why not equipped on GT version. what a shame

love the bike hate the price, here in Australia the KTM Duke GT is pretty much the same price as a good BMW tourer.

A PR spin on the looks might be sabre tooth tiger, rather than pouncing hippo. But the origami bike made me laugh - spot on...

I've never taken any notice of the KTM brand of bikes before, but after watching this video I'm hooked! It looks great and with all the electronics and practical features on it, like where the panniers attach and the corner lights etc., it looks very practical too! Well done TMF, another great and interesting video! I'll be looking out for The Beast and it's brother now in future. lol. :-D

What a beast!!! Looks like fun aswell lol. Replacement for your GS? Haha. Great video!

Wanting the GT but only being 5’5 :(

Yet another excuse to flex the bank account, lol. Was interested to see this as I haven't had the chance to ride one myself, seems like a very impressive machine. Nice one TMF. cheers

Your camera has a fuzzy spot in the middle sometimes. Perhaps you were close to the speed of light ;-)

Great ! Which one would you prefer as your fifth bike, KTM Súper Duke or BMW R1200R ?

your reviews on motorcycles are bang on and always awesome footage with most fantastic information. I've seen your track days and bro, lol. I would just stick with what you're fantastic at, reviews. much love from here in States. Ride safe and look forward to more like these

That's my favorite for my bike - looking forward to your review (will watch later). Have a ZX6R 636 now but I need something a little more comfortable ;)

Hello Mr. Flyer, Well done and thank you. I do enjoy your jaunts and I cannot tell you how helpful they are in forming the initial buying ideas and in lining up my own 'comparos' with respect to building my own 3 bike collection over the next couple of years. If requests are being taken I hope you dont mind my enquiring about the Honda VFR1200F. Not on the radar of most and at the end of its cycle, as it were, and yet technologically of great interest. Not bothered about the DCT, dont mind either way except all DCT reviewers get caught up reviewing only the DCT. Oh, BTW, Hope you're well! Cheerio and Best Regards from Victoria, BC, Canada.

Great review.... always appreciate your comments on these reviews. Any chance of an FJR review in the future?

Is there any herky jerkyness from off-throttle / on-throttle like so many modern bikes have?

Great review as always MF. I suggest you give the KTM Super *Adventure* a go (and of course if you do, provide us with another great vid!). I read in the comments if you would choose the Super Duke GT over the GS, but I think the Super Adventure is a better comparison to the GS.

Thanks TMF for the RT KTM see what I did there. It certainly appeals to me and its looks somehow also appeal to me as well. Going to need a Lottery win though. With regards to leg positioning is it as comfortable as a GS and is there a nice roar from the engine when you accelerate hard. Thats something I enjoy with my GS. Looking forward to further videos.

thanks for the review, was interesting to get your verdict at the end between the gt, xr and mstda. Ive test rode the xr and planning the mstda as well but this could be a new consideration although im not sure about the looks with the light as other people have said. Also with the age comment, im 30 and been watching your videos quite a while

Great review! I really like the looks of the bike too but it's way too expensive in my opinion. This middle aged geezer loves your reviews so keep up the good work. :-)

In the GT class any plans to test the new 2017 K1600GT due out at the end of the month ?

what a coincidence. RJ has also done a review on GT this week. Great review from both of you.

Try the 1290 super adventure. I did by by BMW . Had the Gt great bike picking up new superduke march 1st. Great review 👍🏼

Great to see you testing out a varied selection of bikes. What i call a Marmite bike :)