I'm a 52 year old male rider at an imposing 5"4" in height & 72kg. I'm like a mosquito on a thoroughbred horse on the SuperDuke. I love the SD. It's a brilliant bike. Now I'm caught in needing to sell my BMW s1000r or forgetting about having ridden the SuperDuke. It's a real dilemma.
Just picked up this bike this last weekend and it's just as fun as you said and more. Your video was highly influential as well and answered many of my questions. For myself, this is the perfect street bike
Can't imagine how crazy the torque must be on these after riding a 2005 KTM SD 990 for the first time this week, that was a good day out. Looking forward to the track day video 👍
@@Steve-motorcycles I guess with gearing, it's probably a bit stronger, but has the higher top end too. Which you get to way to quick on a 990, but it is great fun on the right roads. I definitely like these bikes without any rider aids, but I can't compare as I've never even had ABS on my bikes.
There's no mistaking a superduke......it's a lovely bike and one that I have yet to have in my garage. I just don't like it when You pay a hefty price tag and some.... to unlock certain electronics that are already on the machine........I'm sure KTM would sell more unit's if the bike came fully unlocked. Great review again Chops 👍😊
LCR will always be the best SDR reviewer in my opinion and its so nice to have this and the GT so close together :) Still very happy with my 2021 SDR and will probably never grow tiered of its charms.
I've dropped my front sprocket by 1 tooth & raised the rear sprocket by 4 teeth, now that is interesting for acceleration and coming out of corners, definitely a hooligan bike for a 58 year old!
Huge fan of the LC8 motor with my last one being a 2011 RC8R. Much refined since that version and very tempting but as my years are advancing I am trying to be practical😊
No, but it is a little like having an invisible suspension pro riding with you. It's just a great option if you want the bike to be super versatile and always be ready to carry a passenger or 30 pounds of beer in your backpack without getting out the tools and a buddy to hold it for you. If you only ride on track or for fun and don't carry passengers or other things, I can't see why the standard suspension with a proper setup wouldn't be just as good.
The right man for the job. She’s a beast! And I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You make everything look EXTRA cool, buddy💯🔥🔥🔥. #TorqueMonster
I bought a new 2016 super Duke GT with electronic suspension. It was a magic carpet ride. I bought a 2019 Super Duke 1280r and missed the electronic suspension. I would buy the EVo no question
I have owned 30 bikes, street and dirt. The Super Duke is a marvelous engine with 180 horsepower and 104 ft pounds all below 9500 rpm. That is more horsepower and torque til 9500 than any other bike including Ducati Streetfighter and Kawasaki H2. Check out dyno comparison. This is street rpm friendly bike vs a track high rpm bike. Very usable for the street as in the 5000-9000 rpm band for the most part vs 10,000-13,000 rpm band competition. Love seeing the whole engine. Easy to work on. I own a MV AGusta Dragster 800rr Pirelli edition another great bike/engine. Easy to work on vs a V4.
Really enjoy the reviews and approach. I’ve been lucky enough to ride both the 1290SD R and the 890 SD and for the road I enjoyed the simplicity of the smaller engined bike. Would be interested to see a review of the 890 SD. The comment re the tech you make about in this video is really valid in my opinion. Too much faff is putting some riders off….. Keep up the good work Chopsie! 👍👌😉
Nice work Chopsie. As a similar sized chap I look like I am on a 250 on a lot of the hyper/super naked bikes, and now your report has me giving some thought to a “me-sized” bike. SDR back on the list. Hard to chose as there are so many excellent machines, and made harder with things like the xsr900 and gsxs1000 which give another perspective.
Jizz machine !!! Away to chop(chopssyyy) the s1000xr for one this summer and the evo was a big question so great video for anyone looking at this…. I don’t like the colour, black and orange only for me. Any power parts you would recommend as your a KTM fan boy! I can’t do the GT looks like a big foreskin on the front!!
I'm actually totally confused whether I would go for the SDR or the Tuono Factory. I guess a good test ride of each would clear that up. Nice review John thank you. I loved the riggggidity comments, made me chuckle.
Hello ! Having spent 90 minutes of hard core testing, I can confirm that the Tuono Factory is an absolute masterpiece of a bike. Exceptional front end and sound and a fabulous engine. But it will require more speed and involment to appreciate. Needs more room and must be ridden more agressively ( the position is longer and more leant forward)so mess of a daily use bike like the SDR. And no under saddle Storage room at all.
@@emmanuelblanc9390 rode this one. Is still the same lump and superbike a bit comfortable but def.., not for commuters and everyday life. Not to mention heat, edgy on low reps and consumption way way to high.
0-60 in 30 seconds I'd say that's a pretty safe bike in my eyes 😂 especially if you get pulled over for speeding you have the evidence to say not possible officer it takes me 30 seconds just to hit 60 mph 😂😂
Hello LCR ! So funny to see how you cannot stay objective when you get out of this Bike. The fun you have is just transpiring in every area of you review !I have the V3 since last july after 3,5 years of fun on the V2. An everyday pleasure ! I use it for work and fun : it lights up every travel ! And perfect for large Guy like you and I ( 190cm and 102 kilos ….. Yes I’m French….. nonody’s perfect! 😎)
Suspension settings can be a black art for mere mortals like me. Like the thought of semi active, as I need all the help I can get! Nice review LCR. Have you moved home yet?
I had a test ride on tje SMCR recently and I giggled like a giddy kipper throughout the experience. I'm looking for a fun second bike, and like you, I'm a 6'2 fatty. I've got a test ride coming up this Saturday on the Super Duke and I'm all excited and have the credit card ready to flex...however, looking at the onboard shots from your back to back Cadwell rides, the corner speeds on the two bikes are pretty much identical. So now I'm wondering how the Super Duke Evo can be effectively twice the price of the SMCR...surely not twice the fun?!? I guess I'll know after my test ride. But then you throw the Diavel V4 into the mix...my brain hurts. 😂 Keep up the excellent reviews.
As Super Steve has mention if you have a "base" Gen3 it's not worth the upgrade. I'm a 2020 Gen3 owner and the cost to change would be significant, you could save the £££ for trackdays, Maxton shock/internals... Tyres as they eat loads of them. But if I was in the market for a new SDR I'd probably consider the Evo. Interesting comments about the Tuono also, I rode a friends 2022 Tuono at the weekend, felt much quicker than his previous 2017 Tuono, but it was very cramped for me (6ft tall), you're right in that the SDR suits a taller/bigger rider, but the Tuono was a great bike to ride, although it just isn't comfortable for a full day for me. You never get bored of that torque though do you, smiles for miles that's what it is about.
i F-ing loveing this bike. i got the NON evo 2022 orange SDR. and for my needs its not worth the extra 5.700£ for evo.. In Denmark the SDR 2022 NON evo cost : 32.700£... so total for evo is 38.400£ .. iam waiting for my Austin racing exhaust so i can fully hear the BEAST RAAAAW.. keep up the good work Chops!!
I do love the look of a super Duke One day I'll have one lol 😆 Great vid as always Mr chops Can't wait to see the track day vids to All the best to you 👍
Great review, thanks. I had a GT, and then a Gen 3 SD, and replaced it with an SA-S, mainly because of the suspension - I found the SD harsh. As you suggested, I leave the SAS in auto suspension mode and let it sort itself out. Brilliant. The SD gen 3 is an animal though, isn't it! Haha! The 1290 is the best engine in motorcycling....
Seems like you're a similair type of guy as me, I started out on a 1290 SDR and went to a SAS, now considering a GT but I'm just not sure yet, they're all so great. It's just a matter of where you want to compromise.
Another excellent review of a wonderful bike; thank you Me. Chops. A direct comparison with the latest Tuono might prove this KTM as the lesser ‘all rounder’ - who knows, I’d wager the Aprilia is the better motorbike, but…..is the one you’d want in your garage?
I'll have to disagree with the SDR suspension being well sorted on the V1 And V2 especially up front as many owners complain that's floaty, lack of feel and non confidence inspiring and I would agree especially if youre hitting the track or canyons aggressively, KTM addressed these issues and improved the geometry on the Gen 3. The V1 was sprung too soft in the rear and the front for many riders with the V2 KTM added stiffer fork springs up front which was an improvement, obviously any issues with a bikes suspension becomes more evident when your really pushing it such as an aggressive canyon rider or track day guy with a pace at advanced or expert pace level, if your just cruising around the streets hanging wheelies here and there then this is all irrelevant to you., Personally I think the stock WP fork valving is terrible on the V2 and I'm sure it's no different on the V1 with the other issue being NO DARN FORK PRELOAD, with the price of this bike that's just a sin. To solve the suspension whoo's of V1 &V2 SDR you have to get the geometry sorted, note on the Gen 3 KTM raised the pivot point of the swinging arm in the frame to increase swinging arm angle among other things. You can accomplish this in another way on the V1&V2 just purchase a ride height adjustable rear shock, I went with Mupo AB1 which enables you to increase shock length over the OEM shock which will increase swinging arm angle improving front end feel /feedback drastically. I'm at 7mm longer than stock at the moment. I also added K TECH 25mm Cartridges up front which are fantastic and levels above the stock WP forks as far as valving, feedback and you'll actually have PRELOAD ADJUSTMENT 👍I've used mostly used KTECH on my track bikes now for years, also had Ohlins but Personally I like KTECH better.... just my opinion and experience.
As someone who has the 2020 3.0 version, I personally see no need to change. Especially for an extra £2k an extra 500 would be tempting though. I also prefer the colour scheme of my one. The new range of colours doesn't do it for me personally.
@@Icem4n84 good to here . seems to be a a lot of right side control switch problem and replaced under warranty. I’m picking mine up on Monday i knows it’s had that problem and been replaced because was mentioned on the MCN long term . It’s that bike so hopefully doesn’t do it again it’s a year left on warranty. Then it’s big money repairs
@@marksmith8663 The only issue I've had with mine was the right hand indicator, the wire wasn't long enough for full lock turns so over time it snapped the wire. A bit of extra wire and solder sorted that. Enjoy, it's a great bike overall.
Love me some Chops review!😂 Yeah I’d go for the EVO. Always wished I had been more patient when saving gold and picked up the 1290 Super Duke R instead of the 890r Scalpel I settled for. I know, poor poor me😭..😅 Chopsie can you and your precocious better half, Mavis, possibly get together and do some more bike builds, pleeease🙏
I am extraordinarily temped by the R, whether that's the R or the EVO, but I also really like to do proper distances on my bikes, and I'm not keen on stopping every hour or so for fuel. I'm sure that the wind protection issue could be sorted out, but I don't see any way of improving the range on the R, other than just riding slower (yeah, sure. I tried that once). What I find pretty ludicrous is that you can ONLY get the official luggage for the GT, nobody offers any alternative at all. That's pretty annoying for someone who likes to do long, two up trips. It effectively limits you to what you can hold in the panniers and then add a rack all the way out back and chuck some sort of tote on it.
Great review & a very cool bike. Seems an excellent package despite the price. Couldn't afford one in a million years but would love to have one. Although I totally agree with you that the more technical bikes become, the more sterile, off-putting & just plain fiddley they can become which kills the ride for me as I'm often left wondering if I've got the optimum settings.
You ride around what you've got, rode around for years with knackered steering head bearings and cope with it. You only know what you've been missing when it's been fixed...
@@johnboy5156 Yer totally agree, I was meaning with all these electronics & the potential settings combinations it can potentially seem a bit baffling & just uneceassariky complicated.
Really love this bike and so tempted as they have offers in their new London ktm branch. Would you get this over the new tuono ? 🤔great review aswell mate
Love the review! Excellent mate. But shouldn't you be in performance or track mode to launch this bike? Street mode seems to me to be maybe the worst mode to launch it, no?
Did you not notice the quick throttle? From 22 all the SDR’s have the quick throttle from the RR, I have a 2020 gen 3 and put the new throttle on it, made a big difference to me? I have a vid on my channel giving it some from the lights, as you say, hard to launch as the power so much but you get it right it absolutely flys!! Defo better than 30 secs ha ha ha
That bike's barely getting out of its comfort zone on a race track; imagine keeping a machine like that and you only ever ride it on the public highway!🤣
I got my 2021 SDR set up by a suspension guy at brandshatch for £100 and does it all more control on track but also plusher on road. Think I will keep the SDR can’t see it’s worth £2,000 as you say
Chopsy good review however bit disappointed b4 review of auto mode that u Did nt go thru other modes with short word on any difference felt....love to mavis
One other thing is the bikes gearing, 4th, 5th and 6th are too spaced out/ tall as some would say, I mean you barely even use 6th on the highway....lol. Dropping this bikes gearing to a -1 front sprocket takes care of two issues, when your cruising at slow speed in traffic it keeps the rpm above 3k so its much smoother, more relevant in the V1 and V2 and Secondly the bike accelerates much harder in 4th, 5th and 6th, you can actually use 6th on the highway and it gets to a top speed with this gearing of 177 mph much quicker, indicated by the speedo and my speedo reads 4mph high. The top speed with stock gearing was 185 mph but the bike wouldn't pull to red line, with this gearing it will, so you don't loose much mph up top with the -1 front sprocket. Quicker acceleration and a more usable gear box with just better overall drive ability.... just makes the SDR better bike all around and I thought people gearing this bike were nuts with all the trq. You don't know till you try it I guess.
Excellent review Chops. Unfortunately, I can only give you an 'A' for it. So, write out RIGID 100 times and, maybe, next review I might be able to give you an 'A+'
Not sold on active yet. Without a read ahead camera, a la Bentley for eg, it can only be reactive and not proactive. I mean bang it into a corner, hit a bump, it changes and your at lean? I am prepared to be sold tho, lol ...
That's not really how this one works, it watches your speed and aggressiveness ... it sets your sag/preload up as you ride for a while and then keeps it there. So honestly, you never notice the suspension doing its thing. I don't, at least. It certainly does let you adjust it and you will notice the differences, however.
What’s it like at high speeds, any good for slinging a soft bag on the bag and whizzing off to Germany on a tour- in my experience of naked bikes, anything over a sustained 85/90 (abroad obvs) becomes a veritable “pain in the neck”
Interesting is the Evo worth it . only tried the super duke 1280 r once over a year ago never the EVO model , just payed deposit and collecting a 1290 SD evo on Monday terns out its was the MCN long termer . only owned triples street and Daytona for late 7 years so here go something new .
I had a 2017 GT and loved many things about it aside from a couple of things. It was clunky and the gears were too tall but the worst parts was the seat, could not find a seat that was even close to comfortable. How is the seat on this one? I ended up with an MT10 because it was more comfortable and little more playful. I love KTM and I was thinking about trading the MT10 in on one of these or the 2023 version. Hoping it is more comfortable!!
Hi Chopsey, I’ve watched both your reviews on this and the GT but I’ll still unsure what way to go? Ive just sold my Panigale as due to arthritis I can’t ride it anymore but I still love the hooligan element and I’ve always liked the look of the KTM but would you recommend the GT over the R for comfort or is the R just as good. (If I’m honest I’m more edging toward the R) I need to use my head over my heart with this though. Thanks for your great reviews.
