The 2017 Super Duke GT (Gran Turismo) First Ride!

Super Duke. Sounds like a late 70’s era glam rock band. The truth is it's anything but. If the KTM Super Duke GT was a band, it would be a snarling gang of gutter punks. A brazen, angry four piece with lots of big amplifiers and an attitude to match.

When I turnover some bikes I hear a musical equivalent of the soft-rock ballad. Not the Super Duke 1290 GT. Thumb the starter, twitch the throttle and it’s like hearing the opening chords to God Save the Queen--music to the ears that sends shivers down my spine.

The attitude continues as you start to move. There’s so much power on tap that it positively surges any time you touch the throttle. Like a dog trying to slip its leash, the Super Duke is a beast that yearns to be free. If you plan on restricting it to around town, it's not the right bike for you.

Is the 1290 GT refined? Exhilarating? Electric? Intoxicating? It’s all that. While it does feel a little “surgey” at low revs, you could switch to Rain Mode or Street Mode to calm it down at the bar controls and it will feel better. But why? I liked the constant reminder of menace that is Sport Mode. I liked the fact that every time I opened the throttle above 4000 rpm, it felt like a bear was trying to rip my arms off. The acceleration never gets boring and I can pretty much guarantee grins every time you twist the wrist.

In case you were wondering, the handling matches the acceleration. The GT brakes as hard as it accelerates. The new electronics package provides an excellent traction control system, plus cornering ABS that enhances a powerful brake set-up featuring Brembo Monobloc front calipers. The semi-active suspension soaked up every crappy road surface I threw at it, all whilst remaining composed enough to turn sharper than a scalpel. The guy who had it before me proved that--he managed to lean the bike over far enough to damage the tang on the side stand. Clearly to test the corning lights.

This is a bike that will go so far beyond your capabilities, you will never catch it up.

But the best part is that the KTM is a GT; a sport "touring" motorcycle with GT accoutrements. The Super Duke has a modern, sleek fairing, adjustable screen and a seat that's deceptively comfortable. The removable hard bags provide a decent luggage capacity, and the tail looks awesome when they come off.

I rode the KTM Super Duke GT for two days straight without an ounce of fatigue on the parts that usually ache when I tour. Would I tour on this? Hell, yes. All I'd do is add a tail pack for a little extra carrying capacity and I’d be gone for as long as I could. Two days was not enough.

My only concern is for my license. The Super Duke makes it so easy to go fast, it’s sometimes hard to resist. But that lack of restraint is all mine, just like it was for the designers of this awesome machine. The product team and designers of the KTM Super Duke 1290 GT deserve a humongous pat on the back for delivering this machine.