MOTORCYCLE OF THE YEAR 2016 FINALIST- KTM 1290 Super Duke

The GT version of KTM’s mighty 1290 Super Duke is a whole lot of motorcycle, with a whole lot of muscle nestled under its massive touring-friendly tank. And it has the potential to be an impressively qualified master of many trades.

Add the accessory pannier set to cross continents at warp speed, two-up in comfort. Sling on some stickier rubber and embarrass the Sunday scratchers up the local racerboy rat run, or even squeeze in a cheeky trackday while on your ‘Grand Tour’. Ditch the panniers and just run the topbox to make it a catch-me-if-you-can super commuter. Or simply ride it anywhere, and try if you can to wipe the cheesy orange grin off your face.

There’s no doubt the GT is the most versatile roadbike in this line-up. It would even make a good fist of occasional gravel road excursions. That’s not what it’s designed for, but its balance, high-end electronics, and generously long-legged suspension, not to mention the KTM badge on the tank, all help make this roadbike a respectable gravel grinder for the type of detour that even sports-touring can throw up in the land of Oz.

The GT’s 1301cc RC8 engine is most notable for delivering more torque and at far lower engine speeds than anything in its class. This ease of monumental grunt production, coupled with the refinements in its RBW connection and an exceptional suite of electronic rider aids, sets the GT apart and makes it an untiring place to watch the world rush by.

The GT wasn’t without its niggles. The ones mentioned most by the eight riders were the narrow hand grips, awkwardly placed cruise control switch, dated-looking instrumentation, and above all, those massive ugly switchblocks. It was also suggested that the excellent hard pannier set offered by KTM should come as standard on a bike with the GT’s intentions and price tag.

What you do get for your money is impressive enough though, particularly in the areas of performance and technology. KTM’s in-house designed WP semi-active suspension lets you morph the GT between a wide array of ride characteristics at the touch of a button, changing not only the subtleness of the ride, but also the attitude of its steering geometry via the rear preload. This effectively gives you more than just the one bike for your money. And who wouldn’t want that?

The most remarkable thing about the GT is the fact it could easily make KTM’s supernaked Super Duke R redundant. It does all that the legendary ‘Beast’ does, only smoother, more comfortably, for far longer between drinks, and with room for luggage and a friend to share the thrills. It’s the Super Duke you buy when you listen to your deft conscience rather than your daft cojones. So … maybe there is a future for the Super Duke R after all.

Second Ops

Kel Buckley

The more time passes since MOTY, the more I catch myself thinking about the GT. And for that reason it has leapfrogged to the very top of my MOTY list. KTM has taken its nutcase nakedbike and removed every reason a would-be owner might not have bought it. It’s still very much that nutcase naked, yet heated grips, an adjustable screen, cruise control and cornering headlights has turned what was once a frantic Sunday into all-week affairs. It’s tech heavy: semi-active suspension, headlight cornering system, electronics a-plenty. Hell, even adjustable ergonomics (’bar and pegs) is attention to detail many other manufacturers couldn’t be arsed adding. It’s got a ripper engine, stripper looks and huge (but rather well hidden) versatility. It’s a really well thought out execution of modern motorcycling. So good, in fact, I’m prepared to overlook those massive effing ugly switchblocks.

Steve Martin

What’s not to like? A bike that can do more than 400km on a tank, can carve up the twisties with ease, an engine with gobs of instant power that lets you play to your heart’s content and an electronics package that has all the latest gizmos.

This thing has got the lot, but a bike of this calibre also needs sex appeal, and I’m not sure the designers payed enough attention to this aspect.

Paul McCann

The Super Duke GT’s bold styling won’t please everyone, but beneath the layers of blocky bodywork beats the heart of a champion. It kicks like a mule with so much torque on tap but somehow manages to give a sensation of smooth, progressive power delivery. Wheelies are par for the course, which is another plus in a genre where the sports-tourer tag is often synonymous with boring.

How we did this….

Choosing your favourite motorcycle based on personal taste is relatively easy. Judging a Motorcycle of the Year across the whole gamut of riding genres is a far more challenging proposition. Not too many motorcyclists choose to ride all genres, let alone get the opportunity to do so on the latest and greatest.

To break down the barriers of personal preference among our eight-strong test team, MOTY 2016 was based on an intensive diet of ride by day, debate by night, over three days of pure motorcycling over-indulgence. During the course of the event, preconceptions were shattered, opinions were transformed, and votes vacillated back and forth between the bikes as their finer points and failings were exposed and examined. But that’s what happens when you have eight outstanding motorcycles at your disposal – your favourite is usually the one you’ve just got off. That is, until you take off on the next one, and the next.

Our base for the event was the town of Forrest in the Otway Ranges, around 30 minutes north of Apollo Bay. This area has some of the best lesser-known motorcycling roads in Victoria. Everyone has heard of the sensationally scenic (albeit slow and over-crowded) Great Ocean Road, but hidden away in the surrounding ranges is some stunning riding and eye-popping views to rival anywhere in the garden state. And rather than enduring the mind-numbing Geelong freeway twice in one trip, we opted to slip down through Melbourne’s southern suburbs, cut a quick lap of Arthurs Seat, then catch the Sorrento-Queenscliff ferry
for a Bellarine Peninsula approach to the Otway Ranges.

To be nominated for MOTY, each motorcycle needed to be a new or substantially revised model release in the past 12 months. The judging criteria for the final vote included innovation, application of technology, relative performance in its sector, quality and finishing, and value.

At the end of testing, each of our judges scored the bikes in order of merit, with eight points going to the top pick, down to a single point for eighth. All except for our esteemed Editor Dobie, who was so tormented by the excellence of this year’s nominations that he insisted on scoring two bikes equal first, and two bikes equal second. In his case, the points were shared.

Choosing your favourite motorcycle based on personal taste is relatively easy. Judging a Motorcycle of the Year across the whole gamut of riding genres is a far more challenging proposition. Not too many motorcyclists choose to ride all genres, let alone get the opportunity to do so on the latest and greatest.

To break down the barriers of personal preference among our eight-strong test team, MOTY 2016 was based on an intensive diet of ride by day, debate by night, over three days of pure motorcycling over-indulgence. During the course of the event, preconceptions were shattered, opinions were transformed, and votes vacillated back and forth between the bikes as their finer points and failings were exposed and examined. But that’s what happens when you have eight outstanding motorcycles at your disposal – your favourite is usually the one you’ve just got off. That is, until you take off on the next one, and the next.

Our base for the event was the town of Forrest in the Otway Ranges, around 30 minutes north of Apollo Bay. This area has some of the best lesser-known motorcycling roads in Victoria. Everyone has heard of the sensationally scenic (albeit slow and over-crowded) Great Ocean Road, but hidden away in the surrounding ranges is some stunning riding and eye-popping views to rival anywhere in the garden state. And rather than enduring the mind-numbing Geelong freeway twice in one trip, we opted to slip down through Melbourne’s southern suburbs, cut a quick lap of Arthurs Seat, then catch the Sorrento-Queenscliff ferry
for a Bellarine Peninsula approach to the Otway Ranges.

To be nominated for MOTY, each motorcycle needed to be a new or substantially revised model release in the past 12 months. The judging criteria for the final vote included innovation, application of technology, relative performance in its sector, quality and finishing, and value.

At the end of testing, each of our judges scored the bikes in order of merit, with eight points going to the top pick, down to a single point for eighth. All except for our esteemed Editor Dobie, who was so tormented by the excellence of this year’s nominations that he insisted on scoring two bikes equal first, and two bikes equal second. In his case, the points were shared.