Sold a bike (1125r), got a different bike (superduke 1290 GT). KTMs are something else man, what a ride. Thing rips.

 

Nice! Those big KTMs are animals.

I haven't been riding enough, but I did eventually find a set of factory bags for my VFR and fitted a Delkevic exhaust. They're about the only ones still making a set for these bikes. Not the prettiest, but they make great noises.

 

Those SDGTs are absolutely bonkers. So big and stable, and just mental fast but still torquey. My buddy bought a wrecked one and put it back together, such a monster. Honestly too much for me. I rode it back to back with my 2012 Street Triple 675 and was very happy to get back on the Triumph haha but you can sure eat up a lot of miles with one of those.

 

Funny enough I just swapped bikes with my buddy's 675r for a while the other day. I've ridden his quite a few times, they really are great street bikes. Id happily own one.

The 675 is far more nimble and more familiar to me in a sportbike way, I immediately feel at home and trust it in the corners. I'm probably faster in the twisties on that bike right now (and definitely faster on my Ulysses if we're talking corner speed and trust), embarrassingly, but I'm very much taking my time working up to and enjoying the capabilities of the duke. The duke is way more comfortable and easy to ride for me, though. With its 6 gallon tank and comfortable riding position, cruise control, bags, etc. I could ride that thing anywhere.

The SDGT is as you described, mind blowingly stable. I haven't tried to top it out or anything, but I've seen 147 on it which is pretty damn fast on a naked bike and it felt as stable as an XB at like 100mph. Mind blowingly fast. It handles extremely well, though I still have to work my way to the limits on it, the high speed stability is almost unnerving with how stable and easy it feels. My other bikes have no "chicken strips" but this thing is gonna take a while to figure out its potential. I got it for a stupid deal, with 9k miles. Less than two sets of Xidas (race). I couldn't say no, I actually made most of that back selling my 1125. I wasn't looking for another bike yet alone something so powerful and beastly.

I was somewhat concerned I'd scare myself on it, or think it was way too much, or something. But quite the opposite has happened, it's an extremely usable and easy to ride bike. Arguably more forgiving than even an XB, let alone the 1125 that was probably destined to kill me. For some reason I always got that vibe, "i could die on this bike" from the 1125. The duke in comparison is a gentile giant, the MTC/ABS works great, and mapping is perfect. I'm keeping the uly, it's a way more economical ride to stack miles on and two up/commute/etc, but the duke reminded my why I ride motos, you definitely are getting a thrill when you turn the key on this thing.

 

Agree with every word you said. If I wanted a bike to cover some (paved) ground on, the SDGT would be very near the top of my list. It is super forgiving and stable. The engine does EXACTLY what you tell it to. You can fart around at 3500 rpm torquing along at the speed of traffic. Or at any RPM roll into the throttle and it just blurs the scenery with no drama. The 1125 is super fast too but doesn't like to be ridden slow - it always felt like it was giving you the side eye if you were under 5k rpm. Like, what are we doing here? Whereas that big 1290 engine is happy to loaf along.

For me, my street bike is for zipping around town, so I preferred the raw nature of the 675, and the fact that I could actually wind it out in 2nd and 3rd without exceeding triple digits made it super fun, it was such a characterful engine with a nice wide powerband. But any ride longer than about 45 minutes started to get tiresome.

 

Roda, that VFR is beautiful. I haven't seen one that nice in AGES. Love the bags too. Great ride. I'm staying away from clipon bikes due to back issues but that thing is awesome.

 

Thanks!

I hear you on the clipons... my last bike was an FJ-09, and it really was a lot better all-rounder than the VFR. On the VFR the bars are raised above the top triple clamp, and I added 1" risers to that so it's not terrible. Nowhere near as hardcore as a front line sportbike these days. I may end up dropping the pegs an inch... we'll see. I don't really tour any more, so it's not that big an issue.

The Freddie Spencer colors are pretty cool. I've always had a soft spot for red/white/blue Hondas, going all the way back to the early VFRs and Hurricanes. The owner of the local motorcycle shop has a pristine candy red VFR and a yellow Superhawk. I tried to get him to sell me the Superhawk, but he wasn't biting. While I was working on him they got in a used '21 MT-09SP that I nearly pulled the trigger on, but my VFR popped up for sale on FB about an hour away. The MT-09SP would have been an objectively better bike (and the CP3 engine is a real gem), but was twice the $$$, and the VFR is just kind of special.

Gratuitous FJ9 pic...

 

A friend of mine let me rip his HD on the dragon this year.
What an absolute machine they created. Even in adventure trim it's a lot of fun and capable. Was nimble enough to keep a great pace and even with my amateurish riding i wasn't in anyone's way. If it had a set of 17's (ST trim) it would really wake the bike up. I really don't know how these aren't more popular, especially for the price...

 

I think they're unpopular because its 5 years ago Royal Enfield quality for BMW prices.

 

And they're almost 600lbs...

 

I was cross shopping those and FTR1200's (both with 17" wheel models) before I got my duke. Weird cross shopping, I know, and I do lean towards American bikes (being a bit of a Buell nut). The weight of the HD makes it a great long distance tourer, and sure they handle quite well for their size, but it's not a real sport bike by any stretch. On the other hand the FTR has a pitiful fuel range and carrying capacity, but makes a great around town blaster and hooligan bike. Super fun ride.

I'm super happy with the KTM though, and since the deal fell in my lap there's no way I could have said no. We'll see how it holds up for me, I know there are some gremlins that come with Orange bikes from time to time but thankfully mine doesn't have any so far.

 

The PA is literally cheaper and lighter than a BMW1250gs...
Quality is a somewhat fair argument. He's had it 20k miles and hasn't had any issues. We just did a 2k mile trip and it didn't skip a beat... So everyone will have varying results.

 

Consider changing to a smaller front sprocket or larger rear on that Super Duke GT. That combined with the lambda eliminators made a HUGE difference to the low speed, low RPM driveability. Makes it much easier to feed in the throttle around town and brings 6th speed into play at slightly less illegal speeds.

 

Thanks for the tips! So far it's completely stock but mods list for next season includes:

Cat delete pipe with stock exhaust (saves 12lbs! And some great noise.)
SAS delete if needed? Need more research here.
KN drop in filter
O2 eliminators

I believe I can get away without a tune but I might hit up the dealer for the arrow map. When time comes for a chain I'll heavily consider hearing it. 6th gear is nuts on this thing.

Do you have one? It's such a powerful bike I hadn't considered gearing but she's definitely not happy going wot under 4-5k

 

Yeah I have a first gen GT as a daily driver. Try the gearing change before power modding. Reality is it will now pick up a front wheel at 60+mph and is a major risk to my driving license. More power just means even more flashing of the nanny-lights.
A rear sprocket is super cheap and takes all of 10 minutes to install, easy to give a try. Makes it easier to drive normally around town with less bucking and sub 4.5k grumpiness.

 

Thanks for the input! To be honest the power is a plenty already, and the "power modding" is more noise modding. I want the decat for the braps. The other mods are just supporting that.

Your input is taken to heart though regarding the sub 4.5k grumpiness, I've heard good things about the o2 deletes in that regard.

 

My buddy Brandon and his 1942 Harley Davidson WLA. It was sent to Russia as part of the Lend-Lease Act during WWII. A Marine attached to the embassy in Uzbekistan found it 15-20 years ago and brought it back to Texas. Brandon bought it in pieces and reassembled and restored it. The engine had been rebuilt along the way using some metric components and he had to source the parts to build it back. At about 45 cubic inches, it only goes 40 mph with me riding in the sidecar, lol. It relies on a kick start or four to get fired up.

We rode in old uniforms to the airshow and got to park with the old warbirds on two occasions. Interesting old bike full of quirks. Gotta shut off the fuel valve when turning it off or the fuel will run out on the ground after a few minutes. Clutch is a little weak for the added weight of the sidecar and passenger. It uses lower gearing with the sidecar than the standard bike.

 

In a vacuum the HD is a great bike. But compared to other bikes in its class it gets left behind in some clear areas. I think it's a good bike for people who REALLY want an adventure bike but also want a H-D. But it's not good enough to convert people from other ADV brands.

I test rode one at an ADV rally a couple years back and came away impressed as I dislike H-D and expected it to be kindof ****. But I liked it more than expected. Weird view from the cockpit, felt 0% dirt bikey, but handling on road was good and the engine was pretty strong.

In the dirt the suspension is super soft and bottoms instantly, and the ground clearance is pathetic. But for the money it's just kinda crazy. It has a chain drive, which in that class is kindof a bummer since the bike is a porker anyway. The engine is strong, but not as strong as a 1250 or 1300 GS, and nowhere close to the KTM 1290 or Duc 1260. Close to the triumph explorer I guess? Obvi it makes more HP on paper than the GS but doesn't feel as fast, and magazine roll-on acceleration tests it loses to the BMW and all the others.

IDK what discounts are like, but KTM 1290 S models do everything better than the PA and can be had with huge discounts.

Anyway

It's a lovely bike, but I'm not surprised they're not super popular.

 

I recently did 2200 miles in 5 days on the Pan Am ST as I took it from WI to MATG and back. The slightly lower suspension, lower seat, and 17" wheel combo set it up well for street usage, which is the whole point of this sport touring revision. The turn in and flick-ability of the ST is quite improved from how dull the steering feedback feels on the off-road spec version with 19's in comparison. I averaged 50-52mpg on most tanks of fuel while doing ~80mph on hwy and really enjoying it in the mountains. Zero shortage of power nearly anywhere in the powerband with the 94ftlb of torque on hand. Plenty of lean angle for how aggressive I wanted to ride in the sea of miatas hogging the mustard. Two of my days were a little over 800 miles each. General feedback from others that knew I rode on a bike there thought I was a bit nuts, but I wasn't sore at all which speaks a lot to how comfortable I was. As a die hard sport bike owner, I can say with high confidence that this bike strikes a solid balance of comfort, utility, and efficiency all without giving up the ability to be agile, fast, and fun for you (and a passenger if you desire). Easily my favorite bike in the HD lineup for 2025 model year and not a bad value for what it delivers.




lol... Serious note... I think they are "unpopular" because a typical dealership salesmen and HD marketing folks don't know how to sell them. It is fundamentally far different from the potato potato sounding, sleek & low looking, touring bikes they are used to selling. This is a very welcome change to see in a HD dealership for me though.

...and Corvettes are now 3700lbs
...being a little on the porky side doesn't make it a bad vehicle for touring purposes if that's where you want the scale to lean. For it's segment, the weight (542lbs wet) really isn't super far off competition that has similar specs.

This is a good summary. The issue with bikes is you can never have one that is perfect for everything. The Pan Am is great for long distance work but isn't quite as playful as some other options in more hooligan type of riding... but then those hooligan bikes generally aren't something you are eager to toss 2000+ miles on during an extended weekend. Different tools for different jobs is how I see it. Style is always subjective. Pick the compromise that best suits your riding style and budget.

 

Nice summary! High level, I fundamentally struggle with the big displacement ADV segment in general.. If I'm off-road, the last thing I want is a 600+lb behemoth to wrestle through loose or uneven terrain regardless of the brand stamped on the tank. The mid-tier displacement adv segment is where it's at!