KTM 1290 Super Duke GT

In my 21 years, and 300,000+ miles, of riding motorcycles on the road, there have been very few bikes that I’d credit with having changed how I feel about riding – but this is one of them. I can’t...

Few other bikes have impressed me more than KTM’s mongrel genius GT. Its ability to be whatever your mood wants it to be is infectious and endearing – but it’s not faultless. After 10,000 miles in the...

This is definitely one for the list of ‘things I never knew I needed’: Hill Hold Control. I’ve always taken great pleasure in trying to learn how to do things for myself, and will be forever grateful...

“You won’t get more than 800 miles out of those,” said MCN’s tyre fitter as he expertly manipulated a set of Pirelli Diablos Supercorsa SPs onto the 1290 GT’s rims. “They’ll be fine for at least...

Somewhere between Heathrow and Stamford there’s a highly reflective rectangle of KTM littering the roadside, jettisoned while using the GT as my airport taxi, and making the Super Duke GT just a...

Truly exceptional motorcycles change your life. Horizons seem to stretch that little bit further, the mundane becomes an excuse for entertainment, and when you’d normally stop – they inspire you to...

This weekend should hopefully see me pointing the angular nose of the Super Duke GT south, making the short hop across the Channel (well, under it) before embarking on the schlep back to the...

That’s weird, I thought. My left boot looks a lot dirtier than my right boot. And it’s oily, too. Bugger. After a few moments on my knees staring up at the engine, the source of the problem was clear...

My arse looks big in everything, so there's never any point asking. And the 1290 GT with its panniers fitted also has a fairly volumous back end, but with a few trips away planned over the next couple...

There’s nothing more cathartic than covering big miles in a short period of time. It takes your brain to a better place – and you’ll never feel more at one with your bike.  On Monday, June 20 –...

I'm addicted to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and have been to fifteen or so of them over the last 23 years – only missing it when I have no choice.  Much though I like to take the whole...

Not all days are equal you know – and Monday June 20 was most definitely a long one. In fact it was 966.2 miles long.  As my front wheel first touched the road, the GT's glowing orange dash...

There are always a few little niggles with new bikes, it's the nature of the game – but sometimes you really do have to wonder how the test riders didn't identify a problem before it became the...

I don’t know if it’s my age – but I’ve been struggling with a simple question lately that I used to have no trouble answering (no, not my name): if you had to buy one new bike this year, what would it...