New KTM 1290 Super Duke GT Breaks Cover

The new KTM 1290 Super Duke GT is a long-distance runner to the Super Duke R’s sprinter, the Mo Farah to the R’s Usain Bolt as it were. And now new spy pics have emerged from our friends over at MCN, giving us a glimpse of what to expect in the bike’s 2021 iteration.

So, we can catch our first glimpse of the new 1290 Super Duke GT, and evidently, KTM have gone diving in the Super Duke R parts bin. No surprises there. The engine, is, of course, the same manic, slightly off-the-rockers, punch-you-in-the-gut 1,301-cc LC8 V-twin, though logically it will be up to Euro 5 (and therefore, also BS6) spec. It looks pretty similar to its predecessor too, with that signature KTM design language screaming out through these spy pics as well.

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The chassis is the big talking point though. It is a trellis frame, true to form for most KTMs, but it isn’t the same one that did duty on the 2020 version of the 1290 GT. Instead, it is the recently updated one seen on the 2020 1290 Duke R. You know the one that was stiffened up and thinned out so that it could make the R (and now, so too the GT) leaner and meaner? Yeah, that one. While they were at it, the eggheads in the brand’s Austrian R&D HQ also seem to have lifted the swing arm off the R too, which has also been tweaked for additional stiffness and stability. They stopped short of lifting the aluminium sub-frame though, which most likely has a lot do with how much additional weight the GT’s sub-frame would be expected to bear what with the luggage strapped on and the greater likelihood of the presence of a pillion for extended periods.

It is also expected that the new 1290 Super Duke GT will feature the brand’s new 5-inch TFT info-cluster. The wheels too are the same as those on the R, although they will logically feature some touring-ready kicks slapped on to them rather the sportier rubber seen on the R. We should see a global unveil of the new 1290 Super Duke GT by the end of the year, virus permitting, with a global launch likely to take place in the first half of next year. However, virus or no, it isn’t likely that the latest continent conqueror from KTM will make its way to Indian showrooms considering the brand hasn’t brought any of the 1290s to India in the past, and have only just started exploring the idea of bringing in some bigger-displacement options with the 790 Duke in the very recent past. That too in limited numbers. Will the 790’s popularity in India convince the thinking heads at the brand’s Pune HQ change their mind? Unlikely, but we can hope, right?