I want a good dealer more for warranty work than service work, especially on boutique Italian brands.
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I want a good dealer more for warranty work than service work, especially on boutique Italian brands.
Randy. Stick to Suzuki.
We still don't have enough dealers. I live in Newton, just outside of Boston. We have one Ducati dealer within 15 miles from me. I have two Ducati's. They are extremely inconvenient. They don't give loaners. They don't exactly work with you when it comes to service. Even when it comes to the Japanese brands, there is one network of dealers within 15 miles of me....I think as a whole we lag way behind the car industry and when there is only one around you they can do whatever they want. I have been taking my bikes to Seacoast which I found easier to work with.
Okay. The 1290 SA-T is a phuckuva nice machine.
Did you buy it??
its like you've never seen a single post of mine before.
Mine's a 2011 V-Strom.. so.. there.
They had brand new V-Strom 650's on the showroom floor for like $7k. Such a great bike for that $.
Ha ha, I just took a wild guess on the year.
This spring my nephew picked up a leftover 14 V'strom Adventure for $6300.
Did you get to ride the SA?
I rode an SA, yes. Very nice. I understand the fanfare. It is worthy.
So?
It will be a VERY sad state of affairs if I buy another bike before you do. :poke:
outch. Just weighted the ST this weekend. :mecry: full of fuel 750#
it feels like it trying to move it around BUT not when rolling.:confused: :wink:
You asking me for a review of the bike?
Bike is epic. Very nice smashup of my trusty, well loved V-Strom, the FJR1300/tourbeasts I've fallen for lately, and an absurd super-sport. I liked the Multi 1200S I test rode at bike week just a smidge better. But then the Multi was broke in and I got to give it the beans. I just putted on this. I did get a taste when she went just a little wiskey on me. Should it be mine, I would need to remember to respect that right grip. I read a 1290 SA review where the reviewer commented that aftermarket pipes and flashes and other motor performance upgrades were pointless on this thing as it already has more than enough power for any sane individual. The man has a point.
Motor is epic. At least I think it is. Did not wring it but there was always power there. And it just hovered along at low rpms. Throttle is very light and easy to work.
Transmission is fantastic. 6th is very, very tall OD and makes highway speeds effortless. Can't remember revs @ 70, but they were low. Not ~5-6k like on the DL650. Way more comfortable.
Love the hydro clutch. Although the catch point was much further out than I'm used to. I'd get used to it.
Did have problems finding neutral. Told this is an issue with many 1290 and it gets easier with break-in.
Brakes are fantastic. Light years better than my 'strom. Completely neutral without too much initial bite yet plenty of power. One finger experience. Did not test the ABS but I trust it is there and works well. Cornering ABS strikes me as a great thing.
Suspension is good. Comfortable and felt reasonably close to properly sprung for me. Bike handles very well. Handling is just a touch more neutral than my 'strom. My 'strom feels more raked out and has heavier steering feel at low speeds.. yet the 1290 is even more stable at speed. Impressed. Both carve nicely.
The traction control works well and likely saved me from high-siding someone elses bike! I think TC is mandatory on a street bike with this kind of power. Too easy to get ham fisted and do something stupid. Especially in sport mode. The 'strom doesn't need TC, even in the wet.
Fueling was excellent. Sampled rain, street and sport modes. Not a substantial difference between street or sport modes from what I could tell. Which is fine because both were good. Rain definitely dampened the throttle. Probably a good thing. Bike was smooth from 2k RPM up. No noticeable vibes, noises, etc. So much better than the Super Teneres I've demo'ed.
Way better screen than my 'strom. Much better wind coverage overall thanks to the ginormous tank. Screen adjuster is a little fidgety, but works well. The power screen on the FJR1300 is more convenient and that screen provides more coverage. But the 1290 SA screen is great. Near the full -up position it provided a very comfortable bubble for me at 70 MPH indicated. No buffeting at all. All day comfortable.
Ergonomics are terrific. Being a fan of the ADV machines I felt right at home. Slow speed handling is effortless. Very stable at speed. My only nit is the cruise control is on the right control pad and difficult to reach while holding the throttle steady. With ~160HP on tap abrupt throttle movements result in quite a ride. Best release the throttle, reposition your grip, focus on applying throttle easily, then engage cruise... or reach across the machine with your left hand and engage.
Pegs are a bit further back than the 'strom. Feels more sporty, less neutral; feet right under your butt.
Bars may be a bit higher than the 'strom, close enough that I can't tell.
Bike is tall, even with the seat in the low position. But really not much taller than my 'strom. It feels exactly the same weight as the 'strom. (On paper; strom - 485 lbs, 1290 SA - 549 lbs) Slow speed handling on the 1290 feels great. I felt right at home and had no problem with figure 8's and pushing it around a parking lot or banging out a uie. Balance is excellent and I could drag the rear brake almost hovering in stop and go. Just like the 'strom.
Seat is meh. Flat and well shaped, but quite firm. Would hope it would break in some with use.
My better half reported that she feels the back seat is comparable to my 'strom, if not a bit smaller and more firm. Is worried that the top box with backrest would cramp her seating area. I'm not so concerned as most I've heard say the passenger comfort on this thing is better than most. One review I heard claimed it was better than the FJR, specifically.
Cruise is electronic and holds speed perfectly. Awesomesauce.
Bike comes with everygawdamnedthing I would do to a bike already done; tip-over protection around the tank, heated grips, heated seat, excellent factory luggage (INCLUDED IN PRICE), 12VDC accessory socket, yadda yadda yadda. All without going buckwild fixing problems you never had, like keyless ignition. (I think they went keyless for 2017. I sampled a 2016.) Some of the extras hold little value to me (ie tire pressure monitoring) but are nifty. I dig the safety features (ie cornering ABS). I love the spoked, tubeless wheels. I like the 19/17 tubeless wheel setup and am confident I could get rubber to suite my use forever.
I like the luggage a lot. Although it does make the bike very wide. I think I'd buy the top-box and ride with that 95% of the time except for touring. I carry a messenger bag with my work laptop, badge, lunch, etc to work every day. One issue I have now is everything comes out to go into the smaller bags on the 'strom and I invariably forget something. Usually my ID badge. Being able to drop my entire bag in the bike and just go would be cool. Also being able to bring home a weeks worth of groceries means more time in the saddle and less in the truckzilla.
The bike is everything I want in a motorcycle all wrapped into one. This, plus a dirt/woods bike and a track day toy and you're done. This is a double-track worth dual-sport / cross country tourer / daily commuter / weekend hooliganster all wrapped into one. Want to climb rocks? Still need a dirt bike. (Get a 2-stroke!) Want to drag knee.. while this'd do it the cost of fucking up is too high. Keep a low $ sport bike around for that. Sell everything else.
My only two issues are the price tag and the fact that I worry I won't be using it enough to justify such an expense. Seems like a waste. Same equipment in the same bike with half the HP would be fine for a guy like me. On paper that's a Tiger 800 XRx. I really wish I liked triples. I like v-twins so much better and this has one. The 75-degree v is a bit different than the L-twins I'm used to. But its familiar enough to love.
I'd add the matching, keyed with bike top-case with back-rest for her. I'd add the accessory 2-piece upgraded seat. I'd add the KTM accessory bash-plate; mostly just 'cause. I'd add a SW-Motech GPS mount. I believe it comes pre-wired with a fused, switched 12VDC accessory plug already in the nose, perfect for that GPS hookup. Maybe spring for the bag liners. Bike needs nothing else IMO. Refreshing compared the BMW's which need $$$ more in accessories to be ready to live with. I also might add some more theft protection as I worry this thing would get more attention than my 'strom ever dreamed of getting. Maybe a disk lock?! Dunno..
KTM has done very well here.
As a short reply to your notes:
The motor does indeed have enough power to be utterly terrifying.
6th gear is 100% for interstate use. It isn't useful until around 72mph, at 75 you're at around 4200 RPM IIRC.
Difficulty finding neutral was fixed the first oil change I did, it was like a night and day difference. Since oil change intervals are 9k miles, I've found that I start having trouble finding neutral around the 6k mile mark between changes, but the change again fixes it completely.
You can change the rake of the bike with the preload settings. Not only that, but the dealer can program the "pre-preload" (i.e. the static sag which is the baseline for your preload settings) from -5 to +5 depending on weight. Chances are the demo/floor bike was set for 0, completely neutral.
Cruise location took a bit of getting used to, but I have no problem modulating the throttle and engaging cruise anymore. It still would have been better on the left, which is where they relocated it to on the 1290SAR.
Seat was one of the first things to go on mine. It's terrible. The ergo seat is 1000% better, enough so that I can ride for 8 hours comfortably now. Sucks that they included an awful seat as standard on a $20k bike, but the upside is once you take it off and replace it with the Ergo seat you now have a spare seat to turn into a Russell Day Long.
The boxes may be wide, but they are no wider than the handlebars. The only problem I've ever had not being able to fit somewhere was trying to get through some jersey barriers (which wasn't technically legal anyways). And I don't take them when I know I'm gonna be doing some gnarly terrain. They take tip overs extremely well, but I'm more afraid of breaking my ankle under the boxes. As far as a backrest goes, my SO has plenty of room back there with a top box and back rest.
And yes, it comes with 2 accessory connections front and rear (2 front, 2 rear), one switched 1A and one hot 10A in each location.
I've been picking through ADVRider posts and see your icon & name frequently. I think you and I are of the same mind on much of this.
Interesting to know about the dealer suspension settings. I gather that's done by some computer wiz-bang contraption? Probably something I'd insist be setup for me.
Couple more must-have upgrades I'm reading is a fixed steering damper (why the hell not), the funky "floating" pannier mount kit, and some beefier handguards (more why the hell not).
Edit: And a charcoal canister delete kit thingie. Would want that underseat storage back. Eff the environment.
There's a rear accessory connection?! Epic. Now I know where my electric PJs will get plugged into.
They thought of everything, didn't they?
Dealer has to plug in their KTM tool to change the suspension preload baseline. They will need to be told to do so, as I don't believe it's part of PDI (at least it wasn't when I bought mine). They barely knew how to work with KTM electronics when I bought my bike, but they at least know what I was talking about when I last contacted them about setting preload.
I replaced my steering damper, shortly after I bought the bike, with a Hyperpro RSC, which is progressively damped. That was due to a short blast to 40mph where after letting off I got a pretty noticeable headshake. The bike comes with a steering stabilizer, but it had little to no resistance. Alternatively you can try disassembling the stock stabilizer and replacing with heavier weight oil.
You don't really need to floating case carrier, that's more for high speed runs. The manual says not to exceed 95mph with the boxes on, but if you do that's why they built the floating case carrier, so you can go 120mph with boxes. It was a very simple install. I got it because I chased a sport bike through a bunch of twisties and down a long straight in the adirondacks one windy day, and on approaching ~100mph my bike started to weave. Not exactly smart to be going that fast, and I rarely do (I do more dirt now than pavement), but I look at it as insurance in case I ever do again.
Charcoal canister removal was nothing more than ripping the whole assembly out, plugging one line and rerouting the other down to the passenger peg mount. It took all of 10 minutes when I did the floating case carrier install. I now store my stock tool kit, jumper cables and paperwork under the seat.
Oh also, as far as security concerns, KTM also sells both a radial disc lock as well as an alarm that plugs into the harness under the tail section. It's all plug and play.
Yes, this bike was very well thought out IMO.
Did you buy any of this? I noticed the disc lock is pretty slick but appears to just be this lock anodized orange with a 69% markup. I've never met a security system I got along with. This was one of my nits with the Multistrada I demo'ed this summer; I couldn't start the damned bike without help from the regional sales guy working the tent because of the security crap.
I've never had a bike worth stealing. All new territory to me.
That said, I would insure it. And insurance >> locks and security systems. So. Low priority.
I did not experience the headshake. Maybe the MY2016 damper is better somehow? Anyway.
Stable to 120 with boxes on is fine. Stable to only 100 is a bit more annoying.
Any interest in measuring the opening on one of your side cases for me? Interested in a rough guestimate of the widest thing you could get through the opening. I'm guessing an 18x4" pack/box would fit through no problem. But it'd be interesting.
I don't have any of the security stuff (and yes I believe the radial disc lock is a RoadLok), although since I recently got my bicycle stolen I might invest in the alarm. I'm very hesitant to invest in a rotor lock due to how many posts online I've seen of people falling over because they forgot about the lock.
Headshake only happened once for me, about two weeks after I bought the bike on a very poorly paved road. Some people may never experience it, but that one time was enough to get me to buy a better damper. I have not experienced any headshake since.
I'll have to take a measurement when I get home, I don't remember the width. That said I can fit my Large Bell RS-1 in my top box (the touring style, i.e. the exact same style as the side cases), and the top box and left side case are exactly the same dimensions (the left case liner doubles as the top box liner).