Ive got a 690 duke. It’s a strange bike.
I’ve been on rides with people on 1290s. Absolutely mad bits of kit.
Would love a go on one but pretty sure it’s too much bike for my level of talent.
Let me know how you get on.
It’s been a funny week, the KTM Duke 390 advertised in SC got my attention, I’ve had some time off this week so went to a KTM dealer, very quickly confirmed that the 390 was too small, but loved the the 1290R gen three, I’ve had several fast bikes but sold the last three a few years ago as they weren’t getting used. Has anyone on here any experience of the 1290R, the gen 3 is supposed to be a floor up redesign of the Gen2, I can’t find any negative Reviews but any experiences would be useful.
Ive got a 690 duke. It’s a strange bike.
I’ve been on rides with people on 1290s. Absolutely mad bits of kit.
Would love a go on one but pretty sure it’s too much bike for my level of talent.
Let me know how you get on.
I've resisted having a ride on the gen 3 - I had a gen 2 and bought it knowing the 3 was around the corner, but preferred the look of the 2.
With each generation things change - they get more refined and generally slightly 'calmer/restrained' although the gen 3 package is likely to be an improvement, particularly in the geometry and suspension. In any event, with that engine it is always going to be a hoot.
I've only tried the 1290 Adventure, which I expected to love, but actually didn't like at all.
Was very disappointed in all aspects of the bike
You should have a ride on the 890 too, Adrian. It is apparently equally as fabulous as the 1290s are, but less is often more with these bikes, depending on just how fast and mental a bike you’re after.
I suspect an 890 will be my next bike. I have 3 mates with 1290s. Two gen 2 and one gen 3. They all love them.
Not a lot else competes at the moment!
Test ride would be key for me. There many been many that I lusted after only to find the ride average
I couldn't say whether the new one is £5k better than a used Gen 2 but, in general, new is seldom worth the price premium.
The main reason I bought my gen 2 new was because there was a good chance a used one will have been abused (ridden over-enthusiastically) by previous owner/s
As for reliability, you generally only see/hear bad reports on forums whatever the brand; in my experience KTM are no worse than most other brands.
Routinely ride a friends (3yr?) old one
Nice bike, don’t believe he’s had any issues
Depends on use I suppose, if you can stomach the loss from new, the new one will be “known “ by you from day 1
Was looking at all the range in Moto corsa recently and I think there were some pretty good deals/incentives
I always think about them when changing but invariably end up with a BMW of some sort, probably because I’ve never bought a bad one.
Last edited by GOAT; 23rd October 2020 at 13:07.
If buying new I'd wait until December to see if there are any deals to be had. KTM are notorious for offering end of year dealer bonuses so it's not uncommon to find certain models heavily discounted in December. Great if you're in the market for a new bike, but very annoying if you paid retail a few months earlier.