What's fast, orange, and updated for 2019 for more comfortable touring trips? The 2019 KTM Super Duke GT. Based off the beastly Super Duke, the GT adds a sprinkling of comfort and touring options for a very potent blend of sport and touring. KTM took the wraps off of the 2019 model, and revealed significant improvements to its technology suite, feature set, and performance.
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The headlining changes are powertrain and suspension related. The GT’s 1,301cc LC8 V-twin engine has new titanium valves and intake resonator chambers for a claimed increase in power.
The WP Semi-Active Suspension is revised to introduce three settings—Comfort, Street, and Sport—and the addition of real-time damping. There are also lean-sensitive braking and traction control implemented, as well as a dealer-install optional Track Pack. This allows for three additional modes: anti-wheelie off, traction control slip adjust, and launch control.
From a touring perspective, there are revised and updated features for claimed improvements in wind protection and touring convenience. There’s a new windscreen controlled by a new height adjuster that sits above a LED headlight that mimics the unit on the the SUper Duke R. New handguards sport revised aerodynamics. A brand-new cruise control design which has physical switches on the left side of the handlebar that correspond to the display in the TFT dashboard make setting and changing speeds easier. And of course, heated grips and saddlebags are standard.
The 2019 Super Duke GT also gets a significantly revised technological suite. As mentioned before, there is lean-sensitive traction control and ABS. There’s also a standard Quickshifter+ which allows clutchless up- and downshifts.
There’s a new 6.5-inch multifunctional TFT display with KTM My Ride Navigation. This new dash also corresponds with the standard KTM My Ride app which features a Bluetooth connection to control audio playback and to accept phone calls.
Incremental changes, more power, and more tech are following a big theme we're seeing at Intermot—nips and tucks here and there to models in the middle of their development cycles but before Euro 5 is fully implemented. These changes definitely help the Super Duke GT blur the line between sport and touring, and we look forward to a full ride test.
