KTM 1290 Superduke

[Tricky]

Hope you have a great day - the big girl will be a (big fun ) handful around there I reckon!

[dern]

I didn't take the KTM on the track in the end, I was struggling with the Honda and just wanted to practice on that. Last time I went to Pembrey I was full of confidence but not so much this time.

Still had a great day and it was such a brilliantly organised track day. The new format of fewer bikes works really well. It used to be pretty busy but now is spot on. If I'd been more confident and gone that little bit quicker I could have gone for laps without seeing anyone.

Alan popped over and said hello a couple of times and it was good to chat to him. Lunch was excellent as always.

Front tyre pressure as recommended by bridgestone was horrible us usual and dropping 1 psi made it feel so much better. Later in the day the rear started to feel a bit greasy one the left as I got quicker but I don't really know why. The pressure (26 cold) was the same as I run elsewhere and hot I think this went up to 30-31. The left side had some weird wear patterns whereas the right was fine. It's a right handed track so maybe the left wasn't staying warm... it doesn't really feel to me like I go fast enough for this to make a difference but at the end of the day the tyre looked like this...

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Other than tyre weirdness and confidence issues it was a cracking day.

[dern]

Ordered a new Hyperpro RSC steering damper for the bike today after a lot of weavery and flapping today. Mostly felt accelerating hard past cars over cats eyes but also sometimes on uneven surfaces. No really fast shaking so the standard damper was doing something but not pleasant all the same.

Got the standard damper off when I got home and there wasn't much damping going on and the oil was like water. Took it apart to rebuild with new oil but decided halfway though that I'd like something adjustable rather than guessing with oil weights.

Will post when I've received it and will report back when I've fitted it.

'Liveliest' bike I've ever ridden by some margin.

[scottyuk]

I run a Hyper Pro RSC on my 1290GT.

I expect it to make things better when on the edge but it steadies things all the time. I did need to play with the clicker to get it where I wanted but it didn't take long to dial in.

[dern]

Lead time is 3-4 weeks at least so having to rebuild the standard unit with heavier oil for now.

[dern]

Rebuilt the steering damper with 15w fork oil and it’s a lot better and considerably more stable. Still not adjustable and the resistance is the same across the sweep so the steering feels a little heavier so will still wait for the hyper pro camper and fit that.

Lot of bugs around tonight.

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[weeksy]

Road into Lambourne ?

[dern]

Road into Lambourne ?

4494 to Wantage.

[weeksy]

Road into Lambourne ?

4494 to Wantage.

Ah, the junction of the kink/chicane.... should have got that.

[Horse]

Road into Lambourne ?

4494 to Wantage.

Ah, the junction of the kink/chicane.... should have got that.

Was along there one evening doing training. Headed N towards Wantage down from the Ridgeway. Stopped in the farm entrance at the top of the hill down to the town, quick chat, turn around.

Fields (immediately SE of the photo site) were full of deer. WTF had they been hiding? Must have been in the hedges.

[dern]

The deer were starting to come out later yesterday evening so slowed right down and came home. It’s a bit of a sketchy road in the evening from that perspective. I’ve not seen any along there during the day but always aware that they’re in there somewhere.

[dern]

Don’t have time to go out for a ride this weekend to test it but the new damper looks the part and was easy to fit.

The oe damper before I rebuilt it has less damping than the new on minimum. Rebuilt with 15w oil it’s very roughly equivalent to 3 clicks from minimum out of 22. This is moving the piston slowly.

Just sat on the bike the damping is noticeable but increases markedly when you try and shake the bars. Very clever.

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Must mention the great service from Brook Suspension too.

[wull]

Bear in mind the differences when up to temperature, oil cold, warm etc etc.

[scottyuk]

What setting do you have yours on? Mine is set in about the middle (forgot the click count). I started low and increased to the point I wanted to reduce it. It's pretty noticeable at a standstill.

[dern]

I set it at 10 out of 22 but I haven’t ridden it yet.

[dern]

The steering damper is great. Tried it on ten and it was very stable but you could feel quite a lot of resistance so knocked it back to eight and now it feels far better in terms of resistance and it still keeps things under control.

It’s a lot of money but the bike needs something better than the standard damper and this sorts out the problem.

[Skub]

The steering damper is great. Tried it on ten and it was very stable but you could feel quite a lot of resistance so knocked it back to eight and now it feels far better in terms of resistance and it still keeps things under control.

It’s a lot of money but the bike needs something better than the standard damper and this sorts out the problem.

No need to justify bike stuff to us,we understand.

[dern]

I bought some o2 eliminators as I read that they make the throttle transitions smoother. Went to fit them today and found that I already have some fitted so that’s irritating. Should have looked first.

So I removed them to see by how much they improve the bike and I think I prefer it without them fitted.

So now I have two sets. Brilliant.

[weeksy]

Awesome lol.

[Dodgy69]

If I was you...I'd keep 1290..keep 1190..keep blade. Perfect little family.