Cornering lights get progressively brighter as lean angle increases. Photos by Kevin Wing.

KTM?s 1290 Super Duke GT is a sport tourer that checks all the right boxes. It has a powerful, torque-rich, visceral V-twin, high-tech yet easy-to-use electronics, transcendent semi-active suspension, 30-liter locking saddlebags and enough comfort and wind protection for long-haul days, all in a svelte, lightweight package. Acceleration is addictive. Handling is sublime.

When the GT debuted for 2017, we gushed. EIC Tuttle described it as ?nearly flawless, the perfect sport-touring bike for a rider who doesn?t want to give up sportbike levels of engine performance and handling.? The superlatives continued following our six-month, 3,500 mile test: ?the GT is designed to excite you more than pamper you?few bikes feel so eager, so ready to take your breath away? (also in Rider, April 2017). No surprise, then, that it was on our short list for 2017 Motorcycle of the Year.
Among the updates for 2019 is a full-color TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation.

Updates for 2019 gave us an excuse to request a new 1290 Super Duke GT for our indulgence…er, I mean, testing purposes. Its liquid-cooled, 1,301cc LC8 V-twin has new lightweight titanium inlet valves and intake resonator chambers for smoother low to midrange torque delivery. Its WP semi-active suspension, which has three modes (Sport, Street and Comfort), has been revised. Other newfangled newness includes an LED headli...