falkdal Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 Thanks, that's all really helpful! She has also commented on how much space there is between us, and she's a big fan of the big grab handles. And yeah the transmission is great for riding very smoothly - no helmet bumping or any sudden jerkiness. I'm still a bit torn. I only paid $12,300 for the '24 9GT+ with all the latest tech and the massive 7" screen, it had 1k miles and came with the top box and a much better touring screen, so it was a really good deal. I'm gonna try and find a 1290GT we can demo together before I make any decisions. Either way enjoy the bike and please keep sharing updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted September 13 Premium Member Share Posted September 13 On 7/18/2024 at 4:43 PM, betoney said: I have to agree, I have only owned one KTM which was a 250MXC 2-stroke dirt bike. It was fantastic until it wasn't, the only bike I have ever had to have the bottom end bearings replaced... not once but twice in 3 years. If I ever end up owning any Euro bike it would most likely be a BMW R1250RS. How about the fastest red MG Mandello V100S? But holy Moses, KTM has only 3 dealers here with 6 mil peeps is ridiculous, and only 2 with MG. I do like the 24 MT09SP at sub 430#s with 5 gallons. Working up to a shakedown run as soon as it cools down a bit. Maybe I'll take out the VTR too! Biggest issue is which of my gear will fit? I was down 7 pounds but tonight I was up 6?! All I do is eat salads and tofu, sort of... I'm going to have to inventory and post up some very nice, lightly used gear for sale ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member jthayer09 Posted September 13 Author Supporting Member Share Posted September 13 6 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said: How about the fastest red MG Mandello V100S? But holy Moses, KTM has only 3 dealers here with 6 mil peeps is ridiculous, and only 2 with MG. I do like the 24 MT09SP at sub 430#s with 5 gallons. Working up to a shakedown run as soon as it cools down a bit. Maybe I'll take out the VTR too! Biggest issue is which of my gear will fit? I was down 7 pounds but tonight I was up 6?! All I do is eat salads and tofu, sort of... I'm going to have to inventory and post up some very nice, lightly used gear for sale ☹️ The 2024 MT09SP has to be the absolute best money-to-feature ratio bike on the market (new) right now, absolutely crazy what you get per $. Oh, but to take away from the KTM experience even more: there are 2 dealerships that are roughly 1-hour from me. One is like 5-10min shorter journey depending on traffic. However, the closer dealer will not work on my bike because I didn't buy it from them 🙄, forcing me to go to the slightly further one that is out of state. Glad the service intervals are 9,000mi and I do everything except valves... hope nothing goes wrong with the electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miweber929 Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 (edited) Keep the info in the 1290GT coming because it and the Mandello are on my short list to replace my Sprint GT. We tried the Tracer GT and while my wife was comfy once on it, she hated getting on and off it enough I sold it after 2 seasons. Edited September 14 by miweber929 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted September 14 Premium Member Share Posted September 14 15 hours ago, jthayer09 said: The 2024 MT09SP has to be the absolute best money-to-feature ratio bike on the market (new) right now, absolutely crazy what you get per $. Oh, but to take away from the KTM experience even more: there are 2 dealerships that are roughly 1-hour from me. One is like 5-10min shorter journey depending on traffic. However, the closer dealer will not work on my bike because I didn't buy it from them 🙄, forcing me to go to the slightly further one that is out of state. Glad the service intervals are 9,000mi and I do everything except valves... hope nothing goes wrong with the electronics. And KTM lets the offending dealer deny service because you didn't but from them?! The Japanese big 4 do not allow that nonsense. Cause for another huge demerit against KTM. Regardless of what the Austrians said about Hitler being an abusive twit that had to be obeyed, when the Germans entered Vienna, one must cast a jaundiced eye as most Austrians were happy to grab hold of the Nazi coat tails as the gave their flacid wrist right HH hand salutes. Sig Heil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmark101 Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 20 hours ago, jthayer09 said: The 2024 MT09SP has to be the absolute best money-to-feature ratio bike on the market (new) right now, absolutely crazy what you get per $. I agree 100%. It's incredible bang for the buck, and based on the reviews, a fantastic bike. In fact, I seriously considered selling both my 2019 Tracer 900GT and my 2013 Ninja 1000 for the 2024 MT09 SP as a one bike solution. Two things stopping me are that I spent money for top shelf custom suspension on my Tracer and the lack of panniers on the MT09 SP. 1 1 There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member jthayer09 Posted September 14 Author Supporting Member Share Posted September 14 8 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said: And KTM lets the offending dealer deny service because you didn't but from them?! I haven't reached out to KTM about this yet because I had the time to go to my original dealership so I wasn't super critical at the time. But I will drop KTM and email and see if I get a reply and what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member jthayer09 Posted September 14 Author Supporting Member Share Posted September 14 12 hours ago, miweber929 said: Keep the info in the 1290GT coming because it and the Mandello are on my short list to replace my Sprint GT. We tried the Tracer GT and while my wife was comfy once on it, she hated getting on and off it enough I sold it after 2 seasons. I'm gonna post some more updates on the 1290GT hopefully this weekend, just miscellaneous ownership stuff specific to the bike. I am convinced if the 1290GT prematurely dies on me due to KTM-isms I will go to the V100 Mandello S. Barring Yamaha bringing back the base model Tracer 9 or releasing a Tracer 9 SP with better suspension. The Mandello having: Shaft-driven single-sided swing-arm + optional center stand is ultimate ownership convenience, 1290SDGT is chain and there is no center stand option. Plus it looks very pleasing. I haven't read a single negative mechanical review of the new V100 engine; and it has larger displacement, smaller footprint, is more reliable (new wet clutch), and apparently very eager to rev compared to their older engines. I believe someone online posted pictures of their tires after a ride on the Tail of the Dragon and they were getting maximum lean angle effortlessly on the Mandello. Also... if you're interested there's a 2023 Mandello S with less than 2k miles on the clock in Columbus for a very good price right now: https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2023-Moto+Guzzi-V100+MANDELLO+S-5033015819#sid=369153 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 2 hours ago, jthayer09 said: I haven't reached out to KTM about this yet because I had the time to go to my original dealership so I wasn't super critical at the time. But I will drop KTM and email and see if I get a reply and what it is. That’s the dealer being a prick - KTM doesn’t say anything about one dealer selling vs servicing. It’s the same as the Japanese brands. I hope you send that email anyway, maybe that will cause some follow-up with the offending dealer. But I’d guess KTM USA may know about them already and they have a rep for it… -Skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkdal Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 1. The Tracer pillion seat appears to be 36-37" off the ground, so a 1290GT is a bit lower. I'm also gonna check out the BMW R1250R or RS and see how that seat is. 2. For all of you talking about the Mandello S, I owned one when they first came out. I had 8 warranty claims in the first 1k miles and only got to ride it for 2-3 months, after which it spend 3-4 months in the shop, after which Guzzi bought it back. It was an endless litany of problems including leaking water pumps, broken engine covers, missing bolts inside the engine, transmission sensor failures, etc. Some of it is documented in the attached link. Oh and it got barely 30mpg during freeway commutes in the Bay Area (around 80mph). I would caution against unusually cheap low mileage bikes because they may well be bikes like mine that the dealers fixed up and trying to unload. I LOVED the bike when I got it, it was everything I wanted in a sport tourer. I had so many plans for that bike, but it was a massive headache. I would try again after they've had another year or so to work out the kinks, but the forums are still full of leaking radiators, oil leaks, exhausts falling off, electronic problems. I just couldn't recommend one right now. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member jthayer09 Posted September 14 Author Supporting Member Share Posted September 14 3,600mi update: Engine is still pretty lumpy down low, starts to smooth out above 3,000rpm, with it being fairly happy at 4,000rpm; if you try going uphill under 4,000rpm it gets angry. 5,000rpm+ you can feel throttle restrictions remove. This creates a fairly engaging riding experience with keeping the rpm between 4k-4.5k for cruising netting you ~45mpg and then keeping revs above 6k if you're trying to get going. I somewhat retract my initial statement on the airflow. Smoother than the Tracer yes, but the lower windshield means a lot of air enters through the bottom of the helmet and it is LOUD. Short windscreen spoiler fixes this by creating more laminar flow and lifts some more of it higher directly into my helmet scoop. The shifting experience on this bike is lackluster, it is clunky and misses semi-frequently at low-RPMs without using the clutch and goes into a false neutral. So I bolted on the Racetorx Gear Shift Support which moves the fulcrum of the shifter from the frame back forward to the engine by making the connection under the clutch slave reservoir. It has been a massive improvement; since then it has only missed once but didn't go into a false neutral, just stayed in gear. Accessories: I ordered two separate set of crash bars from KTM and neither of them would fit correctly on the left side: You can see it doesn't want to align on where it mounts to the engine on the bottom left. Pictures are of the first set, the second set was even worse, the weld was way off. Shoutout to KTM Twins for letting me return both sets. I guess the next step is for me to order the SW-Motech crash bars, which oddly enough KTM seems to have bought SW-Motech's design. SW-M's set is $50 more and the only difference I can find is possibly the paint? Maybe they're made in different factories, either way if the SW-Motech set doesn't fit then I assume something is wrong with my bike. I mentioned previously that the sidecases have a cutout for passenger leg accommodation: My partner loves the cutouts as it lets her shift her feet around when needed. The side cases are also rated for up to 110MPH! So the design clearly helps with airflow. You can also see the KTM top-case holder and mounting plate, this allowed me to bring over my Shad 58x that I had for my Tracer 9GT. I did have to buy the KTM specific plate as the one that came with my Shad 58x does not have the properly aligned holes, the KTM part looks better anyway as it matches the footprint of the rack 1:1. I removed a some of the emissions stuff for various reasons: catalytic converter generates a ton of heat at a stop and slow speeds, and the charcoal canister takes up a lot of under-seat storage. Just gonna dump all the pictures at the end so I'm not interrupting the body text. Arrow makes a titanium mid-pipe that also has a resonator chamber so your ears don't bleed, also got the matching titanium muffler - beautiful welds. There's a butterfly valve in the stock catalytic converter mid-pipe that is cable actuated by a servo bolted to the frame. You need to plug the servo wire with Healtech's servo delete plug to prevent the ECU from putting the bike in limp mode, removing the servo also requires a new brake reservoir bracket. With the cat deleted the bike is much more enjoyable on a sunny 80F day where previously my ankles would cook. The charcoal canister is easily removed with two screws, then cap the hoses that were running into it, then uncap the gas drain line so that you still vent to atmosphere, and tape over the hole in the storage area where the canister vented out of. Use some washers as spacers for the passenger seat latch where the canister used to mount. The orange plastic thing is something I designed and 3D printed to create a divider so smaller items don't fall forward through the empty space towards the front seat. With the canister removed I can now fit under the seat: KTM provided tool bag, kickstand footprint, gloves, comm unit, microfiber cloth + plastic cleaner, straps for tailbag. Misc. There's also markings on the single-sided swing arm for doing chain adjustments, no need to measure, just get the chain between the lines, simple. The paint on the frame and wheels is trash, if you look at it wrong it scratches. The black is luckily a very close match to Chrysler Brilliant Black Pearl available at any auto parts store, and I just bought some KTM orange online. The rear fender is big and ugly but it works. Don't have to worry about spray all over my luggage when it's wet. Bike is great, KTM quality control sucks. Arrow exhaust is outstanding quality for not a lot of $$$. Enjoying the bike a lot more now that my confidence is back in the shifting. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkdal Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 I did a test ride on a GT today and I actually found it a lot quieter and less wind buffeting than my Tracer 9 GT+ (even with it's improved Puig touring screen). Surprised to hear you say the GT's low screen is loud. The ergonomics definitely suit me better, it really feels like a naked superbike with some creature comforts. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member jthayer09 Posted September 18 Author Supporting Member Share Posted September 18 26 minutes ago, falkdal said: I did a test ride on a GT today and I actually found it a lot quieter and less wind buffeting than my Tracer 9 GT+ (even with it's improved Puig touring screen). Surprised to hear you say the GT's low screen is loud. The ergonomics definitely suit me better, it really feels like a naked superbike with some creature comforts. 🙂 What year SDGT? Gen 1 had a different windscreen setup than gen2-2.5. For me the aero is way smoother than the Tracer but the stock windscreen height just lets air come in from under my helmet so I get all wind noise after 65 mph. I'm 178cm/5'10" for reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkdal Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 It was a 2019, so I guess the Gen 2? It had the stock screen without any deflector or anything. I'm 5'8". The engine felt very smooth to me, the QS+ worked well even at lower rpm's, sure not as buttery as the Yamaha, but perfectly usable. For me the big change is the ergonomics - the GT just fits me and the way I ride much better. It reminded me of an overgrown 890R, my all time favorite bike that I've tracked/toured/commuted on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member jthayer09 Posted September 18 Author Supporting Member Share Posted September 18 Looks like a used bike, 2019 was still Euro 4; by all accounts Gen2 stock fueling was pretty miserable from factory, did the previous owner do the Rottweiler fueling dongles or get a tune? Dunlop Mutant tires looking good as always too, looks like it's got the KTM engine guards installed, would be a good pickup. If you're looking to buy, mine was $15,900 brand new + $650-ish for tech package. If you're looking for an idea of what to pay. There's some crazy end-of-season deals right now too on 2023 models. This is TJ's Cycles in Austin, TX: At 5'8" you might be under the wind stream for noise. Glad it works well for you! less additional things to buy 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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