MT-10 or 1290 Superduke?

[derillius24]

What to do?!

Until recently I owned a 2012 Tuono V4R APRC, and I still own my Street Triple R. I sold the Tuono this week as I do a lot of two-up stuff (the 675 is surprisingly adept with a miniature partner) and a) the Tuono has one seat and b) it was costing a fortune to keep two bikes on the road (I did a lot of miles on each of them).

I’ve read and watched just about everything there is to read and watch about the MT and the Duke but I’m flirting between the idea of each of them almost pathologically. Each have their good and not so good points, e.g. the MT, by all accounts, has lacklustre brakes which, although fixable, I find irksome having to throw hundred of pounds on master cylinders and pads at an expensive bike. The KTM, by all accounts, has better equipment but is considerably more expensive to buy (and possibly to run).

I’d be very interested to know of any owners’ perspectives on each / both bikes. Mainly re. Performance, two-up-ability and ergos. I’m 6’3” and 15 stone. The 675 is just a bit too small solo and lacks grunt two-up.

I do not commute on a bike. I explore Scotland like a man possessed during free weekends, travel Scotland two-up regularly, visit Europe each year and do the odd track day. Circa 7000 miles per year. And I don’t want a GS.

Cheers
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CG125, CBF250, DRZ400-SM, Z750, Street Triple R, Tuono V4R

[struan80]

It's a nice predicament to be in. But, I think you are missing the point about biking are you not? How can you overlook an 1100 cruiser? I'm leaving this thread as it is a daft question.

[Kentol750]

Looking at what you want from a bike, a z1000sx would be in the reckoning too.
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Some bikes.

[chickenstrip]

I think you are confusing your hankerings with what you can actually live with. You need to resolve this before you draw up a shortlist. Whilst you would probably enjoy riding either of your choices at times, I don't think you'd enjoy living with either, unless you change what you use a bike for, or decide which of your varied requirements is most important to you.

Your requirements seem to be suggesting a good all-rounder. Your hankerings seem to be saying hooligan tool. Imo, those of us who can only afford to keep one bike need to be more careful about this.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[diesel dog]

I've had my MT10 since April and it's a great bike. I'm not into track days so don't need organ crunching stopping power, although some other owners have just changed the pads and noticed a big difference.

It goes well, handles well and stops well for what I use it for. Pillion wise. Change the standard seat to a comfort one (£250). My wife hated the standard seat and lack of grab rails.

I've got a Scorpion can and link pipe - it's noisey with a great sound track! quickshifter, different screen, heated grips and a few other things.

The rear fins behind the seat need the fastenings changed - the usual mod is plastic number plate nut and bolt. It's a 2 minute job and keeps them on the bike.

The one and only thing I dislike about it is the fuel consumption. Then I get on it and ride out and that dislike gets totally forgotten about.

Not tried a KTM but my previous bikes were MT09 Tracer and FZ1. I had the Tracer for 7 months and 3k miles - great engine but not a fan of the rest of it. The FZ1 was a nice bike and I done 18k miles in 2 years on it.

My brother in law has an z1000sx. He loves it but doesn't get to use it and was contemplating selling it.
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MT10

[Aka Matt]

There is no denying that the MT-10 is a cracking bike, but I found that the finish felt a bit compromised considering the RRP. For me, it's more of a bike for people who want comprable Tuono/SDR performance, without the Tuono/SDR price. The MT-10 is jast as thirsty on fuel, but the dealer network is better than KTM and Piaggio in the UK.

As others have mentioned, the Z1000SX is a solid tourer, though rather marmite in the looks department. I done approx 10k miles before changing mine in for a Tuono, and had nothing but good experiences with it. The engine has ample low down torque, but is easy to pilot through slow city roads, and plenty of grunt and manoeuvrability for throwing around the country roads. It is however a totally different type of ride to a Tuono/SDR/MT-10, and unless you're specifically after a leightweight mile munching tourer, this may not be the way to go for you. The Z also lacks the toys which come with the above bikes.

Another option to throw into the mix would be the BMW S1000XR. It is another marmite bike in terms of the looks department, but they're well built, come with all of the toys (shifter/blipper/cruise) and can genuinely hold their own against the likes of the hyper nakeds. They're also pretty great for 2 up riding.
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Current bike(s): 2016 Tuono 1100 Factory, 1998 Hornet 600
Previous: 1998 YZF600R Thundercat, 2001 Bandit 600, 2002 GSX-R 600 K2, 2011 Tuono R, 2013 Z1000SX