Really appreciate the time you took to write this comment. I’m curious, how did you feel about the MT10? I guess what were the reasons you weren’t happy with it? So far it’s the bike that’s blew me away the most so interested to hear your thoughts. I did really like the SDGT, but I did find the engine quite snatchy which I guess gives it character in my eyes. Interesting about the reliability. You going to upgrade to the new model?

@@britboybike_adventures3813 I've had a 2022 base model MT-10 with me as a loaner for about 1000 miles with 2700 miles on the clock when I got it. Mind you this is the old gen and the new one has improvements, but on a short test ride I took the new one on it felt 95% the same in terms of handling and engine character, if anything the old was a little more "vivid", brakes and suspension are basically the same between the new and old model and they're my 2 biggest concerns. The brakes on the MT10 are ok when you use them occasionally, and I didn't believe what people were saying about the R1 brakes being incredibly bad, but god damn, I almost went off the road when at the end of the long straight in my local twisties I pulled the brakes and they basically didn't work... I'm sure pads can fix it but even outside of the insane fade they are very spongy and have a wooden feel, especially when compared to the quality stuff on the XR and the even better stuff on the Tuono and SDGT (they both run Brembo M50s and MCS cylinders). The second issue I had with the MT10 was suspension/handling. Apparently it's got the chassis from an R1 but yamaha just can't do front ends... With the exception of the Tracer 9 which is actually fairly nosy, all their bikes have incredibly vague front end feel, The bike I had was on fairly fresh Bridgestone S22s so quality tyre, and I set the sag up, damping, even tried playing around with fork height and I could just not get rid of the feeling that the front end wants to tuck under at mid-low speed corners (say under 30-35 mph) especially as you trail off the brakes, it feels like it just wants to drop. The back end of the bike is incredible, and when on the gas, or going left to right without braking it's very nice but I hate a bike with a bad front end, you can't catch a front end slide unless you're Marquez but a loose back end is easier to deal with. Also very well balanced for acceleration, getting power down but also doing easy wheelies, really fun in that regard. Another 2 smaller pain points is the electronics on that old model which doesn't really apply as it has the same stuff as on the Tracer 9 and MT09 which are fairly good if not quite up there with the Europeans, but the previous gen was horrible. It doesn't catch sideways slides at all, which is not an issue if you know what you're doing but fairly unnerving when exiting a muddy car park, with traction control on max, and the back end just goes out, forcing me to catch it myself before TC did anything. Same for the ABS, it's very abrupt and not "fine", not normally an issue but can be felt when you're nowhere near slipping the front and pushing harder into twisties. It sort of "ratchets" a click or 2 before giving you full braking when getting on the brakes hard. Lastly fuel consumption.... Holy mother of... I'm not a cheapskate, but when the lights came on at 85 miles on a 17L tank, and I was like "maybe it's just an early light, i should be fine until 110-120" Then ended up PUSHING THE BIKE at 98 miles...... I knew I can't afford this bike in the long term... I do about 15-20k miles a year on my bikes so even though fuel consumption and range are not normally a concern on a bike for me, this drank damn near double what my XR did and it wasn't any quicker... When looking at the type of riding I do, which is lots of fast twisties but also touring (the MT10 does have a touring version with soft panniers and tall windscreen) and looking at the value proposition... It's just a no brainer... Even now a good condition old Gen MT10 is in the region of 7-8k which is ludicrous when you can get a fully loaded Gen 2 1290 GT with 3 boxes and all electronics for 9.5-10k. Even the Gen 1 1290GT is "Smarter" and has more electronics whilst being 90% the same bike as the Gen 2 and those can be had for as little as 6.5k. I loved the engine and the noise on the MT10 but I like the noise equally on the SDGT with a can, the shorter gearing actually removes the snatchiness a surprising amount and all around becomes smoother and quicker, chain tension is also very finicky on the SDGT, the marks on the swingarm are OK, but really you wanna stay between t he middle and the lower mark for smooth shifts and no drivetrain lash. I don't have any plans to upgrade, I don't think KTM are bringing the 1390 version of the GT until like 2025 and due to the miles I do on my bikes I usually run them until they start matching the cheapest examples on the market so they still have some residual value, but for now the GT seems like a keeper. I was toying with the idea of trading in my 1290 because insurance basically didn't want to insure me next year, offering me no insurance, then 2 months back they were saying like 2.5k a year for TP only but as i'm nearing my renewal it seems to be going back to normal. The only 2 bikes i'd have considered trading this in for is strictly the Tuono V4, and that strictly for 1 year to scratch that itch for an amazing dailyable sport bike, or a GSA as I want to dabble in more off road and it was a great bike whilst significantly cheaper in insurance and to pick up too, sort of a "side-downgrade".

@@AntaresSQ01 you should be a KTM salesman, I'm half tempted to take the 1290 out again based on your recommendation😂. Appreciate the feedback thank you and safe riding!

@@britboybike_adventures3813 I'm not trying to sell the bike just my experience with it haha, it entirely depends on your budget. If you have 8k in your pocket a Gen 1 S1000XR is probably a better buy than a Gen 1 SDGT, if you have 10 grand in your pocket, it's 50-50, if you have 11-12 grand, a nice Gen 2 1290 SDGT is a better bike than the Gen 2 XR imo, pick and choose your poison.

@@AntaresSQ01 😉I watched couple of your videos, didn’t think the XR sounded that good!

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

Who doesn’t love some raw power 😉!!!

Really? It certainly instilled a certain level of excitement when I rode it that the BMW GS didn't. It's almost like taming a wild horse 😆