Disappointing Test Ride on the SuperDuke R

Just rode the SuperDuke R and Adventure 1190 (2015 models that had about 25 miles on them when I took them out) back to back and was really surprised at how much smoother the engine was on the 1190. The shifting was also much smoother on the Adventure. Power was fairly similar. I was disappointed with how easy the R lugged, how much it shook the bike and how slow it was to accelerate until above 5K RPMs - both around town and on the highway. When lugging the Adventure, it was much more composed and smooth and seemed to pick up quicker. How could they be so different??? I've read about adding a Power Commander and a 16T front sprocket to help smooth things out. Has anyone with one or both of these mods ridden the Adventure? If so, how does the smoothness of the modded R compare? I need to sort this out before I put down my money for this bike!

Even though they state that the 1290 makes more torque at 3500 rpm then the 990 I never ride it with the revs sitting lower than 4500 rpm.
6th gear is far to tall for it and really only suitable above 120kmh, under that it will sit happily in 5th.
I haven't lowered the front cog just yet but will be on the cards.
The 1290 is not really made for lugging.

The 1290 is much happier at low revs with a free flowing exhaust - it's much better once the standard cat is safely filed in the bin. I've found myself in too high a gear a couple of times coming into corners (high enough it feels like it wants to push me wide and needed the clutch dipping) and it pulls no problem out the other side.

I recently rode the Superduke and 1290 Adventure back to back and, weirdly, my experience was the opposite!
I found the adventure to be weak everywhere in comparison the motor lacking in punch low down or higher up the rev range and the brakes woefully underpowered and lacking in bite. The handling I found was quite confidence inspiring but the wind noise and buffeting at speed really quite intrusive.
The Superduke on the other hand was eager and responsive with excellent brakes and comfortable with it although the wind blast at speed was predictably full on.
I have put a deposit down on an SD as a result.

as a owner of a 1290r its hard to believe
anyone could be disappointed with the bike in stock form
opening the bike up just makes it a more
positive experience
i would tend to believe any disapointment would a faulty wrist of the test rider!!!
only problem i see is the slippery foot pegs !!!

ps motohooligan has a great set of pegs as well as rear sets.
great guy to deal with !!!!!!

All I can say is that from your description of the test ride it doesn't sound right!
I'm the biggest nay sayer as KTM itself pissed me off with the customer service in general but I can't say that the engine performance of the 1290 is lacking or the gearbox is rough.
I had mine sorted and it pulled really cleanly from 3500 rpm up, I know originally they are a bit more hesitating below 4500rpm but it's a performance V-twin not a harley!

I never had any issues with the gearbox nether and when I had the 1190 ADV as a loaner to fix the leaking engine cover on mine, my bike felt twice as powerful and much smoother. (not to mention feels half the weight too)

I suspect the bike you had either had a fault, like the faulty oil filter, which makes it run rough and shift gears badly or there was another issue.

Thanks for your inputs. I'm starting to think the bike I rode wasn't the norm. I will seek out another dealership with a demo program and try another. And to be clear, I'm not complaining about the power of the bike when on the power, I was just disappointed when opening it up below 5K RPMs - lots of vibes and slow acceleration until above 5K RPMs. The 1190 Adventure was much smoother in the same conditions and shifted smoother.

Did you have it in rain mode? LOL

compared to 990 there a piece of shit










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