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Per the Duc: Replacing the cam belts on an 848 Streetfighter like mine is not hard. It just takes a while. Took me 3.5 hours, one evening. Cam belts cost about $110, and last for 20,000 miles.
Pretty sure all the new Ducatis go 15,000 miles on a valve adjustment now days. I believe they all have wet clutches.
The oil drain and filter are out in the open on the bottom of the engine. Tire changes are easy. The front is like any other bike. The rear wheel is held on by one big nut. No chain adjustment necessar with the single sided swingarm.
Mine starts right up. Doesn't leak any fluids, very comfortable riding position, compliant ride, stick in the corners like nothing I've ever ridden before.
I came very close to buying the Ducati I linked. Had the financing worked out with the dealer.
Discovered the KTM Super Duke GT at the last minute. Was also looking at the Super Duke R, didn’t know the GT existed at the time. Once I did some research on the GT I was immediately sold.
IMO, and I know I am now biased, the GT may possibly be the best production “sport” motorcycle for everyday riding on the market today. Yes, there are faster top speed and/or track bikes. But for “sporty” street riding, I don’t think there are any other bikes I would rather have. The GT offers some additional options/benefits over the R (bigger fuel tank, more wind protection, electronically adjustable suspension).
The KTM 1290 engine is arguably the best (and many in the motorcyle media industry agree) production engine currently available on street bikes.
The torque/acceleration is mental, but the bike is very rider friendly and not intimidating.
It is happy cruising around town or trying to rip your arms off, whatever you’re in the mood for at the time.
The rider aids are top notch. They are there saving you when they need to but not letting you know/feel that they are doing their job.
It has 9300 mile service intervals, valves are every other interval.
Single sided swingarm makes tire, chain and sprocket changes a snap. Just need a 60mm socket and torque wrench that goes up to 250 N-m (185 ft-lb) for the rear wheel removal/install. Rear sprocket can be changed without removing the wheel.
Oil changes are very easy also. Just not cheap if you use the recommended Motorex oil (I do since it is under warranty).
Styling is one thing on KTMs that is debatable. I personally like it but there are more aesthetically pleasing bikes IMO.
They just restyled the GT for 2019 and updated the electronics. If you can live with a 2016-18, there are/were some great deals in the US (didn’t really take off in the US, much more popular in Europe and Australia). I got mine with a $3500 factory rebate, $2000 additional off from the dealer, and no dealer fees.