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One KTM 1290 Super Duke GT Photo We Didn't Want to See

Seeing a broken bracket in the frame of a KTM 1290 Super Duke GT that has, according to its owner, only 7000 km (4350 miles) on the clock is definitely not one of the things we expected, but nevertheless, you can see the photo for yourselves after the jump.
KTM 1290 Super Duke GT not looking good 5 photos
Photo: Albert Vreeman
KTM 1290 Super Duke GTKTM 1290 Super Duke GT broken frameKTM 1290 Super Duke GTKTM 1290 Super Duke GT
The picture was taken by a rider that goes by the name of Albert Vreeman, and uploaded on a Facebook group dedicated to the KTM flagship machines. According to Albert, he covered around 7000 km over the past two months and is quite happy with the bike, excepting for the broken bracket.

Even though the bright orange frame was a pretty good indicator that we were looking at a KTM, we ran a quick verification and found the exact area on the Super Duke GT. Therefore, we can, at least, confirm that the part pictures belongs to this specific model.

Now, it appears that the small bracket is used to keep in place a component of the exhaust system. We can see to lines emerging from it and reading towards the silencer, and we're pretty sure they are used to regulate the butterfly valve between the under-body catalyst chamber and the muffler.

While this component doesn't play a crucial role in the bike's safety, having a broken bracket is definitely not one of the things a KTM 1290 Super Duke GT owner could be happy about. Now, the valve actuator can't be too heavy, so finding an explanation for the broken bracket is a tricky business.

Some say that the strength of the welding may not be enough, and the vibrations of the exhaust could have, maybe, broken the small metal piece, while other suspect a dropped bike. The bracket indeed appears to be slightly bent but it would be bent inwards had the bike been dropped on the right side.

Plus, the weld fracture clearly indicates that it moved to the outer side of the frame. Such a breakage could occur only if the impact came from the left.

Anyway, it looks like this KTM 1290 Super Duke GT should pay a visit to the dealer, and we'd put our money on a warranty claim for a bad weld. It looks like not only the BMW R1200GS is not always living up to the expectations. Remember the broken cast wheels after riding through a small pothole at moderate speed?
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