[Thrak410]

I sure would!

I am still very pleased with the purchase. I have no regrets, except I should have done it sooner and not wasted my time and money on the Rapid Bike Evo. The bike is just so much more manageable to ride, especially at lower speeds and turn-ins where the OEM lean fueling and over-aggressive engine braking created nearly dangerous conditions with the choppy abrupt throttle/engine control.

And there is a lot more fun to be had at higher RPMs, too. In most of the lower gears (I forget which ones, I think up to 5th) you have full power. KTM chops the power output.

I just got back from a 1-night trip up to Yankton, SD and back. It was just over 500-miles round trip.

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Last week
I rode down to see the world's largest ball of sisal twine.
Haha -- the things that entertain you when you get old!

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I also have a '23 SD, but the GT version.
If your seriously considering the BTMoto Tune and on the fence, just get it, you won't be disappointed.

Thats great to hear... looks like a fun trip. Nice appetizers!

 

[DougM]

New member here, still need to introduce myself. Following this thread with interest as last week I bought a new/leftover 2023 SDGT, 5 miles on the odo from the dealer prep. First KTM, love it except it has strong surging at low to mid RPMs, especially difficult to ride on poor pavement.

It's been sitting for a couple years so battery is suspect, 12.9v resting though. Fresh gas didn’t help. Dropped it off at the dealers yesterday as it also threw up a "General Suspension malfunction" error, could be battery or software related, waiting to hear.

I come from many years of oilhead Boxer twins so am familiar with mild lean surging. If the surging persists after break-in, currently only 200 miles on it, I'll look into BT-Moto. Thx for all the info and nice spool of twine!

 

[cskindt]

New member here, still need to introduce myself. Following this thread with interest as last week I bought a new/leftover 2023 SDGT, 5 miles on the odo from the dealer prep. First KTM, love it except it has strong surging at low to mid RPMs, especially difficult to ride on poor pavement.

It's been sitting for a couple years so battery is suspect, 12.9v resting though. Fresh gas didn’t help. Dropped it off at the dealers yesterday as it also threw up a "General Suspension malfunction" error, could be battery or software related, waiting to hear.

I come from many years of oilhead Boxer twins so am familiar with mild lean surging. If the surging persists after break-in, currently only 200 miles on it, I'll look into BT-Moto. Thx for all the info and nice spool of twine!

Congratulations on your SDGT! I also came from two GSAs before my SDGT. I had a 2003 GSA (the bumblebee) and a 2016 GSA. I liked both very much, but I was ready for something more exciting and street oriented.

My first impressions of the SDGT were exactly what yours are and many others, too.
It is extremely lean and difficult to ride smoothly at low speeds. Also having a much lighter flywheel exacerbates the choppy response. The GSs and especially GSAs have much more flywheel mass to help keep them smooth.

Here is my list of best-bang upgrades you'll appreciate and make you enjoy riding even more.

1. BTMoto Tune. I'm biased only because I have it and know it works well. Among many other benefits, your engine will run cooler. Let them know how your bike is set up. You may consider exhaust mods that could change the tune they configure for you. Don't waste your time and money on other fuel-management piggy back systems like the Rapid Bike EVO. My dealer actually recommened I get it tuned.
2. Sprocket sizing. I changed to 16/40 within 200 miles. KTM puts such a high ratio on it with the 17/38 sprockets that make it very tall, especially noticeable in pulling out in first gear and making sixth gear generally unusable below 80mph. 15/40 allows the original chain to be used.
3. Eliminate the exhaust servo control. Healtech makes a plug-in dongle that prevents an error from occurring if the flap gets stuck. This may even be your problem with the unrelated electronic warnings. When the flap is stuck or doesn't complete it's full travel, a code is thrown and all the electronic gadgetry gets disabled. The flap is only there to abate noise levels at low throttle positions. It does nothing for engine performance.
4. Consider doing a canisterectomy and SAS removal (for track use only). Rottweiler sells the items to complete the process. All this equipment is just a bunch of junk that takes up space and has no positive effect on performance.
5. Consider using a de-cat pipe (for track use only). This one works well. The cat stores so much heat and it radiates up through the engine and into your legs. It is noticeable, especially in warmer conditions. The stock exhaust can is a straight-through design so it will become louder if you don't install a decibel killer. They can be found cheaply from china, if desired.

Of course, you may want to go through break-in first and consider your relationship with your dealer if you choose to start modifying your bike during the warranty period. I didn't wait and began everything within the first 500 miles.

 

[Hammerhead]

Is the BT tablet able to do more than one machine?

 

[cskindt]

Is the BT tablet able to do more than one machine?

No. It is sold to work with your VIN.
Maybe if you paid more, it could work with other VINs, but you'd have to ask BTMoto.

 

[Hammerhead]

No. It is sold to work with your VIN.
Maybe if you paid more, it could work with other VINs, but you'd have to ask BTMoto.

Alientech gets $300 to enable the tablet to do a 2nd vehicle, but the original maps (stock and whatever's installed) gets wiped, so you have to be sure you have what you want in the ECU before wiping.

 

[DougM]

Congratulations on your SDGT! I also came from two GSAs before my SDGT. I had a 2003 GSA (the bumblebee) and a 2016 GSA. I liked both very much, but I was ready for something more exciting and street oriented.

My first impressions of the SDGT were exactly what yours are and many others, too.
It is extremely lean and difficult to ride smoothly at low speeds. Also having a much lighter flywheel exacerbates the choppy response. The GSs and especially GSAs have much more flywheel mass to help keep them smooth.

Here is my list of best-bang upgrades you'll appreciate and make you enjoy riding even more.

1. BTMoto Tune. I'm biased only because I have it and know it works well. Among many other benefits, your engine will run cooler. Let them know how your bike is set up. You may consider exhaust mods that could change the tune they configure for you. Don't waste your time and money on other fuel-management piggy back systems like the Rapid Bike EVO. My dealer actually recommened I get it tuned.
2. Sprocket sizing. I changed to 15/40 within 200 miles. KTM puts such a high ratio on it with the 16/38 sprockets that make it very tall, especially noticeable in pulling out in first gear and making sixth gear generally unusable below 80mph. 15/40 allows the original chain to be used.
3. Eliminate the exhaust servo control. Healtech makes a plug-in dongle that prevents an error from occurring if the flap gets stuck. This may even be your problem with the unrelated electronic warnings. When the flap is stuck or doesn't complete it's full travel, a code is thrown and all the electronic gadgetry gets disabled. The flap is only there to abate noise levels at low throttle positions. It does nothing for engine performance.
4. Consider doing a canisterectomy and SAS removal (for track use only). Rottweiler sells the items to complete the process. All this equipment is just a bunch of junk that takes up space and has no positive effect on performance.
5. Consider using a de-cat pipe (for track use only). This one works well. The cat stores so much heat and it radiates up through the engine and into your legs. It is noticeable, especially in warmer conditions. The stock exhaust can is a straight-through design so it will become louder if you don't install a decibel killer. They can be found cheaply from china, if desired.

Of course, you may want to go through break-in first and consider your relationship with your dealer if you choose to start modifying your bike during the warranty period. I didn't wait and began everything within the first 500 miles.

Thanks very much for the recommended upgrades! 1. and 2. are definite considerations, after I spend more time on it though. Right now rideability--reducing surging/bucking--is my primary goal. Coming from Boxers I'm more than happy with stock power...

Appreciate all your info, thx again.

 

[cskindt]

Thanks very much for the recommended upgrades! 1. and 2. are definite considerations, after I spend more time on it though. Right now rideability--reducing surging/bucking--is my primary goal. Coming from Boxers I'm more than happy with stock power...

Appreciate all your info, thx again.

You'll appreciate the tune. It will also reduce the engine braking a lot. The combination of engine braking, lean mix and light flywheel create the undesirable low-speed throttle response.

 

[Prospected]

Shiv OFT customer here with the 1390 and love his tuning. The AlienTech device with phone App makes everything simple and hes constantly updating it.

 

[StuartV]

New member here, still need to introduce myself. Following this thread with interest as last week I bought a new/leftover 2023 SDGT, 5 miles on the odo from the dealer prep. First KTM, love it except it has strong surging at low to mid RPMs, especially difficult to ride on poor pavement.

It's been sitting for a couple years so battery is suspect, 12.9v resting though. Fresh gas didn’t help. Dropped it off at the dealers yesterday as it also threw up a "General Suspension malfunction" error, could be battery or software related, waiting to hear.

I come from many years of oilhead Boxer twins so am familiar with mild lean surging. If the surging persists after break-in, currently only 200 miles on it, I'll look into BT-Moto. Thx for all the info and nice spool of twine!

A new '23 GT should not have "strong surging/bucking" at any RPM.

I bought a new '24 last summer. My best friend and riding buddy bought a new '23 a week later.

I had issues with bucking almost from the get-go. We swapped bikes. His had no such issue. He was able to re-create the issue while riding mine.

It KTM a while to figure mine out, but they finally got it totally fixed. They replaced the flywheel (said it had bad machining), the stator (mechanic said the posts with the windings didn't look right. The spacing between them was very inconsistent), and the flywheel speed sensor.

To be clear, they replaced the flywheel first and it was a little better, but totally not fixed. They swapped in another flywheel speed sensor and that made no difference, so they put the original back. Still no difference.

Finally, the regional tech guy from KTM came and brought all the parts and swapped the flywheel (again), the speed sensor, and the stator all at the same time. Then it was finally fixed. I think the whole time it was the original flywheel and the stator. But anyway....

Once fixed, my '24 ran just like my buddy's '23. No bucking, no surging.

Before mine got fixed, it would buck badly almost any time I really started to roll on the gas from around 3400-3500 RPMs. It acted like it was running on one cylinder until I left off the gas and either rolled on again more slowly, or slipped the clutch to get the RPMs up higher.

If you have bucking, get it fixed under warranty before you mess with a tuner.

Once mine was really fixed, I rode it enough to be SURE it was really fixed. Then I flashed it with Shiv's OFT V3 tuner.

After flashing it, I had to flash it back and forth between the tune and stock a few times, riding it in between each, and then ride mine (w/flash) back-to-back with my buddy's '23 (bone stock) before I could really convince myself that the flash made any difference. I CAN tell a difference, and so could my buddy when we swapped bikes. But, we really could only be sure in the low to low-mid RPMs and even then it was subtle - not dramatic.

Your '23 should run very well with the stock ECU flash. If it doesn't, there is something wrong with it and you should get your dealer to fix it.

If you're in the area, EvinMotors in Matthews, NC, is who fixed mine. They know this problem pretty well at this point. And they will not BS you with "oh, that's just how they run. It's because of emissions."

Another guy on AdvRider had the same problem. I believe he took his to KTMWorld (over near Atlanta) and they ended up doing the same fix to his that was done to mine.

 

[cskindt]

A new '23 GT should not have "strong surging/bucking" at any RPM.

I bought a new '24 last summer. My best friend and riding buddy bought a new '23 a week later.

I had issues with bucking almost from the get-go. We swapped bikes. His had no such issue. He was able to re-create the issue while riding mine.

It KTM a while to figure mine out, but they finally got it totally fixed. They replaced the flywheel (said it had bad machining), the stator (mechanic said the posts with the windings didn't look right. The spacing between them was very inconsistent), and the flywheel speed sensor.

To be clear, they replaced the flywheel first and it was a little better, but totally not fixed. They swapped in another flywheel speed sensor and that made no difference, so they put the original back. Still no difference.

Finally, the regional tech guy from KTM came and brought all the parts and swapped the flywheel (again), the speed sensor, and the stator all at the same time. Then it was finally fixed. I think the whole time it was the original flywheel and the stator. But anyway....

Once fixed, my '24 ran just like my buddy's '23. No bucking, no surging.

Before mine got fixed, it would buck badly almost any time I really started to roll on the gas from around 3400-3500 RPMs. It acted like it was running on one cylinder until I left off the gas and either rolled on again more slowly, or slipped the clutch to get the RPMs up higher.

If you have bucking, get it fixed under warranty before you mess with a tuner.

Once mine was really fixed, I rode it enough to be SURE it was really fixed. Then I flashed it with Shiv's OFT V3 tuner.

After flashing it, I had to flash it back and forth between the tune and stock a few times, riding it in between each, and then ride mine (w/flash) back-to-back with my buddy's '23 (bone stock) before I could really convince myself that the flash made any difference. I CAN tell a difference, and so could my buddy when we swapped bikes. But, we really could only be sure in the low to low-mid RPMs and even then it was subtle - not dramatic.

Your '23 should run very well with the stock ECU flash. If it doesn't, there is something wrong with it and you should get your dealer to fix it.

If you're in the area, EvinMotors in Matthews, NC, is who fixed mine. They know this problem pretty well at this point. And they will not BS you with "oh, that's just how they run. It's because of emissions."

Another guy on AdvRider had the same problem. I believe he took his to KTMWorld (over near Atlanta) and they ended up doing the same fix to his that was done to mine.

While I can't rule out any underlying problem with @DougM 's bike, I think our semantics are a consideration here. Meeting the emissions regulation requirements most definitely cause a very lean condition that, along with over-aggressive engine braking and a light flywheel, cause a very touchy and abrupt throttle response mostly noticeable during low to medium speed conditions and particularly during low-speed cornering. It's also relative to what you're comparing it to.

In my case, there were never any moments were the engine was cutting out or I thought something was fundamentally wrong with it. It's simply a result of a quick-to-respond bike that has to meet certain emission standards with too much engine braking. It was manageable to ride at lower speeds, but just not enjoyable.

 

[StuartV]

While I can't rule out any underlying problem with @DougM 's bike, I think our semantics are a consideration here. Meeting the emissions regulation requirements most definitely cause a very lean condition that, along with over-aggressive engine braking and a light flywheel, cause a very touchy and abrupt throttle response mostly noticeable during low to medium speed conditions and particularly during low-speed cornering. It's also relative to what you're comparing it to.

In my case, there were never any moments were the engine was cutting out or I thought something was fundamentally wrong with it. It's simply a result of a quick-to-respond bike that has to meet certain emission standards with too much engine braking. It was manageable to ride at lower speeds, but just not enjoyable.

I'm not sure what years you have experience with. @DougM said he has a new '23. I have a '24 and have ridden a new, completely stock '23 as well.

The bone stock '23 and '24 did not have overly-aggressive engine braking. Not to me, anyway. I didn't really notice if feeling any different than my GSX-R1000, for example, on chopping the throttle.

I also haven't noticed them to be super touchy or abrupt on the throttle. To be sure, I run with the throttle in the Race (or Sport?) mode. Whatever my bike has that is the most aggressive. Mine and my buddy's bikes DO both have the full Tech Pack enabled. The throttle is precise. If I am twitchy with it, the bike acts twitchy. If I am abrupt with the throttle, the bike will react accordingly.

But, once my bike was fixed it ran/runs just like my buddy's '23. Coming out of a 2nd gear hairpin at 3000 RPMs, it would pull cleanly. Can I feel it lugging a bit when I do that? Sure. Is it twitchy or abrupt? No. Does it buck or surge? No.

I wasn't going to respond to DougM until I saw his later post that specifically used the term "bucking".

That is the same term I used when I first started posting about the problem my bike was having. A bunch of KTM Internet Experts piled on and told me that that is just normal and "emissions" and "you're running too low RPMs. The 1290 needs to be revved."

And that was all a shload of baloney. The bike was not running right. If DougM's '23 is bucking, it is not running like it is supposed to.

I haven't ridden a pre-'23, so I don't know if they ran differently from the factory.

 

[cskindt]

I'm not sure what years you have experience with. @DougM said he has a new '23. I have a '24 and have ridden a new, completely stock '23 as well.

The bone stock '23 and '24 did not have overly-aggressive engine braking. Not to me, anyway. I didn't really notice if feeling any different than my GSX-R1000, for example, on chopping the throttle.

I also haven't noticed them to be super touchy or abrupt on the throttle. To be sure, I run with the throttle in the Race (or Sport?) mode. Whatever my bike has that is the most aggressive. Mine and my buddy's bikes DO both have the full Tech Pack enabled. The throttle is precise. If I am twitchy with it, the bike acts twitchy. If I am abrupt with the throttle, the bike will react accordingly.

But, once my bike was fixed it ran/runs just like my buddy's '23. Coming out of a 2nd gear hairpin at 3000 RPMs, it would pull cleanly. Can I feel it lugging a bit when I do that? Sure. Is it twitchy or abrupt? No. Does it buck or surge? No.

I wasn't going to respond to DougM until I saw his later post that specifically used the term "bucking".

That is the same term I used when I first started posting about the problem my bike was having. A bunch of KTM Internet Experts piled on and told me that that is just normal and "emissions" and "you're running too low RPMs. The 1290 needs to be revved."

And that was all a shload of baloney. The bike was not running right. If DougM's '23 is bucking, it is not running like it is supposed to.

I haven't ridden a pre-'23, so I don't know if they ran differently from the factory.

I have 2023. It's all relative.
Unfortunately, ride-ability is sacrificed to meet emission requirements.

 

[StuartV]

I have 2023. It's all relative.
Unfortunately, ride-ability is sacrificed to meet emission requirements.

It sounds to me like your '23 doesn't run like it should, to me.

After fixing my bike and then flashing it later, my buddy with the '23 and I have swapped back and forth. The difference is ... subtle.

My flashed '24 runs great. His stock '23 runs so close in how well it runs that it is HARD to tell a difference unless you literally get off one and right onto the other.

 

[cskindt]

It sounds to me like your '23 doesn't run like it should, to me.

After fixing my bike and then flashing it later, my buddy with the '23 and I have swapped back and forth. The difference is ... subtle.

My flashed '24 runs great. His stock '23 runs so close in how well it runs that it is HARD to tell a difference unless you literally get off one and right onto the other.

You are incorrect. My dealer's lead technician understands how the bike runs. He had to change out my main wiring harness last summer because of repeated CANbus errors causing limp mode.
I asked him how I can make it run smoother, and to my surprise, he told me to flash it to make it run better.
The flash is noticeable. I'm happy with my bike now and I just ride it. I'm going to the third corner in my four-corner quest, San Dieog, CA, this weekend. It'll be about a 3,400 mile round-trip. I already went to KW, FL last year and Cape Flattery six years ago.

I'm happy that you and your buddy are enjoying your bikes. That's all that really matters.

 

[StuartV]

You are incorrect. My dealer's lead technician understands how the bike runs. He had to change out my main wiring harness last summer because of repeated CANbus errors causing limp mode.
I asked him how I can make it run smoother, and to my surprise, he told me to flash it to make it run better.
The flash is noticeable. I'm happy with my bike now and I just ride it. I'm going to the third corner in my four-corner quest, San Dieog, CA, this weekend. It'll be about a 3,400 mile round-trip. I already went to KW, FL last year and Cape Flattery six years ago.

I'm happy that you and your buddy are enjoying your bikes. That's all that really matters.

Exactly what thing did I say that is "incorrect"?

Anyway, as you said, it doesn't matter. We are all enjoying our bikes and that IS all that matters.

Have fun on your trip! I did a 4 Corners Tour on a ZX-9R back in '98. I started on June 5th, in Tallahassee and hit San Ysidro, Blaine, Madawaska, Key West, and got back home on July 4th. Hit a bunch of other cool places along the way. Grand Canyon, Zion, Tijuana, Ortega Highway, the whole PCH, Yosemite, Banff, Yellowstone, the Aerostich factory, and some others. 14,300 miles in 30 days. What a great trip!

I could only WISH to have had a 1290 SD GT for that back then.

Four Corners Tour – Southern California Motorcycling Association

 

[DougM]

While I can't rule out any underlying problem with @DougM 's bike, I think our semantics are a consideration here. Meeting the emissions regulation requirements most definitely cause a very lean condition that, along with over-aggressive engine braking and a light flywheel, cause a very touchy and abrupt throttle response mostly noticeable during low to medium speed conditions and particularly during low-speed cornering. It's also relative to what you're comparing it to.

In my case, there were never any moments were the engine was cutting out or I thought something was fundamentally wrong with it. It's simply a result of a quick-to-respond bike that has to meet certain emission standards with too much engine braking. It was manageable to ride at lower speeds, but just not enjoyable.

+1 on all of the above. On my new (still breaking it in) '23 GT I definitely experience the surging at lower to mid RPMs. The "bucking" I referred to was on some of our piss poor NorCal/Bay Area backroad pavement that makes it hard to ride smoothly--to the point I'm often pulling in the clutch to settle it down. Maybe I should just choose smoother roads... ;-) Comfort suspension setting doesn't make much difference but again it still has under 600 miles on it and I suspect/hope that'll loosen up over time.

Also I'm coming from the last 25 years on BMW boxers (R1200ST currently) with an SV1000S in the mix, so still getting used to the GT. Its throttle response is touchier, so having to re-calibrate my actions. With regards to engine braking, I don't feel it's any stronger than the boxer's, and I don't mind as I can use the brakes much less on curvy roads (riding "The Pace").

Anyway, good to know there's a solution if this is still an issue for me after I can put a few 1,000 miles on it. Other than that, the bike is amazing (on smooth roads) and love riding it. The "General Suspension Malfunction" error turned out to be a loose wire connector on the shock, easy fix.

 

[cskindt]

+1 on all of the above. On my new (still breaking it in) '23 GT I definitely experience the surging at lower to mid RPMs. The "bucking" I referred to was on some of our piss poor NorCal/Bay Area backroad pavement that makes it hard to ride smoothly--to the point I'm often pulling in the clutch to settle it down. Maybe I should just choose smoother roads... ;-) Comfort suspension setting doesn't make much difference but again it still has under 600 miles on it and I suspect/hope that'll loosen up over time.

Also I'm coming from the last 25 years on BMW boxers (R1200ST currently) with an SV1000S in the mix, so still getting used to the GT. Its throttle response is touchier, so having to re-calibrate my actions. With regards to engine braking, I don't feel it's any stronger than the boxer's, and I don't mind as I can use the brakes much less on curvy roads (riding "The Pace").

Anyway, good to know there's a solution if this is still an issue for me after I can put a few 1,000 miles on it. Other than that, the bike is amazing (on smooth roads) and love riding it. The "General Suspension Malfunction" error turned out to be a loose wire connector on the shock, easy fix.

I like quick fixes! Good job finding and fixing it!
And I know what you mean about using the clutch during low speed maneuvers. I frequently used the clutch to regain my composure at low speeds prior to the flash. There really wasn't any way around it.

 

[DougM]

A new '23 GT should not have "strong surging/bucking" at any RPM.

I bought a new '24 last summer. My best friend and riding buddy bought a new '23 a week later.

I had issues with bucking almost from the get-go. We swapped bikes. His had no such issue. He was able to re-create the issue while riding mine.

It KTM a while to figure mine out, but they finally got it totally fixed. They replaced the flywheel (said it had bad machining), the stator (mechanic said the posts with the windings didn't look right. The spacing between them was very inconsistent), and the flywheel speed sensor.

To be clear, they replaced the flywheel first and it was a little better, but totally not fixed. They swapped in another flywheel speed sensor and that made no difference, so they put the original back. Still no difference.

Finally, the regional tech guy from KTM came and brought all the parts and swapped the flywheel (again), the speed sensor, and the stator all at the same time. Then it was finally fixed. I think the whole time it was the original flywheel and the stator. But anyway....

Once fixed, my '24 ran just like my buddy's '23. No bucking, no surging.

Before mine got fixed, it would buck badly almost any time I really started to roll on the gas from around 3400-3500 RPMs. It acted like it was running on one cylinder until I left off the gas and either rolled on again more slowly, or slipped the clutch to get the RPMs up higher.

If you have bucking, get it fixed under warranty before you mess with a tuner.

Once mine was really fixed, I rode it enough to be SURE it was really fixed. Then I flashed it with Shiv's OFT V3 tuner.

After flashing it, I had to flash it back and forth between the tune and stock a few times, riding it in between each, and then ride mine (w/flash) back-to-back with my buddy's '23 (bone stock) before I could really convince myself that the flash made any difference. I CAN tell a difference, and so could my buddy when we swapped bikes. But, we really could only be sure in the low to low-mid RPMs and even then it was subtle - not dramatic.

Your '23 should run very well with the stock ECU flash. If it doesn't, there is something wrong with it and you should get your dealer to fix it.

If you're in the area, EvinMotors in Matthews, NC, is who fixed mine. They know this problem pretty well at this point. And they will not BS you with "oh, that's just how they run. It's because of emissions."

Another guy on AdvRider had the same problem. I believe he took his to KTMWorld (over near Atlanta) and they ended up doing the same fix to his that was done to mine.

Thx for all the info, appreciated! That's a lot of work KTM/dealer did to fix your issue. My dealer's sales and service guys both rode my bike and noted they didn't think the surging was bad, so I don't know if I could convince them to pull out and check a flywheel...

I would think flywheel machining irregularities wouldn't have much impact considering the reciprocating mass of crank+flywheel, but good that it worked for you.

I live in Oakland, CA, so a long ride to your NC dealer ;-) (I grew up in Raleigh) I need to complete break in then address it if still present.

 

[DougM]

Wanted to give an update on my new/leftover (took delivery this past June) 2023 SDGT's surging and low to medium speed rideability issues. Between work and life I've put 1,000+ miles on it and was hoping that with some break-in the annoying surging/jerkiness would settle down. The dealer also updated the firmware and cleared adaptations during the 600 mile service. I've run a couple tanks of Techron fuel system cleaner though for good measure and make sure the chain adjustment is in spec. Plus I figured I'd adapt to the issue a bit.

Interestingly the dealer mechanic for the 600 mile service test rode it for a short distance and admitted it did surge. He said just ride it in rain mode...

So, whatever combination of the above steps did help a little, but not enough. Still annoying and unenjoyable to ride at slow to medium speeds through neighborhoods, school zones, towns/cities, on rough roads, etc. (vs. a blast to ride on faster roads.) So I bit the bullet and ordered the BT-Moto ECU flash programmer.

Flashing process was a piece of cake--just follow their instructions carefully. I sweated a little from the instructional video's note that ECU read errors may occur that have to be worked around, but no errors for me and the ECU read was flawless. The modified firmware was posted by BT-Moto within a day, and the ECU write was also flawless. Note that my bike is bone stock and for now I intend to keep it that way. I wasn't wanting more power or noise, just a more rideable bike.

BT-Moto verdict? Awesome, much improved! Seat-of-pants low/medium speed rideability went from 4/10 to 9/10. Still some minor surging but not at a PITA level. Given the high performace/torque twin and a somewaht touchy throttle, I'm happy with the compromise. I do notice less engine braking, although I didn't ask for that. I actually liked the stronger engine braking but I'll live with it.

Thanks BT-Moto (no, I'm not affiliated with or paid by them in any way)!