[Hammerhead]

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.

I'm still having the 'ON/OFF' or '1 cylinder then 2' surging at around 4K RPM, which, one would think, was elevated enough to run past low-rpm induced surging. I wouldn't mind tossing g the $ at it or a new stator, flywheel and sensor, but not sure what to gdy if that doesen't smooth things out. As is, with increasing neuropathy and possible carpal tunnel surgery this winter, it has become almost unrideable for me. Highway speeds (70+) and cruise control are the only things keeping me going at this point. When you refer to the 'speed sensor' are you referring to the pulse generator 58439034000?

 

[BT Moto]

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)!

Glad you're enjoying it! We can probably get you back to a stock style engine braking if you want to email in, you are one of the few LOL.

 

[117117]

Anyone with the BTMoto tune care to give an update? Still happy with the purchase?

Absolutely! As @cskindt described. Transformed. Should have done it sooner. Greatly improved rideability and smiles per mile. And no more stalling issues. Exhaust: Spark + SC project.