Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1180438
K R Ä M E R H K R - E V O 2 R RACER TEST P104 did the HKR-EVO2 R get out of shape on the brakes. It would simply follow the line I chose, be it the right or wrong one, and track its way around the corner. And should you get into a cor- ner too hot or miss your braking marker, the HKR-EVO2 R will hap- pily allow you to dial in more front brake and pull yourself into the apex without losing too much time or overstressing the front tire. A lot of this is due to the lack of mass underneath you. Indeed, I weigh about 67 percent what the entire bike weighs, ready to race. So, you can imagine how good the bike will be with someone a little lighter than me on board. The combination of strong but controllable bite from the front brakes helps here, too. There's lots of braking power on offer, but it's matched by a smooth and progres- sive feel at the Accossato master- cylinder, allowing you to dial the exact amount of brake you want. Switching attention to the KTM 690 Duke single-cylinder motor, you've got about 80 hp at your disposal which doesn't seem like a lot but will get you around Brainerd within 10 seconds of a Superbike—and that's with a full mile-long front straight. The modifications carried out by Krämer do give some extra pep off the corners, but it's more apparent in the mid-to-top-end, as the big single is still making (some) power right up to the red- line of 9500 rpm. It's best to shift about 500 rpm before that mark and keep the motor spinning high and the gor- geous SST Racing exhaust sing- ing, but not too high. You still have to be on it to get the most perfor- mance out of the single: drop the revs below 5000 rpm and it will still go, but nowhere near the level required for fast lap times. The Duke's six-speed gearbox is matched to a development module for the up and down/ autoblip quickshifter that works surprisingly well for a gearbox that was never intended to house one. I would still blip the throttle on downshifts purely out of habit, but was later told that as long as I didn't use the clutch (an APTC slipper clutch for those of you playing at home), the autoblip system would override anything I was doing on the downshift. The Krämer HKR-EVO2 R is a spectacular little machine, I guess you'd want it to be for the price. But, as we've outlined earlier, this a turnkey race bike, and a bespoke one at that. A Twins Cup racer feels like a truck in comparison to this—yes, it has more power but those extra ponies won't do you much good when a Krämer rails past you around the outside. On another note, it's excellent to see the spirit of engineering still alive in small-capacity racing. We can all drool over the beauti- ful chassis' in the GP paddock, but those are going to cost you way more than a Krämer. Plus, as long as it's looked after, the Krämer will be a competitive racer for years to come. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2019 KRÄMER HKR EVO2 R ($22,495) ENGINE: ............... Liquid-cooled, single- cylinder, 4-stroke DISPLACEMENT: ........................... 690cc BORE X STROKE: ...............105 x 80mm FUEL INJECTION: ............ Electronic fuel injection system TRANSMISSION: ....................... 6-speed, quickshifter-equipped CLUTCH: ...........Wet, Multiplate, slipper CHASSIS: ........ Chromium-Molybdenum steel trellis frame, powder coated FRONT SUSPENSION: ............43mm WP Super Sport forks, closed cartridge, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: ... WP monoshock, fully adjustable FRONT BRAKE: ............Dual 290mm full floating rotors, Brembo M50 four-piston radially-mounted monobloc calipers REAR BRAKE: ................. Single 220mm rotor with Formula 2-piston, cast 1-piece caliper FRONT WHEEL: .....Dymag UP7X 17 x 3.5 in. forged aluminum REAR WHEEL: ..... Dymag UP7X 17 x 5.5 in. forged aluminum WHEELBASE: ................................55.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: .................... 32.2-33.6 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ......................... 3.17 gal WEIGHT (CLAIMED): .................. 276 lbs.