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Cycle News 2020 Issue 14 April 7

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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VOLUME 57 ISSUE 14 APRIL 7, 2020 P67 I've got to be honest and say my feelings are pretty much the same. Highway riding still isn't great, but it has been somewhat improved with the fitment of the latest edition KTM- derived 690 Duke single- cylinder—a far smoother motor than what was in the last generation 701. Husqvarna claims a stout 74 horsepower from the 692cc mo- tor, wrapped in the same steel trellis chassis as before. That's a claimed eight percent/eight horsepower gain over the old one, with torque now sitting at 52.3 lb-ft. If you haven't ridden a large ca- pacity single before, it can be an odd sensation, especially when going fast. That massive piston measures 105mm wide, thumping up and down an 80mm stroke (by comparison, a Ducati Panigale V4 S has a bore and stroke of 81 x 48.4mm, and even though it has four pistons, doesn't create anywhere near the gyroscopic force of the massive Husky single). It's funny in that this motor feels completely different to the same (albeit more tuned) version I raced in Minnesota last year–the Krämer HKR-EVO2 R.The Husky's is a lumpy motor, and at low traffic speed revs is not much fun at all. You need to get the single spinning up, hunting around the 3-5000 rpm mark for the ride to smooth out. The range of power spreads from about 1500 rpm to 7000 rpm before the vibes really start to take over again. That's an ex- tremely impressive spread of power, and Husqvarna claims peak power won't kick in for another 1000 revs until the tacho hits 8000 rpm. (Above) The latest generation KTM 690 Duke motor is a big improvement over the old lump. (Left) The exhaust can get a little hot in traffic. (Below) Half the same front brake setup as on the Kawasaki Z H2 is plenty for the Husqvarna.

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