VOL. 52 ISSUE 30 JULY 28, 2015 P71
NEW LOOK >>>>>>
When the original Super Duke prototype was shown to
the world a few years back, KTM looked like they were
going to build the bad-ass naked to end all bad-ass
nakeds. The orange wheels, mad graphics and mega-
phone exhaust just made people wet, but when the
production bike came out, the anger was turned down,
almost neutered. This is something I'm trying to rectify.
One of the great things about the Super Duke is you
can change the graphics, just like you can a motocross
bike. So the boys at KTM sorted a new graphics kit for
the side guards, seat, and front fender and also fitted up
the 'RACING' lettering on the wheels. Instantly the bike
is transformed, making it look way tougher than before,
and with the KTM boys, who have years of experience
fitting graphics to MX bikes doing the layering, applying
the stickers, there's no bubbles.
I'm a huge fan of the standard seat but we decided
to throw a new ergo seat on the front and back anyway
(why not?), which is a bit narrower at the front, as well
as being 20mm higher. The padding feels a bit firmer
but I'll see how it goes after a few months of riding.
MORE NOISE
There's really not much difference between this titanium Akrapovic and
the standard silencer, except for some weight. The Akrapovic weighs
in at four pounds and the standard at six, plus it has a bit more bark to
it on the over rev, which I like. But it's not overly loud. We'll fix that up
when we fit the full system a bit later in the year when we hit the track.
