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/625324
2016 KTM 690 DUKE FIRST RIDE P80 switches from white with black numbers during the day to black with white numbers at night—very cool. But aside from the light show, the dash is now much easier to use via the toggle switch on the left bar—everything is spaced out and easy to navi- gate and it's easy to see KTM has put a lot of thought into an area many bike manufacturers consider almost an afterthought. Firing up the new Duke, you still get that muffled drone from the Euro 4-compliant exhaust the old bike produced, but the throttle is lighter, with more im- mediacy in the time it takes for the revs to rise after the right wrist is turned, and even at a standstill the lack of vibrations is impressive. The whole engine has been completely reworked (see sidebar), with one of the top priorities being to reduce the annoying vibrations inherent with large capacity singles. Not only have the engine designers met this target, they've worked together with the electronics department to deliver a ride-by- wire throttle response that feels almost as smooth as a BMW parallel twin, rather than a KTM single. Where the old 2012 bike used to hunt and fart on partial throttle in any of the first three gears, the new Duke will happily ride along without you feeling like you're on a bucking bronco. There's clearly more go to match the reduced vibrations, although I'm not sure 73 horse- power would be the final num- ber you'd see on the dyno. To me it feels more about 60-65 horsepower, but that's still damn impressive when you consider a larger capacity twin-cylinder Yamaha FZ-07 makes about 68 horsepower on a good day. If you choose to buy the Track Pack, and for the money I'd sug- gest you do, you'll get two extra riding modes (Rain and Sport), traction control, Supermoto ABS and Motor Slip Regula- tion as the standard bike only gets basic ABS and the Street riding mode. Switching from Street to Rain mode, the power is instantly dulled to the point where this thing feels like a 400, while Sport mode lets the Duke have its head a little more, with a more direct throttle response. It's not like you get an extra 20 "AS THE WORLD GOES MENTAL OVER SUPERCHARGING AND POTENTIALLY TURBOS, OVER MULTI-CYLINDERS AND MAX REVS, KTM IS STAYING TRUE TO ITS ROOTS." (Above) The slightly altered seat profile makes for a much more comfortable ride than before. (Left) The ultimate urban weapon? If you lived deep in the city jungle, it just might be.