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
VOL. 53 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 12, 2016 P81 get a comfortable ride up until you really start to push the bike hard. At that point you'll quickly overload those softly suspended forks and the Duke will quickly start to get a bit out of hand, but if you're riding nice and smooth and not hammering the brakes into corners, you'll get a pretty smooth ride. Should you want to up the chassis performance game you'll need to head to the KTM Powerparts catalogue to get a WP race shock and some fork internals—that's basically what the Duke 690 R has, and with that you'll also get an extra 15mm of suspension travel might be well worth it if you're on the heavier side. The 690 Duke is certainly a worthy successor to the 2012 model that I feel missed the mark somewhat. The lighter internals and reduced vibrations make this bike a far better proposition and it's now a genuine alternative for someone who wants a super-light bike they can commute on as easily as they can take weekend trips with. It's a shame we don't get the 690 R because that thing is so much fun, but you can al- most up-spec your standard bike (at considerable cost) to the level of a 690 R, if you so desire. But even with no 690 R on the U.S. horizon, there's no denying KTM has created an excellent bike in the 690 and given the venerable single-cylinder road bike yet another new lease on life. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S K T M 6 9 0 D U K E ENGINE: ... Single-cylinder four-stroke, liquid cooled DISPLACEMENT: .........................690cc BORE X STROKE: .............105 x 80mm Horsepower: ........73 hp @ 8000 rpm (claimed) TORQUE: ............. 54 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm (claimed) COMPRESSION RATIO: .................12.7:1 TRANSMISSION: ...................Six-speed CHASSIS: ...............Tubular steel trellis FRONT SUSPENSION: ......... 43mm WP inverted cartridge fork REAR SUSPENSION: ............Single WP shock absorber FRONT BRAKE: .... Twin 320mm discs, Brembo four-piston calipers, ABS REAR BRAKE: ......Single 240mm disc, Brembo single-piston caliper, ABS FRONT TIRE: ...................... 120/70 R17 REAR TIRE: .........................160/60 R17 STEERING HEAD ANGLE: ............. 26.5° TRAIL: ..............................................N/A WHEELBASE: ..............................57.7 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ...........................32.8 in. FUEL CAPACITY: .......................3.6 gal. WEIGHT: ......... 405 lb. (wet, claimed). COLOR: ......................... Orange/White MSRP: ....................... $8999 as tested horsepower, but the difference in throttle response is noticeable enough. I like the immediacy of the Sport map, so after I'd sampled the other two I just left it there. But the big factor with this new engine is the reduced oscillating vibrations—it's amazing a single cylinder is now this smooth. I used to work at a KTM dealer when I was 15 and rode a LC4 620 dirt bike a few times, and that was as close to a jackham- mer on wheels as I think I'll ever get. We have certainly come a long way with single-cylinder engines. You can ride in sixth gear at 65 mph and the bike won't shake itself to pieces anymore, and now the 690 really feels like the little brother to my 1290 Super Duke R in that there's plenty of punch in the short first three gears, with the final three gears getting progressively taller to a sixth gear that's almost an overdrive. Sud- denly doing a big trip on a 690 Duke actually seems feasible. Comfort has never been a big issue for me on the 690 as the peg and handlebar position is pretty much spot on for my size, so it's nice KTM hasn't messed much with it. That's basically true for the chassis in general, although the slightly more relaxed geometry of the 2016 chassis has gifted a touch more stability when cornering. It's not wildly different from the old bike, and the suspension and brakes are basically the same, so you'll still