VOL. 54 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 14, 2017 P63
CRANKSHAFT, SLIP
AND ASSIST CLUTCH
KTM increased the thickness of the
crankshaft taper by 3mm on the
generator side for enhanced stability.
KTM's also got the Slip and Assist
clutch in action on the 2017 SD—that
allows for KTM to run lighter clutch
springs, which give an easier pull at
the clutch lever.
AESTHETICS
The new headlight has been the
talking point of the Super Duke.
It's LED, and houses a daytime
running light via six additional LEDs
around the headlight's perimeter
that give the light a recognizable
shape and ensures you can always
tell a Super Duke as it's coming
towards you. In waning light, like at
dusk or in tunnels, sensors control
an automatic switch from the
daytime running lights to the main
headlight's low beam.
(on the white bike) and that now
exposed skeletal subframe that
looks absolutely badass.
And we flew to Qatar to ride it.
A STROLL AROUND DOHA
Qatar is a strange place. A com-
bination of old Arabic tradition
and new mega money propelled
by the country's expansive natu-
ral gas reserves (the third largest
in the world), the main city of
Doha has a Vegas-like feel to it
crammed into the middle of what
is a bloody inhospitable desert
furnace in summer.
The ride location may feel a
tad odd but the new Super Duke
feels anything but. As we briefly
cruise Doha's Pearl Island on the
day prior to our track session,
the biggest difference at first
feel is not so much the revised
ergonomics but the engine,
which seems to rise and fall in
the rev range a little faster than
the 2014-'16 model. The throttle
response is smoother off the
bottom revs at traffic speed, a
Stylistically
streets ahead
of the old
SD—the 2017
bike sure is a
looker.
