2010 KTM 690 Duke R: 690cc of single-cylinder perfection
Want to own a truly exotic motorcycle that makes you feel special every time you climb onboard, challenges you to ride to the limit of your ability and enables you to kick the asses of poseurs on porky sportsbikes? Then the 2010 KTM 690 Duke R is probably the bike for you. Eschewing the standard Duke's falsely advertised 654cc, 64bhp engine in favor of an honest 690cc, 70bhp, 51.6lb/ft single-cylinder, the Duke R weighs just 148.5kg/327lbs (dry). That's still no where near the power to weight ratio of even a supersport 600, but it'll deliver that power in a typical single-cylinder all-at-once burst. Get it right and that's just the thing for exiting a tight corner.
The 'R' retains the WP suspension, but here the fork's all-black and the spring rates are slightly firmer front and rear. Visual changes include the orange frame, mostly white graphics, carbon fender, orange wheel stripes and blacked-out components.
Wes Siler. November 10, 2009 — Permalink
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i love this in all its orangey pointy awesomeness
That's a lot of fawning for an overpriced, overweight thumper.
Show me a lighter 70bhp single-cylinder road bike that comes from a showroom with a warranty.
Over priced and ugly and no dealers.
if the 2010 690SMC gets the same engine...
It'll be lighter, faster and won't need a massive air-conditioning duct grafted to the lower fairing.
Do want! One of the freshest designs out there, no question.
These bikes are pretty cool. I'd love to have one. A guy in my neighborhood has a 690 Duke and it always gets my attention. Throaty nasty sounding single. I don't know about overweight or underpowered. He spins circles around sportbikes in our urban environment. The looks may be controversial but definitely unmistakable. I personally think they look bad ass, especially the front light pod looking like a streetfighter'd ducati 999. Then again the 999 was controversial in the looks dept too. The only other off the floor supermoto I can think of as cool or maybe cooler would be the Aprilia SXV550. 275lbs, 70hp, and a Vtwin! Of course if you would like to ride the bike rather than constantly rebuild the high strung engine the KTM might be better a choice. In some eyes both might be overpriced but the dollars will stack up quick to build your own supermoto from scratch. Dealers? I know of 2 KTM dealers within 60 miles of each other around here.
As soon as I put the Akra exhaust on I'll show you one, Wes. ;)
Around town this bike is hard to beat- the only exception might be the hypermotard- but you just can't take liberties with the hyper like you can with the Duke.
For a daily driver the Duke is hard to beat- but I agree that it would do a lot better at the showroom if was a couple grand cheaper.
The 690 Duke has, for a while, been on the short list of what I hope to get for my next bike. This looks even better. Unfortunately, with the release of the Hypermotard 796, the Duke's price is a little harder to take and I'm guessing that the R will fetch an extra $1k over the base model. Does anyone know where to find the 2010 price list?
Something about this bikes design and the way its set up, calls to me... too bad I don't have the cash for it at the moment... V_V'
As an owner of a 2008 Duke 690 (13,500 miles thus far) I can tell you that there is no better bike for commuting during the week, then ripping the twisties on the weekends. Agile, comfortable, and quick. Plenty of motor for anyone. (mine is stock) If I ever wear this 654cc LC4 motor out, it would be nice to be able to fit the R crank and rod in it for a little more umpf later in its life. (and so its truly a 690!) Stop wondering and buy this bike with confidence, it rides better than it looks. All the banter that you may read on the web regarding stalling, fueling, etc are predominantly due to people trying to mod it, with little knowlege of the mapping. It just doesnt need it. This bike is done perfectly out of the box. Just ride it.-M
"That's still no where near the power to weight ratio of even a supersport 600"
True. But for acceleration power doesn't count, so you should better consider torque to weight ratio, which is far, much better than all supersports 600.
70Nm/148 Kg vs 66 Nm/170kg (not to mention that the torque from the mono reaches it's top much faster due to lower rpm regime)
Nope, in the hands of a skilled rider it's all about power. It's certainly easier to go fast on a bike with gobs of torque, but with a little clutch work, a high horsepower machine will just walk away.
Do you know the smile factor? How long do you smile after downswing? The longest smile I got in my face was made of a KTM 690.
If you are tall, no bike fits better under the ass - slim at it's best. Combined with the feedback out of the high quality parts, the precision and thus the handling can only be beaten by - I don't know ...
is KTM 690 dukeR goof for me.i have 16 and i am beginner.please reply
Yes Jack, it will be perfect for you!