Ktm anyone???

[willis]

curuios if anyone has evperience riding a ktm. Lately I have been appreciating the ktm 690 Duke. It’s a water cooled 690cc thumper. From what I have seen it looks quite fun. Lots of gadgetry and a nice ergonomic riding position. Just curious.... been thinking of trying a different second bike.

 

[Paul75]

I had the KTM Superduke....the 1000cc version, awesome bike but a one trick pony. I know a few others who have owned them and say the same, people don't tend to own them long. Blistering fast but no wind protection (useless for tourning) and a motor which you will either love or hate.

I took out for a test ride a month or two ago the KTM 1290 Super adventure as thought it may trump my 2015 BMW R1200 GSA but after 5 minutes knew it wasn't for me. Ok, its like 160BHP compared to my 115 odd so it absolutly flies BUT I found the ride was super hard (no adjusting suspension on the fly). The bike just doesn't have the quality or the stance of the BM, I wouldn't want to tour on it. Low down torque and ability to pull away in 2nd/3rd would stall it, I love the way the BM just pulls like a train out of corners in probably too higher gear, makes for a very forgiving ride.

Also ridden most of the range of their off road bikes, 2 and 4 strokes on various KTM off road try out days.....Their roots are from Motocross......awesome bikes and a hell of a lot of fun in the mud!

I'd go ride one.....

 

[willis]

Thanks Paul. I love to go ride one but the nearest dealer is over 2hrs away. That and it’s 15degees and 6” of snow right now... lol.

I’ve read that they redesigned the motor in 2016 to ruduce vibes. ABS on a bike is also a foreign concept to me. The R model comes with fully adjustable WP suspension, but unfortunately it’s not available here in the states. You can buy a “track pack” which upgrades everything else similar to the R model though.

I’m just looking to trade up my HD Fatboy for something different. That bike just doesn’t do a lot for me anymore.

 

[MaxPete]

ABS on a bike is also a foreign concept to me.

I have ABS on my 2007 Honda ST1300 and it provides a very secure feeling on a big, fast, heavy bike. The ST brakes are also linked so that when you stomp on the “rear” pedal, you also get some front brake and when you pull on the “front” lever, you also get some rear brake. Using both controls (as we were all trained to do, except on gravel) provides awesome stopping power and along with the ABS, you can actually use it effectively in the rain.

As one would expect with a Honda, the system is complex, but it is reliable and works as advertised.

The linked ABS has been the subject of much debate on the ST Owners website and every time it comes up, some people will claim that they can do a better job than any electronic system - but I don’t believe them. These systems monitor wheel slip and adjust the hydraulic pressure many, many times / second. I sincerely doubt that anyone could do that manually, especially in a panic situation (which is, of course, precisely when you need an ABS system) - I know that I couldn’t.

Just have a look at some tests of motorcycle ABS systems on YouTube videos - they are really quite amazing.

Pete

 

[jussumguy]

I've got a 450 exc. when everything is right it's fantastic.

 

[Paul75]

I had one! Was great until it was stolen :-(

 

[fredintoon]

Admittedly I've only tried to sit on a KTM in a showroom so I have no input on how the bikes ride.
BUT
I did find that anyone with less than a 40" inseam measurement will need a stepstool to climb onto the bastard.

 

[Mailman]

A guy I know has two bikes one is a KTM 1290 Super Duke

The other is an older Suzuki DRZ400SM

Guess which one I see him riding all the time and which one is a $12,000 piece of garage art?
You guessed it. The bike that is hundreds of pounds lighter and about 1/3 the horsepower.
That KTM is like riding a two wheeled explosion. His Suzuki is much more user friendly, and yet it's a bike that can be pushed hard and is a blast to ride.
I've never read anything bad about KTM, don't get me wrong. If you are a guy with great riding skills and you want the ultimate in performance they might just be the bike for you.

 

[willis]

Yes, I agree the super duke is more motor than I was thinking. That one is a v-twin, Whereas the 690 duke is just a single cylinder thumper. It’s still something like 73hp and 53 lbs of torque though. Maybe I will just have to go up in the spring for a test ride to see for myself. The 690 is much cheaper than the superduke too.