I have had a test ride of the KTM 690 today over about a 1 hour period, consisting of town work, fast A roads and fast B roads, some of which are bumpy.
First impression was how my knees stuck into the fuel tank, which splays out at the front. It felt at first as though I was sitting too far back, but it was an illusion, and I suppose it will help shield your knees from some of the wind-chill.
The next thing was how much less engine vibration there was compared to my Duke II, and the next most obvious difference was the tractability of the engine at low rpm.
It would pull cleanly and strongly from 3000rpm and would pull with a bit more of a thump thump thump type power delivery from 2700rpm, (my Duke doesn't like falling below 3500rpm) and I feel it would possibly have gone lower, but I didn't want to labour the engine unnecessarily, as it only had 112 miles on the clock.
The speedo is digital and very easy to read, better than the analogue one on my Duke, which at night I struggle to see clearly, (red letters on a white background might look nice but is shocking at night). The tachometer is analogue which is what I prefer so you can see the needle rising towards your chosen gear change rev point.
The clutch action is lighter than my bike, the brakes were a little keener, the composure of the chassis/handling is definitely good, as I have only recently returned to biking after a 27 year lay off and my competence and confidence levels are in my opinion, a bit lacking, yet I was able to remove the chicken lines on the back tyre on both sides within an hours ride.
It is a little false in that the method I employ is to try and ride as quickly as I feel comfortable around a specific roundabout, thus giving myself spare tarmac if needed. At least for the right handers, and I have a couple of left handers which give me the same level of safety, which I currently feel I need. Either way I was at the level or more than I feel comfortable with on my Duke in no time.
The 690 just dropped into the corner so smoothly and felt very composed, so that after a few circuits it was well down, which for me was amazing, as I have to feel very settled before I can do such manoeuvres. It's a testament to the bikes prowess that it allowed a less than confident rider feel so safe, so in the hands of a confident and experienced rider I imagine it would be a real pleasure.
Another section I use is a little like Craner Curves at Donnington, but with bumps, and I prefer going uphill, so if it gets a little out of shape, gravity and brakes together help slow things down quickly, I do it downhill in my STi Impreza, because I can't fall off that. Ho ho.. My Duke will take this series of bends nicely with a degree of bucking and weaving which would probably not concern the wilder rider, but is as much as I would attempt, but the 690 was considerably more composed and confidence inspiring.
I also though that the anti hopping clutch was an incredibly good aid for the ham fisted or should that be ham footed, gear changers like me.
On my Duke I have occasionally found myself approaching a corner a little quicker than anticipated, and during down changes, especially into 2nd gear I can get the back wheel unintentionally hopping, which unsettles me considerably, just at a time when I need to be in control to make the imminent bend. Purely down to my poor observation and forward planning I suspect.
But with the 690 I deliberately ran into corners a bit hotter than I would normally do and quickly change down, just dropping the clutch straight out. I ensured that I had plenty of space to run wide if required, and the bike stayed completely stable.
It was a revelation.
I only once induced a clattering noise/hopping from the back when I dropped into much too low a gear to see what it would do. I felt that irrespective of any performance aid that the anti hopping clutch might give the more experienced rider, this was without doubt a safety aid for someone like me.
Bloody amazing is the only way to describe it. It deskills the downward gear change action, so even I felt like a riding god.
When I was much younger I always wanted to be the 'nutter' who would /could tame and ride anything. 'No fear' but many years before the stickers saying so came out.
But at 48 years old with bits of my body removed, due to injuries sustained on a motorbike, my desire for speed and the adrenalin rush has not diminished, my fear of hitting the road however has become far more acute. I don't really fancy that side of biking anymore. On the 690 I felt very safe, as it massages your abilities, which for me is a big plus.
In summary then, it pulls great from low revs, smooth power delivery, fantastic anti hopping clutch, good brakes, extremely secure feeling cornering/handling, seems pretty similar in performance to my bike, but its difficult to be sure.
The lads at Robinsons who ride all the different types reckon it's quicker, and they have far more experience than me, so are probably right. I wasn't keen on the exhaust note, or the fact that due to the electronic fuel injection you don't get any popping banging etc on overrun. A pretty pathetic issue to find with it really, but I have grown fond of listening to my bike doing this. Perhaps its due to my age, as I remember all modified performance cars and bikes used to do all that type of thing back in the 70's.
Cheers, MTR
