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Hit single

It’s more fun being single – everyone knows that, right? Well, that’s what KTM wants a lot more riders out there to realise, hence the completely reworked 690 Duke for 2012.

The Austrians want a bigger slice of the lucrative middleweight naked market, which is currently experiencing an explosion in new machines entering it, as well as old favourites being brought up to date, such as the new Husqvarna Strada and recently revamped Kawasaki ER6-n.

So now the 690’s remit has metamorphosed from full-on streetmoto attitude with not much in the way of everyday practicality to a more rider friendly offering, in order to appeal to a much wider audience.

Nothing wrong with that, except the die-hard fans of the original kick-ass Dukes and more recent Duke R will complain that KTM is watering the bike down. But don’t forget that it already has its focussed supermoto in the shape of the updated 690 SMC R.

At the Gran Canaria launch, KTM explained how the Duke’s concept has evolved but in a positive way – in other words, you still get a rip-snorting single cylinder powering the bike, except it’s now available in a more accessible manner.

What’s new?

So just what has KTM done to the 690 in order to achieve this? Well used to making reliable, cutting edge singles, especially the legendary LC4 mill as in this machine, this latest attempt is more of the same, boasting a new twin-plug cylinder head featuring plug-selective mapping for improved combustion, a revised balancer shaft to eliminate even more vibration (always a perceived issue on singles), and a fancy hydraulic APTC (Adler Power Torque Clutch) slipper clutch.

As a result, the bike is now a claimed 8-10% more fuel efficient, and another neat touch made possible by the engine fettling is the extended 6200 mile service intervals. There’s also a slightly bigger 14 litre tank.

The changes don’t stop at the motor: More than 90% of the Duke’s components are new, including fully incorporated ride-by-wire electronics and the latest dual-circuit Bosch 9M+ABS system as fitted to its V-twin SM-T bigger brother. The revised dash – complete with gearshift indicator as well as the usual odometer, dual trip meters, fuel warning light, time functions – has an ABS warning light, and the system can be switched off and on while stationary via a button on the dash.

There’s also a three-way power mode dial – three is standard, two is sport and one is comfort – where the sport (or performance) mode gives you a snappier throttle response and the comfort, or soft, setting provides softer low-down power delivery, really only needed for riding in the rain. However, rather than being handily mounted onto the bars as a three-way switch, the dial is under the seat instead, so you can’t change the modes on the move. Marks off for that.

Of course, the new Duke looks different too. With its restyled, more road-biased stance, the 690 isn’t as aggressive looking as the outgoing model, but is still unmistakeably all KTM-sharp edges and lines with a distinctive orange trellis steel frame (plus new self-supporting die-cast aluminium rear sub-frame), although the underslung exhaust has been replaced with a sharply upswept more conventional side exit design. Time to see if it has lost its edge or not…

How does it perform?

Swinging a leg over the diminutive Duke, the 30mm redesigned two part seat is immediately noticeable – now sitting at a more manageable 835mm instead of the R’s 865mm. There’s also a PowerParts lowering kit available, dropping the seat height to 800mm if needed.

Heading out through town to get to the mountain roads, the lightweight 690 (149.5kg dry, approx 160kg fuelled), feels lean and mean, perfectly suited to slicing through the buzzing holidaymaker traffic. With the typical single-cylinder judder at low revs doing slow-moving town work, sometimes making itself known, as long as you match the low revs to the gears properly it’s not really an issue.

Opening the throttle is also a pretty smooth affair – the closed to open movement is excellent, mostly due to the new electronic ride-by-wire trickery which controls a single throttle valve in the Keihin throttle body, with no mechanical link between twist grip and throttle body.

So far, so good. The bike felt ridiculously light and toy-like, yet not cramped thanks to the revised, more upright riding position and subtly altered ergonomics. The lower seat also came into its own, allowing me to freely move around the bike, a great confidence booster for shorter or lighter riders.

Snaking up into the hills in a pleasant 23ºC heat and brilliant sunshine, the mind-bendingly twisty route that KTM had chosen was a belter, and a clever move, as the demanding, very narrow inland roads were perfectly suited to the 690’s agile nature. Attacking each corner with barely enough time to change direction before the next hairpin, the all-round WP suspension (43mm USD forks and rear monoshock, adjustable for spring preload) might not be as sophisticated as the Duke R’s all-singing set-up but KTM says it has set the new bike up to cope with most kinds of riding. With me weighing in at 57kg, it coped with my abrupt direction changes, heavy braking and quick turns perfectly well.

And you can still ride it hard – the motor has lost none of its free revving, punchy attitude and picks up well, especially above 4000rpm. The 690 feels nimble, planted and totally at home being thrashed around the undulating ribbons of black top.

With not much in the way of barriers (some crumbling stone walls) between me and the scenery far below, it was a big plus that KTM has kept its traditional sharp and strong feeling brakes, fitting the 690 with radially mounted four-pot Brembos at the front, combined with single 320mm disc, which, given the bike’s light weight, is more than adequate. The ABS also works well, isn’t intrusive, plus of course you can turn it off if you fancy playing a bit more.

On the all-important fuel front, the 690 managed an average 47mpg over 125 miles of hard riding, with the fuel light flicking on around 10 miles from base. KTM says the tweaked motor gets 50-75mpg in most types of riding, so this isn’t too far off. You could definitely improve that figure if you went a bit steadier, but this is the type of bike you just want to thrash, either back road scratching or tearing around town.

So, the 690 is still a blast to ride, but what about its all-round abilities?

Thanks to the host of changes, it’s easier, less demanding and more comfortable than before, which does make it more versatile. Obviously being a single it is never going to be as good over longer distances as an equivalent twin naked roadster, but I did get a chance to open the bike up a little on a stretch of dual carriageway and overall vibes were impressively managed at around 80-85mph.

In typical KTM style, there are a host of accessories and bolt-ons from the PowerParts catalogue, including top case, small side panniers (good enough for a weekend away), screen and alloy handguards to make longer trips more than bearable.

Would I buy one?

If I was in the market for a reasonably priced middleweight naked that was just a bit different from the run of the mill, yes. Especially if I lived in an urban environment and also fancied taking off after work to go and hunt out some interesting B-roads.

The changes have definitely made the latest fourth generation Duke more appealing to a wider range of riders than before, and if you’re thinking, ‘well, it’s still only got one mug sized piston’, think again: this LC4 is the most refined and powerful single cylinder motor currently out there and it works very well.

I think the Austrians have had a difficult task in trying to produce a machine that is practical enough to transform it into a more mainstream middleweight alternative, while making sure the 690 hasn’t lost too much of its va-va-vroom that made it such a hit 20 years ago.

But I think they have succeeded.

Words: Melanie Falconer
Pics: Sebas Romero, Francesc Montero