2014 KTM Duke 690 - Experience

Pops has the Enduro. Rode it a little bit in BC on the fire roads. Holy moses does that thing go, more power than any 650 i've ridden hands down. The Duke is a twin spark head (if I remember right) and some other changes adding 5hp more than the Enduro to ~70hp. Can't comment on the Duke far as riding, but I wouldn't even think of a Duke after the fun I had on the Enduro. Nothing beats a 65mph slide through a banked fire road.

Only on the 690 enduro- As much power off road as you will ever need- can only imagine the Duke would be amazing!

I'm hoping my buddy Donny from Grahams KTM is going to bring one to the Lorettas fun trail ride in a couple of weeks for us all to try out.

Pop over to KTMtalk & ask the same question, there a few a few guy's over there that have them.

My experience is that I really want one because they look like precisely too much fun!

I had one for a while, it's a great bike. Little review up here: http://derestricted.com/design/ktm-690-duke-2012-derestricted-photos-and-mini-review

http://derestricted.com/photography/birthday-ride-at-rossfeld-ktm-690-duke

I have the 690 SMC and my brother has the new 690 Duke.

Both bikes are great, mine is the older 690 engine that Is 654cc's so his is a bit faster but is also more tame at the same time.

Every time I get off of the SMC I think there is no way that I should be allowed to ride a bike on the streets. Straight up hooligan bike that begs you to do bad things.

There really is no wrong choice with any of the 690 platforms. Get one, you won't regret it.

The 690 Enduro R is the biggest and most road-biased of KTM's range of 21 enduro models. Like the SMC R, it's updated with the latest dual-spark engine, with identical 66bhp output, plus revised suspension and the addition of ABS. It trundles along quite happily and smoothly at the legal limit, and would make a useful town bike due to its light weight, agility and good visibility.

I have a 2010 duke 690. Had it for 3 years now. Its been a great bike. Fuel pump went out at 600 miles (was replaced under warranty) but since then its been bulletproof. Its a great bike around town. I commute to work on it about 15 miles a day on side streets. Its light and nimble and feels really natural if you're comfortable on a dirt bike. I'm considering selling and upgrading to something with a bit more HP but its been a great bike and I would recommend one to people in a heart beat.

My experience with KTM street bikes: (I have a '12 990 SMT, and I did a lot of reading on the 690 enduro R)
They come with all kind of emission stuff: pipes that get REALLY hot and weight a ton, EFI a bit on the lean side, very restricted intake, narrow band o2 sensor that causes the bike to be a bit snatchy at the bottom.
Not that different from other road bikes BTW. This isn't just a KTM thing. I picked up an 11 Husky TE 630 and it suffer from the same problems.

Up to '13 models (on the enduro R, maybe '12 for the super duke) you could remap the ECU no problem (google tuneecu)
There is all the knowledge out there, and a bunch of maps available.
With the '14 enduro R I have heard that it isn't possible anymore as the ECU is locked. And I have heard that the enduro R engine follows the superduke engine by 1 year, so this might have been a problem on the '13 super duke.
So basically if you are a tinkerer who likes to mods your bike, it is a lot harder to do on a '14 model (when they went to dual spark plugs and throttle by wire)
Now as I mentioned, this is just what I have read. It might be that the '14 ECU mappings is done differently (which isn't surprising with a move to a throttle by wire) and the old tuneecu doesn't know how to deal with it. Maybe with time some clever people will find a way to make it work.

Gratuitous shot of my SMT intake with an intake that lets the LC8 breath the way it was intended to:

I love riding our shop demo. Going to install the KTM Powerparts cam and air box soon.

The single cylinder KTM's lack big time on the open road. I had a bunch of them, then two 950 and a 990 v-twin. Way better bikes. Now I have the beast! 1290 Superduke r. It's mental!

The magazines are fawning over those. Multiple bike of the year awards if I recall correctly. They do look outrageously fun and the magazines have stated pretty much what you did in that they're mental. Would love to ride one someday.

Saw one the other day at my work when I was pushing carts (peple bash that job so much, but being into bikes and cars I see some pretty bad ass rides in the parking lt), and it was stunning. All blacked out body work with an orange frame. Then I saw the owner come out and get on it, and he was a dork. Open faced helmet, old wore out dad jeans (the tight knd that float at your ankles), one of those shirts you get on vacation saying where you went and when, and these new balance shoes. Walking towards the bike, he looked like a total dork, but once he got on the bike, he looked like a bad ass. It was a gnarly bike, and sounded even better.

You just gave me the biggest boner! That thing is one of the coolest motorcycles ever made

Here's with the bag option for overnighters. There's there is a rear bag as well that sits on top of the bitch pad that I have switched out for an RG racing pillion cover. 2' bar risers. Ktm rear sets, ktm trick seat, wings exhaust, and a bunch of other goodies make it pretty trick.