I’ve owned my KTM Duke for almost six years now and in the world of motorcycle ownership I’d suggest that six years is considered a long time to own one bike. Certainly its twice as long as any previous bike I’ve owned so I must like it then?

Well lets get some perspective first. The last bike I owned for any time was a VFR750. It was great. It was fabulous in-fact and therein was the problem. It was good at pretty much everything and hence it was boring. It was so boring that when I sold it I didn’t replace it, even though I’d owned bikes for 15 years without a break. The KTM pretty much re-ignited my love of bikes within a couple of weeks of ownership.  Although I don’t ride all that often these days every time I get on it the fire burns as bright as ever.

Components.

Some may see this strange looking insect as no match for a sportsbike but a knowledgeable biker however will note that every part on it is rather nice. This is not a Yamaha XT660X built from various disregarded pieces of angle-iron bolted together with rusty nuts and bolts found at the bottom of a toolbox (yes I’ve owned a XTX too), this is a motorcycle in which every part has been thought about carefully before construction. I won’t list stuff but as an example I removed the rear footpegs on both bikes (this is plainly NOT a pillion bike) the XTX footpeg is about 4x heavier than the KTM’s. Multiply this by every single component and you have two bikes of very similar purpose and engine displacement and yet one weighs 148kg with 65hp and the other weighs almost 200kg with 44hp.

Obviously this type of engineering comes at a price and in this case the Yamaha was 12k+orc and the KTM 14.5k+orc. In fact for only $500 more you could get a GSXR600.

Styling.

Theres not much out there that looks like a Duke. The newer model toned down some of the lurid angles of this version and while the stacked projector style headlamps may date it slightly the under engine exhaust makes for clean rear styling and a huge gap from rear wheel to seat unit. Meanwhile all the forward/downward pointing bodywork creates a  purposeful stance at standstill. Six years on and people regularly stop and look at it when parked up.

Being a supermoto style bike seat height can be a problem for some shorter legged but for my 6ft lanky frame its not a problem. Once seated the pegs are well located for uncramped legs and the wide bars provide a muscular, angry, arm out street riding style that I personally love. Its a very upright riding position with zero weight on the wrists. The instrument cluster contains electronic speedo with analogue tach, odometer with two trips and various warning lights including low fuel.

Riding.

Straight up I’ll say this is a single purpose motorcycle. Freeways are a chore, yes it will cruise happily at 110kmh all day but with a lack of real screen its a blowy affair, throw in some headwind and its painful. At first it looks like a perfect city commuter but actually its not really. The engine is fine in traffic and pulls hard from the lights, the hydraulic clutch is light and easy, throttle like wise, gearbox fine and the upright riding position gives a fine view of upcoming traffic. but as a bike its pulling at the leash constantly.

Simply put the only thing this bikes does well is tight twisty backroads. Period. Its a BMX with an engine. Its lack of weight and wide bars make tipping it into turns super-fast super-easy, the quality suspension (fully adjustable front and rear) soaks up all manner of road types so the bike always feels planted. That said its not a bike to nanny about with, riding with purpose and conviction is the way to go. Throw it at a mountain road with a full compliment of hairpins and tight turns that only have small straights in-between and you’ll be rewarded with an outcome that few other bikes can match. Keep the engine between 4 and 7k (red line 8k) and progress is both smooth and rapid as it begs you to get on the power earlier and earlier. Slowing down via the single radial Brembo 320mm front is a one or two finger affair as speed can wiped off exceedingly fast with minimal pressure allowing you to brake late and simply concentrate on entry, apex and exit points without worry. This is the green grass on the other side of the fence and what motorcycling is all about.

Running Costs.

While I’ve owned the bike for six years I’ve only completed 13000kms but so far things have worked out well on the ownership cost front. I run the same tyres as were originally fitted, Dunlop Alpha GPR which once warmed up provide excellent grip and seem to wear very evenly. Rears lasting around 4000 kms and fronts around 6000kms. Oil and filter services are every 5000kms and consist of two filters and cleaning some separate oil filter screens, its an easy process all of which is covered in the KTM owner manual so its only ever been into the shop for its 12000km valve clearance. Living as I do in Australia and using the bike only in fine weather the fit and finish has proven to be excellent. How well would it live up to a standard UK winter? Probably no worse than most bikes but if you intend on using it year round I think you need to re-read the “Riding” section again.

Conclusion.

So the KTM 690 Duke is not a bike for everyone that is obvious. Its basically a toy and has no practical ownership reason. Add to this that if you’re short you won’t fit and if you are say above 80kgs then 65hp may not be quite enough. For me though I’m 6ft and 70kgs, I ride the train to work and ride the bike on sunny days on roads that suit it.

I’ve been on a couple of track days on it and while yes people do pass me down the straights I catch up with many of them into, around and out of the corners. I even went to Phillip Island California Superbike School and managed to both keep up and get held up by people on machines with three times the horsepower. At some point will I want more power? Yeah I probably will but in the real world with police, speed cameras and my riding ability the KTM hits the sweet spot. Its a bike I feel I can ride at close to its potential now and I can learn to ride it closer to its full potential without getting in over my head. In short its a riot, its the exact opposite to the VFR and thats exactly why I’ll keep it.