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KTM 690 Duke R, 690 Enduro R and 690 SMC R in the driving report

The hasty trinity

The three KTM single-cylinder units are always in a hurry. Especially at the LC4 triathlon in Barcelona: lively cornering with the KTM 690 Duke R, hearty off-road tour with the KTm 690 Enduro R and crisp kart track drift with the KTM 690 SMC R..

E.A quick glance at the breakfast program already gives an idea: It could be a long day. In this respect, the term triathlon fits very well, even if there is no stopwatch. The KTM strategists had concocted to present the successful 690 variants in a sporty way in a compressed form.

KTM 690 Duke R, 690 Enduro R and 690 SMC R in the driving report

The hasty trinity

The KTM 690 Enduro R and KTM 690 SMC R, in the current model year, took over the more modern ride-by-wire drive with double ignition from the Duke, and also got a switchable ABS and chassis improvements. So let’s dedicate a whole day to these three high-performance singles who are completely unrivaled in their segment.

Off-road tour with the KTM 690 Enduro R

The starting gun will be given in front of the hotel in Barcelona at exactly 8 am First section of the triathlon: off-road tour with the KTM 690 Enduro R, which comes pretty close to the in-house EXC enduro bikes with its low weight , slim silhouette and long suspension travel. First, it’s about 60 kilometers on the motorway towards Taragona. Pirelli MT 21s are pulled up, rough off-road tires, but they build up surprisingly good grip on the road and do not roll around even at higher speeds.

Over winding country roads and creeping paths, on which you can convince yourself of the good all-round qualities of the hard enduro, the group finally reaches the sparsely populated enduro area. A gigantic amusement park that the German off-road fan can only dream of. An endless path through hilly terrain fits perfectly with the handy character of the KTM 690 Enduro R. It follows the steering commands in a playful way, the driver can move far to the handlebars on the firm seat to put pressure on the front wheel. Faster passages give an idea of ​​the power the single cylinder could bring to the ground if there is enough grip. Almost 70 hp are more than enough off-road.

More important is how elegantly this performance can be dosed with the KTM 690 Enduro R. It’s hard to imagine that the driver doesn’t even operate the throttle valve himself. Even veteran carburetor fans have to admit, contrite, that such gentle and predictable controllability can only be achieved thanks to sophisticated electronics. The new off-road ABS, which can only control the front wheel if desired, does an excellent job.

The suspension is quite soft for a sports machine, but still swallows a deep groove that you overlooked in the dust of the vehicle in front. The tour guide stops in front of a stream bed studded with nasty stones. Who wants to go into the brook? Of course all of them. Even rough terrain does not pose insurmountable problems for the KTM 690 Enduro R. If you also have to state that a real sports machine seems more light-footed in extreme terrain, every kilo is what counts. But somehow even the less experienced colleagues muddle through here, which certainly speaks for a successful overall package and good controllability of the Enduro R. So the team sets off on the subsequent connection stage to the kart track.

Enduro

Husqvarna TR 650 Terra, KTM 690 Enduro R and Yamaha XT 660 R in the test

Single-cylinder enduro bikes in a comparison test

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Road annealing with the KTM 690 Duke R

There is transition area. That means moving, because the two street versions of the single cylinder are ready here. First comes the Duke, for whom KTM has hatched a refreshing lap through the mountains. It was clear to every participant in the LC4 triathlon that there would be no dawdling here either. Both Duke variants were available, the author was able to secure a KTM 690 Duke R. The better choice for the hard ride, as it has a top brake with Brembo M 50 calipers, a high-quality and fully adjustable chassis, better ergonomics thanks to a higher seat – and last but not least, the better sound due to the standard Akrapovic titanium damper.

Great parts that make the difference when you are sporty. And the easy-revving single-cylinder tempts to brisk pace permanently. When the fully fueled Duke, which weighs only 164 kilograms, flicks out of tight corners with smoke, even a highly motivated super athlete would have had a hard time. Time and again the front wheel unintentionally lifts in second gear. A fun bike in the literal sense of the word. Only for the KTM 690 Duke R, the Mattighofen-based company offers the accessory dongle, which enables the ABS to be switched off completely or just for the rear wheel. An entertaining extra for the fun-oriented drifter group. The only point of criticism: Every now and then you end up between the gears when shifting in neutral.

Supermoto

KTM 690 Duke in the top test

The curve search engine from Mattighofen

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Naked bike

Mid-range motorcycles from Kawasaki and KTM

Comparison test: Kawasaki ER-6n and KTM 690 Duke

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Naked bike

KTM 690 Duke R in the test

The coronation and top model of the Duke family

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On the kart track with the Supermoto KTM 690 SMC R

The end of the three-way battle is the Supermoto KTM 690 SMC R, which can be used to explore the limits of liability on the kart track. Actually not a pure racing machine either, the SMC is nevertheless easily able to keep up with the pace of the racing specialists. Easy handling, good brakes and an excellent seating position all contribute to this. Here, too, the ABS does not limit the fun because the Supermoto ABS only intervenes on the front wheel and there late. Although the top performance and high revving power of the 690 engine are impressive, the gentle use of power of the ride-by-wire drive, which makes juggling along the slide limit easier, is particularly impressive on the slopes. Okay, a little more sound might be very helpful so that your own engine can still be identified within a group of open racing machines.

4 p.m., the checkered flag is waved, the drivers are showing their first signs of fatigue. Quickly back to the hotel and off to the airport. A tough but extremely entertaining competition. Who wins? Definitely an LC4. As different as the three pieces of sports equipment are, there can really only be one answer: all three.

Supermoto

Ducati Hypermotard SP and KTM 690 SMC R in comparison test

Single-cylinder versus two-cylinder supermoto

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Supermoto

Comparison test: single-cylinder supermotos

Husqvarna SM 630 versus KTM 690 SMC

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Supermoto

Supermotos: Tuning against series

KTM 690 SMC – series against tuning

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Technology LC4 single cylinder

KTM

Modern times: The 38.5 kg LC4 engine is technically far ahead of the competition.

As early as 1986, KTM presented the first LC4 engine, a modern, light single cylinder with a lot of power. The current engine, presented in 2007, has nothing to do with this classically rough steam hammer. With around 70 hp and a weight of just 38.5 kilograms, the low-vibration 690 single-cylinder is absolutely unrivaled. Especially since it has proven its durability in Dakar rallies or in the MOTORRAD endurance test over 50,000 kilometers. KTM recently extended the service intervals to 10,000 kilometers. The compact engine has a sealed crank drive to reduce internal friction. One oil pump sucks the oil out permanently, a second supplies the lubrication points with pressure oil. Only 1.3 liters of oil circulate in the engine.

Back in 2012, KTM modernized the Duke drive unit by means of ride-by-wire and double ignition, in which two different spark plugs have their own mappings. Through these measures, the Power-Single was able to develop a unique running culture. Despite the enormous displacement, the engine is already equipped for the upcoming Euro 4 emissions standard thanks to a very favorably shaped combustion chamber. Incidentally, the clean combustion results in low consumption; in the top test, the Duke used only 3.8 liters / 100 km in 2012. Ride-by-wire is also a safe solution compared to throttle valve actuation via floor pull, as electronic fall-back levels can easily be installed here. A map selector can be used to select three different maps that influence the response, especially in the range below 4000 rpm. SMC and Enduro have a further special mapping for petrol of poor quality.

Comparison of data

KTM 690 Duke R.      KTM 690 Enduro R     KTM 690 SMC R.
type design Single cylinder four-stroke engine     Single cylinder four-stroke engine    Single cylinder four-stroke engine
Ø suction pipe 46 mm 46 mm 46 mm
coupling Multi-disc oil bath clutch (anti-hopping) Multi-disc oil bath clutch (anti-hopping) Multi-disc oil bath clutch (anti-hopping)
Boron x stroke 102.0 x 84.5 mm 102.0 x 84.5 mm 102.0 x 84.5 mm
Displacement 690 cc 690 cc 690 cc
compression 12.6: 1 12.6: 1 12.6: 1
power 51.5 kW (70 hp) at 7500 rpm   49.0 kW (67 hp) at 7500 rpm   49.0 kW (67 hp) at 7500 rpm  
Torque 70 Nm at 5500 rpm 68 Nm at 5500 rpm 68 Nm at 5500 rpm
Top speed 189 km / h 170 km / h 180 km / h
frame Steel tubular frame, engine is load-bearing Steel tubular frame, engine is load-bearing Steel tubular frame, engine is load-bearing
fork

Upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm  

Upside-down fork, Ø 48 mm  Upside-down fork, Ø 48 mm  Brakes v / h Ø 320/240 mm Ø 300/240 mm Ø 320/240 mm bikes 3.50 x 17;
5.00 x 17 1.85 x 21;
2.50 x 18 3.50 x 17;
5.00 x 17 tires 120/70 ZR 17; 160/60 ZR 17 90/90 21; 140/80 18 120/70 ZR 17; 160/60 ZR 17 wheelbase 1466 mm 1504 mm 1480 mm Steering head angle 63.5 degrees 63.0 degrees 63.0 degrees trailing 115 mm 115 mm 112 mm Suspension travel v / h 150/150 mm 250/250 mm 250/250 mm Seat height 855 mm 930 mm 930 mm Total weight with a full tank 164 kg 152 kg 154 kg Payload 186 kg 198 kg 196 kg Tank content / res. 14.0 / 3.2 liters 12.0 / 2.5 liters 12.0 / 2.5 liters Service intervals 10,000 km 10,000 km 10,000 km Price / additional costs 9995/250 euros 8495/250 euros 8695/250 euros

Conclusion

Such a long day with the LC4 single cylinder creates a lot of problems. The muscle soreness afterwards is certainly the smaller one, it will resolve itself. The bigger one is the question: which one to take? Or maybe all three fit in the garage? But how do you finance that? Because the three models are each a lot of fun in their special environment. It is fantastic what manners the Austrians have instilled in single cylinders. And what power, what dynamism and what playful manners they have. One thing is clear: there is nothing like it.

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