Hi Friends, Now that none of us had anything to share about these, I went and found a way to get a chance to ride just the Duke 690.
The time came and I was too excited. The bike feels small and lighter than a Karizma, but is quite high so shorties may face problems with getting used to climbing and getting off this bike. The pickup was what I witnessed almost immediately. This one gives you too much of a punch to believe its just a Single cylinder 650cc engine! I got used to this thing in almost no time and it was superfun riding it especially with it loaded with an Akrapovic Exhaust system (I would not call this a Silencer lol). Akrapovic is pronounced as Ak-ra-po- vich. To manouver the bike was a breeze and could be ridden almost like an RX-100. This one comes with slipper clutch too, so if you downshift too much too early, there are still high chances that you've not made contact with the ground. The Instrument console on that bike was not functional for reasons I'm not aware of, so cant tell at what speeds I travelled. But it was fun! When i came back, I was oogling at the Superduke 990 that stood peacefully when I finally made up my mind to try out that monster too just for some added fun and feel. Knowing that I am a karizma rider who never even tried a 600 before, they were reluctant, but since they saw I was fine with the Duke, they handed me the keys of the Superduke. I started the bike and ......... that Exhaust note sent shivers down my spine. I couldnt believe I was going to ride a 999cc bike! I got onto this tallie too, waited for the FI to get the RPM back to normal after warming up after which I revved ... its like something I've never heard before. Offcourse this too was loaded with 2 Akrapovic Exhaust Pipes. FYI this brand is one of the best performing and sounding dabbas in the world. Costs some AED. 6500/- approx for the pair and does not come stock. i was asked to be very careful as mistaken twists of the throttle could prove very unforgiving. I carefully rolled off there at an RPM as low as possible just to get the feel first. I didnt want to make any mistakes. The first thing I noticed is that the bike sure is a bit sluggish at such low RPM's because its not made for that. The moment I went up, there was no turning back. Bike has RAW power, feels excellent, and though heavy at around 180kgs handles fine. This one did feel like a big bike! Then came time for me to take U turn from the signal where I must have waited for around a minute. The bike does feel HOT during idle. I was almost back in no time when I felt that now that I'm a bit used to the bike, I must take it a bit further as the 2 laner was empty too. It gave me a Maddening pickup and I was doing 130kmph in that 2 laner in almost no time without knowing it!!!!!!!!!! Now thats the fastest I've done on a bike and it was time to remind myself that I need to slow down even though the monster didnt quite seem to feel like doing so. In no time i was back to its home. The horn reminded me of the Karizma's stock horn though this was a bit better. The rest of the day passed mostly with my eyes shut still imagining me having a ball on the bike. Cost of :- 1) Brand New KTM Duke 690 (2009) 65 BHP - AED 42,000 2) Brand New KTM Superduke 990 (2009) 118 BHP - AED 57,000 3) Brand New KTM Superdule 990 (2008) 118 BHP - AED 53,000 These prices can be negotiated upon a bit. The superdukes also come in an 'R' version which means they get a black bike with ORANGE chassis which looks a killer. It also has Race oriented suspension, exhaust headers, a more powerful engine @ 130 BHP and I think carbon fibre body too. A must mod for all owners is an Akrapovich kit. You'll know why when you've heard it. Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GYaqxBUtGQo Readers inputs welcome. Regards, Eric
