690 Duke: I got one!

[jcrocker]

Cool I found a place where I can drool over my Duke in public ! Totally agreed on the pipes , this is the only other one I found , ( you have to babelfish this site as its in Italian )
I actually don't think it's alot cheaper than the Akro pipe
http://www.gpr.it/scheda.php?idcatve...&idveicolo=471

As for riding the long distance I put airhawk seat cushion on it for a 700 mile trip up highway 1 ( feels nice but cornering feels weird with it on )

Also took off the fender and got some custom satin paint ala rattlecan, Thinking it needs some sliders before it goes on the track ? Anyone look into that ?

[gearider]

Originally Posted by jcrocker

Cool I found a place where I can drool over my Duke in public ! Totally agreed on the pipes , this is the only other one I found , ( you have to babelfish this site as its in Italian )
I actually don't think it's alot cheaper than the Akro pipe
http://www.gpr.it/scheda.php?idcatve...&idveicolo=471

As for riding the long distance I put airhawk seat cushion on it for a 700 mile trip up highway 1 ( feels nice but cornering feels weird with it on )

Also took off the fender and got some custom satin paint ala rattlecan, Thinking it needs some sliders before it goes on the track ? Anyone look into that ?

I like the bag setup, looks good. Also like the fender off, makes the rear end look sweet.

I agree about the airhawk. I had one on an old CB750 I had back in 2000. It never gave me the comfort I really wanted especially for the cost. And when I went into curves, I felt like I was sliding around on the seat.

How does your tires look? Mine rear is getting kind of thin at 1,000 miles. I figure I might get 1500 miles out of it. I'm thinking about going to Dunlop Roadsmart tires. I know I won't get the grip I got but the miles I will pile on this bike with make the stock tires too expensive.

[letsburnbridges]

i just put on a Pirelli Diablo Strada rear @ 2000 miles, i love it. should get 4000 miles out of it i figure. I chopped the rear fender and relocated the license plate (not wholly legal) and i also removed the mirrors. I thought they looked too much like antlers. I'm trying to find some lower profile mirrors now, might have to fabricate something.

I'll post pics of it all soon. I have also been getting around 63mpg on the 2 dial setting.

[jcrocker]

Originally Posted by gearider

How does your tires look? Mine rear is getting kind of thin at 1,000 miles. I figure I might get 1500 miles out of it. I'm thinking about going to Dunlop Roadsmart tires. I know I won't get the grip I got but the miles I will pile on this bike with make the stock tires too expensive.

My tires look ok a 1500 , but I'm just geting the sides scrubbed out. I think the roadsmart would be a good choice , they got a good write up in Bike. I just ran some conti sport attacks on my mZ and they were great but squared off 2 quick . I try to get 3k out of the rear if I can ...

Originally Posted by letsburnbridges

I chopped the rear fender and relocated the license plate (not wholly legal) and i also removed the mirrors. .

I got the fender eliminator from mustard bikes in australia , I don't think it's wholly legal here in Cal either... we'll see.

[letsburnbridges]

here is what i did with the fender chop and relocated plate, Its just riveted onto the chain guard. I also removed the mirrors and ordered some flat black custom mirrors from some chopper website haha.

[JT Nesbitt]

I sincerely hope that the Ktm Powers that be monitor this forum for customer feedback, as I have been unable to penetrate the lower eschelon at KTM USA, and convince them to help me.
There is a real problem with KTM fuel injection for the 690 Duke, NO ALTERNATE FUEL MAPS!!!
I bought a Brand new 690 Duke 4 months ago, and regretted my purchase almost immediately. The bike had no bottom end or midrange power, it had all of the excitement of a vespa at lower throttle positions. The whole reason that I wanted a street single is for that low end rush. Hell, a roachy SR500 would have dusted this thing stoplight to stoplight!
No problem I thought, I'll just uncork it and re tune the fuel injection for a fatter mix. It's the simple formula that any motorcycle guy with any level of experience knows is a sound and reasonable fix for restricted motorcycle engines (especially singles).
After getting the pipe set up, I was off to my dealer for a simple procedure known as a fuel injection map download. A re-tune if you will, of the fuel management to provide additional fuel for the now free-flowing exhaust. After all, this is KTM SPORTmotorcycles right?
Guess what fellas- Ktm doesn't even have control over their own fuel injection systems. The rely on aftermarket companies to tune their fuel injection! They are allowing their customers to be held hostage by third party companies.
This would never happen with a company like Triumph, who issue the dealers alternate fuel maps before the motorcycles even hit the dealer showroom.
Now I have a brand new, $10,000 motorcycle that is gathering dust, and KTM has a customer that is gathering resentment.
--JT Nesbitt
New Orleans

[letsburnbridges]

Originally Posted by JT Nesbitt

I sincerely hope that the Ktm Powers that be monitor this forum for customer feedback, as I have been unable to penetrate the lower eschelon at KTM USA, and convince them to help me.
There is a real problem with KTM fuel injection for the 690 Duke, NO ALTERNATE FUEL MAPS!!!
I bought a Brand new 690 Duke 4 months ago, and regretted my purchase almost immediately. The bike had no bottom end or midrange power, it had all of the excitement of a vespa at lower throttle positions. The whole reason that I wanted a street single is for that low end rush. Hell, a roachy SR500 would have dusted this thing stoplight to stoplight!
No problem I thought, I'll just uncork it and re tune the fuel injection for a fatter mix. It's the simple formula that any motorcycle guy with any level of experience knows is a sound and reasonable fix for restricted motorcycle engines (especially singles).
After getting the pipe set up, I was off to my dealer for a simple procedure known as a fuel injection map download. A re-tune if you will, of the fuel management to provide additional fuel for the now free-flowing exhaust. After all, this is KTM SPORTmotorcycles right?
Guess what fellas- Ktm doesn't even have control over their own fuel injection systems. The rely on aftermarket companies to tune their fuel injection! They are allowing their customers to be held hostage by third party companies.
This would never happen with a company like Triumph, who issue the dealers alternate fuel maps before the motorcycles even hit the dealer showroom.
Now I have a brand new, $10,000 motorcycle that is gathering dust, and KTM has a customer that is gathering resentment.
--JT Nesbitt
New Orleans

I honestly feel almost the exact opposite, my 690 has fantastic low-mid power. Did you know about the preset maps on the bike? Check your manual out on page 99, there is a dial with 9 settings, 1 being 30% reduction of power, 2 being high performance, and 3 being the default. Not sure what the other 6 or (if anything, possibly just room for additional maps later).

[JT Nesbitt]

Read your manual dude. The adjustment knob you speak of is a trimpot for the ignition timing curve. It has nothing to do with the fuel injection map.
Apparently letsburnbridges hasn't ridden a hot rod single in a while. Honestly, guys, I know that we spent a lot of money for this motorcycle, but let's not merely justify our purchase, lets be honest. The 690 Duke needs alternate fuel maps, from KTM, from the manufacturer!! --JT

[Danny_Two]

KTM own Akropovic, so if you buy the Akro pipe you'll get the fuel map with it that just need to be loaded into the bike.
Im not aware of anyone else making an aftermarket exhaust for the Duke.

[JT Nesbitt]

So what you are saying is that KTM expects its customers to spend over $2,500 for an exhaust system for a SINGLE cylinder motorcycle? And until they fork over the cash, their bikes aren't going to run worth a damn?
For some perspective-- $1,500 buys you a full TIG outfit! You can make as many exhaust systems as you want! I made mine, and when I told the KTM rep that I MADE my pipe, he dismissed me like I had just drawn a mustache on the Mona Lisa.
All I need is a fuel map, $2,500 exhaust pipe?--no thanks. Hell I'm about to rip off the throttle body and replace it with a carb!
For what it's worth, even though my Duke is running super lean, It is WAY faster than the stock set-up. Let me say that again - WAY faster. I have power all over the place, low, mid, and high. The front wheel comes up at 1500 rpm now. The power delivery is a bit choppy and abrupt, she pops on deceleration (lean state of tune of course), and my spark plug looks like casper the not so friendly ghost, but man if there was ever a motorcycle that benefits from a de-restricted exhaust, It's this one.
Gentlemen, if you will allow me, I would like to give you my take on single cylinder motorcycle exhaust systems. It ain't subatomic particle physics. See there isn't a pesky merge collector to deal with (primary and secondary tuned lengths as for multis), so all we are talking about is one primary, length and width. In a racing application, where every fraction of horsepower counts, bring in the engineers. For the street, make the header as long as is practical, put on a free-flowing muffler and jet accordingly. OK so I might loose a couple of hp on the top end (verses the "factory engineered race exhaust" not epa approved stock version), and insead of loosing 10lb, I loose 9lb. So what? How often am I really going to rev my single cylinder motorcycle past it's powerband anyway? Dude, if I'm sweating 1lb on my streetbike, I should cut down on the bacon cheeseburgers first, right? It's called diminishing returns.
Ever take apart a high dollar exhaust cannister? It's a perforated tube with muffler packing. Same as the el-cheapo one you get from autozone for tuner car honda civics. Do you think that the exhaust gasses passing through that perforated tube know the difference? Do inanimate gasses decide to move faster or slower based on the label on the outside of a muffler?
What you are paying for with the Akropovic system is the luxury of a bolt on exhaust. I for one, do not require that luxury because I am a hot rod guy, not some euro-douche with fancy shoes and an ipod.
I guess that I am mad at myself for getting suckered in by KTM's marketing message. They portray themselves and their customers as rugged individualists, as opposed to Ducati's elitist user imagery.
AAHHH!! my head hurts!! KTM, just give me a freak'n fuel map download, PLEASE!!!! ---JT