KTM 690, Duke or SMR?

[Moeller]

I'm looking to purchase a KTM 690 and I'm not real sure which one I should get. I've been looking mostly at SMR's and Dukes's.

Looking at the specs they appear very similar, and marketed towards the same audience. Although the SMR has a Supermoto look and the Duke has a bit of a sportbike look. Either way looks aren't that big of a factor as I like them both. I did notice that the SMR had more suspension travel then the Duke, I was wondering how this would affect it's road characteristics.

My assumption is not much, given an equal spring rate and same shock settings I would expect them to behave nearly the same. Just if you were to take it offroad and hit a jump the SMR could clearly absorb a larger impact before bottoming out. Am I wrong about this? I will be driving nearly always on the street and would be willing to pay more for the Duke if it's better at this, but not because it looks like it's better at this.

Thanks for your responses and feel free to include any other opinions about these models? Are there any other signifcant differences besides the suspension travel?

[Roadrogue]

I think you're right that the main difference is suspension travel. The reduced travel would make the Duke handle more precisely on twisty roads and have better front end feel and less dive. The Duke also has an underneath muffler which gives less ground clearance but a tad more power, better weight distribution and less prone to crash damage.

[Duke]

The Duke's purpose in life is to perform well on the road. The reduced suspension travel is not a drawback, it is a carefully engineered change made to enhance on road control and handling. Your right Moeller, If you dont go off road (that much) there is very little use for over 8" of suspension travel anyway.

I can tell you I'm very happy with my Duke and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Happy shopping!

[Morpheous]

+1 on the Duke, I am almost at 20,000 miles on my 08 Duke 690, its has performed flawlessly.(bone stock) If you are riding street/road only, its the ticket. There is not a better commuter and twisty scalpel.