2012 690 Duke

[Wheezer!]

Hi All
I'm new on here and am interested in the new 690 road bike. Haven't seen one in the flesh yet as I don't think they have landed at local dealers yet. So what do I need to know?
I am not mechanically minded at all so it would be a dealer maintained machine apart from chain care, I can probably do that myself. Not ridden for over 10 yrs, last bike Honda VTR 1000 so will be rusty on the road till I get confident again.
Being a single cylinder do I take that to mean it will make a nice noise? Thumpy and mean but not excessively loud?
Are they more costly to run/maintain than other twin or multi cylinder bikes?
Thanks

[bajadog]

Welcome Wheezer.

Hey Duke riders, how about some feedback here.

[indyZrider]

Originally Posted by Wheezer!

Hi All
I'm new on here and am interested in the new 690 road bike. Haven't seen one in the flesh yet as I don't think they have landed at local dealers yet. So what do I need to know?
I am not mechanically minded at all so it would be a dealer maintained machine apart from chain care, I can probably do that myself. Not ridden for over 10 yrs, last bike Honda VTR 1000 so will be rusty on the road till I get confident again.
Being a single cylinder do I take that to mean it will make a nice noise? Thumpy and mean but not excessively loud?
Are they more costly to run/maintain than other twin or multi cylinder bikes?
Thanks

as far as noisy they can be as loud or quiet as you want them to be.....with the stock pipe the bike is really quiet imo.....i dont like quiet so i put an fmf apex pipe on it and its LOUD now.....sounds like a thumper if thats what you mean by thumpy.....as far as cost to maintain it takes 2 oil filters and 2 liters of oil but you should run the recommended oil thats about 18 bucks a liter. so for about 55 bucks an oil change every 3k miles id say the costs are comparable to other twin or liter bikes.....also the oil changes are easy and you could do those yourself....overall its a great bike and im glad i bought one...

[Clay]

Welcome Wheezer, where are ya? Interesting that you came from an VTR1000. I did as well, but that was two bikes ago. I went to a Triumph Tiger and now to the 690 Duke. Still have the Tiger. I believe you will love the Duke. I don't have a lot of road miles as yet, but my experience has been completely positive. I love the fact that it's so light weight. The power to weight ratio is incredible. I'm not personally bothered by the sound, but can see others would want to mod that. Finish is next to perfection. My only complaint is the stock seat, which I'm considering changing out to a Renazco. I'd like to make this an all day bike, but not sure I'm going to succeed. We'll see!

Seems lots of hard core criticism of the 2012 Duke. Styling is much different, but as I understand it's KTM trying to make a more user friendly bike. 2011 and earlier are quite focused. It's about the most fun I've ever had on two wheels.

Let us know what you do.

[Reshad]

Originally Posted by Wheezer!

Hi All
I'm new on here and am interested in the new 690 road bike. Haven't seen one in the flesh yet as I don't think they have landed at local dealers yet. So what do I need to know?
I am not mechanically minded at all so it would be a dealer maintained machine apart from chain care, I can probably do that myself. Not ridden for over 10 yrs, last bike Honda VTR 1000 so will be rusty on the road till I get confident again.
Being a single cylinder do I take that to mean it will make a nice noise? Thumpy and mean but not excessively loud?
Are they more costly to run/maintain than other twin or multi cylinder bikes?
Thanks

Hi Wheezer, welcome to the forum and to Duke690land. I have a 2008 model and I can say without any doubt this bike is tons and tons of fun to ride. It’s super responsive and perfect for windy road trips, but if you’re gonna be doing a lot of highway time, I would have to advise against it unless you install a windshield and even then it wasn’t designed for that kind of riding. I’ve not tried any other mono 650cc bike, so it’s hard for me to talk comparatively about performance, but given its low weight to given power output, I’d say you’d be very hard pushed to find a better road thumper!

Worry not about rustiness, this bike will make you want to ride! It’s very stable but that stability will depend on you shock absorber setting which offer a wide range of setting to suit your needs both front and back. The stock tyres make the bike stick to the road and should let you do crazy ****. Don’t be scared to throw your weight in the bends to get the best out of the Duke, it wants you to lean in! I only have Bridgestone BT014’s on mine and even they satisfy my needs without ever letting the bike slip from underneath me on fast bends.

I’ve only done about 500km on mine; it came with 14k on the odometer but it still runs very smoothly. I’m unaware of the issue during the first 14k but since I’ve had it I have had some trouble with the fuel pump, which may be down to dirty fuel in my region of the workd, and a leaky O-ring behind the chain sprocket which I still need to see to. Otherwise, look after her and you should have many years of troublefree fun. Abuse the bike and you’re sure you’ll be the one paying the price.

Mine came with an underslung Akrapovic pot. It does sound a bit quiet in low revs, but the volume certainly goes up with more revs. I personally love its sound. BTW, there are tons of decent vids on You tube where you can hear the Duke 690 sound with different pots! That said, nothing beats the real sound, so do yourself the favour and find someone with a Duke to hear it rev with your own ears.

As mentioned by indieZrider the servicing on the dear side as the OEM parts and Motorex oil are expensive, but considering you’re forking a lot out on an expensive bit of kit, it is quite normal that maintenance will be accordingly quite high. That said, you should be able to buy many of the service part on the net that should make servicing a bit cheaper.

Hope that helps you, if you have any specific questions don’t hesitate to ask.

All the best,
Reshad

[Wheezer!]

Thank you for your comments guys.
I do intend to take a test ride as soon as the weather here is suitable.
I understand the service interval is 6200 miles. But there seems to be a need for more frequent oil changes other than at service interval. Why is that?
Was hoping for a nice sound straight 'out the box'.
I have 2 dealers near me (within 15 miles) and they would be maintaining it for me. Am concerned that sevice costs are high for KTM's.
This bike would be just a toy for me and I have saved for a long time to be able to get one, so don't want it to become a drain on resources.
BTW Clay I'm in Nottm.

[Wheezer!]

Still not landed at the dealers so still not seen one in the flesh. But I know they have left Austria so......
Do these new bikes need interim oil changes between service intervals (6k miles). Still searching for a difinitive answer..??

[Clay]

Wheezer! you might check the thread, "Oil change on a 2008 Duke 690". I think your manual will state the first oil change at 1000 km or 621.4 miles, and every 7500 km or 4660 miles thereafter (or at least annually).

[streakerbill]

I have a 2009 Duke. My favorite M/C. I still have my 02 Triumph 955i Daytona for a road bike. (interstate) I bought a DR 650 to see if this was the direction I wanted to go, then bought the Duke. Love it.
I don't like underslung exhaust so have an SMC. It was a little noisey for me so I have modified it to make it a little quieter.
I didn't think I liked the seat so I bought Corbin. I am back to the OE seat. About 350 miles and I am pretty well done, but we are normally on good roads so they take more concentration and energy anyway.
I only change filters once a year, but change oil pretty often. Especially if there is a track day involved.
I use Mich Pilot 2ct tires. Much grip in the corners and longer wear on the straights.

[JRH]

German dealers now each have one show bike.
My mate gets his in 3 weeks.
Looks a great bike, STD ABS, 70bhp, all for just over 7000 euros.