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My '16 690 Duke Race Bike

94K views 194 replies 27 participants last post by  locutus 
#1 · (Edited)
There are enough people asking me questions about racing this bike, so I'll post up everything I learn about racing the 690 here.

To start: I bought the bike in Aug '16 and raced the last 2 rounds of the season. The bike was immediately fast in stock form, but I still need to drop ~1 second to steal the lap records out here in Colorado. It's good enough to win anyway.

It's race-able completely stock, but you really need rearsets if you don't want to grind your feet off. I added motohooligan straight pegs and Duke R rearsets but still managed to grind pegs a little bit with stock suspension. Race brake pads will also help a ton, the stock ones are crap.

Installed Parts:
KTM Powerparts tuning kit (Akrapovic, airbox, sas delete)
EBC GPFA brake pads
Duke R rearsets
HF Carbon bellypan
KTM bellypan brackets
Motohooligan non-folding pegs
Driven SX Handlebar
Driven Brake Lever Guard
Driven SBK Grips
Andreani Cartridges from Boulder Motor Sports
Custom brake lines and abs delete from Boulder Motor Sports
Powerparts number plate
Evotech RC390 toe guard
Shorai Battery
Nitron R2 Shock
Pirelli SBK slicks
Motorex fluids
KTM Powerparts engine covers Clutch and ignition
Low temp thermo switch
KTM Akra fuel map
KTM Crash bars
Powerparts racing shift lever (GP Shift)
Custom Ohlins Steering Damper from Boulder Motor Sports
R&G Akrapovic exhaust guard
KTM Powerparts track pack
KTM Powerparts abs dongle



For fun, here's my buddy and me racing our 690s (camera is on my bike). There's a lot to learn if u look close.

 
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#88 ·
what shock did you have on before joe
 
#90 ·
Looking at raising the ride height on mine as well as I need to steepen the steering angle a bit as it wants to push wide on the slower corners. I have a wilbers shock just need to work out if it can be done in the bike or not. Good to know your weight as your riding style would be a lot different to mine as I am 235lbs and NEED corner speed as I dont have the same acceleration out of corners. Had a good head to head with a guy who weighs roughly what you do on a 390 and we were pretty well matched. Will look at the shorai when mine gives up the ghost.
 
#91 ·
I went to Elite KTM in Loveland to get the Akra fuel map installed. It took a couple tries, but we were able to get it installed. He had problems getting it to work at first because either he selected "Duke R" or some setting asking if it's track only. Anyway, for regular dukes, it's part number 76641033131, for the R model it's 76641033132.

I had 2 error codes before we installed the map. We believed they were related to the removal of the SAS system (included in the tuning kit). After getting the new map on, the error codes were gone.

I also confirmed that by doing my ABS fake banjo bolt, it does not cause any error codes to appear.

So that confirms that for the USA, you can still get that akra fuel map to go with the full tuning kit.

I also installed the Driven Mantis tire temperature sensors. I hope I can get them to be accurate enough to help when I experience big drops in temperature while riding.

I'll review the Nitron shock next weekend when I get on track.



 
#92 ·
Nice, thanks for the update. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Nitron. Also, jealous about the map.

FYI - The akra map can not be installed on any bike from California. The KTM portal can identifying if the VIN is for a cali bike, and will not allow the map to be loaded. I even tried to send my ECU to Colorado and Texas, but was told that the system would still know it was a Cali ECU... Serious bummer.
 
#95 ·
That's what I did first.
Then went to the local bike shop to get one and sales guy asked if I needed OEM size or just wanted a lighter battery.
He was sure enough that the Smaller one had enough power to run on the D690 that he sold me one with an option to swap it if it didn't work.

Had one in my 2012.
Then bought one for my 2013R.
Now bought one for the 2016R.

No issues so far.
Works like a charm.
 
#98 ·
Great news. I just got the bike from Boulder Motor Sports.

1) We're having some custom steering damper mounting brackets machined for an Ohlins damper to go right on top of the triple. It will work for any 690 with handlebars or clip ons. We will finish up in about a week and I will post the results. We'll have a price and pictures soon. We'll make it available to anyone, and I'll start a new thread when it's all ready.

2) The bike weighs 335 lbs with a completely full tank of gas and all fluids. (fuel is roughly 20lbs)

3) I got some dyno time. The below is with the powerparts tuning kit (Full Akra system, new open airbox, and sas delete), a K&N air filter, and the Powerparts fuel map to go with the bike. We're pretty happy with the map from KTM, and I don't want to do more custom tuning since the AFR is safe, and it has a nice fat torque curve. Peak HP is 73, and 53 torque. It has a great range of usable power.

The guys at Boulder Motor Sports are genius, really happy with them.

 
#99 ·
Your dyno numbers match up well with what was posted a while ago ago about earlier year models.
A lot of that discussion was conjecture, however, and few had hard numbers. Good to see.

Sounds like it's time to smart smokin all those SV's and air cooled Ducs, Joe.
As well as any other puny singles that happen to wander in your path.
Good Luck and no get-offs allowed

Interested in the final out of pocket on the Ohlins damper set-up. I am running
a Chi-Com Scotts knock off now and it seems to be working OK so far.
A more reliable, reputable option is something to consider, however.
 
#102 · (Edited)
That's on 91 octane pump fuel, and ~5,400ft altitude. Although, it's typical for our dynos to calculate according to sea level, so our readouts up here should be similar to sea level.

I'll be in there next week, I'll see if I can get some charts from an air cool duc. What motor should I ask to compare to, I want to say 1100cc air cooled is common in the class...?

Would still be very interested to hear a review of the nitron.
Coming soon. We've had a lot of weather delays here in Denver, but I'm racing this sunday so I should have some good info on it.
 
#106 · (Edited)
First race day of the new season. I took 2 wins. I didn't have a lot of time to mess with settings, I'd like to work on the front suspension a little more (I was only at the track on sunday).

I felt a slight amount of instability from the rebound kicking back a little too hard under very heavy braking in the longest braking zone. The good news is that I was getting good amounts of heat in the front tire, so the full suspension is now working well. The Nitron shock is good. I didn't drag any hard parts, though this was a new track for the 690 so I'll give it a good test when I go back to the previous tracks with heavy right handers. The shock feels solid right out of the box though, I felt very stable under acceleration and the only issue was from the front during initial corner entry. The bike was stepping out pretty easily, so I had to be careful with my downshifts. My tire wear looked good.

Nitron gets the thumbs up.

The bike is back at BMS. The steering damper parts are in the mail and they should be installed at the end of this week. Ahastings I'll get those dyno comparisons for you when I go back to pick the bike up, I didn't forget.




I forgot to add. I'm now racing with tear offs because there's no windshield and I'm getting a lot more bugs than with sportbikes. It came in very handy this weekend, I highly recommend it if you're racing. I'm using the Bell Race Star with Ultrasheild tear offs.

 
#108 ·
Well done kicking some serious butt there Joe. Re the ducatis, the 1100 is an air cooled 2 valve and I think the 821 is a liquid cooled 4 valve re the differences in the numbers
 
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#110 ·
You're correct - I owned both.

I realized after reading that I think Joe is talking about the the much less popular air cooled orignal generation Hyper - the 796. I think they started making them in 2009, the year after the 1100 hit the US, up until they released the 821.
 
#111 · (Edited)
Ah ok. I don't know those ducati specs that well.

I missed the main Lightweight GP race because I was out of town Saturday. According to the times I would have been either 1st or 2nd against an FZ07. There were a couple 690 guys out there but I didn't see them during the races. We were missing a couple SV / 750 guys from last year.

In the last race, I was passed by the fastest supermoto I've ever seen. Turns out it was some factory Yamaha mechanic. I still pulled on him in the straights but it had a hell of a lot of power, plus he was a very good racer. I managed to get him back and win. Whatever he's done to that motor it's unreal.

I was 0.2 secs off one lap record, and a second off another. I was pretty nervous about grip and nearly dumped it in one of the races. I was happy to get out of there with some contingency, testing data, and no crashes. I don't like that track at all, time to move on.
 
#112 ·
I am getting my 2017 duke together for this season. I also went with the Nitron but got the R3. Are you liking the Andriani Cartridges?

I got a Werkes exhaust, I went to order the akro kit but they said it was discontinued due to complaints about how the bike runs with the map (from what the dealer told me anyway)

After putting 100 miles on the bike my ABS module went bad and had to be replaced but thats the only issue I have had so far. Drilling the caliper bolts was a pain, thats some hard metal
 
#115 ·
The andreani cartridges are a good improvement over stock, but I need more testing time on them. I'll need to make a special tool to adjust compression and rebound without taking the handlebars off. It's hard to make adjustments and immediately go back out to test.

That's odd about the tuning kit. What part number did they try? This is where I got mine, call them and ask if it's still available : exhaust. It certainly doesn't run poorly for me.

Joe, Do you know if your buddy is planning on doing the AHRMA race at Gingerman in MI on 6/3-4?

If so, what's his name/number? I'll look him up.
pm

Not wanting to hijack this thread but this seems to be the place where most people who are racing this bike are posting. I have a 2013 that I got last fall and have had to the track four times. Everything is good except for one problem that I can't get solved. I am having the clutch slip under WOT mostly in the top two gears.
One of the other 690 riders I talked to said he had similar issues. Said he burned up the OEM clutch immediately in his new bike. He ordered the ebc kit and said it's better, but also ordered a yoyodine. I'm using Motorex 10w-50 full synthetic, I haven't had any clutch slip issues. Every once in a while I'll miss a gear though, apparently there's a shift detent arm that I can buy to help with that
 
#114 ·
Not wanting to hijack this thread but this seems to be the place where most people who are racing this bike are posting. I have a 2013 that I got last fall and have had to the track four times. Everything is good except for one problem that I can't get solved. I am having the clutch slip under WOT mostly in the top two gears. I have replaced the clutch pack with new OEM steels and friction discs. Did not make two sessions before it started slipping again. The old clutch was within spec for disc thickness and it didn't really seem burnt. Scouring the web does not come up with much for others really having an issue with the clutch. I have a number of questions that I'm hoping will get to the bottom of the problem. 1. Is there an good alternative to the OEM clutch? I see where EBC makes a replacement and that they say the springs are heavier than OEM. The bike has such a easy clutch pull it seems that there would be little pressure on the discs. 2. I am running the Motrex 10w/60 Cross Power oil. The previous owner said that's all he ran with no clutch problems but I know that full synth can be a problem sometimes. Are you guys running full or partial synth oil? 3. The OEM clutch is made by Adige. They were OEM in my 2000 Aprilia RSV and that clutch needed have the last friction placed one notch off of all the other frictions in the pack. If you didn't do this the clutch would slip. The KTM manual did not state that you do this but I noticed that it could be done. Is that the case with this clutch? Is there anything else that I could be missing with this? Seems really strange as the previous owner claims he did not have a problem with the clutch.

Any help you guys can give would be great. I am trying to get it fixed at home instead of trying different things at the track to get it right. I don't like losing track time and don't really like to work on the bike there either as it is not the time or place unless you have a mechanic.

I really like the bike and it does rip. Here is a pic of the bike the first day I had it out. Thanks again.
 

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#117 ·
Not wanting to hijack this thread but this seems to be the place where most people who are racing this bike are posting. I have a 2013 that I got last fall and have had to the track four times. Everything is good except for one problem that I can't get solved. I am having the clutch slip under WOT mostly in the top two gears.
If I switch from 5th to 6th while being aggressive with the throttle (over 6k RPM) the engine will rev freely, as if it's in neutral, until I let off the throttle and the RPMs dip. After that I can get back on the throttle and it doesn't happen again. It doesn't feel like clutch slippage and it's only 5th -> 6th for me. Makes passing on the highway a little sketchy because I have to be careful otherwise I lose power to the rear wheel while I let the engine sort itself out.

I don't feel anything unusual from the engine during all this. I wonder if it's the same issue you have.

I kind of doubt the clutches go bad on these bikes, especially since you said yours looked fine.

You can try the stronger shift spring, that seems to improve missed shifts for people, but like I was saying I can't tell if what's going on is really a missed shift or what.
 
#120 ·
Would have to agree with the group as I have not had any clutch slippage issues and have used various fully syn oils. Racers put way more pressure on clutches than track day peeps due to race starts and therefore should have more concerns but it doesn't appear to be a major problem with the 690. Missed shifts a couple of times but have put that down to rider error not the bike. I have found the 690 does require a more positive action on the shift lever than other bikes I have ridden and does'nt tolerate lazy changes. After 28 races I'm feeling that the clutch is just right as my starts are the best they ever have been.
 
#121 ·
Well, it is strange as I cannot get the bike to stop reving freely in the top two gears. I actually had the previous clutch slip in all the gears and imagine that the new one will probably do it soon. I was thinking of trying a combination of things. Getting the EBC clutch pack and trying a semi synth oil. However, the more I read the more uncomfortable I get going away from the recommendation of KTM for the oil. Just seems really strange that hardly anyone is having this problem even when they are being run hard. Is there anything else I could be overlooking? Thanks All.
 
#122 ·
Clutch hydraulics? Maybe the slave is hanging up? I remember a thread a while back where some were having
some trouble. The old clutch fluid was coming out very dark as well. I bled mine at the time, using the recommended mineral
oil and haven't had a problem.

I use Shell Advance 15W50 full syn oil. It's natural gas based and is working well, actually quieter than the Motorex. No slippage yet. I do change it often as I'm always leery of sheering.

Did have the missed shifts on occasion, but it got better after the heavier spring mod. It's probly more pilot error now, when it does happen.
As Jordo said, you have to be deliberate with those changes, especially upshifts.

And Jordo, PM me on your tricks on holeshots. You seem to be dialed in and I need help as I suck.
 
#123 ·
Well, it is strange as I cannot get the bike to stop reving freely in the top two gears. I actually had the previous clutch slip in all the gears and imagine that the new one will probably do it soon. I was thinking of trying a combination of things. Getting the EBC clutch pack and trying a semi synth oil. However, the more I read the more uncomfortable I get going away from the recommendation of KTM for the oil. Just seems really strange that hardly anyone is having this problem even when they are being run hard. Is there anything else I could be overlooking? Thanks All.
 
#127 ·
Good call on the crash bars Joe, mine worked a treat on my off as I was able to get straight back on and continue. As we know racing is about consistency and points and one DNF can stuff a whole year up.
 
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