this is the most useless motorcycle forum i ever joined...are all ktm riders nitwits or just shy...i dont get it..everyone looks but dont answer...so please ban me from the useless forum...just hoping suzuki comes out with a monster one lunger..because most of you guys suck
please ban me
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166 Posts
is your name "Brenden" ?
if not, no one has a beef here! Some are a bit peeved with Husaberg and Beta, but... Brenden will no longer be coming around ! I'm not shy either, I just sold my KTM(wah!) , but it was a victim of the economy! I'm guessing a few folks are being cautious with their riding practices these days.Who could afford to lose their job because they got hurt riding last weekend?Who can afford to ride? Yikes! Where's Brenden?
if not, no one has a beef here! Some are a bit peeved with Husaberg and Beta, but... Brenden will no longer be coming around ! I'm not shy either, I just sold my KTM(wah!) , but it was a victim of the economy! I'm guessing a few folks are being cautious with their riding practices these days.Who could afford to lose their job because they got hurt riding last weekend?Who can afford to ride? Yikes! Where's Brenden?
economy hitting me also with slower work and lower pricing for work..lost my bike in oct this year a 06 VMAX got cut off on the highway...was very lucky slid few hundred feet on my back and walked off highway with nothing broke..wish you well hope things start turning around soon...probably be a long battle.....looking at 690 for the points you made dont want to get hurt eather.... im self employed i get hurt know one pays my bills so i understand where your coming from.......question about highway on 690 is once in a while not to often may need to hit the highway for 100 miles or so ,,can this bike run on the highway around my way traffic travels at 80 mph most of the time....love the bike but its useless to me if it cant run on the highway from time to time.....52 years old i introduced myself never a hello or welcome ...thats ok but lets talk im interested dreaming about the bike ..hope to buy some day if economy turns around
It used to be the rule of thumb was 5/8 of available RPM for extended periods. Don't know what that translates out to in MPH as I have just recently bought my 690 duke and too cold to do any highway work. Just a few miles every week to keep it in good running order. Judging from the amount of foam on the seat, the bike is not intended for long range cruising. More like squirreling around town. I do love mine for it's engineering design and responsiveness.
thanks ed .... not really worried about the comfort hell my *** would get sore on the vmax and i loved that bike...not buying it for long rides never really did long rides.. 50 miles a night half highway half city is my usually coffee ride...looking at the specs it said the top end is 120 125 mph....but when i do ride the highway i dont want a motor that will be straining at 80 90 if i bring it up there for a while.....not sure if the bike is ment for that type of riding..it is one cool looking bike
5/8 of 122 mph is 76 mph so it should't be a problem. Engines have sweet spots that have a physiological effect on the rider that all is well. The designer has to determine where that is and it should be the cruising speed. At least that's my experience. I would think that there are more bikes of Asian origin that are cheaper that would fulfill your requirements for less. I bought mine because I like its looks and design.
thanks for for thoughts ed..good luck with the new bike..once to start getting out more when the weather gets better and you have more info on the motors mph comfort zone...let me know...Sal
09 kawasaki versys for under 7000 looks like a bargan 650 two lunger...close to the same power with more highway speed...60 pounds more...three choice of colors...not as cutting edge as the duke ...but has great write ups when going head to head with other bikes
The ER-6n looks a lot like the Versys but with more torque. The Duke 650 has tasty bits like Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels also hydraulic clutch.
I was lucky to find a dealer demo for $7500. I would have had to think long and hard about $9500. KtM is never going to compete on price with the strong Euro and it's small size. The dollar has slipped to $1.25 but that situation is volatile That lay-down rear suspension look archaic to me. But if you want performance uberalis...
One thing to watch out for is saddle height, just over 34 inches on the Duke while the Kawa's have about 30 inches. With 30 inch legs mounting the bike takes a special approach for me. I stand just behind the bars so my right foot crosses over at a lower part of the seat. The tail of the Duke is really high. No way I could mount in the normal way.
I was lucky to find a dealer demo for $7500. I would have had to think long and hard about $9500. KtM is never going to compete on price with the strong Euro and it's small size. The dollar has slipped to $1.25 but that situation is volatile That lay-down rear suspension look archaic to me. But if you want performance uberalis...
One thing to watch out for is saddle height, just over 34 inches on the Duke while the Kawa's have about 30 inches. With 30 inch legs mounting the bike takes a special approach for me. I stand just behind the bars so my right foot crosses over at a lower part of the seat. The tail of the Duke is really high. No way I could mount in the normal way.
No way a single is going to outperform a twin. Though the Duke has amazing power characteristics for all that. Another one to consider is the Aprilia SXV 5.5. This is in supermoto trim so more comparable to the KTM 690 SMC. It won the Euro Supermoto championship first time out and has been banned by the AMA for use here. I was surprised to find it is imported into the US and at a price comparable to KTM. They have a lot of dealers but I'll be willing to bet you won't find many sitting on a showroom floor! But I still prefer my Duke 690
as a road bike. And 140 topend is academic isn't it?
http://www.apriliausa.com/modelli/offroad/modello.asp?id=111#
edit: checked some forums on the bike...loads of serious problems. Fergitaboutit!
as a road bike. And 140 topend is academic isn't it?
http://www.apriliausa.com/modelli/offroad/modello.asp?id=111#
edit: checked some forums on the bike...loads of serious problems. Fergitaboutit!
like the ktm looks over the aprilla guess it comes down to service and parts and dependability not to many bikes i dont like....140 mph probably is academic in the real world of sane people like yourself ed
... but the 131 mph on the versys tells me its made for long extended highway use where an 75 80 mph clip for a few hours or all day is in the bikes design...ffrom what i read the ktm 690 duke tops out at 100 mph or maybe 110.. sticking more to it roots of a street moto...dont think the versys is a street moto shoud not be compaired at all to ktm ... ktm is king at what its ment for
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166 Posts
seat height
this is an area of concern for alot of folks,including myself. I know Ceet offers a "service" that basically lowers the seat top surface down close to an inch.Contact them ,and ask about sending them your seat for the "StepSeat" modification.I believe there's enough padding to gain(or loose) the height,by the 1" mentioned. Of course,that's if you decide to get a KTM model.Are you considering a SM bike,or a dual sport? I haven't seen them both side by side,but I'd think the SM would be a smidge lower,to start with...or you could go with a XT 225...?
this is an area of concern for alot of folks,including myself. I know Ceet offers a "service" that basically lowers the seat top surface down close to an inch.Contact them ,and ask about sending them your seat for the "StepSeat" modification.I believe there's enough padding to gain(or loose) the height,by the 1" mentioned. Of course,that's if you decide to get a KTM model.Are you considering a SM bike,or a dual sport? I haven't seen them both side by side,but I'd think the SM would be a smidge lower,to start with...or you could go with a XT 225...?
I thought about having the seat trimmed down, but after I took it off and looked at the underneath, I could see that there isn't anything left to trim. It's already down to about an 1" of foam on a plastic frame. The external view of the seat on the bike is misleading as to the depth of foam. Still I don't find it uncomfortable as it is well shaped. It took me a while to work out an way of mounting the bike without a block of wood as a step! Fortunately at 180#s the suspension is compressed enough that while I can't put both feet flat on the ground, I can get enough down to back the bike backward without trouble and I only put one foot down otherwise anyway. I understand the springs can be shortened but that is too much trouble.
I'd go with the Versys if your looking to commute... I love to stick one in my garage.
The duke is a great purpose built bike but not so good for longdistance commuting on the highway. There's no wind protection so highway riding at 80 can ware on you pretty quickly (neck, lower back and forearms...).
I've had mine up to 119. It's really twitchy when you get it up that fast. A damper would help but its mostly because the bars are so wide and respond quickly to input.
It'll have no problem doing 80-90 all day long, not so sure I could ride it more than a couple hours at that speed on the highway though. My 2007-R6 is more comfortable for long distance riding than the duke.
My 2 cents.
The duke is a great purpose built bike but not so good for longdistance commuting on the highway. There's no wind protection so highway riding at 80 can ware on you pretty quickly (neck, lower back and forearms...).
I've had mine up to 119. It's really twitchy when you get it up that fast. A damper would help but its mostly because the bars are so wide and respond quickly to input.
It'll have no problem doing 80-90 all day long, not so sure I could ride it more than a couple hours at that speed on the highway though. My 2007-R6 is more comfortable for long distance riding than the duke.
My 2 cents.
thanks chaun..atleast want a bike that can do 80 90 on highway dont hit the highway for that long but if i do atleast i know the motor can maintain 80 without blowing up lol..versys has a 127 top end and in the mid low 12s so it pretty quick and good top speed....but the duke is just cool looking..id think it should be just as qiick up to 100 mph finally someone gave me a simple answer to a simple question
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48 Posts
so , why don"t the moderators BAN this clown ?
or are there any moderators at all?
if you read all of maybektm's post, you will see he has broken many of the posting rules ALREADY..
so ban this twit..
anyone that is so concerned about the Duke 690 being able to handle hours of highway riding , is obviously not playing with a Full Deck..
it is a Motard, not a Goldwing.... use it as such, or don't buy one !
this is mine,,,, I love it for what it is.....
A lot of FUN on tight twisty roads in the mountains of North Georgia..
anyplace else, it kinda sucks....[and it should]
r
oldsoggyballs..nice looking duke.. like the black myself.... so whats your take..like you said its not built for highway..thats a no brainer....question can the motor handle the highway for a few hours.I hit the highway once in a while and dont run the twisties in the mountains looking for sheep...thats a joke hehehe suuuuuueeeee...chaun pretty much summed it up for me
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48 Posts
**** tard
maybektm,,,, after reading all your various posts, you come across as a 13 yr old pimple face mental midget.
shouldn't you be taking a bath with your mommy?
go on now, run along.......................................................................
maybektm,,,, after reading all your various posts, you come across as a 13 yr old pimple face mental midget.
shouldn't you be taking a bath with your mommy?
go on now, run along.......................................................................
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