Ktm Duke
KTM DUKE
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
Biking's bad boy gets electrocuted
PROJECT SUPER DUKE IS A MARVEL of motorcycling madness, a factory supermotard racer for the road. But despite the bike’s superb brakes, hotted-up engine and sophisticated suspension, one important pavementgoing feature is missing: electric start.
Not to worry, Duke devotees. For 1996, electric start heads a string of cosmetic and mechanical modifications. (Purists take note: The left-side kickstarter remains.) Located directly behind the cylinder, the gear-driven starter is accompanied by a revised right-side engine case that conceals an oil-bath digital ignition. A Mikuni oil pump and petcock, plus a cushion-damped clutch that minimizes chain stretch and gear wear, are among the other changes.
The stainless-steel 2-into-l exhaust is now manufactured in-house. Crankcase breather baffling is improved for better lubrication during sustained highrpm running. Gone is the faux carbonfiber treatment on the dirt-issue radiator shrouds and sidepanels, replaced with black and metallic mustard-yellow paint. Missing are the semi-knobbed Pirelli MT60 radiais. In their place are street-compound Michelin TX15 and TX25 Hi-Sport radiais in 120/70 and 150/60 sizes-there is no want for traction here.
The chrome-moly steel frame pirated from the dual-purpose R/XC model is unchanged, but the inverted WP fork and remote-reservoir shock have .8inch less travel in an effort to reduce seat height. Along the same lines, saddle foam is softer and there is less of it. Now, even shorter riders can flat-foot the Duke at stoplights. This is good news, as last year’s bike required a tiptoe balancing act when reaching for reserve or probing for the kickstarter after a stoplight flame-out. Better yet, the lowered version is positively glued to the pavement without any discernible loss in cornering clearance.
Minor problems persist, such as an erratic rev counter and wonky spacing between first and second gears. The liquid-cooled, sohc, 609cc Single continues to impress, however, particularly when revs zing past 4000 rpm (redline is 8500 rpm). Startup is immediate. Most mornings, there is no need to even fiddle with the 38mm Qwik Silver’s carb-mounted fuel enrichener (Euro 40mm Dukes use Dell’Ortos with a handlebar-mounted choke lever, which is retained but functionless). Only the occasional partial-throttle hiccup hampers the current system. This soul-stirring performance, allied with crisp handling and brick-wall stopping power, makes for a dynamite backroad blaster.
According to marketing and productdevelopment head Scot Harden, KTM will produce 1400 Dukes this year. Of that sum, U.S. dealers will receive 100-and don’t complain, that’s 20 percent more than last year. What kind of person buys a Duke? Even KTM is not entirely sure. “It’s such a unique bike that it doesn’t suit a particular category,” says Harden. Regardless, niche¿/«specific streetbikes such as the Duke will probably play an important role in the company’s future. How big a part? “We don’t know,” Harden enthuses. “But one thing’s for sure: We’re not copying anyone."
Matthew Miles
