Long-Term Update

Long-Term Update

KTM

450 EXC

No off-road poser

JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT DUALsporting was dead, especially here in California, where only a few models were still "plateable" without jumping through serious DMV hoops, a glimmer of hope has appeared. It's about time, too. Over the past decade, most manufacturers had given the segment little attention. There were few new machines to go along with a handful of aging dinosaurs hanging on for dear life.

When KTM released what was essentially its 2006 Ten Best-winning 450 EXC enduro machine in 50-state road-legal form this year, we immediately added one to our long-term fleet. Our June road test confirmed that the liquid-cooled Thumper was a perfect candidate for extended testing, as it has a few deficiencies that need attention.

Last year, the off-road-only model came with 14/50 (3.57:1) final gearing, but the street-legal ’07 version has a taller 15/45 (3.0:1) ratio. We split the difference with a 14-tooth countershaft sprocket ($23) from KTM’s PowerParts catalog, 14/45 (3.21:1) being a good compromise. We then addressed the paltry fuel range by replacing the stock 2.1-gallon gas tank with a 3.1-gallon unit from IMS Products ($225). KTM handguards ($38) and a fresh rear Dunlop D952 ($50) rounded out our initial upgrades.

Now we plan to pound out the miles to see if the EXC lives up to its billing as the ultimate dual-sport fantasy.

$7999

KTM

990 Super Duke

Orange Crush

EVERY SO OFTEN A NEW MOTORcycle arrives at the CW editorial offices and leaves us with sweaty palms, hooked and jonesin' for more. That is certainly the case with the newfor-2007 KTM 990 Super Duke; the usual month or two of testing just wasn't enough. Staffers found the orange roadster a ton of fun and highly addictive. So much so, we're ready to beg, borrow or steal to avoid a cold-turkey withdrawl from our daily dose of Duke!

Turns out, such extreme measures weren’t necessary. This being the Austrian bike-maker’s first pure streetbike, little pleading was needed to persuade Editor Edwards that readers deserve a long-term look at the big Twin’s reliability and versatility. KTM’s Hard Equipment catalog turned up a fair number of tasty bolt-on bits that we might be tempted to order. We passed, however, on the carbon-fiber, billet bling and race-oriented suspension components. Rather, we are more drawn toward comfort-related items such as the gel seat, taller touringoriented windscreen and handlebar riser kit. Those practical parts, along with a road-trip-friendly tankbag, also from KTM, could be just the recipe for longdistance fun. Check back with us in a few months, at which point we will have had time to learn where we’re at and where we’ve been.

$13,998

Yamaha

FJR1300AE

Oops! Again...

W E ARE NOTHING IF NOT SYMMET rica! here at CW. In our last re port, we had repaired minor body damage to the right side of our FJR1300AE, result of a simple tip-over. Well, a couple weeks ago, we scuffed up the left side, too!

Blame goes to our new online production guy, Chris Worden, who after a late night behind the computer screen wasn’t as sharp as he should have been. Contributing factor was the bike’s auto clutch, which goes into freewheel mode at 1300 rpm. That caught Chris unawares in a lowspeed turnaround, and when he screwed on the gas to catch the bike from falling in, polished pavement and an unfortunately placed Botts dot spun the bike out.

Back to our friendly local autobody shop, Fix n’ Chips, with our previously purchased matching paint (hey, we come prepared! ) for another $300 fairing touchup. Thankfully, the saddlebags weren’t attached at the time of the crash. We'll just live with the slightly scraped muffler, forgoing the $456 replacement. We

did require another $125 mirror, and this time we got the engine cover, a $100 hit.

Chris also managed to crack the windscreen, but that gave us a chance to install the National Cycle VStream ($180) we’d already ordered. A little bigger than stock, its Coke-bottle shape bows out at the top to push turbulence away from the rider. So far, it gets a big thumbs-up. Here’s hoping we won’t be needing a

replacement... □

$15,299