And the fools they cried, "We want power. Great power, over people."
But the wise, more importantly, asked of power from a different source. A device that could invoke feelings like no other. A mechanical device, designed by the hands and minds of humans... an engine. An engine that could deliver oodles of power from low revs, and induce wheelies at the slightest provocation. And the diligent were patient, and they duly received.
Four-stroke singles. Word.
Unheard horsepower from a mid-sized single is a great feat. For years they were dull, docile, heavy lumps that were dependable but, essentially, boring. Then they got quick, lightweight, scared the shit out of us, but were slightly unreliable. Because great power comes at great expense...
In time though, we got it all. Including 10,000km service intervals from a single cylinder midsize, pushing out around 66BHP. Stone the crows cobber, I think we're onto something.
The 690 SMC-R.
With great power comes great responsibility.
That responsibility comes by way of a super stiff, steel trellis frame, just like the rest of the KTM road range, and is absolutely overkillingly superb. A WP mono-shock, in this case with aftermarket dog-bones, keeps the rear end in check. Fully adjustable, it has rebound adjustment, and also comes with high and low speed compression damping too.
The front has 48mm WP forks to keep the front planted on the floor, depending on throttle application. Compression on one, rebound on the other. Easy to adjust, job's a fish.
Rosso Corsa's help keep everything in line. Having said that, isn't everything supposed to get slightly out of shape when riding a supermoto?
Although very light at around 140kg, it feels a bit lazy turning. Probably from the lowered seat height/aftermarket dog-bones. A few times I ran wide, and a little more effort was required. Easy enough to sort with a few adjustments and a day's worth of scratching.
There's a slipper clutch thrown in for good measure too; I just need a bit of time to have a play. And then I won't get the benefit anyway... 😉
Brembo's, ABS, Rosso's... it's all happening here. Quality gear, what could possibly go wrong? I keep saying it, but we're spoilt.
The seat, as ever, slides in and sits on top of the petrol tank. Oh, hang on...
Nice dash, and the different coloured adjusters for suspension adjustment — compression on left, rebound on right.
Brake fluids are completely black. Two-year-old bike, but they always seem to get neglected. That's the rear master cylinder reservoir sat up amongst the frame tubes.
The reservoir cap on the Brembo master cylinder is plastic. Seems a shame that they cut corners here. The 990 Superduke Brembo cap is also plastic, odd from a company that supplies some of the best brakes in the world.
A [screw-on] plastic cap works well, always has on Japanese bikes, but not so much when it's tightened down with screws. If they're tightened down too much, they always warp out of shape and leaks start.
And there's the Megura clutch master cylinder, which takes a light hydraulic oil.
Finally, the fuel tank is actually part of the rear fender etc. Strange, quirky, and pretty damn cool.
But don't whack on a wider tyre or you might rub through it.
How's it ride?
A few rides on this has me wanting another supermoto, and not just because it's going to stunt so well. Without much effort or speed, you can carve up the sportsbikes on the tight stuff, and have more fun doing it. As ever, they will make ground on straights, you'll just pull it back going into bends.
It takes a while to get used to the long-travel suspension again, but sticking faith in the tyres is where it counts. And once you're there, everything makes sense.
One thing about enduro suspension is its ability to make shitty road surfaces feel like runway. It might get out of shape, but let your arse grip the seat tightly and we're all gonna be just fine. 😛
But... 66BHP from the lightest of bikes is obviously going to be good fun. It sounds bloody fantastic every time you crack open the throttle. But then you find yourself just doing it for laughs. Like a Harley rider does because they're not going fast enough. (Oof, now I'm gonna get shit.)
It's sooo torquey and I really wanted to hammer the thing to death, but it didn't feel right because it was Bridgey's new toy. I'll give it another shot in a few weeks maybe, if he hasn't read this. Anyway, suffice to say, first go on it and it was making short work of someone's Panigale on the twisty bits. And that will very much do for me.
I think I want to go play on the Hypermotard, and someone I know just bought a Pikes Peak Multistrada...
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