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| Source: KTM.com |
Before we begin the review of KTM 690 SMC R, you need to know about supermoto. Yeah, if it is not the familiar name you hear when you talk about racing, then read on to know more.
What's supermoto
For those who are wondering about the model and guessing that it is just an off-road stunt bike; well you are in for a surprise.
It is not just an off-road bike, I mean not just an off-road but on the road too. In fact, it is a racing bike. The race is called Supermoto. Sounds familiar to MotoGP right! Yeah, it is kind of that race but with more fun.
Supermoto is a king of motorcycle racing on race tracks that are a combination of 3 kinds of tracks i.e, the hard-packed dirt of flat track, the irregular jumps and hindrances of motocross, and the paved tarmac of road racing.
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| Source: ktm.com |
The racing was originally started by Gavin Trippe in 1979 as
a segment of the TV show Wide World of Sports. It was something like an
all-star game, in which the best riders from the 3 separate genres of
motorcycle racing could temporarily forget their normal race type and compete
in this new racing developed by Gavin. By winning this race they become the
best of all tracks, interesting, isn't it?!
Years went by and today Supermoto is a special genre of
crossover moto racing.
Motorcycles used are a custom-created combination of
off-road and on-road racing types. It is famously known as 'supermotard'
BIKES.
Racers also wear a combination of the road-race and
offroad safety-equipment, normally road racing leathers and motocross helmets,
boots and protective gears. Unlike normal motorcycle racing, the emphasis lies
on slower speeds—typically less than 100 mph or 160 km/h— on short, technical
tracks.
KTM
KTM, earlier known as the KTM Sportmotorcycle AG has its
origin in Austria where they produced both motorcycles and sports cars owned by
KTM Industries AG & Bajaj Auto.
Since 2012, KTM has been the top two-wheeler manufacturer in
Europe for 4 continuous years. Globally, the company is among the top off-road
motorcycle manufacturers. In 2016, KTM sold 203,423 motor vehicles worldwide.
KTM 690 SMC R
What we are looking at here is the supermoto from Austrian
manufacturer KTM AG. The bike has a single-cylinder engine with a displacement
of 690cm³ capable of producing 49 kW (67 hp). This model was available from
2012 to 2017 and was bestselling in Germany in 2015 and 2016. Although it was
discontinued from 2017, at the end of 2018, they declared the return of
production and will be available to consumers fro 2019. The new model has a
revised single-cylinder engine of 74hp.
Tech & Features
SOFTWARE & ELECTRONICS
Having full control over your supermoto bike, while having
optimum performance has never been made easier by the sophisticated electronics
package that includes cornering ABS, (Motorcycle Traction Control) and a
full range of assistance modes with user-friendly adjustability. Quickshifter+
allows effortless electronically assisted clutch-free gear shifts, whether you
are changing up or down
RIDER AIDS
HARNESS THE POWER
Electronic fuel injection, ride-by-wire & the engine
management system make it possible to offer innovative yet easy-to-use
electronic rider aids. These techs can be selected, deselected and utilized to
put the powerful new-generation LC4 motor to effective use across a much wider
range of streets, surfaces and conditions.
RIDE MODES
There are two ride modes: "Street" mode gives a
sporty throttle response where cornering-sensitive MTC limits wheel slip and
keeps wheelies to a minimum for optimal street-riding performance, while
"Sport" mode provides more aggressive throttle response with reduced
traction control to allow drifts and full control of the slide, aimed at the
track or very sporty street usage.
MTC (MOTORCYCLE TRACTION CONTROL)
The MTC lean-angle sensitive traction control system reacts
instantly when the rear wheel rotation speed becomes disproportionate to the
riding situation. In just milliseconds MTC reduces the engine output with an
extremely sleek, barely perceptible intervention at the throttle valves until
slippage is reduced to optimum proportions for the selected ride mode and
current angle of lean. The traction control can also be switched off.
QUICKSHIFTER +
It uses two sensors, in which one sensor on the shift arm
detects the movement on the shift lever rod when the rider upshifts and the
system cuts the injection instantaneously. As soon as the 2nd sensor detects
the gear engagement it reapplies the injection and opens the butterfly valve,
making sure there is fast and smooth action at all throttle openings and engine
speeds. When you do the downshifting, the system matches the engine speed to
the speed of the lower gear.
CORNERING ABS
KTM’s Cornering ABS mode allows riders to every time use the
full power of the brakes in all conditions while taking the lean angle of the
motorcycle into account. In Supermoto ABS mode, the ABS only acts upon the
front wheel, when cornering-sensitivity is disabled. In extreme scenarios, the
rider can also choose to disable the ABS completely.
SUPERMOTO-ABS
Supermoto ABS allows rear wheel lockup & reduced ABS on
the front wheel for the riders who like to have more control over the
motorcycle while pushing the limit through turns.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE | ||
| Engine | 690cc 1-cylinder, Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke engine | |
| Power | 74 Horsepower | |
| Bore x Stroke | 105 mm x 80 mm | |
| Fuel System | Injection | |
| Starter | Electric | |
| Lubrication | Forced oil lubrication with 2 oil pumps | |
DRIVETRAIN | ||
| Clutch | PASC (TM) slipper clutch, hydraulically actuated | |
| Transmission | 6-Speed | |
CHASSIS | ||
| Suspension Front | 215 mm | |
| Suspension Rear | 240 mm | |
| Brakes Front | Brembo four-piston radial fixed calliper, brake disc | |
| Brakes Rear | Single-piston floating calliper | |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 13.5 L | |
| Colour | White, Orange | |
ELECTRICAL | ||
| Headlight | LED | |
| Tail Light | LED | |
DIMENSIONS | ||
| Seat Height | 890 mm | |
| Curb Weight | 147 kg | |
Looks and design
She looks like an off-road bike which you can use to ride
mountains and dirt roads in the forest. But that’s not the case, it looks like
it’s built for off-roading but it goes anywhere you want. Built for on-road as
well, and not just riding in; for racing.
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| Source: ktm.com |
The frame design is a chrome-moly tubular space frame, powder-coated.
The orange white and black combo gives it a funky look but
not overly done. It looks lightweight, which it is and manageable on any kind
of surface. The exoskeleton look gives it an edgy look and intimidating.
Overall it looks like a fun bike to ride wherever you want.
Performance:
She is made for fun with power, with the biggest and most
powerful single-cylinder bike in the market. Big engine and power normally make
the engine to vibrate harder but here, they have refined it in a way that it
minimises the vibrations to a negligible level. In the pursuit for the
power at the top end has not maid the bike lazy at low rpm, rather the power
delivery is linear and can be left from as low as 2000 rpm in which the bike
has also got different modes to adjust the throttle response for the line by
wire connection given in this bike. Awesome, isn’t it!
The engine is nothing without a good clutch and gearbox, and
she has one of the best, slipper clutch has a torque-assist design which helps
to shift gear up and down with ease, but it might take some time to get used to
it because of the quick power delivery. Gear ratios are small and when
acceleration is hard you would have to shift gears fast as there is not much
gap between the gears with which you might reach its top speed of 199kph and
acceleration from 0-96kph in just 3.2 sec which is very impressive. Chassis of
SMC is similar to the motocross or you can say supermoto bikes, which makes the
bike easy to handle and change direction with ease, with street racing tires.
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| Source: ktm.com |
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| Source: ktm.com |
Riding this bike is so much fun that while going into a corner you can decide whether to go in style while drifting or you want to corner like a Moto GP bike. She is made to go around corners having fun and fast, but she is not just fun in corners but also in a straight line. If you’re not paying attention to your throttle you will do a wheely, if you have experience then she is a bike to ride and is really well-behaved girl. As she has so much power and handles so good she needs a good braking system and she has also got those part covered, with the best disc breaks and abs system from Bosch.
With modes even for traction control and an on-off switch
for ABS, the ABS and traction control system is really good, not much
interference and gives so much confidence even on the uneven roads. Last the
suspension, it is fully adjustable suspension system for both front and back
which I would suggest not to change unless you're on a race track for which the
settings guidance is given under the seat and that suspension configuration is
perfect for the track.
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| Source: ktm.com |
This bike is like that friend with who you do mischief, it's
the same with her while you're riding her keep things well mannered is
difficult on the road because she is so much fun to ride and
controllable.
Only thing is the seats and fuel tank size makes it
difficult to take her for a long trip, if you want you can take her everyone
has different comfortable riding position and with a small single long seat you
can adjust your self easily and suspension can be settled up for more comfort
then sports to take her on to bit off roads as SMC and enduro are technical
same bike just a few parts and design are different. But still depending on the
rider she can behave really well even on the city streets but can be taken on
smooth sand track for fun as she is a supermoto bike. No wonder the other name
of her is the ‘Street Slayer’.
Final verdict
One of the best fun bike you can find on the market, a
really good balance between crazy and precision. Best suited for those who go
on tracks like doing stunts or for short-distance rides, as I said above can be
taken for long distance but riding position comfort and if you're ready to make
frequent stops for refuelling then go for it.
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