The KTM 990 Super Duke RR has
multiple carbon fiber parts including: front spoiler, front fender, tank
spoilers, side covers, engine sprocket cover, boot protectors on foot pegs,
chain protector, rear splash protector, protectors for ignition and clutch
cover, airbox side covers.
The RR also uses a performance Akrapovic Slip on silencer and adapted EFI
Mapping.
Carbon fiber is a composite
material most often found in race cars and expensive supercars although like
all advanced technology it is finding its way into more and more vehicles.
Despite it's expense and high-tech uses carbon fibre is relatively easy to
work with.
The expense of carbon fibre is offset by it's amazing strength and extreme
lightweight properties. It is also extremely stiff and body stiffness plays
an important part in contributing to good handling, especially at high
speeds.
Some production supercars use a carbon fibre monocoque, a construction
technique that uses the external skin to provide support rather than the
conventional internal frame. Other times the carbon fibre is used in the
bodypanels or in areas where extreme stiffness and lightweight is
beneficial.
Carbon fibre is sometimes used in conjunction with fiberglass because of
their similar manufacturing processes, an example of this would be the
Corvette ZO6 where the front end is carbon fibre and the rear is fibreglass.
Carbon fiber is however, far stronger and lighter than fiberglass.
Carbon fibre can be found in a wide range of performance vehicles including
sports cars, superbikes, pedal bikes (where they are used to make frames),
powerboats and it is often used in the tuning and customising industry where
attractive woven panels are left unpainted to 'show off' the material.
Review
I think I'm going to give up – for two days now I've
been trying to categorize the KTM Super Duke, but I can't. I've been trying to
decide whether it is a normal naked bike with a touch of Super Moto, or if it's
a Super Moto with a whopping engine. But let's not focus on my dilemma too much
and track back how this story all started.
The morning was misty in the hills... No scratch that. It was an early morning,
but it was at the very unromantic NEC and the event was the bike show. As usual
KTM has got a huge stand and the “orangeness” is overwhelming. Amongst their
barking mad off-roaders there's something even more barking mad than usual; the
KTM 990 Super Duke. This bike has stolen the KTM 950 Adventure's V-twin engine,
bored it out and put fuel injection on it. Then the bike grew a chassis that is
meant for the road. And now it dribbling and drooling and after blood.
At the show I had a quick poke at the bike, took some nice snaps of it and
headed off; I knew that riding that bike would be a very difficult dream to
fulfill as I can't remember the last time we had a KTM for a test ride. On the
other hand, I have experienced KTM's generosity in the form of a very nice
session at Mallory Park. I had the pleasure of riding the KTM 625 SMC Super Moto
around the track. This bike left a very distinct impression. It felt very exact,
very robust. I pointed in a direction and it complied immediately. It also felt
a bit large, in other words not as much as a motocross bike, but a bit more
mature than that. My only real complaint was, as with all Super Motos so far,
the lack of top end power. My mechanical sympathy squirms a bit when going down
the straight at full smiles. The single cylinder engine just can't muster enough
power on a normal track or even the roads.
Function triumphs over form as KTM adopt the less is more approach to
styling...This is where Nick steps into the picture. This Nick fella is a bit of
character, you see his hobby seems to revolve around four distinct points; buy a
bike, ride the bike, personalise the bike, sell the bike. Thanks to this
pattern, Nick has owned over a hundred bikes (yes, one-zero-zero), the bike he
owned the longest was about 18 months. So when I heard that one of the bikes in
Nick's garage was the KTM Super Duke I immediately felt sorry for him and I
turned into some form of Mr Hyde as I started pestering him for a test ride. I
never thought he'd actually budge, but I kept on “asking politely” at every
chance I got. After several months he started to soften up and I placed another
killing question: “Nick, does this mean I can take the Super Duke out for a
spin..?”. I never expected the answer: “Sure”. Said and done!
We meet up and I'm greeted by the mean orange looks of the Super Duke. This bike
looks like it means business. When I look at it I can't stop thinking that this
bike consists of no more than engine, frame and front brakes. The rest is just
"stuff that has to be there" As little as possible; but still looking very good.
I take a good while to admire the details. Unlike some bikes, especially italian
ones, the KTM lacks that "extra prettiness" in its parts. The KTM is sculpted
more like a race bike. Things have a mechanical purpose rather than an aesthetic
one, and that's something that speaks a lot to me. I'm very much for "Form
follows function" and the Super Duke is exactly that. The only thing that really
bugs me is the design of the tail end. Or should I rather say the aftermath of
the legal requirements of the tail. You know, all that stuff that doesn't
enhance performance at all, such as lights, indicators and a number plate. But I
guess they have to be there. Luckily I won't be looking at them when riding the
bike.
Eyeballing the whole, it strikes me that the engine is mounted very low in the
frame and that the front wheel has brakes that wouldn't be out of place on a
bike with 50kg more weight and 50bhp more power. I'm now itching to ride it.
View from the bridge. It's minimal, captain!Fire the engine up and you're
greeted with precise vibrations. Not sloppy ones you might find "characteristic"
on certain American produced cast-iron products, but exact and mechanical V-Twin
vibrations. I sense that the engineers have put minimal effort into silencing
the nature of the engine. This one is built with a purpose, and it ain't
"feeling". At this point I'm expecting a race engine, but to my surprise the
engine settles into a calm idle and when I play with the throttle it picks up
with an eager kind of "can we get going already..?!" Not as barking mad as I
thought. Climb aboard and the bike just disappears from underneath you, crikey
this one is small. Even the clocks almost disappear from your view. Pulling away
in first gear the bike behaves like most well mannered bike. No jerkiness, no
hiccups, just straight forward easy to control power. The gearbox is what I
expected; precise and exact but no match to Japanese perfection.
I increase the speed and the revs, and again to my surprise the engine behaves
in a very different manner; I was expecting a moody-race-like V-Twin. Instead
I'm served with an engine which doesn't really accept the mechanical fact of
only having two cylinders. The engine delivers linear power and revs happily.
Very nice. The vibrations are there at all times, they tell me exactly what the
engine is doing, but not in a way that takes my focus way from the road. More
the opposite; The suspension provides information about the road, and the
vibrations about what the engine is up to.
Another thing that I immediately feel is a total Deja Vu from the bike I rode at
Mallory Park. The way the chassis behaves is exactly the same. I could tell in
an instant that these two bikes came from the same shop. It feels very rigid,
quite substantial, but very agile at the same time. The suspension seems very
compliant and gives ample feedback. I quickly realize that I won't have a
faintest chance to test this bike to its limits on the road. I'd need a proper
track and several hours to get close to the limit. But back to the roads; The
Super Duke tackles roundabouts with ease and we both dream about provoking the
rear wheel into a slide, but it's not my bike so we play nice. Overtaking is a
breeze with the big engine, as are speeds in well excess of a ton. Pull away
from stand still with a bit of eager-throttle the bike calmly lifts the front
wheel up. There's power if you want it. This engine really is a peach and it
suits this bike to a tee.
It's certainly got something. And it's very, very orange...Having ridden many
bikes with Brembo brakes before, it's no surprise to me that these brakes are up
there with the best brakes I've ever felt on a standard bike. There's something
special with the Brembos; Just put your fingers on the brake lever and the
brakes immediately tells you "Don't worry - I'm here, we'll slow down. I
promise". They inspire so much confidence that it's a true pleasure to use them.
I bet this might be one of the easiest bikes to do stoppies on.
Sadly my ride ends too quickly and I'm left pondering what exactly I've been
riding. In some situations the Super Duke feels like a "normal bike" that has
been stripped off its excess, such as fairings. On the other hand the Super Duke
feels very similar to the "smaller" KTM Super Motos. I've been trying to figure
this out for a few days now, and I think I'll give up. The fact remains: This is
a fantastic bike to ride. It handles well, you can take liberties you wouldn't
take on a fully faired sports bike. It's got plenty of power to keep up with
your friends on sports bikes. The brakes are fantastic and the whole bike just
begs to be ridden enthusiastically. Sure I could complain about the vibrations
on long journeys and the lack of luggage and pillion space - but if I did that,
I would have completely forgotten what this bike is all about. You don't buy
this bike to riding across Europe, or chauffeur you girlfriend around. No, no,
you buy this bike go out there hunting for Super Bike prey on your favourite
twisty roads. And trust me, catching them won't be difficult. Considering this
it doesn't really matter what category the bike fits in.
A huge thanks to Nick for letting me ride his bike. In fact, his bike is for
sale at Hughenden M40. Why's he selling you ask? The reason he gave "I need to
clear some space in the garage". Here's your chance own a wonderfully different
bike.