Mojave
New Member
Not Really! But I did take a ride on a 2013 Duke 690 today. There are similarities but overall they are very different bikes with, it seems to me, different purposes. I'm kind of looking - it's no secret I'm not convinced about the NCX I bought about a month ago - I've been in the mode that it's an intermediate or temporary bike. The main reason for this is the engine character which is just too slow and low powered. The truth is for 90 percent of my riding it's just fine, but that other 10 percent is important too. A bike I've considered for a long time is the Duke 690. The 2013 iteration at $8,999 seemed worth looking into. Reviews are a little inconsistent but for the most part positive. I had an opportunity to stop in at Ramona (CA) KTM today and wow, they had three of three of them on the floor, and one was a demo and another was a 2013 precurrent discounted to $7,999! So, let the review begin.
Appearance. I LOVE the way the Duke looks. It just oozes quality and the design is elemental motorcycle. I could buy it on looks alone. The NCX doesn't really compare in looks - I like the NCX style well enough but it doesn't evoke a response from me like the Duke.
Ergos. The Duke is tiny. I'm 5'9" and it feels a little cramped. Otherwise it seems comfy enough just sitting on it - I could get used to it. The NCX clearly wins here.
Engine performance. Well, with 20 more HP and 120 pounds less weight there is no contest here - the Duke plain rips. I was taking it easy and the front kept coming up. I like that. What I didn't like as much was the raw character of the engine. There is quite a bit of vibration and it just seemed unrefined. It's a drive by wire throttle and it had an annoying lag in the response that effectively made the engine "snatchy". I could get used to this, and maybe even come to love it, like I did with a completely unruly Ducati S4R I had for a while.
On the road. In town up to 50mph or so it's a hoot. You are very connected on this tiny powerhouse and I don't know of another bike outside of a pure supermoto that compares. At 50-65 it's pretty good but as you go faster you start getting distracted by the wind blast. I took it up to 75 and held it for about 30 seconds, that was the moment I knew I wasn't going to buy a Duke 690. Along with the windblast peeling me back there was simply too much engine vibration - I realized I'd not be happy on long rides. It's just not what I consider a versatile motorcycle able to do light touring along with canyon strafing.
So, there's my evaluation. The Duke could take care of the 10 percent the NCX doesn't cover, but it can't do a lot of the what the NCX does well. I'm looking for a single do it almost all bike, not a bunch of specialized bikes. The ride did make me appreciate the NCX more - the light handling, smooth engine, comfy ergos.
Later on I stopped in at Moto Forza, and there Balz spent some time trying to convince me a $27,000 OTD Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pike was the bike for me. I probably should not ever test ride one of those.
Appearance. I LOVE the way the Duke looks. It just oozes quality and the design is elemental motorcycle. I could buy it on looks alone. The NCX doesn't really compare in looks - I like the NCX style well enough but it doesn't evoke a response from me like the Duke.
Ergos. The Duke is tiny. I'm 5'9" and it feels a little cramped. Otherwise it seems comfy enough just sitting on it - I could get used to it. The NCX clearly wins here.
Engine performance. Well, with 20 more HP and 120 pounds less weight there is no contest here - the Duke plain rips. I was taking it easy and the front kept coming up. I like that. What I didn't like as much was the raw character of the engine. There is quite a bit of vibration and it just seemed unrefined. It's a drive by wire throttle and it had an annoying lag in the response that effectively made the engine "snatchy". I could get used to this, and maybe even come to love it, like I did with a completely unruly Ducati S4R I had for a while.
On the road. In town up to 50mph or so it's a hoot. You are very connected on this tiny powerhouse and I don't know of another bike outside of a pure supermoto that compares. At 50-65 it's pretty good but as you go faster you start getting distracted by the wind blast. I took it up to 75 and held it for about 30 seconds, that was the moment I knew I wasn't going to buy a Duke 690. Along with the windblast peeling me back there was simply too much engine vibration - I realized I'd not be happy on long rides. It's just not what I consider a versatile motorcycle able to do light touring along with canyon strafing.
So, there's my evaluation. The Duke could take care of the 10 percent the NCX doesn't cover, but it can't do a lot of the what the NCX does well. I'm looking for a single do it almost all bike, not a bunch of specialized bikes. The ride did make me appreciate the NCX more - the light handling, smooth engine, comfy ergos.
Later on I stopped in at Moto Forza, and there Balz spent some time trying to convince me a $27,000 OTD Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pike was the bike for me. I probably should not ever test ride one of those.
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