KTM 690 DUKE R (2016-Present) Specs, Performance & Photos

The KTM 690 Duke was a naked motorcycle manufactured by KTM from 2012 to 2018, part of the latest generation in KTM's range that started in 1994 with the KTM Duke 620 or Duke I.

In 2016, the Austrian motorcycle maker released the KTM 690 Duke R, a motorcycle with special colors, like an orange-finished trellis frame instead of black. Also, the bike was unavailable for the American market due to its $2,100 cost increase, making it hard to sell.

The motorcycle was built around a powder-coated Chromium-Molybdenum steel trellis frame coupled to a 43 mm inverted WP telescopic fork on the front and a WP shock absorber with a Pro-Lever linkage shock absorber on the rear.

Braking-wise, the bike packed a single brake disc on the front with a Brembo monoblock four-piston caliper and a single brake disc on the rear with a floating single-piston caliper, offering excellent stopping power.

As for the power figures, the 2016 KTM 690 Duke R had its soul brought to life by a 690cc four-stroke single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine managed by a fuel injection system, delivering 75 hp with maximum strength at 8,000 rpm and 54 Nm (40 lb-ft) torque at 6,500 rpm.

The power produced by the engine was handled by a six-speed gearbox managed by a wet multi-plate slipper clutch and sent to the rear end via a final chain drive.