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March of Progress

April 21, 2015 by Team Bike India Leave a Comment

Despite its track-ready look the SMC R makes a usable roadster, and it even coped tolerably well with a short stretch of motorway, shortly after leaving the Barcelona launch base. It cruised quite smoothly at 120 km/h, and rumbled up to about 180 km/h, feeling faster due to some vibes coming through the wide, one-piece Renthal handlebar, and to my inability to hide behind the tiny headlamp surround.

KTM_690SMCR_22 web

The SMC R stayed impeccably stable at speed despite the forces being fed through the chassis, even through fast motorway curves. But, inevitably, it was more at home on slower roads — and especially after we’d turned off at a nearby kart-track. This was a typically tight, tyre-lined circuit where even the KTM spent almost all the time in its first two gears, and where its flickability and lightness were major assets.

KTM_690SMCR_44 web

Few bikes would have kept up with the light and ultra-manoeuvrable KTM on a track this tight. Its WP suspension is excellent and fully adjustable, the forks via neat, hand-tweakable damping knobs on their tops. The single was fun to thrash around the twisty track although its long-travel suspension gave a slightly vague feel on the tarmac surface, and I couldn’t make up my mind whether to try a leg-out supermoto style or ride it like a road-racer.

Stopping power was fierce thanks to the lightweight KTM’s big 320-mm disc and Brembo radial calliper, with an ABS system that worked well even on the track. For normal riding the system incorporates an anti-stoppie function, but the launch bikes were fitted with KTM’s under-seat dongle that disables the rear ABS, allowing skids of the ContiAttack SM radial into turns. Well, it does in theory, though in half-an-hour I didn’t get close to mastering that technique either…

690 SMC R Action 3 web

Still, the SMC R was fun for a few laps and some wheelies. It’s not practical, except by the standard of other supermoto bikes, and it’s not cheap either. It’s a specialised bike that won’t make much sense for many riders. But the KTM is a classy piece of kit that works better the harder it’s ridden. And for road-going thrills at speeds that probably won’t get you locked up, it’s very hard to beat.

bikeonline@nextgenpublishing.net'

Team Bike India – who has written 897 posts on Bike India.


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Filed Under: First Ride, Review Tagged With: 2015, 690, adventure, bike, duke r, enduro, India, KTM, latest, new, off-road, Orange, review, SMC

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Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

Pulsar NS400Z – CHALA APNI

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