Long Beach Motorcycle Show: KTM hits the road
KTM used the annual Long Beach gathering known as the Progressive International Motorcycle Show to showcase two powerful new arguments for getting off the dirt and onto the street: a return of its popular 690 Duke, and an upgrade of its even more popular Adventure.
First the Duke: This bike had sold well for KTM until a few years ago, when it stopped generating excitement. KTM withdrew it, and now brings it back for 2013, with adornments. The new model sits lower and has more horsepower -- under 33 inches, over 70 horsepower. It also comes fitted with a slipper clutch, uses the ride-by-wire system for better fuel mileage, and a beefy Brembo braking system. It comes in black and white, with plenty of KTM orange highlights on both.
The Duke was always KTM’s relatively inexpensive, entry-level bike -- its Monster, if you like. With newer emphasis on street bikes, KTM needed a new version to start putting new riders on its bikes.
Word around Long Beach was that a 390 Duke might be on the way soon, too, making it easier still for the company to turn wannabes into owners.
PHOTO GALLERY: KTM Duke and Adventura Baja
The Adventure Baja is a variation on the successful 990 Adventure. The south-of-the-border version features an orange powder-coated frame and orange crash guards. In addition, it comes standard with a tank bag and rear luggage bag. KTM expects you to take this dual sport bike off the road, on the road, and back again, and stay away a while.
The Baja sits tall, boasts a sharper look, features grabby-looking knobbie tires from Dunlop, and is, in the words of a KTM rep, “the most off-road street bike we offer.” With the new appointments, it looks ready for anything from Sahara to Iditarod.
Like many of the models Honda is offering this year -- an indicator of how seriously manufacturers have taken the downturn in motorcycle sales, and how serious they are about reversing it -- KTM is offering the upgraded Adventure Baja, with all the extras, at the same cost as last year’s Adventure.
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