KTM 690 SMC R
Looks like a headcase, makes you ride like a headcase... but it’s a proper motorcycle…
IMAGINE A HIGHER power-to-weight ratio than Suzuki’s original wheelie-happy Bandit 1200, in a machine that’s lighter than Kawasaki’s current A2-legal Ninja 400. Give it high-quality suspension, instant response, a power delivery as direct as Frankie Boyle, and design the ergonomics purely for riding stupidly. That’s KTM’S fruity 690 SMC R, is that. This is not a bike for worriers. Give in to how the KTM eggs you to ride and after each frantic outing you’ll be a paranoid mess, worrying about roadside cameras, dashcams and invitations to meet the local magistrate. With insufficient self-restraint I can’t help but ride everywhere like I’m 14 again, blasting around without a care on my Honda C90 field bike (XL185 rear shocks, home-made straight-through pipe, old tights for an air filter). Say supermoto and most people think of a loud, blunt, raceready device for two-wheeled hilarity, but that’s also a hammer drill that will struggle to top 80mph and has ten-minute service intervals. This latest 690 SMC R whacks the stereotype for six. Yes, it delivers all the attitude and silliness – but it’s also refined, civilised and surprisingly high-tech. KTM’S 693cc four-valve single is remarkable, with a staggering 74bhp, 54 lb.ft of punch and a 9000rpm rev limit. To pop this into perspective, Yamaha’s old XT660 – the benchmark single for decades – made about 45bhp, 43 lb.ft and stopped dead at 7000rpm. Spinning-up freely and devouring gears, the KTM turns every B-road into frenzy of hamfisted wheelies and full-throttle lunacy. Fast? The eager single will do 85mph in third gear, with another three ratios to go. There’s a two-way quickshifter for your busy left foot with autoblipped stamped downshifts as you grab the powerful front brake that compress the quality-damped WP fork and steepen the head angle, then smack the wide ’bar to put the 690 on its ear. Sticking out a leg like a sideways supermoto loon is pointless on the B5324, but feels great – the SMC feels just as good with some normal knee-waving too. With the jacked-up off-road stance there’s always far more ground clearance than you’ll use this side of a hot Three Sisters circuit (which is in Wigan, so is never hot anyway). There’s traction control and up-to-date Bosch cornering ABS, although being a supermoto (and one built by those mischievous chaps at KTM) means both can be turned off. There are modes as well, adjusted by a simple button on the basic left-hand switchgear; 1 is road, while 2 is supermoto and promises a perkier throttle response, with electronics that are less concerned with a lifting front wheel or skipping rear. can’t feel much difference, so instead turn off the TC and let the 690 go vertical every time I nail it in first gear. Every junction is an invitation to tap the clutch in second and see how many gears you can fire through before the tyre comes down with a chirp. On deserted back lanes it’s a non-stop barrage of leaping off yumps and ricocheting through corners, the stiff suspension and 250-like 147kg weight ensuring the KTM is as lively and engaging as it gets (though there are handy fork-top adjusters for easy tweaking if required).
I know, I know. Riding like a headcase isn’t big or clever. Thing is, the power delivery of the 690’s whacking single means it feels fit, fun and frivolous at 60mph. The BMW needs to be going twice as fast before it even fully wakes up. And though it looks barking, it doesn’t actually bark – the exhaust has a commuter’s muffled chuff. Civility and meet-the-parents manners continue. The KTM does an easy 60mpg, meaning almost 180 miles from the 13.5litre underseat tank. Despite being the most powerful single ever produced it boasts proper 6000-mile service intervals, and with twin balance shafts (one by the crank, one in the cylinder head) the expected vibes are pretty much non-existent. It’s as smooth as the defining twin-cylinder middleweight, Yamaha’s MT-07 (as well as being faster). Though the long, thin, high seat is no sofa it stays reasonably comfortable for at least a tank of fuel (especially if you’re busy flicking it down a squirming backwater). And although there’s lots of motocross-style plastic and a bit of KTM gaudiness, you see where your £9599 goes in the cast alumium swingarm, neat alloy hand levers with natty adjuster wheels, and stainless steel exhaust. It’s a sensible headcase.
So don’t think of the 690 as just a supermoto. Instead, view it as a middleweight all-rounder, supplying the commanding stance and presence of an adventure bike, the economy of a commuter and the handling of a supersport bike. Well, sort of...
‘Non-stop barrage of wheelies, skids and leaping off yumps’