8 amcn.com.au
IT HAPPENED SINCE LAST I
KTM’S 690 LC 4 single-
cylinder engine has been
one of thefirm’s cornerstone
components for years but for
the 2018 range it looks like it’s
going to be limited to just one
model, the 690 Duke. These
spy shots show it’s not on its
way out, though – instead the
latest version of the engine
is spreading to revitalised
supermoto and enduro
versionsinto 2019.
Back in 2016,the 690
Duke gained a massively
redesigned version of the
engine to help it comply with
the latest European emissions
limits. Its borestretchedfrom
102m m to 105m m w h i le thestroke shrank from 84.5mm to
8 0mm. Its capacity remained
the same, but as well as the
new piston and crankshaft
there was a new cylinder
head. An extra balancer shaft,
unconventionally positioned
inside the head, helps make it
uncannily smooth for a single.
On the Duke, the changes
gave a seven per cent power
boost to 54kW, and a six
per cent torque increase to
74Nm. Numbers particularly
impressive for a single.
While this spy shot, which
show the revamped 690 SMC
supermoto (and there were
images we spotted of the 690
Enduro, too) that will bothdebut in KTM’s 2019 range,
doesn’t give us much technical
detail, it’s virtually certain
that they’re using the Duke’s
Euro 4-spec engine, with all
the benefits that carries.
Engine aside, the bikes
appear to be using much the
same frames as the old 690
SMC and Enduro models,
which have disappeared from
the line-up this year. With the
usual KTM steel trellis design,
they’re proven to be light and
rigid, so there’s little reason to
alter them.
As on the old models, the
plastic fuel tank doubles as
the subframe, saving even
more weight and eliminatingthe need for separate,
cosmetic bodywork. The
2019 machine’s tank is clearly
reshaped, though, giving
a new look and potentially
increasing fuel capacity.
Similarly, there’s new front
bodywork including reshaped
radiator shrouds and a new,
6 90 Duke-style headlight unit.
The SMC supermoto version
of course gets road-going
wheels and tyres, 17-inches at
both ends.
The WP suspension,
Brembo radial brake caliper
and the wheels themselves
all look unchanged from the
outgoing model.
BEN PURVISKTM busted with 690cc 2019 arsenal for the road and dirt!
MADDO MADNESS KTM 390 DUKE
Editor Dobie has some big days
on KTM’s little single-cylinderCelebrating the successful (and painful) career of
Australian freestyle pioneer Robbie MaddisonALSO IN THIS ISSUE LIVING WITH→→
2019 KTM 690 SMC
and Enduro spied
What
about the
enduro?
The Enduro, in contrast, has
a 21-inch front and 18-inch
rear wheel, again carried
over from the old model.
The bikes are just two of
a bewildering number of
upcoming KTMs that have
been spied testing in recent
months, ranging from
additional models using the
new 790 RC8c twin to an all-
electric version of the Duke.
If you can’t wait for 2019
to get on a new supermoto
or enduro, you’re in luck.
Sister firm Husqvarna
already offers the 701
Enduro and 701 Supermoto
models, using exactly the
same engines, frames,
suspension and brakes.KTM’s development
team are some of the
busiest testriders in
the business