Well, after a year and a half without owning a bike for the pavement, I've finally re-entered the fray.
What bike motivates a retired roadracer turned motocross junkie to part with some hard earned money you ask???
Look no further than KTMs newest model... The 690SMC
It only took a ten mile test ride to convince me that this is the bike I'd pull out of the garage to ride everyday. It's LIGHT at 305 lbs, and it carries that weight lower than most any other tall dualsport thanks to the underseat tank that doubles as the rear subframe.
The motor is a suprise. It's quite revvy. Docile below 5K, then a stump pulling KTM race motor above that mark. It's a big single, so it has vibes, but there are a few really smooth zones. 5K being one of them. This makes highway work quite doable.
The chasis is interesting as well. It's got almost 11 inches of travel, but it's actually quite firmly sprung and damped. I'm actually gonna soften off the stock settings. It has plenty of trail, making it the most stable motard I've ridden, but it turns so well it felt like cheating on Rt. 116 today.
The radial mount brake up front are potent. Overkill even. And the slipper clutch is nice to have, although if it kicked in, I didn't feel it. There's still a fair bit of engine braking on high rev downshifts.
Anyway, I'm stoked!!!
