My Motorcycles
Bikes I currently own:-
None. :-(
2000 KTM Duke II
640cc single motor, WP suspension, BBS wheels. All top shelf components. It even has a kickstarter!
On delivery, the headlights were reversed in the mounts (a common problem), a screw was missing on one of the switchgear, and there was a very slight leak at the lower oil line. All were fixed with a twist of a tool.
The Duke is a blast. During break-in, the motor loosened up a bit, and now revs freely. The bars are really wide, and the overall position is very un-sportbike like. Stoppies will be no problem (I nearly pulled one on my first ride with two fingers).
Fit and finish is excellent, and the bike appears to be very well engineered. After consultation with the KTMDuke list, it appears that I have one of the newer 2000's, which have thicker seat padding, an adjustable brake lever, and come fitted with Pirelli Dragons instead of Bridgestone BT92s.
I ordered the Duke I centerstand (which fits the II). I have yet to install it.
Modification Update:
For any of you who have heard the Duke running, you know that the stock exhaust sounds something like a moped. For a thumper, it's very anemic.
At the urging of Chris, the owner of Capitol Cycles and recent Duke purchaser, I sent my pipes (along with his) to Sun City Cycles in FL. There, a tuner who has worked extensively on Dukes went to work on my pipes, and returned reconstructed pipes, a new main jet, and a set of tuning instructions.
The pipes were thoroughly reworked. The endcaps were machined to fit around a new 1-1/4" stainless baffle tube and the cans were repacked.
I put the pipes on and performed the rest of the mods in about two hours. Mods were explicitly specified: replace 145 main jet with 165 (which can be done WITHOUT removing the float bowl); raise stock needle by 1 position; and 3/4 more turn out on the idle mix. In addition, rip off the airbox snorkel (which was SEVERELY restricting airflow) and cut out the knockouts on the back of the airbox in front of the battery. In addition, I removed the charcoal evaportive canister to make room in the tail for the toolkit (a la European Dukes).
The difference was night and day. The sound is not much louder, but is much deeper. The bike starts easier (especially in 45 degree temps), pulls harder down low, and doesn't run out of breath near redline. I haven't been on a bike that flattened my eyeballs like this since the 900RR. And it still looks bone stock!
All of this cost about half of what new pipes and jets would have cost (since you have to get them from Europe).
More mods: I've replaced the whole airbox lid with a very cool fine-screened KTM go-fast unit. It's much nicer than the stock cover with the snorkel missing. I've also replaced the chain and sprockets, opting for a 17/40 setup (added two rear teeth). It's even more of a wheelie machine.