Which will be quickest to Pai? Ducati Hypermotard 821 or KTM 690 SMC R?

KTMphil

Senior member
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Location
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikes
2007 KTM 990 Adventure Suzuki DRZ 400
Probably the 2 ultimate bikes for the R 1095 twisty, 134 km ride from Chiang Mai to Pai.


KTM 690 SMC R - Single cylinder, 66 HP / 141 KG


or


Ducati Hypermotard 821 - V-twin, 110 HP / 183 KG




Will be interesting to see if the Ducati's extra HP compensates for how much heavier it is cornering (40% more power / 23% heavier)
 
Rider ability trumps any minor difference..

That said, the Rd to pai.. Equal riders or rider swapping.. I would give it to the lighter 690 on paper..

These are my 2 favorite machines on the market today.. I lean to the HM being the better ownership proposition and the 690 being a touch more wild for mere mortals like myself ability level.
 
i would say the 690 for someone like myself .You would have to be a top rider to use the extra power of the hypermotard on that road.
 
If Darryl was in town he could be riding a moped and still win 😜

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
Understood -- same rider?


Rider ability trumps any minor difference..

That said, the Rd to pai.. Equal riders or rider swapping.. I would give it to the lighter 690 on paper..

These are my 2 favorite machines on the market today.. I lean to the HM being the better ownership proposition and the 690 being a touch more wild for mere mortals like myself ability level.
 
Give me a big hp and torque advantage anytime.

Not much effort required in twisting the throttle compared to taking an advantage from being light and nimble. Steep uphill corner exits and straights would see a big advantage to the big twin that the little single wouldn`t be able to close up over the course of 2 hours of strenuous mountain road riding.
 
Not sure I agree... I think its the other way around..

How many places on that pai rd are you not going at the limits of traction ?? Theres only a few spots where the added power is going to have serious advantages but theres 100's of spots where the better handling and braking is going to have advantages.

You could see Darryl on a bone stock DRZ pushing past west on a nice street triple.. West had the power but Daryll the light weight.. Both can ride well.

One unknown.. Does the HM have the advanced traction control of the Multi strada ?? Maybe some help from that ??
 
I think it has 3 riding modes

Yeah but do they just govern HP or is there an anti slip traction control type function in it..
 
From Ducati.com:

Instrumentation:
Multifunction digital dashboard with white backlight, composed of LCD segments for rev counter and a Dot-Matrix area for all other information: odometer (total, trip 1 and trip2), speedometer, clock, coolant temperature, selected riding mode, current fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, average speed, air temperature, trip time, maintenance intervals indicator (Km), errors detection (diagnosis), setup menu and customization functions. Interface for the management of Riding Modes (ABS, throttle response power, traction control). Lights: oil pressure, neutral N, fuel warning, turn signal, EOBD (diagnosis), high beam, DTC intervention (Traction Control) and deterrent immobilizer (in Key-Off). Headlight control: auto switching-off during engine start, auto turning-off after 60 seconds from Key-On without starting the engine, hazard lights. The key management of the various function menus are integrated in the left and right switch controls.
 
Well that adds another wildcard to the top trumps game :)

I think the higher the riders skill, the more the power of the HM is useful and the more the weight on the limit is less intimidating.. The lighter bike is easier to ride harder so is easier to go fast on so benefits the less masterful rider.

Would be a fun one to watch or do.
 
KTM is way lighter so definitely KTM. It's all small stuff on that road.

As for going fast on it the main limitations to speed are
- Visibility (lots of corners with none)
- Oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road
- Pot holes / sand / oil

So the more you are willing to ignore these factors, the faster you can go ;) You don't need to be a super rider to be able to go at the maximum yet still safe speed on the Pai road. I've done that road maybe 100 times thanks to living in Pai before... lots and lots of accidents on that road. I only crashed once foolishly going fast in the rain & hitting an oil slick...
 

Keld found this..
 
Have a guess what Keld just ordered in Ducati Chiang Mai 15 minutes ago?




ForumRunner_20131127_181236.jpg
 
He`s finally woken up that you can`t beat red :)

When`s it due for delivery?
 
He`s finally woken up that you can`t beat red :)

When`s it due for delivery?

They said 2 days.. However Keld is in the airport leaving the country now, I will go along and make a point to visibly record frame numbers etc so hopefully they wont sell his on, and it will be there for him the day he flys back.
 
Well..i happen to be free then and might consider running it in for him...if he asks nicely :)
 
Well..i happen to be free then and might consider running it in for him...if he asks nicely :)

Sure.. Pop along with the remaining 450k and I reckon you could.
 
No one touches my baby, before I get back.
Or your heads will be staked on the city walls.
 
It`s not like i`ve blown many Ducati engines in my time :)
 
When they call me to say your exact one is in.. I will go along and teabag it for ya ;)
 
What will happen to the Duke 200?
Trade in?
Congrats on the new bike !
 
At first I was sure I was going to put it (Duke 200) up for sale, but now I'm not so sure anymore.
It's just that much fun, I guess.
Space wise though, don't really have room for two big bikes where I live.
 
At first I was sure I was going to put it (Duke 200) up for sale, but now I'm not so sure anymore.
It's just that much fun, I guess.
Space wise though, don't really have room for two big bikes where I live.

That is a good plug for the D200
Is that you on Chiang Mai Ducati's Face Book page picking up your bike today?

If so congrats!
 
That is a good plug for the D200
Is that you on Chiang Mai Ducati's Face Book page picking up your bike today?

If so congrats!

Yes it is..
 
Back
Top Bottom