What’s your perfect urban runabout" When Bryan Fuller of Fuller Moto wanted something light and quick for navigating the streets of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, he picked the KTM Duke 690.
At only 330 lbs dry with compact proportions, and powered by a punchy single-cylinder motor that’s good for 70 hp and 69.8 Nm, it’s an ideal choice. And when Bryan found a brand new 2013 Duke at a good price at the local KTM dealer, he couldn’t resist.

?Atlanta has lots of tight, old narrow streets with plenty of cars to navigate quickly,? Bryan explains. ?Large bikes designed to cross the whole country on freeways just don’t fit the job.?
?The test ride was impressive: power is incredibly strong but the clutch is so light you can practically use your pinky to actuate the clutch. Quite handy while trying to get to the shop with a coffee.?
?I call it the ‘Scalpel,’ because you can cut a curve like you?re on a knife?s edge. A flick here, a merge over there. Power into a wheelie and make a stoppie at the next light.?
Bryan wasn’t too nuts about the Duke 690’s hyper-modern styling though, so he did what he calls a ‘two day hot rod’ job on it.

By the second day of ownership all the plastics were on eBay, then the tail section was tossed and replaced by some basic fabrication to hold the stock seat in place. With the license plate zip tied on, Bryan rode the Duke around town for the next couple of years, smiling all t...