BMW F 900 R versus KTM 690 SMC R
BMW F 900 R
KTM 690 SMC R
Year of construction / RRP / Test report
- Engine
- Basic price
- Comfort
- Sporty
- Incredibly manoeuvrable
- Windbreak
- Pillion comfort
- Price
- Everyday use
Dimensions & Weight
Length : 2.140 mm Height : 1.130 mm
Seat : 815 mm
Weight : 211 (max: 430 ) kg
Seat : 890 mm
Weight : 157 (max: 350 ) kg
Engine
Displacement: 895 ccm
Hub: 77 mm
Hole: 86 mm
Cooling: flüssig
Drive: O-Ring Kette
Aisles: 6
Displacement: 693 ccm
Hub: 80 mm
Hole: 105 mm
Cooling: flüssig
Drive: X-Ring Kette
Aisles: 6
Performance
Performance: 105 HP at 8.500 U/Min
Torque: 92 NM bei 6.500 U/Min Tank contents: 13 Litre
Consumption: 4 l
Reach: 310 km
Performance: 74 HP at 8.000 U/Min
Torque: 74 NM bei 6.500 U/Min Tank contents: 14 Litre
Consumption: 4 l
Reach: 349 km
Chassis
Bridge frame in shell construction (steel) Front suspension:
Upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm (travel 135 mm) Rear suspension:
Directly hinged central strut, spring base hydraulically adjustable, rebound damping adjustable (travel 142 mm)
Rear suspension:
Aluminum two-arm swingarm Tyres at the front: 120/70 ZR 17
Rear tyres: 180/55 ZR 17
Lattice tube (chromium-molybdenum) Front suspension:
WP-USD Apex Ø 48 mm (travel 215 mm) Rear suspension:
WP strut (travel 240 mm)
Rear suspension:
Pro-Lever deflection Tyres at the front: 120/70 ZR 17
Rear tyres: 160/60 ZR 17
Brakes
Double disc brake, floating brake discs, 4-piston radial caliper (∅ 320 mm) Rear brake
Single disc brake, 1-piston floating caliper (∅ 265 mm)
Disc, Brembo four-piston radial fixed caliper (∅ 320 mm) Rear brake
Disc, 1-piston floating caliper (∅ 240 mm)
Ideal for a sporty short trip
If things go the way they did with their predecessor, BMW has a potential bestseller in its range with the F 900 R. Why not: The machine is quite cheap for BMW ratios and at the same time quite good.
You just have to know what you want. This bike is ideal for a sporty excursion without great travel ambitions. Whose wish this was always: Test drive please!
The test bike was provided to us by Bergmann and Söhne in Pinneberg near Hamburg.
Conclusion: You want to like them, but it's not easy
Does she get her thumbs up from us? Difficult decision. Even if it is the most agile and consistent Supermoto compared to the competition, it simply has too many flaws for most interested parties. This is not about such things as the lack of suitability for the future or the non-existent windscreen. About such things, dedicated KTM SMC R 690 drivers can only grin, and they are right about it. By the way, there are many fans: The machine is ranked 15th in the current registration statistics.
No, there is one big drawback: it does not deliver in its parade discipline, because it is really fast only if you want to go up the stairwell of the Hamburger Michel. Otherwise there's more show than Shine. If the world's most powerful single-cylinder engine delivers only 75 hp, this is the decisive performance shortcoming compared to the not much less manoeuvrable Ducati Hypermotard with its 114 hp. That's more than 50% more.
The fact that comparisons with Ducatis appear at all is due to the sporty pricing policy of the Austrians, from which even BMW could learn something. For the raw SMC R 690, KTM actually charges 10,799 euros. By comparison, the same engine is installed in the 690 Enduro R for 10,799 euros, the Naked Bike Duke 690 is available for 8,899 euros.
Ducati motorcycles are not considered softies. The Hypermotard may be that compared to the SMC, but for a seat more, the extensive equipment and 114 hp require Ducati 12,490 euros, which is only 1,691 euros more.
But probably this is not for the KTMlers. Yes, it is the most consistent Supermoto on the market. And with it a statement, wonderful.
Thanks to M.A.S. for the test bike.
