KTM 690-powered Kramer HKR-EVO2 at Sonoma | First Look

Описание: Hopefully this little walkaround video gave you an idea of what to expect the next time you hear the words "Kramer" and "HKR." For full specs, photos, and story on riding the HKR at Sonoma Raceway, check out: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/kra...

Note: Pricing as quoted in the video has been updated for 2018, with the S model’s pricing next year set at $15,990 (the R will be $20,990). The 2018 bikes will be upgraded as well—a new swingarm for both, plus the R gets an option for carbon-fiber wheels, and a few other updates.

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If you've spent any time in a roadracing paddock you've seen some wacky motorcycles. From highly modified basement-built frankenbikes to metal-flake supersport machines, people's idea of what a racebike should look like varies a lot. And it's for exactly that reason that I was skeptical of this Krämer HKR-EVO2. What the hell is a Kramer? Where did it come from? Am I really going to sling myself around a racetrack on a bike I've never even seen?

To answer those questions in reverse order: yes, Germany, and it's not so much "what" as "who." Markus Kramer, together with two colleagues, created the HKR in 2009 based on their own desire to race and a shared belief that a unique, capable racebike was within their grasp. The target was European "supermono" competition, a series designed for single-cylinder bikes, many of which are custom. They started with a KTM 690 Duke powerplant mated to a custom frame. The bike they created was dubbed the EVO1, and after four years of development was superseded by the EVO2, essentially the bike I tested.

The Tech
The 2016 version that I raced uses the updated, 105mm-bore KTM 690 engine which has a little more potential than the mill used in older 690 models. A raft of KTM parts are used to fill in many of the gaps—a combination of RC8 fork and triple clamp holds a Super Duke front wheel and off-the-shelf KTM front-brake calipers. The shock is from an RC8 as well, though the spring-rate is different and the valving has been tweaked to suit the needs of the Kramer. A rear wheel and axle from a 690 Duke completes the basic rolling chassis.

A few familiar outside brands are used for the details. A Coso gauge, for example, shows RPM, speed, and (for some reason) the date. There’s a Translogic quickshifter to pop up through the 6-speed gearbox and an Akrapovic muffler keeps 690cc power pulses below ear-splitting levels. I know what you’re thinking and yes, there are a ton of custom parts, too. Rearsets, frame, subframe, bodywork, windshield, and swingarm are all among the parts made just for this bike.

Easily the slickest made-for-Kramer part is the fuel tank, which doubles as the rear subframe and the seat. It's rotomolded plastic spun to hold 3.2 gallons of high-test fuel, and bolts to the rear of the steel-tube main frame with four basic mounts. That leaves room for an airbox where the fuel tank would normally be, which feeds a 690 Duke engine that is surprisingly unmodified aside from the intake and ignition timing that's aggressive enough that the HKR requires high-octane race gas to avoid detonation. The swingarm is another Kramer part, and is mated to the shock in a way that offers two ride height settings and two linkage ratios—either a straight-rate travel of 100mm or a progressive-rate 120mm of travel.

The only other nuance to the Kramer is that there are two stages of HKR-EVO2: an S model and the up-spec R. The S uses a single 320mm front-brake rotor, cast wheels, and a simpler intake and engine tune that yields a claimed 75 horsepower. The R model comes equipped with dual 290mm rotors up front, forged wheels, and a more aggressive tune that squeezes 81 hp from the mill. You can also get custom-painted bodywork and frame with the R spec, instead of the standard white-gelcoat finish and green frame on the S.

I processed all of this info via a phone call to Kramer’s US headquarters in West Fargo, North Dakota while my good buddy Ari held the wheel of the van and drove us through the most barren section of Interstate 5, three racebikes (including the HKR) strapped in the back. It made me feel better about the bike, basically an unknown quantity other than being clearly radical, and about flying around Sonoma Raceway the next day. Turns out the bike Kramer USA had loaned us was somewhere between S and R, with the R-spec engine tune and dual front rotors but the S’s cast wheels and basic paint.

Full story here: https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/kr...

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