Vehicles of any type are often quite personal (unless one has no soul). Motorcycles are no different and, quite possibly, more personal than larger vehicles. Then again, Rhiannon's Dad drives a concrete truck which he has personalized with a rainbow decal, so who am I to judge? It's all about how you want to express or present yourself to the world, and personalizing your vehicle is a spectacular way to do that!
The Duke 690, which I am fondly getting acquainted with this year, is in prime position for a subtle makeover; after pushing my limits (too far, once or twice) and being an all around terrible driver for the first half of the season, there are plenty of things to tweak and imperfections to replace.
My overall inclination in the field of aesthetics predisposes me to lean towards the "clean" look. Whenever I buy ANYTHING, I am in the process of unwrapping it and peeling off any stickers or branding I can find and safely remove before I get the damn thing home. Maybe I am a little vain (at minimum), but form is in fact a function.
With my beloved KTM, I'm a little conflicted. Sleek, she surely is. No contest! However, there is something undeniably different about this bike when compared to other things I like. The machine is apparently of two souls: a high performance road only sport bike, and an unwieldy big single with off road ergonomics. Neither of these personalities can be ignored if you have ridden this bike!
So, the only plausible option? Change her into the highest functioning streetfighter that my wallet can muster. While I suspect that this course of action will include my usual refinements and stripping down, it may include adding some things as well. Specifically, I'm imagining hand guards with running lights and an air horn (which I understand can be quite large). Ultimately, I'd be excited to try out some of the more complex and permanent chops and hacks that I see on some really spiffy nakeds, but for now, the steep angles of all the Duke's plastic are still tickling me orange. I've got some basic bolt on parts that I'm just waiting on to arrive before the first installment of the Magnificent Duke Makover, but during the first serious wash of the summer, I pulled off the rear passenger foot pegs and the little stick on reflectors on the front forks.
IT BEGINS.
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