KTM 690 Enduro - Can it do Africa?
 

Dear KTM Enthusiasts,

Im heading to Cape Town sometime next year to ride back up to the UK and one of the bikes I am looking at using is the 690 Enduro, with necessary modification for fuel and luggage.

My questions to you would be are -
Is their reliability good enough to consider such a long journey?

Are they high maintenance,Im quite handy with a set of spanners, but dont really want to spend my whole time working on a bike?

Have any of you had experience of using on of these under these conditions?

What modifications would you recommend?

Are they fickle with oil, as from my experience, getting fully synthetic fancy oils in butt f--k nowhere is at best difficult and at worst total impossible?

I have completed two major global journeys using a 1150GSA and have not experience one problem, but I really want to use something far lighter as there will be a lot of demanding dirt road, I have tried the 990 Adv, but still want lighter.

Constructive replies and information greatly appreciated.

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

I think the 690 is the best bike for it (apart from the 640 Adventure perhaps). I bought one 1,5 years ago and love it. 15.000 km only so far (mostly 2-3000 km trips in Europe) and I have had no issues. I have done trips alone and two-up (my girlfriend loves the bike, too) and I have done motocross trainings and the Enduromania (amateur offroad competition) with it. It is great offroad (use the offroad engine mapping and perhaps a smaller front sprocket) and huge fun onroad as it is both light and powerful and has very good suspension. Other singles I have ridden (BMW F650, Tenere, Suzuki DR) feel sluggish and antiquated in comparison. It don't like it for fast motorway riding though: it is fast and stable enough and does not vibrate much, but it is tiring due to the lack of wind protection, so usually I do only about 100-120 km/h for a more relaxing ride.

Regarding your questions:

Reliability: Apparently much better than the old LC4s (which are better than their reputation). The German Motorrad magazine has done a 50000 km test (with the Duke, which has the same engine) and was impressed with it: Dauertest-Abschlussbilanz: KTM 690 SM - Motorrad-Dauertests - MOTORRAD online As I said, I have had no issues.

Servicing: Easy to work on (much easier than the new 660 Tenere as a friend of mine who owns one says). You need 10W50 or 10W60 oil though. The 2008-2009 models have a service interval of 5000 km, the 2010 model one of 7500 km and the 2012 model one of 10000 km. So if you are happy to carry 2 litres of oil you have a 20 k range with the newest model (and I suppose the other models will also survive a 10 k interval).

Modifications: I bought a new seat (Kahedo is comfortable and I strongly recommend it), engine and radiator guards, small screen and a luggage rack (all Touratech). Even if you use soft luggage I would recommend a rack to support the tank (there is no subframe). The one from Touratech is probably heavier that the one from KTM, but seems much stronger. What still bothers me is the extremely hot standard exhaust (don't want to shell out 500 Euros for an aftermarket one though), the lack of a centre stand and the small tank. The tank is big enough for Europe due to the good fuel efficiency (3.6 l/100 km on my last 2500 trip, 0.5 l less than the new 660 Tenere on the same trip), but for Africa? Rather than buying an expensive tank I would consider using fuel bladders or canisters. Btw, there is also a bad fuel engine mapping which may be useful in Africa. Some people recommend replacing the original tank bolts with stronger ones and protecting the radiator better. Check RTW KTM 690 Enduro - ADVrider , there is a lot of useful advice.

My general advice would be to keep it as light as possible. As with any bike of course, but this one benefits particularly from it as it is very light itself and you will want to preserve the offorad capability. Try to move as much weight forward as possible (especially the liquids and the tools), also because the fuel tank is at the rear.

Hope this helps!

hi Stuart,

Myself and a friend have 690's (mine an R his an E).
They are currently being shipped to Magadan for a ride back to the UK, I will will let you know how we get on with them.
We have done a fair amount of work on them, including updating the rear spring, subframe bolts, removed side stand switch, therm switch change, rad grill, etc.
Also I am running a safari tank, he is running rally raid ones, we both have rally raid fairings.
We are taking 2 sets of filters and oil with us for the journey, thats the only problem 5k changes are a bit small.

I'm running soft luggage he has hard (didnt want the extra weight, although they are nice and the security is good).

Cheers

Mark

Not a KTM owner but rode with a couple guys in Africa and encountered quite a few. Probably saw more KTMs than any other single make on the east and west coast so any concerns about oil and maintenance intervals have been solved by a number of riders.

From the guys we were with, everyone does their usual maintenance at the major stops and I would be hard pressed to say that they had to do significantly more than the next guy.

As an added bonus, there are also a couple of KTM shops along the way where you might be able to get some basic parts or at least someone to ask about mechanical issues. Nairobi has a small dealer if you need tires or a mechanic to look at something. I believe there is some shop in Cairo, although haven't been there. Addis has a guy that rents KTM so is pretty handy with a wrench so is a potential resource for mechanical advice. On the west coast there is a small dealer in Luanda with a Euro trained mechanic. Also one in Togo, although haven't been to that one.

Having said that, I wouldn't hesitate to take a KTM but would just make sure that I needed the improved performance for the ride. Is your plan to do the east or west coast? The reason I ask is that unless one seeks it, there isn't as much demanding dirt road as one thinks there would be. You can happily ride from Cairo to Cape Town and only suffer through a couple of days or rough gravel in northern Kenya. There is a certain beauty to leaning toward more performance and going light with soft luggage, etc. but you are an old hand at all this and have a proven performer in your old bike. Depends on the terrain you plan on riding, but the tried and true might be adequate to meet your needs for yet another trip:)

Gentlemen,

All Fantastic information and greatly received.


Mark, I love that bike of your my friend, I want I want I want. So best get the cheque book out. I would live to be joining you in Magadan. I meet two Italians on there way there last year in Uzbekistan (not on my bike), they were riding to Mongolia and leaving the bikes there for the winter and finishing off latter this year, Ill see if I can find there website and PM you. Are you running a website/blog, I would love to follow?


Mountainman, Ill be taking the east route, so nce to hear that the roads arnt too grim. I dont really want to take the BMW, she has served me well and Ill never part with her, but I have spent a fortune doing her up recently and feel reluctant to ruin her again. Also I just fancy something lighter and traveling light, every time I go away I take too much gear, so i may just limit myself. I will also be doing this trip over 4 months, where previously I spent two years and required more luxury.

PeerG - Thanks for taking the time with all the information, very grateful and highly informative, thanks again.

I have a 2009 690 enduro which I've used mainly for trail riding. I've also done a UK to Cape Town trip 2 up via the east coast route but on a R100GS. I would agree with MountainMan that, unless you seek out off piste the most 'off road' you'll come across are a few lumpy gravel roads.

If I were to undertake a long overland trip on the 690 I would probably go for the rally raid fairing and forward fuel tanks. I would fit the Touratech pannier frames as they are good for fixing soft luggage to and also 'triangulate' the rear subframe taking some off the stress of the forward fixing points which, I gather, can give trouble. The seat needs to be improved and a metal bashplate is a good idea. I would stick with the standard gearing, although I have a smaller front sprocket fitted to mine for trail riding at the moment, this would ruin the economy on longer road stretches. I think I'd change the silencer because at times you may not be able to get unleaded fuel and you save about 6kg and the risk of melting anything that touches it.

Maintenance:

I change the oil on mine every 3500-4000km but I'm sure this is over the top. I use 10W50.

Reliability:

The only things that have broken for no good reason are the stupid cheap and nasty plastic fuel line connector (wedged in beside the airbox) and the speedo sender. Everything else is due to use/abuse.

Generally a good bike which is certainly up to the job.

The rally raid fairing is a nice piece of kit, comes with the 950 headlight also which makes quite a bit of difference.
I decided on the safari tank as it's 14ltrs over the rally raid ones which are 9.5ltrs total (that way my friend will run out before me :helpsmilie: ).
The bash plate has a 2.5ltr plastic container inside which is holding engine oil. My seat I have had reshaped and added a sheepskin (still not great but will get used to it).
Magnon you are right about the fuel pipe quick release connector, my friend broke his when he pivoted the rear up to remove the shock.

Stuart I may get around to starting a blog, depends on if i have enough energy left after riding jeiger

I am about 23k kms into a RTW trip. Many people have gotten very far with the KTM 690. SherriJo just replaced her top end for the first time at 90k kms. Sherri Jo's Because I Can World Tour

I plan on ditching the hard bags in a few days and running giant loops.. and adding the RallyRaid bashguard w/ tank. I am thinking there's enough room under the motor to store spare sprockets and chain.. stay tuned.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9...0/DSC01670.JPG

research for my RTW ktm 690 enduro r '12 in 2013
 

hey gents

i'm planning on doing a semi RTW. starting in perth australia, indonesia, malaysia, singapore, laos, vietnam, cambodia, thailand, india, india-tibet, and somehow thru the himalayas (need to scope this out) into china, mongolia, russia etc.

planning on going solo so wanted the best performance and reliable bike available that would be converted to an adventurer.

the ktm 690 enduro r '12 (10k maint. int.) with:

- rally raid tanks (+9L),
- adventure fairing from ktm twins,
- metal mule panniers (31+38L) and racks,
- metal bash and radiator plates, and
- 70:30 or 60:40 off:on tyres is my plan.

got half of it. prob get a tank bag too. other gear i'm chasing is:

- spotconnect for gps tracking, satellite help and sos messaging (can do normal messaging thru iphone app on spotconnect satellite service)
- HUD gps
- KTM dealer recommended custom mechanical kit and training
- critical spares

otherwise specialist kit i need to take is:

- nikon d3s, 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm plus tripod and accessories (gotta scope a safe packing arrangement

so i really think this will work beautifully and allow pretty broad flexability onroad considering safety and photography kink.

if you guys have any comments please let me know. especially regarding himalayan passes or methods for packing sensitive photographic equipment!

cheers

ty

hey guys, Adam from Rally Raid Products here just lurking.

Thought I would drop a link to our new EVO 2 Kits.
First public viewing was yesterday its all been kept under wraps until now.

10.5 L tanks (+1L than previous) but 110mm slimmer !
55w H5 Halogen Rally Double Light

Oh and its very pretty

Link below

Wall Photos | Facebook

Dont forget to like and share us

Hello Stuart, I was surfing the site and saw your post. I am Roberto. One of the two Italians you met last year in Uzbekistan. Mission accomplished. We arrived in Japan. Now we go from Canada to Argentina on ktm 690 Enduro R. When are you planning on doing Africa ? After Argentina we will ship our bikes to South Africa and we will ride all the way back to Italy. You can see the details of our trip on From Italy helping children around the world on Motorcycles There you can also send me an email. keep in touch.:thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1: Below is my KTM 690 with aftermarket changes.
http://imageshack.us/a/img100/328/dsc01648j.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img443/3425/dsc01656me.jpg

I had the same issues with my 950 ADV. The problem is that the CAT is in the silencer. CAT's don't work until they get piggin' hot!

I put a couple of Wings silencers on. You can touch them as soon as you get off the bike, even in hot conditions. They were half the price of Akra's and at least as good, if not better, quality.
No idea what they cost now. Link: Because sound matters!

John

690 is great and . . . only choice
 

Not to be provocative but . . .

The Husky TE630 has been discontinued.
The Husaberg FE570 is discontinued in the US and as of 2012 end the rest of the world.
The ancient Honda XRs are ancient, heavy, air-cooled, PIA kick-starters.
The Tenere is fine if you don't mind heavy, weak power with little chops for anything beyond a smooth gravel road.

So . . . choices are not many, but there's still a great one.

The 690's shortcomings are:
a) the subframe bolts (2) which is easily remedied.
b) rather tight steering lock - not a Ducati but not a woods bike
c) narrow ratio transmission
d) it seems to encourage a "wild 14-year old" attitude its so much fun to ride

Everything needs bigger tanks for more range . . . bash plates, a better saddle.

Why do people choose motorbikes and so heavily discount the fun factor ? The 690 is FUN. My 70-year old father in law is an Iron Butt and hater of enduros. He rode one and couldn't stop grinning or talking about how much fun it was for two days !

Of all the reviews and owner comments I've read this is the first time I've seen anyone mention this, yet it's the first thing that struck me when I test rode the bike. My Tenere with a five-speed gearbox has at least as wide a range as the 690 Enduro's six-speed box.

I don't understand why manufacturers do this, it's one of the real negative points about BMW's F700/800GS models. Was it so they could share the gearbox from the Duke?

If I go ahead with the 690 Enduro it looks like I'll need to swap out the 15-tooth front sprocket for a 17-tooth sprocket for riding through Europe, then put the 15- or even a 14-tooth sprocket on for dirt.

Yes, and I don't understand the turning circle problem either. Why??

I've been traveling for 1 year on a KTM 690. 52,000 km.

I run 16 tooth front sprocket and stock rear. It is the perfect mix for dirt and highway use. It was a dream in the desert in Morocco. The 690 has so much torque you don't need to worry too much about bottom end. As for the steering, I have never had a problem with the turning circles.

Narrow box has so far put me off getting one too.

And yes, same question .... WHY ?

It's because the 690 Enduro is based on the 690 SMC and hence, uses the SMC transmission, presumably for cost reasons although KTM could have at least raised 6th gear to equal the 16/45 gearing.

I use 14t on the front when trailriding, 15t for general riding and 16t for longer road rides which improves MPG drastically, all with a stock rear sprocket.

I used a 17t for the ride back from Barnaul to London last year and it worked well.
It's a bit tight, and had to leave the cover off the sprocket but cruised at 80 to 85mph.

One thing to be careful of when using bigger front sprockets on the 690 is doing so in conjunction with aftermarket clutch slave cylinders. Although they don't have the same poor reputation as those on the 950, I'd still like to replace mine with an aftermarket option and carry the stock part as a spare on longer road trips but the only one I know of (Sigutech?) does not work with anything larger than a 15t from what I've heard, lack of clearance is the reason.

Not true.. I was using 16t with a sigutech. On the 690 thread in ADV I believe there are people using a 17t but that is way too high for 1st gear in my opinion.

This thread has convinced me to but a KTM 690R Duke. I was concerned about reliability but not now. The fantastic economy is a nice bonus.

Since posting this I've read on KTMforum that potential problems exist with the hydraulic camchain tensioner. Has anyone experienced any problem in this respect?

i've not had a problem neither has my friend, if you are worried you can get a manual tensioner from rally raid.

Mark

I reckon I'm probably worrying unduly and I've heard of the manual tensioners. I think I'm going to get the 690 next year after I've sold my Buell Ulysses. Thanks for replying.

Tim, as a long term proponent of the Xt660Z Tenere I was wondering what your reasons were for moving to a KTM 690? More power / off road ability?

I have a '10 660 Tenere and while it does everything including road and moderate trail I'm tempted by the grin factor of the 690 enough to try forget the bad memories of a 640 adventure that gave tons of trouble...

You will always have the grin factor with the 690....

the 690 is 135 kilos dry. The xtz tenere is 207 kilos? My bike loaded with the full fairing weighs the same as a tenere dry. :innocent:
The WP suspension is better.
As for reliability, I have 90,000 km on my 08 690 now. You are hard pressed to find a better bike out there.

I'm giving serious thought to buying a 690. I would like the Rally fairing and the larger front tanks. If anyone has these (Rallyraid), how much does it add in weight (with / without fuel)? The main reason for the potential purchase is to have a lighter bike, so if it adds serious weight I might have to look elsewhere. Has anyone had any issues carrying luggage (hard / soft)? I'm not looking to take the kitchen sink, but neither am I looking to be a survival minimalist!

Also, how do people find them on motorway stretches? I don't want to do many, but there are times when A to B is useful . . . .

Email Rally Raid they should have an exact weight for the kit.
I have the fairing coupled to a safari, although I am going to change it to EVO2 now as don't need the extra fuel capacity.
The fairing frame is ally, tanks plastic and fairing fibreglass. All in all it doesn't weigh that much. But obviously if you fill the tanks up then you will have the extra weight of the fuel.
Motorway isnt a problem if you get a good seat, and I'm not talking about the KTM comfort seat. Get a decent one, I did Magadan to London on the standard seat it was bad :thumbdown:
My friend had a custom seat and air hawk, no problem there.
We geared the front from 15t to 17t and they run well at 80+mph all day long.

Thanks - all this sounds excellent. What's the general mpg you're getting? Although my current bike is a little heavy, it does 60mpg easily; this is a real plus for overland travel!

Didn't really calculate mpg but it was over 50, I suppose it just depends on how you ride :scooter:
I don't think they are quite as good as the xchallenge or 660 but I think they are more fun.

Depends a lot on whether you are carrying a pillion or not. With a pillion it has been a little more than 5 l/100 km (little less than 55 mpg) on the motorway, a little less on small roads. Without it is usually around 4.2-4.3 l/100km (around 66 mpg). Mix of roads and relatively slow on the highway (110-120 km/h). I had it as low as 3.7 l/100km (76 mpg) on A and B roads riding leisurely on setting 1 (offroad setting, reduced horsepower). Offroad usually between 4.5 and 5 l/100 km). 2010 model btw.

Hi buddy, I don't know how true this is, but have been told that the Rally Raid fairing isn't so great at speed in wind, but I do have the EVO2 tanks fitted(weigh 4kg when empty), so with the extra fuel adds about 10kg. I do have the Rally Raid pannier frames, which are a bit heavy, but only use them for my Wolfman Expedition soft panniers and a duffle across the top, but I've now got my kit down to a minimum, so now just use a small Touratech rack and the GiantLoop Coyote, 20 litre Kriega bag. I can pick the bike up if I drop it, plus ride knarly stuff with very little difficulty. As for fuel range, it all depends on the terrain i.e. tarmac or mud/gravel. I'd say the the average range is 250 miles and i run 15 - 48 sprockets, so can ride 75mph on the motorways and still do the knarly crap.

Oh yes, is regards fairing, I went with the Lynx from Brittannia, as it had a really good dash layout that I could use(Garmin Montana, USB socket, 12v socket, heated grip switch, heated clothing plug) Plus I have 100 watt HID's fitted.

http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/z...psf32d86af.jpg

Let me know if you have more queries :helpsmilie:

"Its unreliable" they said. "Its a bad choice for a RTW bike" they said.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D...0/DSC03043.JPG

All KTMs use oil, so carry some between oil changes. I assume you know not to mix mineral with synthetic oil.

The seat. The standard seat is like a plank and will get uncomfortable on long days.


The large turning radius is not an issue when riding, just when you want to turn the bike around in narrow areas. its a lot of back and forth.

There have also been some fuel pump issues on the 690. You going to carry a spare? The problem is intermittent and if it happens you will be able to get somewhere where you can replace it. You going to carry a spare?

Hey Peerg
I see you've ridden 2up on your 690. I'm looking for a bike that is off road capable and decent with a passenger. How far have you ridden with a passenger on the 690? What kind of seat? Was it really cramped?
I've Sean the Russell day long seat that look really nice for both rider and passenger......anyone have any experience with one

Rather irrelevant question really - how much is the weight of fuel and a bash plate is what you are really asking .., which is something that is going to be added to any bike - no matter the model.

I can guess though you can add the weight of a pannier type rack to the 690, - as by adding one you are bracing the the plastic fuel tank which is adopting the role of a subframe on the 690.

Without this fuel tank subframe brace (ie; the pannier rack which braces back to the passenger pedal mounting points) .., then don't expect the 690 to carry any loads that you could expect a big adventure bike to carry

The overall weight added by your question is not too much .., even a full KTM factory Dakar bike with the windscreen tower and all the extra fuel tanks / bash protection plates, LED spots and fairings etc only adds an extra 13 -15kg's if you don't include the Rally books, GPS, scotts dampener , and other fancy Rally specific electronics etc , or 'liquids like extra fuel and water.

As an aside I've seen a couple of reports on facebook about repeated failures of 690 transmission shock absorbers. Anyone know if this is a Thing?

it's not a really a question can 690 enduro or any other bike do Africa. Question is how many of say 100 of given bikes sent to Africa will return without a problems. The fact one or two did it like stated above doesn't say much to me, statistics what counts so you need a bigger sample to have true opinion on subject.

That's true. Not many 690's crossing continents ... but many more riders going now than a few years ago.

Noah was one of the first to really ride a 690 serious distance ... but check out his post and his LONG LIST of repairs, breakdowns and failures during his extensive RtW tour. Suffice to say, his 690 was FAR from bullet proof ... and Noah knows what he's doing, good mechanic and very good about maintenance. IMO, an "average" rider would not do as well going LD on a 690.

Newer 690's seem better, more reliable. Thing that amazes me are the expensive Dakar look a like fairings regular punters put on their bikes. These things cost THOUSANDS ... just so you look like a racer? :innocent:

So, you spend over $12K USD on the bike ... then four or five thousand more to upgrade fairing, lighting, bigger tank, luggage ... and suspension. There are whole huge threads on suspension upgrades for KTM 690's.

I guess it's not like old days, being an ADV Hippy now is not for low income travelers any more! :oops2:

Surprised there's been no mention of Lyndon Poskitt so far. The Races to Places films give a good idea of what a 690 can do, and what repairs/maintenance might be needed!
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...aces+to+places

as far as I know Lyndon's bike is ktm 690 Rally which is not exactly same bike as enduro R. Besides he has big support, any part can be shipped to him in few days.

There's still a few of us about :rofl:

Then:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...-nearDijon.jpg


Now:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...psfa9wbaxr.jpg


Both pictures taken within about 40 miles of each other but 40yrs apart. :mchappy:

https://photos.smugmug.com/Celebs/i-...Dw293-h220.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Celebs/i-...Dw366-h220.jpg

You're right, and the biggest difference between the Rally Replica and the stock 690 is in reliability, which Lyndon talks about in his discussions about bike choice.

It's also heavily customised and meticulously re-built and maintained - not a good indicator of what to expect from a stock 690 Enduro or R, even the newer ones.

I'm not suggesting the stock ones are "unreliable" assuming we can all agree on a definition of the word!

We are currently in West Africa headed to Cape Town on 2 identically upgraded KTM 690s from 2014. All mods so are on the website (www.nomadikandco.com) and we started a thread on HUBB Ireland to Sth Africa on KTM 690s in Sub Sharan Africa.

Bike is a total blast and so far so good. Riding hard we are burning oil but since we have turned down the engine map to soft and are riding for the long haul, not so much for instant gratification we are burning way less. We have oil in the Rally Raid Bash guard tank to top it up. And we are doing a full service today and tomorrow in Togo.

Bike is so fun!

Stoked to see what you put together.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

With nearly 20K kms on my 2016 KTM 690 - all in the Caucasus region - a few comments:

Major upgrades - B&B bash plate and large rear rack; Rade auxilary fuel tank and pegs; Seats Concept replacement of the factory plank; Andy Strapz rack; Giant Loop Great Basin for luggage; 14 tooth front sprocket; replacement of major frame bolts; Wings exhaust. And lots of little stuff like risers, tank bank, electrical wrapping etc.

Fuel consumption - usually less than 5 liters per 100km; with a tank size of a pitiful 12 liters + Rade tank of 5.5 liters + two cannisters of 1 liter each, have a comfortable range of 300 km.
Oil consumption - minimal unless pushing hard at high altitudes
Tires - Mitas

No issues with the bike to date and have no concerns to ride the bike eastward to Mongolia.

Have a 1190 Adventure R and given my age and riding skills, contend that the bikes are built for different adventures. Each bike has their place and the road ahead determines which bike I will ride. Yes, repairs and maintenance are inevitable and would be on a 4x4 as well - that is the reality of travel.

If I had to pick a single bike, it would be the 690 - lighter and built for the majority of adventure roads and trails in this part of the world.

ktm 690 enduro r is discontinued from next year anyway.

I´m absolutely happy with this bike. Currently I do a trip through Africa on the western side - in stages year by year. After having used the bike for smaller Enduro trips in Morocco, Sardegna and Greece, I equipped with some Rally Raid and Touratech stuff as well as the 14 Liters Safari tank! On the Africa Trip that we started in January 2016 in Morocco we had all kind of Terrain - rocky Terrain in the Atlas, sand in Western Sahara and Mauritania, single tracks in Mali and Ghana. But also a lot of tarmac.
No Problems until Togo (it´s 25.000 km Young!) - no oil consumption 5 Liters of fuel/100 km. Light enough to make 200 k´s per day in the bush, comfortable enough to stand 500 k´s on the road without any pain.
I will keep that bike as long as it is possible. Knowing how popular the bike is for offroad travelling since years (see especially Noahs RTW) I cannot understand why KTM is not producing it anymore - even you have to admit that the Husky is a blue-white KTM.
best regards
Tom

To me it's a testament to how much KTM's have improved from the "Bad Old Days". Amazing that this thread (started in 2012!!) is not littered with KTM break down stories like it would have been 10 years ago.

I can't believe KTM have discontinued the 690 Enduro. How can that be? doh Someone tell me why KTM have done this.

As noted in this thread a year ago ... new EURO ADV bikes are certainly not for the financially faint of heart, students, young or poor travelers.

By my math, a well set up KTM 690E travel bike is going to run up to about $20,000 USD easily if you start with a new 690, which in USA is about $12K USD (out the door). You can get a nice used one for $9K or 10K.

And if that bike blows up in Sudan ... can you walk away from $20K? Like I said, different class of ADV riders around here these days. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Many like me, actually HAVE THE MONEY for such a bike ... but are simply Cheap Skates. Won't pay for READY TO RACE bling when going 10K miles from home. Some buy a bike locally or ride an old nail they can justify leaving if it blows.

Even though most 690's seem to do well traveling these days, I'm guessing there are still a few odd ball failures from time to time. :innocent:

And even Noah's bike had LOTS of issues ... and he's an expert mechanic ...
and a smart guy!
There is a bit more maintenance with closer intervals for valve gap checks. ... and most carry several spares from various systems on these bikes. (fuel pump, valve gear spares, Injectors, Hydraulics)

I won't mention or compare my DR650 here, suffice to say super cheap to buy and maintain. Reliable as a hammer ... and it's even fun! :smartass:

....because at the end KTM has not sold enough of them!
No good sales volume = end of production.



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but was it really that good bike? I don't think so, reliability so so, ergonomics weird, when I test ridden it didn't like frame geometry at all. You will have no 790 adventure soon.

The 690 is supposidly coming back in 2019, with the same engine as the Duke and 701. Will be interesting to see how it fits in with the 790 Adventure.

I sized the 690 up for a while, but in the end decided against it. It seems like a love/hate thing overall. It does have some very well known mechanical issues. At the same time, it doesn't have much competition for a high HP, lightweight travel bike with a good aftermarket to "adventurize" it, which makes for a good platform to build off of. And those rally kits they make for it? Drool...