Legends are in the past! the futures bright, the futures orange :)
Much more fun and if you are riding it everyday that's what it's all about.
Mark

You've cornered me! I give up! :helpsmilie:

Perhaps I am a little biased in favour of the legendary and venerable Yamaha XT600. I do after all own 2 of them myself.

But whatever you "Orange" dudes say, KTM's do have a way to go to catch up with the XT in terms of VALUE FOR MONEY. :thumbup1:

I rest my case on the value for money thing. :clap:

Have you ridden a KTM 690?

You might not want to.. you might end up selling the 2 Yamis you love so much to buy one.

The original post was meant to compare a 660 tenere and a 690 KTM. New I think. If he is looking at cheap used bikes, then i'm sure the xt600, dr600, ktm 640 adv are all options.

I would love to hear what decision he actually made if any?

Have people forgotten about the incredible Honda's?? 650L and the 650R. Both hugely reliable...

www.touringted.com

www.touringted.com

Some chance!
:innocent:
It would be interesting to know if the decision is made and how it turned out though - as per an earlier comment; that might bring the OP to a satisfactory conclusion.

I recall that there have been one or two reports of failure of the XTZ Ten standard shock absorber when it is pushed in hard riding; unlike the almost constant emphasis on the short comings of other manufacturers OEM shocks, this factor doesn't get the exposure that it might deserve so that owners are forewarned.

I am very happy with the OEM White Power kit on the front and back of my bike.

I'm not sure which KTMs you have ridden.. But the only way you can group them with BMW is "European made". BMW are very.. well.. soft. (rims, suspension, riding style required..) Maybe uninspiring is a better word.

I promise "uninspired" will never be the feeling you get if you ride a 690. I guarantee most of you who dislike the 690 have not ridden one.

For those of you who have ridden a 690 and can honestly say that the Yamaha is the one you will choose... I'm sorry. but you can't be saved :innocent:

Try to rent (or borrow) both bikes for a weekend and try them by yourself. Buying a bike is a very personal choice.
You should not buy the bike "most people" like but the bike you like.

It will cost you two wekends and some money but then you know that you spend your money on the right bike for you and not on the bike that other people like, but that may not suit you and your riding style.

You can try to make a deal at the bike shop, that if you buy one after the testweekend, you don't pay the rent (I have done that too).

While I like that idea in theory, I think its impossible to work for adventure riding in practice. If you borrow a bike, you are going to do some light touring on it around town, some country back roads, some motorway, all on asphalt probably, around the developed world for a day or so. Without luggage.

I think that gives a very misleading impression as to how you will feel on the bike after riding in the 3rd world, loaded up, for 6 months.

Everything is easy when taking bikes for test rides in the developed world, so with very little else to go on, people tend to go for the most comfortable bike ... which is why so many choose the 1200GSA, but then that choice becomes a misery when loaded all up in Mongolia.

Borrowing a bike for a weekend and riding around roads (or even short offroad sections) in the west is, I think, likely to lead to a poor bike choice for a long duration overland journey thru the developing world. My previous point about weight is a classic example. In the west, 50 kgs extra dissolves away and isnt a big issue. Out in the adventure zone, it takes on more significance, and for off road, its critical.

Its almost impossible to test for how will you feel about a bike after being on the road with it in the 3rd world for 6 months, without going on the road in the 3rd world for 6 months with it. i.e. there is no substitute for experience.

I think to a large degree, someone choosing an adventure bike should still be very open to the advice of others who have used those bikes under consideration (or similar), in the real world, on the types of rides you want to do, over the kind of duration you want to ride.

If you borrow or rent a bike and ride it around town for a weekend, its a suitable method of choosing a bike that you ride around town on, on weekends or maybe commute to work on. There is no equivalent method of evaluation for 6 month adventure rides.

I am now on my way back from Mongolia on 2009 xt660z tenere. I spent one month in Mongolia and did first, the northern route and then central dropping down to Altai (south). Ten is 206 kg with all liquids. It worked fine for me with speeds on the offroad/washboard ranging from 80 to 120 km/h. I can pick it up myself with 40 kg luggage on (aluminum panniers + camping gear in roll bag). Rear shock gave up already in Kazakhstan. In UB I had it partially rebuilt, but when I will get back to Europe I will definitely change it. Front rim is dented in 3 places, but still can go 120/130 km/h on a tarmac (back to Russia).
So far, very happy with the bike and will not trade it for KTM. I am completely satisfied with crossing Mongolia in 5 days, but if you want to do it in 4 days then go for the orange power. ;-)

Sent from my GT-I9100G

Driving with Greg from Germany to UB and now on the way back. I can say that the xt 660 is very tough and reliable, and fairly fast offroad with the right driver. We also drove with a couple of KTM's 690s on the northern route, and yes these are awsome in the dirt.. But i dont now if i want one for long trips. We heard what problem they had come acrossed, and a saw cluthbasket come off twice in a day. For me these are high performance racing machines, that can do rtw tours with the right preperation and service. But they are not off the shell rtw toures, like the tenere's.

The broken tenere suspension snoah talks about, was the original suspension for my 24year old xt600 3ds that gave up.

My Girlfrind and I ride a KTM 690 (2010) and a KTM 690R (2012) in South America for nearly a year both have 28'000km on the clock. We ride mostly offroad.

Would I buy this bike again?
Yes for me it's perfect!

Why we chose this bike?
light, light and light for a 690ccm. Awsome suspension and a service interval of 10'000km.

What we like on the bike?
With all the boxes, stuff and 26liter of gas is around 200kg. The bike brings you everywhere, very good suspension. The clutch going realy light (one finger). Working on the bike goes very fast and easy. When you fall down nearly nothing will brake. We tested many times :-).

What could be better?
Don't have alot of power under 2000rpm. In this case i like the engine of the BMW G650XChallange more. For me it's the better engine for offroad. Mirrors, indicator and the speedometer have very bad quality. They placed the tank opening on a very stupid place.

What problem we had during the trip?
Twice the speedometer broke down and we got it replaced by KTM.
Once we had a problem with the starterrelais. It didn't open anymore. To fix the problem i need only a hammer :-). We also got replaced by KTM. This are all technical problems we had so far.

What else?
We lost 4 mirrors an 6 indicator :-) I only say offroad.
I do all my service at my one in the KTM Workshop. Order the parts I need in advance.


Choose the bike you like to ride!

Some picture i took in Bolivia
https://plus.google.com/photos/11470...98879410740033

How you adventure riders in north western europe don't slit your wrists due to lack off off-road possibilities is beyond me.

I agree with walter. Personally i think both bikes aren't the best option, but this is always a personal matter different for everyone.

There is another way though. Instead of renting one of each at home rent them in the Pyrenees or Sweden and take the single trail forestry tracks. As an addition to that also rent something like a DRZ-E for half a day and re-ride a track. This gives a real picture on how weight affects the fun factor even with limited to no off-road riding skills.

You might even take extra time to avoid those long and boring main routes and opt for safer, more remote and more adventurous back routes which will pay you back, guaranteed.

Only ever ridden the yam, but did read a story not long ago about two lads riding from london around the world on KTM 690's. Both had massive problems in Russia with the watery fuel destroying the fuel injection system. just my two sense. Im a DR rider because i know I can fix it with a hammer.

23000km into a South Am trip on a heavily upgraded Ten (Ohlins on the back, titanium pipe, Power Commander, blah blah blah). Great bike, tough and reliable. But I still can't get the idea of a Rally Raided 690 out if my head - especially every time I have to pick my mount up out of the sand....