KTM 690 Enduro R trail riding and supermoto? Alternatives?

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Guys,

I am in a position where in January I won't be commuting to work on a bike anymore, as I'm starting a new job and will be driving a company car.

I can't justify having 3 bikes anymore, so the TTR 250 trail bike, and DRZ E/SM have to go, and get replaced with 1 'dual sport' do it all bike. I'll swap the CBR600 for a blade or similar but that's another thread.

I've not looked thoroughly, but I've had 'KTM' in my mind for a few months now, I want a dirt bike with very good suspension, as to be fair the TTR just doesn't really cut it for me when I'm on trails and see other bikes dissapearing over the rocky stuff whilst my hands are getting shaken off the bars.

Will a 690 be too heavy for a novice trail rider? Also I am 6ft 1", will it be a good size for me both sitting and standing?

My other questions are surrounding the supermoto capabilities of this bike. I considered using the DRZ for dual sporting some time ago, however the hassle of swapping over the 4 pot racing caliper etc for a standard one and trail wheels was way too much to stomach.

From reviews I understand the KTM's brakes are good off and on road.

Can I simply have two sets of wheels, and swap them over, or is the length of the chain and or brakes going to cause me a headache all over again?

Lastly I understand that the fuelling on these bikes isn't great without some Akra's and a map, what is this likely to cost to add to the bike, and what is the likelyhood of finding one with this mod already done.

Does one need the entire system in order to sort the fuelling out, or just open cans?

Lastly, my budget is between 4, and 5k - will this suffice.

Lastly (promise this time!!) should I be considering any other bikes?

Cheers,

Con

[Fizzer Thou]

To be quite honest I would keep the DRZ for both green laning and for SMing occasionally.The 690 will be a real handful on wet/slippery/chalky lanes,as a friend found out.The DRZ is a good do-it-all machine in much the same way as my old XR400R was.I raced/rallied/greenlaned it and it now has some 17" wheels fitted up,giving it a new lease of life as I have the KTM for the dirtbiking now.

A friend with a 2002 R1 has a TTR250 and he finds it ideal for his occasional forays onto the dirt.He did have a go on my KTM but he found it a bit intimidating - I cannot think why.But his TTR was made better after we changed the fork oil and added some preload spacers.This made a world of differance.
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

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OK Let's make this clear, I am definitely not keeping the TTR or the DRZ.

Yes two very capable bikes in different ways and for different reasons (mostly value for money).

I want an upgrade now, with better suspension, brakes etc.

Dual sporting the DRZ has issues as I stated as I have a motomaster race caliper and 320mm floating disc which is useless with offroad wheels and a small disc, too much hassle changing the caliper over each time.

I want a nice clean solution, that is quick out of the box and doesn't need £2k of upgrades to get it to 'feel like a ktm'.

I'm not too worried about the 690 being a handful on a chalky lane, sure I could manage it with trials tyres and a bit of rider training.

[G1_]

Don't think the 690 will be too heavy, but riding a big bike off road is not the same as a smaller bike. You'll be slipping the clutch and stuck in first / second gear all the time. A smaller bike will allow you to be on the power.

But I suppose it depends on what kind of riding you'll be doing.


The 690's are great bikes!

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G do you need a power commander to get the 'povic map?

Or do you have to get a KTM dealership to do it?

Is the map suited to any open end can without the cat?

[G]

KTM dealer will do it on your stock ECU.

I think it is suited to most open end cans, but you may need a bit of a bribe if you don't have the official can (I bought the official one secondhand and they put it on for me for free with a service.)

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How much is the servicing on these bikes? it's every 3000 miles right? Presuambly it needs to be done by a dealer because of all the FI stuff?

[G]

Nah, unless you've got fault codes can do it yourself. And yes, 3k service intervals.

[drzsta]

Personally I would buy a 450/520, i don't believe in dual sport bikes - if you have the money to buy a blade and currently have 600 ss then get a specialised dirt weapon, why would you need SM capability? Which you would have anyway if you bought a set of 17" for your excf
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Current Bikes - BMW S1000RR ‘17 & KTM 690 SMC-R ‘12

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Actually, given the circumstances above, I'd tend to agree, though go for the 300.


Either way (2 or 4 stroke) you're getting the pinnacle of off-roading performance - that will let you make the most of the skill you have.


If you're travelling really long distances to go riding and don't have a van etc, then there's more argument for doing it 'dual sport' way.

Note dual sport tends to refer to using your dirt bike for distance on the road with trail size wheels - not for swapping to supermoto wheels.

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[surfjunkie197]

I had same issues as you exactly and found the perfect bike.......I was so close to buying 690 R and so glad I didn't.

I bought 2011 husqvarna te511. What a bike. Great engine, great handling, has a key and is an amazing dirt bike. I run two sets of wheels with the same brembo brakes and use it as supermoto and full on dirt bike. It is a re bored 450 and is their supermoto engine. Insert the ECU to active race map 2 and it is happy days.

I rode a hare and houd enduro at the weekend and swapped the wheels today to commute on it...and boy is it fun on the roads. I used to race supersport 600s and I have never had this much fun on a bike.

You can pick them up cheap (ish), service intervals are long and they have 2 year warranties unlike the smaller KTM' s- they look great and come with an akra exhaust, have a key. I could go on - oh and BMW are behind them now so it uses their engine - seriously brilliant bike. It is going to do some proper dual sport in Romania next year. You will not be disappointed.

[G]

The 690 is the closest you will get to the competition bike without the service intervals pretty much.

However, if you really want that true SM feel, I think you do need the competition bike.
I never got the SM wheels on my 300 before it was nicked ... so don't know what it was like. However previously owned a Husaberg 501 and suspect the 4 strokenesss midrange with decent topend does more sway it's self to SM (the 300 is probably lacking a little on top, though will probably have a bit more low down).

If I was going for a 'fun' SM I'd try and find a late model Husaberg 650 - the epitome of out-of-the-box supermotos to my mind.
Might want to be in a gear or two higher on the trails, but should be fine providing you can control your right hand! Later models are more reliable, but yes maintenance will be an issue - but there are a few things that can be done and the oil changes really aren't that bad / costly.

surfjunkie - does it use a BMW style sprocket around the swingarm on yours?

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Te511 looks like a fantastic bike for trails and dual sporting, not convinced it would be suited to a 4 hour b road blast with am wheels on though? Whereas the 690.....

[G]

Know plenty of people that will take a competition bike for a four hour ride. And if it's just a ride on the weekend, the maintenance shouldn't be too bad.

I'd definitely get a ride on a big competition bike (they're all fairly similar in reality) and the 690 - shouldn't be a problem to get a test ride on the 690 from a dealer at least.

If you were adding in commuting to work, say, or longer trips (ie touring), then I'd definitely say the 690. But as you've got the sports bike for that, I think I'd be strongly considering a competition bike.

As I say, I'd go for a late model (ie 07 ish) Husaberg 650 personally, but the maintenance may be even harsher on them.

[mrtEE]

[mrtEE]

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What are the typical maintenance intervals/costs on competition bikes?

I'm still not convinced a bike with say a 10hr maintenance interval is good for a LDT?

[G]

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Oil change every 500 miles will hurt

[G]

Doesn't take long and they don't take a lot of oil.

Using it every weekend, you're still probably talking once a month at most.

For gentle use, as I say, a lot will push that out.

You can also get an extra oil radiator, which adds oil capacity, so increases the oil service interval.