I had a go on the 690SM yesterday, while the 950adv was being serviced.
First ride on any SM (KTM or otherwise) to be honest, so I'm not really qualified to say how it compares to the 640 or any similar bikes. FWIW, my initial thoughts:
- More civilised than expected, not exactly a bimbling bike but certainly capable of trickling along in town if needed. (Bike I rode was brand new, so I'd expect engine to be even more flexible when run in.)
- Seat rock hard!
- Most at home on smaller A-roads/bigger B-roads (so quite a narrow band then
), zipping along between 40 and
mph. Motorways and dual carriageways do-able but no fun.
- Brakes awesome
- Very light and flickable, feels like there's almost nothing to it
- Sharp throttle response, but suits character of the bike
As with everything else I've read about SM's, it's a great toy but can't see myself using it for anything other than (short) sunny Sunday/evening blasts, so difficult to justify for me.
Haven't tried or seen adventure version (if there is such a thing yet
) but I assume they will replace 640 at some point. If/when they do and the 800GS comes out, the comparison could be interesting.....