Which KTM Is The Best?

Udders · Aug 29, 2020

For trips to places like Iceland highlighted in the two current trip reports? :nenau

I really need to do a few of these type of trips and want to build the best bike to do it on. :thumb2

I don’t want or need the latest fanciest bike but one that’s going to be ultra reliable and bullet proof. Again, I don’t want the quickest but one that’s going to start on the button everyday etc....

I have no idea on the KTM enduro range ( only KTM I’ve ever owned is my 390 Duke ) but see the 640 / 690’s seem to be quite popular. Then, what would need doing to it? Do any of them have kick starts as well as electric? Suspension upgrades, tyres, luggage, engine mods, crash protection, fuel tank size options for longer sections etc....

I will always be doing it solo so no rear seat needed. Hard or soft luggage? I appreciate a lot of this is personal preference but all advice is most welcomed. :thumb2

I’ve thought about this before but now is the time ( before I get too old ) to make some serious plans. I love remoteness, scenery and enjoy camping. And there again, camping equipment for these types of trips would differ to the kit I have for doing an Alps trip solo on my 1150 GS. I’d need more lightweight stuff so things like tents, cookers, camp beds etc.

Anyone with personal experience of these type of “ lightweight “ tours on smaller bikes is welcome to chip in.

Ta. :thumb2

doyle · Aug 29, 2020

To start the ball rolling,
Lately I was out on a 690 enduro which I own ,then swapped bikes with a mate who has a 500 exc.

Two completely different bikes, if your trips consist of open tracks and road then the 690 would be the better choice. There is a huge difference in the gearing between the two bikes, I know this can be altered by changing the sprockets.

The 500 exc , which is becoming popular as a lightweight adventure bike, still feels very enduro like, which for the right kind of trip would be perfect.

Serious off road sections would be difficult, or certainly a lot more challenging on a 690.

Lightweight camping stuff is easy, most hillwalking ,especially alpine gear ,although expensive is good.It is built after all for sticking in a rucksack to go up a mountain.

Bike luggage, simpler the better and soft bags rather than anything rigid.

Arsey · Aug 29, 2020

I know fuck all to be honest .

BUT, I got myself a Husky 701LR which is the 701 Enduro with twin tanks giving a range of 280 miles ish.

Same motor as KTM 690.

I won’t be doing serious shite with it but just fancied a bike for playing around the trails in Brittany but something I could in theory ride down to Spain and then do similar down there in places like the Picos.

For this purpose I have gone down the Nomad Adventure route.
I still have to fit the kit to my bike as covid has delayed things and I’m in UK and bike is at home in Guernsey with the Nomad kit in boxes.
I’ve basically gone for most of the stuff they do for the 701LR,so rally tower,rear rack,pannier rails,belly pan etc.

As well as the Nomad kit, I’ve got a Renazco seat made to my specs and ultra comfy along with Mosko Moto Reckless 80 panniers.
OE tyres have been swapped for Conti Trail Attack 3s

My bike currently :

Once Nomad kit fitted :

Like I said,its overkill for my needs.
I’ll be using it something like 80/20 on road but the rally tower gives me some wind protection ,the seat will be as comfy as the 280 mile tank range and I can tour on it then chuck the luggage off,only use the rear tank and go play offroad.
Obviously I’d need to stick the Karoos back on for anything more than dirt tracks....

Udders · Aug 29, 2020

Arsey said:
I know fuck all to be honest .

BUT, I got myself a Husky 701LR which is the 701 Enduro with twin tanks giving a range of 280 miles ish.

Same motor as KTM 690.

I won’t be doing serious shite with it but just fancied a bike for playing around the trails in Brittany but something I could in theory ride down to Spain and then do similar down there in places like the Picos.

For this purpose I have gone down the Nomad Adventure route.
I still have to fit the kit to my bike as covid has delayed things and I’m in UK and bike is at home in Guernsey with the Nomad kit in boxes.
I’ve basically gone for most of the stuff they do for the 701LR,so rally tower,rear rack,pannier rails,belly pan etc.

As well as the Nomad kit, I’ve got a Renazco seat made to my specs and ultra comfy along with Mosko Moto Reckless 80 panniers.
OE tyres have been swapped for Conti Trail Attack 3s

My bike currently :

Once Nomad kit fitted :

Like I said,its overkill for my needs.
I’ll be using it something like 80/20 on road but the rally tower gives me some wind protection ,the seat will be as comfy as the 280 mile tank range and I can tour on it then chuck the luggage off,only use the rear tank and go play offroad.
Obviously I’d need to stick the Karoos back on for anything more than dirt tracks....

Ooh, that looks nice all kitted out. :thumb2

I know that little about the KTM range that I have no idea on which are 2 stroke ( if any still are ) and which are 4 stroke. :blast

I’d want a 4 stroke.
I see some adverts say things like “ only 80 hours use “. How often do certain bikes need rebuilding? Are there any models that can go for months / years before an engine rebuild? :nenau

Arsey · Aug 29, 2020

Udders said:
Ooh, that looks nice all kitted out.

I know that little about the KTM range that I have no idea on which are 2 stroke ( if any still are ) and which are 4 stroke. I’d want a 4 stroke.
I see some adverts say things like “ only 80 hours use “. How often do certain bikes need rebuilding? Are there any models that can go for months / years before an engine rebuild?

The 690/701s have much bigger service intervals (6000 miles from memory) and seem pretty reliable.Apart from the clutch failures which is rectified by fitting an Oberon clutch slave for £100..
The KTM EXC range still come in both 2 and 4 stroke and service intervals are closer. Officially I think the EXCs are supposed to be serviced every 30 operating hours, but that’s really if they’re being raced

Andy on here Nomad’ed his Husky 501 and detailed the build.
Have you seen the 690R for sale by GSKev with rally kit ? looks a good buy.

Deleted account 220319001 · Aug 29, 2020

There were two 690 enduros on the Iceland trip I went on, can't recall whether is was soft or hard luggage they had but if I were to do it again it would be soft despite having hard first time round.

At a guess those 690s don't have big tanks so you'd either need an aux tank of those fuel carrier things as you can travel for what seems like forever in the Highlands of Iceland and not see any civilisation never mind fuels stations.

Engine mods I doubt if you got a 690 nor suspension mods, in regards crash protection, man you'll go through some stuff that will have you on your arse as soon as you look at it, christ was a point when we were all throwing ourselves at the scenery but always a soft landing.

Berin · Aug 29, 2020

This would be a good place yo start

KTM 690 ENDURO R RALLY RAID SPECIAL 2014 (14 plate)
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...ead.php?t=540928&share_type=t&link_source=app

I've had a 690 enduro R for almost 10 years, and done trips with a mostly off road focus through Europe including Spain, Portugal, down to the Balkans, Morocco, etc.

It's good off road but unless you are an excellent rider the then tracks like some of the Welsh single track would be quite hard, but much much easier than it would be on a GS.

They are good on the road, and this year I updated it with Nomad tower like Arsey's and it makes road riding a lot better.

You've a choice of luggage, with either rackless type bags like Mosko Moto Reckless 80, or frames and soft bags like Enduristan or Kriega OS system.

There are known weaknesses and the bike above seems to have had them all done.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Berin · Aug 29, 2020

Arsey said:
The 690/701s have much bigger service intervals (6000 miles from memory) and seem pretty reliable.Apart from the clutch failures which is rectified by fitting an Oberon clutch slave for £100..
The KTM EXC range still come in both 2 and 4 stroke and service intervals are closer. Officially I think the EXCs are supposed to be serviced every 30 operating hours, but that’s really if they’re being raced

Andy on here Nomad’ed his Husky 501 and detailed the build.
Have you seen the 690R for sale by GSKev with rally kit ? looks a good buy.

EXC 4 strokes are every 15 hours oil change but people do string them out - I don't but I don't use mine for travelling. KTM do a bigger clutch cover that allows you to get a bit more oil in and some people add an oil cooler

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Udders · Aug 29, 2020

Berin said:
This would be a good place yo start

KTM 690 ENDURO R RALLY RAID SPECIAL 2014 (14 plate)
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...ead.php?t=540928&share_type=t&link_source=app

I've had a 690 enduro R for almost 10 years, and done trips with a mostly off road focus through Europe including Spain, Portugal, down to the Balkans, Morocco, etc.

It's good off road but unless you are an excellent rider the then tracks like some of the Welsh single track would be quite hard, but much much easier than it would be on a GS.

They are good on the road, and this year I updated it with Nomad tower like Arsey's and it makes road riding a lot better.

You've a choice of luggage, with either rackless type bags like Mosko Moto Reckless 80, or frames and soft bags like Enduristan or Kriega OS system.

There are known weaknesses and the bike above seems to have had them all done.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, I’ve seen that. It’s a lovely bike. But strangely I’d like to build my own up so I get to know how it works and all goes together.
Reason being that if something goes wrong out on a trip I’d have some idea of how to mend it. If I bought that bike I wouldn’t know anything about it. That probably sounds stupid to some but I think that’s how I want to do it.
From what’s been mentioned so far I’m leaning towards a 690 down to longer service intervals. The EXC’s sound like high maintenance to me. Is there much difference weight wise between the bikes mentioned?

Toddmeister · Aug 29, 2020

Firstly there’s no right or wrong answer to this – it’s about what bike is best for you and what you want to do with it.
Both the 500 and 690 options have their strengths and weaknesses, but with some thought and a bit of adaptation you can get over most things to come up with a bike that will do everything you want of it, and then some.
There are plenty of folk on here who are fans of the 500 route to travel bike nirvana so I’ll let them chip in with what’s great about their bikes, but one person I know well who has very recent experience is Liam (Smallfoot of this Parish) who was on Tim’s wet trip – so keep reading Tim’s report to see how he faired with his very lovely 500 Nomad conversion.
I have been to Iceland 3 times now, twice on the CCM and last year on the 690R (and I reckon the 690 was way better than the CCM). The reasons I chose the 690 as being the best bike FOR ME were many and varied, but here is a quick overview
• It’s light enough for what I want to do
• It’s an uber uber smooth engine for a single, in fact smoother than my bigger KTM 1090!
• It feels and handles like a proper enduro bike, but has proper long service intervals
• It’s designed to carry a pillion, so handles luggage with no problems. I use the Mosko Moto Reckless 80 for camping trips
• It’s incredibly comfortable over long distances, and can tour on or off road at speed with no problems. With the mods I’ve done my total range is 260 miles which is more than enough
• It makes a great road bike (I have two sets of wheels, one with nobblies and a bigger sprox and one with more road focussed tyres on and standard gearing)
• It handled all the stuff we did in Iceland last year with no problems at all, in fact it is way more capable off road than I am ever likely to be
• I think it’s got sensible electronic aids i.e. engine maps, really good on and off road ABS, and a bloomin amazing quick shifter!
• I am not overly inclined to do really gnarly technical stuff when I am away abroad and carrying camping kit. I have managed to ride a big chunk of the TET in the Wye Valley and South Wales on it, so I can manage some of the more steep rocky stuff, but I wouldn’t want to be on it for something like Pant Y Glas steps
• I have an FE 350 if I want to go riding more difficult stuff
• ….and finally there’s loads of bits you can use to customise it to just how you want it. I have put on a RADE fuel tank and airbox conversion, engine bars, Scotts steering damper, spare wheelset with cush drive, seat concepts, Perun rack, spotlights etc. etc.
I love mine, and here’s a couple of pictures of it in Iceland last year.

Udders · Aug 29, 2020

Toddmeister said:
Firstly there’s no right or wrong answer to this – it’s about what bike is best for you and what you want to do with it.
Both the 500 and 690 options have their strengths and weaknesses, but with some thought and a bit of adaptation you can get over most things to come up with a bike that will do everything you want of it, and then some.
There are plenty of folk on here who are fans of the 500 route to travel bike nirvana so I’ll let them chip in with what’s great about their bikes, but one person I know well who has very recent experience is Liam (Smallfoot of this Parish) who was on Tim’s wet trip – so keep reading Tim’s report to see how he faired with his very lovely 500 Nomad conversion.
I have been to Iceland 3 times now, twice on the CCM and last year on the 690R (and I reckon the 690 was way better than the CCM). The reasons I chose the 690 as being the best bike FOR ME were many and varied, but here is a quick overview
• It’s light enough for what I want to do
• It’s an uber uber smooth engine for a single, in fact smoother than my bigger KTM 1090!
• It feels and handles like a proper enduro bike, but has proper long service intervals
• It’s designed to carry a pillion, so handles luggage with no problems. I use the Mosko Moto Reckless 80 for camping trips
• It’s incredibly comfortable over long distances, and can tour on or off road at speed with no problems. With the mods I’ve done my total range is 260 miles which is more than enough
• It makes a great road bike (I have two sets of wheels, one with nobblies and a bigger sprox and one with more road focussed tyres on and standard gearing)
• It handled all the stuff we did in Iceland last year with no problems at all, in fact it is way more capable off road than I am ever likely to be
• I think it’s got sensible electronic aids i.e. engine maps, really good on and off road ABS, and a bloomin amazing quick shifter!
• I am not overly inclined to do really gnarly technical stuff when I am away abroad and carrying camping kit. I have managed to ride a big chunk of the TET in the Wye Valley and South Wales on it, so I can manage some of the more steep rocky stuff, but I wouldn’t want to be on it for something like Pant Y Glas steps
• I have an FE 350 if I want to go riding more difficult stuff
• ….and finally there’s loads of bits you can use to customise it to just how you want it. I have put on a RADE fuel tank and airbox conversion, engine bars, Scotts steering damper, spare wheelset with cush drive, seat concepts, Perun rack, spotlights etc. etc.
I love mine, and here’s a couple of pictures of it in Iceland last year.

This is exactly the sort of information I’m after! :thumb2

Thank you. :bow

If people with different bikes could do the same it’ll make my choice a lot easier. :thumb2

Now, that seat...... is it as uncomfortable as it looks? :nenau

Has it been modified in any way?

Rasher · Aug 30, 2020

I love that 701LR with rally kit - worth buying one just to look at ;-)

I guess the simple choice is off-road perfromance Vs on road performance, a large GS or (to a lesser degree) the 1290 Adventure will be bloody hard to ride off road if you're not a top extreme Enduro pro, the 790R would be way better and still a good touring bike with half decent off road performance, but the 690 / 701 Enduro's take it a step further both being about the same weight as a DRZ400 / XR400 which are considered fairly decent trail bikes - but with almost twice the power for the road.

The EXC's still manage to knock another 30kg off the 690 weight at the expense of not being nearly as good on the road, for me (as I am utterly shite off road) I would probably lean towards the 500 as I have less chance of getting stuck on it, I find my FE350 noticeably easier to handle in "tough" (my idea of tough) conditions than I did my DRZ400S, but if I was a half decent enduro rider I would go with the 701.

Toddmeister · Aug 30, 2020

Udders said:
Yes, I’ve seen that. It’s a lovely bike. But strangely I’d like to build my own up so I get to know how it works and all goes together.
Reason being that if something goes wrong out on a trip I’d have some idea of how to mend it. If I bought that bike I wouldn’t know anything about it. That probably sounds stupid to some but I think that’s how I want to do it.

Is there much difference weight wise between the bikes mentioned?

I would say the 500 is simpler to take apart in the event of a problem, but has the hassle of more intense maintenance schedule.

About 30kgs weight difference, so 690 is light enough for most stuff, but if you'll be spending a significant amount of time on gnarly stuff then 500 becomes a good option.

See the rolling hobo to get more info on the trips he's done on both types of bike: https://therollinghobo.com/

Note that you'll also need to travel light on a 500 to really benefit!

Udders said:
Now, that seat...... is it as uncomfortable as it looks? Has it been modified in any way?

The seat on my 350 (same as 500) was fine for off road but bloody uncomfortable after a full day - I changed it to seat concepts which is much better

Standard seat on 690 is much better but I still changed it after last Iceland trip to a seat concepts (better still)

Seats are a very personal thing, just see any seat thread Nutty has ever done

Arsey · Aug 30, 2020

You can’t beat a Renazco seat.
Had one on my 950SE for a decade and now on my 701LR.
James Renazco modifies a standard seat to your own stats,such as height and weight and also varies the shape a tad based on what riding you intend doing.
Night and day compared to OE seat :

BDG · Aug 30, 2020

I haven’t been to Iceland but have read Tim’s reports. I own a well travelled 690 and a 500 EXC. The 500 is perfect for UK single tracks TET type riding with Kriega bags for all my camping equipment but you do have to be very minimalistic.

The 690 is much harder on single track stuff due to the size and weight even without carrying gear but is great for long continental type trips with a mixture of road and more open trails. It can cope with horrible nadgery stuff but it’s a lot harder.

So either are capable, by the looks of it I’d take my 690 if I went to Iceland BUT the biggest question is how confident are you off road as lighter and smaller is easier. Plus how big are you? If you’re more of a novice and small I’d go for the lightest option and practice in the UK before you go. Don’t discount something like a DRZ 400 which have longer service intervals than a EXC. biggest problem will be finding a good one. Good luck

JohnnyBoxer · Aug 30, 2020

Rasher said:
I love that 701LR with rally kit - worth buying one just to look at ;-)

I guess the simple choice is off-road perfromance Vs on road performance, a large GS or (to a lesser degree) the 1290 Adventure will be bloody hard to ride off road if you're not a top extreme Enduro pro, the 790R would be way better and still a good touring bike with half decent off road performance, but the 690 / 701 Enduro's take it a step further both being about the same weight as a DRZ400 / XR400 which are considered fairly decent trail bikes - but with almost twice the power for the road.

The EXC's still manage to knock another 30kg off the 690 weight at the expense of not being nearly as good on the road, for me (as I am utterly shite off road) I would probably lean towards the 500 as I have less chance of getting stuck on it, I find my FE350 noticeably easier to handle in "tough" (my idea of tough) conditions than I did my DRZ400S, but if I was a half decent enduro rider I would go with the 701.

An XR400 is nowhere near as heavy as a 690/701

It’s 117kg dry weight and 125kg wet,so nearer a KTM exc weight......whereas a 690/701 is 30kg more at least

Probably the Honda XR400R will still be running 30 years after the 690 rockers have expired too

Arsey · Aug 30, 2020

JohnnyBoxer said:
An XR400 is nowhere near as heavy as a 690/701

It’s 117kg dry weight and 125kg wet,so nearer a KTM exc weight......whereas a 690/701 is 30kg more at least

Probably the Honda XR400R will still be running 30 years after the 690 rockers have expired too

It depends what you want !

You couldn’t ride 250+ miles without a fuel stop on an XR400,plus you wouldn’t be able to walk when you climbed off.
The way I looked at it is the 701LR is 155kgs so about 35kgs lighter than your Tenere 700 yet makes more power.
I wanted a lighting bike for touring and riding tracks.I should have that.But I could never use it to its full potential off-road .

JohnnyBoxer · Aug 30, 2020

You could ride 250 miles on my XR400 easily with an Acerbis big tank (maybe 350 miles) and a Renazco or Seat Concepts Seat - piece of piss

Why do you think Austin Vince went around the world on a DR350 or XR400 ?

They can do it, no problem

As I told you before - I chose the T700 as I wanted a twin, not a 600cc single (had them and didn’t want another)

So the weight of a 701 and the power of one was of no consequence to me, I considered it, rode a new 690 and chose the T700 instead

Benefit of the T700 is the peach of the twin engine and it’s probably faster too, than a 701, despite the similar power you quote - certainly the Yamaha ergo’s are better than a 690/701 to achieve more relaxed road riding and no need to buy a Nomad fairing as Yamaha have done it FOC

Comparing a 701 to a T700 is pointless

Anyhow you put road tyres on a 701, how come ??

Arsey · Aug 30, 2020

JohnnyBoxer said:
Anyhow you put road tyres on a 701, how come ??

Same reason you have road tyres on your T7.

JohnnyBoxer · Aug 30, 2020

Arsey said:
Same reason you have road tyres on your T7.

Pirelli Scorpion?

Yep they are crap - but at least they are 70/30 on & off-road tyres

They will be coming off soon and proper dirt knobblies going on

You took off the stock TKC80 to replace them with softer road tyres on the 701 - I don’t get it if you are using the bike for tracks and trails as you say

Each to their own

Which KTM Is The Best?

A Needy Twat

Well-known member

Well-known member

A Needy Twat

Well-known member

Registered user

Well-known member

Well-known member

A Needy Twat

Well-known member

Attachments

A Needy Twat

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Active member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Similar threads