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First I would like to thank Jonpaul1st who I PM'd a lot, with questions about the 690....thank you!

Thought I would write this just in case anyone else is interested……

So....after selling the G450X I thought long and hard about my next bike. My original plan was to get a big trail bike (like a 990) for road trips and then a 250 or 400 EXC for green lanes.

However one thing since becoming a dad is the lack of time, any spare time I have I want to be riding. 2 bikes means more spannering and more paper work (Tax, MOT, Insurance).

So I wanted one bike with long service intervals, which if required could do some road work.

Unfortunately that doesn't leave a massive list.
-------------
690 Enduro
TE 610/630
DRZ400
WR250R
KLX250

In the end the 690 was my choice......maybe if the WR was a 350 and not a 250 I would have considered it....that said would it be up to a beating off road?

I think my main concern with the 690 was weight, the bike clocks in at 138 KG without fuel.

There are 2 versions, the Enduro (as per mine) and the Enduro R, which has higher ground clearance and a orange frame. So since picking the bike up I’ve been doing a few jobs (such as oil change and filter) and taken it for a couple of test runs. Here is my report so far.

First thing you notice, or don’t notice, is the weight, it seems to carry it very low on the bike and so far I cannot really feel it’s 30kg heavier than the G450X.

I have removed the rear foot pegs and some of the road gear, that saves 2.5kg. Apparently changing to a LI battery and fitting an after market end pipe can save another 10+ kg........might do that when I have the cash.

Sitting on the bike I’m amazed how much it feels like an EXC......guess that’s the KTM homogenised design. It feels very familiar and easy to ride. However you can feel the bike is fatter lower down than an EXC due to the larger engine and it’s lower as well, which actually is not a bad thing.

I did about 80miles yesterday with a mixture of Cambs/Essex lanes and twisty B roads. The bike is an absolute hoot on both road and trail. The power down low is quite mellow, but give it some throttle and the mid range packs a real punch.


Can you guess the location?



Tyres are Metz Karoo on the front and D908 on the rear. Don’t seem to bad even in the wet slop I found in places. Also so far seems to grip quite well on tarmac.


On the way back took in the view of the new wind farm which is between Lark Hill and Balsham.

So far so good. I’m really pleased with the bike. If however I could find a few negative points:

It was quite difficult to find a used one, there are not many about.
The turning circle is not great.
The forks feel over sprung and maybe a little under damped. (But to be fair I need to play a bit more)
The exhaust is really hot and looks like a boat anchor!

More to follow as I progress with the bike…

What is the seat like ?

Good for 10hrs to Switzerland

My second 'off road' ride was on a 690 at Patsy Quick's KTM day and I absolutely loved it.
If I hadn't already got the 950 I probably would have gone that route myself as it would work well as a dual purpose bike, particularly with a spare set of wheels with road biased tyres on.

Would you not consider replacing your WR450 with a 690,isnt it closer to that than the 950,sorry Ive never ridden a 690 just really would like to know how they would fare as an all purpose trail bike.

Hi Tony

Next time we meet up on a ride out, your welcome to have a go!

Pete

Stop this thread at once! This is getting far too tempting!!

All the time I have the 950, I would probably look at a 250 to replace the 450 but if circumstances become that I have to consolidate then I would definitely go the 690 route.
The only hassle I noted was that the power switch is under the seat so a bit of a pain to switch around but it's hardly a deal breaker.
I fell off it within 10 minutes but it was ok to pick up (but it is heavy to push - as I have pushed JP's before when he's held gates open).
Our lanes are 'relatively' simple to ride (even though I make it look difficult) so the 690 might be a handful on a rocky climb but the low down digging in was superb and it would just haul itself out of an awkward situation.

Much as I like lane riding, I couldn't bear to be without a road bike and I love the 950 (and it's only 4 years and 4k old ) so it would be the one bike only situation that would force my hand.
The 690 was great fun on the road (we did about 6 or 7 miles to the lunch area) even though it was my first time on knobblies on tarmac but you could sling it around quite nicely without getting scared about huge amounts of power.

Pinched this off another site......


Not long got back from Kent and boy what a great day I've had!!

I'm not a great rider report writer (I'm not a great report writer full stop ) but I can totally recommend Patsy's Adventure Academy! I've got to be honest I was getting a little nervous about the whole thing when I'd not received any payment confirmation by Saturday evening, but when the confirmation came through direct from the lady herself, Patsy was able to supply a whole wealth of info, including good recommendations for a local B&B.

I arrived on site just before 9 to be met by a beaming Patsy and Clive, the bikes where all lined up and waiting for us, they'd thankfully lowered one of the 690's for me as I think I might have struggled with it other wise. I've got to be honest I'm hugely impressed with the 690 Enduro - I was half expecting it to be a big of a monster and a lot of a handful, but it was neither. The days riding started with a 15-20 minute road section to allow us to get a feel for the bikes and see what they could do with the engine mapping turned up and they proved to be very capable road bikes, we didn’t get a chance to really hoon on them (that wasn’t what the day was about) but from what I could tell they should be an excellent fun on-road bike and I know the TKC gave my BM all the grip it ever wanted and got the same positive feel from the 690.

After the road section we turned into a forested area that they have managed to gain exclusive access to for the purposes of their academy - it's excellent, peaceful, quiet, no-one else around and only dear to cross your path. The area itself was really good a good wide variety of terrain and challenges and the 690??? unbelievable off-road! I was pretty uncomfortable when we first turned in as the whole thing felt really hard and lumpy off-road and I just couldn’t seem to get to handle it smoothly, but we stopped after a few minutes and remapped the engines (seat off, turn the dial - how simple's that?), jumped back on to find it was a totally different bike! It was just so easy to ride (yeah ok I did drop it a fair few times and yes I did break a clutch lever, but still...) Knowing what my BM's been like off-road in the past, I was kind of expecting the 690 to be leaning in that direction - none of it. To ride it didn’t feel all that much heavier than my WR450, certainly it was easy enough to pick up time and time again through-out the day (no I didn’t drop it that much, but it all adds up) but when it came to getting it up slippy stuff it was superb! Slopes I'd have had trouble persuading the 450 up the 690 just plodded on up, I really am so impressed the bike really complements my riding – I know that they say about a bad workman and tools, but credit where its due, this tool really did make life so much easier!

All credit to Clive, he really is a very good and patient instructor and I found his style of instruction very helpful. I’ve learnt a lot from Geraint Jones and the REME school in the past, but in many ways Clive’s approach is a better as he explains stuff before you have a shot at it, finds good examples of things you’ll have trouble with in the real world and gives you the skills and understanding to get past them. That’s not to knock the REME school, just that I appreciated Clive’s approach to teaching.

Anyway, as I said I’m not a great one for writing reports and I don’t want this one to start rambling on, so the long and short of it is that I’ve had an excellent day and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Patsy Quick’s Adventure Academy to anyone. I think its fair to say that it’s a small outfit, but really very personally run and I’ve come away with a feeling of being included into something rather than being just another punter. It was a real pleasure getting the chance to meet both Patsy and Clive today.

Patsy's days out aren't cheap but they are well worth it.
In the past, she wouldn't allow you to use your own bike for a discount but that may have changed.

Interesting to see a validation of my thoughts about the 690 (except the map changing seems easier than I remembered).
She's only 20 minutes away from me at her Sussex base but I have to say £450 for a 2 day course is a bit on the heavy side for me at the moment.