school me on a ktm 690 enduro r

[breakdirt916]

lazy pro tip:



just sit on a dirt bike stand as your working the irons LOOOOOL

cuts down on the lower back pain

1 hr 38 mins for two tires including mounting/dismounting...getting better

put on a Kenda Big Block Paver in the stock 140/80-18



and it's...uh...huge



it's an ADV tire, a larger interior volume, and taller...it somehow increased by top speed by 5ish mph

it's a tubeless tire that sits a little funky on the bead, has less of a V shape/more of a bubble shape, and doesn't fall into turns that well.

but it still got 60ish miles of canyons + 140 miles of slab for a 200ish mile day







even had one guy say "who was the guy on the 690, he was flying!"

it was a B group ride pace kinda of day

Still happy with the versatility of this bike.

I can hold my own on a canyon ride and slab 70 miles at 80-100 "kph" no prob. Aside from interstate or long distance coastal rides (that I only did once this year), the 690 meets all my street bike needs. 2-3 more street bike months, then back to knobbies for desert season.

next year for street: expect to go through 1 front/2 rears per season. Stick to the 705/741 combo and get a smaller 140/70 in the rear.

[breakdirt916]

another 250ish miler day:

ride from home:



slab for 90ish mins



get into the mountains:





into town:



for lunch at a random place:



back down the mountain:



through this afternoon crap



then home

then the next day, head back out!

and nothing can go wrong...



oh no, it all went wrong!

the F



luckily I was walking distance from home, so I went home and got my truck to pick it up

I never had a master link fail on me...that was kind of odd.





oh well...I have a new chain already so I'll just put that on

EDIT: and we're back



$220 DID chain with a rivet style master link

[MattR302]

So my DR650 is set up very well: 790cc kit, cam, pumper carb, Cogent Mojave shock, Cogent DDC forks, Acerbis tank, Sargent seat, luggage, etc. I have 3 sets of wheels: dirt, street, track (supermoto). It’s been problem-free in the 3 years, 10k miles I’ve owned it.

It does a few BDR-type motocamping trips per year, and a few track days in sumo form at a slow intermediate pace. It shares general street duty with other bikes in the garage.

I’ve come across a low mile Husky 701 with both dirt and supermoto wheels. I did the math on what I could get selling off the DR and parts, and it basically get exactly the price of the 701. Out of pocket extra expenses would be say an extra $1500 max (tax/registration, luggage racks, aftermarket seat, probably lowering link).

Thoughts on whether it would be worth the “upgrade”?

[SRTie4k]

701 Enduro or SM?

[MattR302]

701 Enduro or SM?

Enduro with stock and SM wheels
‘18 with the new motor

[petro]

EDIT: and we're back



$220 DID chain with a rivet style master link

I spent some time this summer installing a 520 DID chain. Enjoyed it so much I went through 3 master links and 2 tools.

What I’m saying is I hope that’s just excess grease and not an O/X-ring squishing out, but either way this photo just gave me PTSD.

[breakdirt916]

LOOOOL

I'm pretty sure it's just grease...but are DID's tough to install?? after chewing through a ton of chains prematurely on street bikes, I preferred the DID ones...I had a shop install this one.

So my DR650 is set up very well: 790cc kit, cam, pumper carb, Cogent Mojave shock, Cogent DDC forks, Acerbis tank, Sargent seat, luggage, etc. I have 3 sets of wheels: dirt, street, track (supermoto). It’s been problem-free in the 3 years, 10k miles I’ve owned it.

It does a few BDR-type motocamping trips per year, and a few track days in sumo form at a slow intermediate pace. It shares general street duty with other bikes in the garage.

I’ve come across a low mile Husky 701 with both dirt and supermoto wheels. I did the math on what I could get selling off the DR and parts, and it basically get exactly the price of the 701. Out of pocket extra expenses would be say an extra $1500 max (tax/registration, luggage racks, aftermarket seat, probably lowering link).

Thoughts on whether it would be worth the “upgrade”?

I'm big on feel, so I say ride it first to see if that's what you're looking for.

but based on what I'm reading, I'd say no. the benefit of the 690/701 over the japanese 650 singles, is 68hp of throttle by wire EFI performance (the bike has snap if you wring it out), suspension, and weight. But if you have a cammed 790 kit I'd say you're getting close horsepower wise, and from all the suspension mods you've done, I'd say you're pretty well suspended; and at a fraction of the cost with higher reliability. Just remember You have a 20% chance of being completely stranded on the 690/701 according to a 250+ voted poll.

If money were no issue, then go ahead. I'd buy the bike brand new, and only use it for the rides it's best suited for (long distance 2-track dirt roads). At that income level, I'd also have a separate 501 for dual sport riding, a 300 for technical stuff, a 1290 for street, and an 890 duke for track, and a hopped up Sur Ron/Talaria/Cake for local trails.



690 enduro - for when you meet up w' homies for the speedway races

the pro guys are nucking futz



good ole' fashioned redneck fun



12 pack of coors on the back of the mobility scooter killed me

followed by a group cruise up the coast to a port spot:



100-ish mile day

[breakdirt916]

roughly 3-4 weeks until desert season, which means:
-remove top case, replace with giant loop klamath dual sport pack, extra pronghorn strap over the top
-remove front windscreen
-swap street tires to dirt
-drop 16t front sprocket to 14t front sprocket
-replaced Garmin GPS mount...previous one wasn't powering the unit

also new grips...because they were sticky; easy, right?



there was a split in the throttle tube and it was electrical taped

can you imagine riding 50mph in the desert and having the throttle getting stuck?!?

whomever swapped the grips last, accidentally cut through the throttle tube and just taped it....when it's a $40 part

ordered a new one...should be here by Monday

On the plus side, I brought the YZ back.

[breakdirt916]

and we're finally back into desert season











it's sooooo fun heading into a long, smooth, sweeping berm and just wailing on the gas accelerating through the turn



only saw two SxS's the whole day



are those foot prints or paw prints? they went for miles









the miles of sandy wash were sucky



took me awhile to get used to it again; and I still hate it

ok, good news:
-BIKE: it started/ran. I took it to the shop last week and spent $700 on a safety inspection, new Dunlop 606 rear tire, new grips, and brake bleed. THIS THING BETTER NOT DIE ON ME FOR LAB2V NOW! I swear, if it does, I'm tossing it in the ocean.
-GPS: New garmin mount; so the GPS has power now. It stayed on the whole day . I swapped out the shorter ram mount clamp for a longer one, tilted the GPS at a 45 degree angle, and I can see it (sitting) without tilting my helmet down. I got some practice with the zoom; 500ft is pretty much perfect for everything. When you're in tight areas with a lot of turns, zoom into 200 or 300ft. When the next turn is 1/3 of the screen away, I have maybe 30 seconds until we turn, so I don't have to keep looking down at the GPS and can keep my eyes ahead.
-GOPRO: I run a time lapse with a picture every 30 seconds. 4 batteries should run the whole day with tons of room to spare on a memory card for both days of B2V. I got a 3 battery charging box from amazon and charge one in the camera overnight between days 1 and 2.
-HANDLEBAR BAG: Having a small handlebar bag on the bars was nice. I keep 2 spare gopro batteries, the Garmin locking tool, and a rag. It gets dusty; you want to be able to access a rag at every stop without having to take off your backpack or helmet or open any jacket pockets. Giant Loop makes one.
-TOOLS: The cruz tools roll is in the Giant Loop Klamath tail pack with a spare tube, and mini 1st aid kit from Amazon. Spare battery jump box in the pack too. Aluminum tire irons (lightweight), small pliers, toilet wipes, CO2 cartridges, valve stem threading tool goes in the backpack with a trail stand and water. The idea is the bike is prepped enough in advance that you don't need to carry the kitchen sink trailside. Keeping weight off your back helps reduce fatigue.
-GEAR: Vents/layers/base layers are key. I ran a cycle gear base layer to help regulate body temp. It's 45 in the AM, so I'm fully geared up, and after an hour of riding, I opened vents and was fine all the way to 74 degrees.
-FITNESS: I've been lifting 1-5 times a week since last December . It helps a wee bit. The joints are kind of used to getting tugged on (so I'm not sore the next day), you have the fitness to be nimble and in better control of the bike, and the legs can be used to stabilize yourself and ride standing.
-NUTRITION: Make sure you have a snack every hour!! I didn't have anything for 2 hours, my energy started to crash, and I almost dumped the bike in the sand. Stark reminder to eat an athlete nutrition snack (Cliff bar, GU pack, GU gummy) every hour BEFORE you run out of energy! Keep 'em in your handlebar bag or in your pant pockets!!

the bad news:
-RADIOS: we're running the race radios, with the Rugged helmet speakers/mic setup, and a handlebar mounted wired PTT button. Standard baja break away setup.

My race radio was dead when I got there because I forgot to turn it off after testing it. Solution: bigger battery with a DC connector on the battery itself to charge it.

the stupid PTT button is just a velcro strap, so it rotates around the bars:



you can't tighten the velcro enough to stabilize on the bars. it spins and is facing up when you need it. It's also way over to the side so it's hard to reach. F this thing...I dunno a good solution...going to try removing the velcro and putting in a hose clamp.

-GEARING: I was in 1st gear revving out the bike climbing the hills. NO BHAVESH, NO. Going to swap the 16t back down to a 14t front sprocket; so I'll be in 2nd gear for those climbs.
-FITNESS: My core sucks. I need to add planks into my routine for the last 3-1/2 weeks.

so that's a shakedown run.

Prep in advance, do a half ride (for us it was 80 miles), go home and "fix" what's left over.

one more shakedown run, then it's boogie time.

and we're planning to have mustaches this year.



------------------------------------------
EDIT: velcro removed, hose clamp installed:



the clamp goes between the clutch perch and signal/high beam/horn switch



and I can reach!

[breakdirt916]

update: bike is back at the shop to drop from a 16 tooth to 14 tooth front sprocket

horn hasn't worked since the top end rebuild; turns out the switch is broken and needs replacement ($114)

So...I'm thinking do LA-B2V, Death Valley rally at the end of March

...then sell it

[Kurlon]

Any ideas on the replacement?

[MattR302]

CRF450L

[breakdirt916]

Something Japanese; the 450L is a contender; but I need to make sure it’s for the right reasons. The euro bikes just have too many random expensive things go wrong (with a reliability of 60%) that they’re not worth $10,000 more than a Japanese bike to me. I can 100% do LAB2V, long distance dual sport rally’s, and long distance dual sport rides in the desert with a Japanese bike like a WR250R. Far more reliable at 1/3 the cost. The 450L is likely more reliable, but has its own flame out issues and is just and expensive upfront as a Euro bike

[Spooler]

The 450L is likely more reliable, but has its own flame out issues and is just and expensive upfront as a Euro bike

I was strongly considering the 450RL before I bought my 501, but figured by the time I spent money on basically mandatory upgrades it would be pretty close to the euro bikes in cost and still weigh more. I hope Honda fixes the issues that it still seems to have, I really wanted to go in that direction.

[Kurlon]

I guess we should start with question 1 then: What are the requirements for the new machine?

[breakdirt916]

Honestly I don’t know; just getting burned out on the expense of Euro.

Maybe just use the YZ for 20-100 mile C-rated rides, and just get an inexpensive Japanese bike (NC700x?) for street/commute duty. Emphasis on inexpensive.

It just means I will pause on the long distance desert dual sport loops…which honestly is only 3-5 times/year and I could possibly just rent a 500/501 for $200/day.

[loudbeard]

Honestly I don’t know; just getting burned out on the expense of Euro.

You brought it to the dealer to change the front sprocket.

[OneCheekRider]

long distance dual sport rides in the desert with a Japanese bike like a WR250R. Far more reliable at 1/3 the cost.

Sometimes I think about selling my WR250R for something more powerful but the thing just starts up every time with barely any maintenance and realistically I only want more power for street riding/supermoto stuff.

[breakdirt916]

and that's what a 2nd (street) bike is for

I considered the WR250R too; if I could sell the 690 for $7k I could throw in an extra $1k and have a low mileage NC700x and a WR250R. Saw one for rent in Corona for $50 or so; may try that up to Santiago peak to see if it "feels worth" $4,500 to me.



man, listen to Ian talk about the 890 Rally:



he feels excited about very few bikes, and this tickles his fancy. He forgives any expense, reliability, and everything over how awesome this bike is.

[OneCheekRider]

I considered the WR250R too; if I could sell the 690 for $7k I could throw in an extra $1k and have a low mileage NC700x and a WR250R. Saw one for rent in Corona for $50 or so; may try that up to Santiago peak to see if it "feels worth" $4,500 to me.

You can ride mine. I put a power commander, air filter, pipe, and removed the CA emissions stuff. Oh and a larger rear sprocket. While it obviously didn't gain much of any power gains it really made it much more enjoyable/usable.

Either way been meaning to sync up with you for a ride.

[xrocket21]

So my DR650 is set up very well: 790cc kit, cam, pumper carb, Cogent Mojave shock, Cogent DDC forks, Acerbis tank, Sargent seat, luggage, etc. I have 3 sets of wheels: dirt, street, track (supermoto). It’s been problem-free in the 3 years, 10k miles I’ve owned it.

It does a few BDR-type motocamping trips per year, and a few track days in sumo form at a slow intermediate pace. It shares general street duty with other bikes in the garage.

I’ve come across a low mile Husky 701 with both dirt and supermoto wheels. I did the math on what I could get selling off the DR and parts, and it basically get exactly the price of the 701. Out of pocket extra expenses would be say an extra $1500 max (tax/registration, luggage racks, aftermarket seat, probably lowering link).

Thoughts on whether it would be worth the “upgrade”?

Bro ran a 701 in the Jday at Southwick last weekend?!!?!?!?!? It was crazy.

[ducatirdr]

I have the Rally myself. I take it on bombed out powerline trails with ledge jumps, single track trails that are more flow than difficult and on two track that is loose baby heads without any drama. It's by far the best bike at doing both highway and trails. It also offers a better steering lock angle than a 690 for some reason when you need to turn around. LOL

I truly think its the best all around motorcycle I have ever owned. BTW the 890 Adv-R Rally does 3rd gear wheelies like a supermoto! I freaking love the thing!

[breakdirt916]

YOU HAVE A RALLY!?



Now that’s a bike that seems worth the money. It’s the best money can buy from the factory for that duty.

@onecheeck - we can definitely do Santiago some time.

[ducatirdr]

I had a 790 Adv-R and told my local dealer I would be interested in an 890 when they came out in 2021. The bigger motor is a lot better than the 790 in both power and feel for traction with the throttle. The dealer called me and told me that a Rally was available and they had it delivered from KTM USA distribution from someone that backed out on the deal. I went down with my 790 and rode out on the the 890 Rally an hour later. It happened to align with a recent bonus from work so the decision was a lot easier than normal.

[SRTie4k]

It's too bad they've seemingly discontinued the Rally, as that would be my next bike if they sold them still.