New Bikes

[valvesrule]

Taking a friend to pick up his new KTM690 tomorrow. Hope I don't come back corrupted.

[Horri]

Fuel injection wouldn't be your cup of tea would it,,that's if they have it..Doubt they'd be the bike for me,,nothing to tinker with. I'd be a bored owner in ten minutes..Actually past a gaggle of KTM dirt bikes the other day when I was

out for a Sunday road ride. Poor things were all wound out at about 130k,,My bikes also wound up a bit at that speed

but they were left in my fumes..Sounded like they were over revving when I went past them..possibly 400s/500s they were,,maybe bigger..Pretty sure they were off to an MX which was being run just up the road a bit..I didn't stop

there as I was off to visit a mate so didn't get a real visual on what sizes they were. They needed better gearing

was my conclusion..

Edited April 26, 2014 by Horri

[tiemann1]

I hope your friend bought the OEM KTM tow strap.

[Thumper3]

Taking a friend to pick up his new KTM690 tomorrow. Hope I don't come back corrupted.

I hope your friend lets you take it for a rip. I am curious to see what your impression of the 690 is. From the reviews it is said to be fast and reliable with LITTLE MAINTENANCE required. Extended valve clearence checks, regular oil service intervals and so on. As mentioned before i know of a guy aound here who owns one and he confirmed all of the above. He is an experienced dirt rider and drives around with his brother who has a xr650r. He said the two bikes are about the same for acceleration. He loves his ktm690.

[brianhare]

Taking a friend to pick up his new KTM690 tomorrow. Hope I don't come back corrupted.

 

690R is on my short list,,perfect bike.......basically a XR650L on roids,,,

 

I started my apprentiseship dealing with fuel injection...i have no problems with it..always been good at diagnosing fueling issues..

 

B

[Backwoods-Bomber]

Im all good with fuel injection but not so hot on ABS on a dirtbike. At least you can turn it off, that would have been a deal breaker!

[Thumper3]

Fuel injection wouldn't be your cup of tea would it,,that's if they have it..Doubt they'd be the bike for me,,nothing to tinker with. I'd be a bored owner in ten minutes..Actually past a gaggle of KTM dirt bikes the other day when I was

out for a Sunday road ride. Poor things were all wound out at about 130k,,My bikes also wound up a bit at that speed

but they were left in my fumes..Sounded like they were over revving when I went past them..possibly 400s/500s they were,,maybe bigger..Pretty sure they were off to an MX which was being run just up the road a bit..I didn't stop

there as I was off to visit a mate so didn't get a real visual on what sizes they were. They needed better gearing

was my conclusion..

Im guessing those ktm's needed better riders. No dis-repect intended. I just find it hard to believe that any xr600r is going to smoke a ktm 500, 530 ect in a straight out acceleration run. I think for some entertainment, you should post your reply above over on the ktm section. Im sure you would get some wild responses.

[Horri]

No doubt you're correct..A straight out acceleration race they would be quicker..The riders on those KTMs must have been

Sunday drivers. A change in the gearing would no doubt have them going quicker up top.,Simply sounded like the engines were

already revved out in top..nothing left in the way they were geared for more road speed.

 

I won't be buying a 690..$13000 odd new down here..That's actually not as expensive as I thought one would be..

Think I still regard them as a bit of a throw away bike..When the 690s 25yrs old we'll see how many are still running

and how good they really are mechanically.,Seems like a massive deal to a KTM buyer to have some sort of huge

time gap between valve adjustments..I find it amusing that something like valve gap adjustment time is a selling point..

I expect the adjustment of valves on them is like an engine rebiuld or something it's that involved.. ?

Edited April 26, 2014 by Horri

[Thumper3]

No doubt you're correct..A straight out acceleration race they would be quicker..The riders on those KTMs must have been

Sunday drivers. A change in the gearing would no doubt have them going quicker up top.,Simply sounded like the engines were

already revved out in top..nothing left in the way they were geared for more road speed.

 

I won't be buying a 690..$13000 odd new down here..That's actually not as expensive as I thought one would be..

Think I still regard them as a bit of a throw away bike..When the 690s 25yrs old we'll see how many are still running

and how good they really are mechanically.,Seems like a massive deal to a KTM buyer to have some sort of huge

time gap between valve adjustments..I find it amusing that something like valve gap adjustment time is a selling point..

I expect the adjustment of valves on them is like an engine rebiuld or something it's that involved.. ?

Dont forget about the extended oil drain intervals too..  . I guess when you are used to having a ktm that needs the oil changed every 400km or so and the valves checked 800-1000km , it is a big deal when the 690 comes along with its oil service at about 3000km and valves checked at 10,000km. Combine that with comfort, about 63hp at the crank and good looks and you can see how great it looks to ktm owners and some loyal honda riders as well. I thought about asking the guy i know for a short spin on his 690 in the woods but i am a little nervous about borrowing someones $10,000 dirt bike. With my luck i would crash it into a tree with my heavy right hand and see nothing but stars and doller signs.?

Edited April 26, 2014 by Thumper3

[valvesrule]

Well......... it's nice ......damned nice. But 10 grand nice? Guess I'll have to wait till they depreciate into my reality.

[Thumper3]

Well......... it's nice ......damned nice. But 10 grand nice? Guess I'll have to wait till they depreciate into my reality.

Once that ktm690 gets broken in, 1st maintenance check and such, see if you can take it for a spin on/off road. I bet you will really want one... ? 

[Thumper3]

690R is on my short list,,perfect bike.......basically a XR650L on roids,,,

 

I started my apprentiseship dealing with fuel injection...i have no problems with it..always been good at diagnosing fueling issues..

 

B

Ever have one out for a rip Brian?

[valvesrule]

Once that ktm690 gets broken in, 1st maintenance check and such, see if you can take it for a spin on/off road. I bet you will really want one... ? 

What I like and what I want are 2 different things. I like the 690. For $2000 I might want one. I've got better uses for $10,000. It's clearly a fast bike, looks like it will easily lift the front wheel at will and I'm sure it has very good suspension but there are many things I don't like about it too. It's not very light for one thing. Near 300 lbs dry. The seat is still like an upholstered banana. Where's the bottom half of the frame? It's not technically street legal in this state either so the police can niggle you at will. Keep in mind I haven't so much as seen a picture of one of these till we picked it up. I think I prefer the 500 model more but that's still 8K+. I'll be sticking with the Honda. I prefer $10,000 worth of bikeS to A bike that cost $10,000. I' will post a review of the KTM after he gets some miles on it. It will only be street with no offroad of any kind. He's changing out the Pirelli MT41s for some kind of streetduro slicks. Didn't I get some kind of simulated dual sport tire stock on my last new bike? Trail Wings IIRC?

Edited April 27, 2014 by valvesrule

[dochawken]

The specs are impressive, looks also are good. Power, performance...I like it!

[Thumper3]

The specs are impressive, looks also are good. Power, performance...I like it!

I was talking today to the ktm690r owners brother. He said the 690r just recently required its 1st valve adjustment at 20,000km(12,000 miles). It was bought brand new in 2010 and has had 0 mechanical issues, and its driven hard. He also mentioned again that his "xr650R" is almost as fast as the 690r. Faster than a xr650"R", as reliable as a xr650 "L"...damm i want one. ? 

[brianhare]

Ever have one out for a rip Brian?

 

nope..........if i did i`d probably have to own one,always best to NOT ride bikes you would like to have,unless you are prepared to ride it home?

 

B

[Thumper3]

nope..........if i did i`d probably have to own one,always best to NOT ride bikes you would like to have,unless you are prepared to ride it home?

 

B

The 690r that i mentioned might be for sale in a few months. Its in great shape. However, even if it has been a reliable ride, with 20,000 km(12,000 miles) on it, the price would have to be pretty low to even consider it. Even then i would probally pass on it.

[zrxer]

Not everyone wants (or needs) the latest, greatest, whizz-bang, technological wonder to have a good time and enjoy the ride. KTMs are dang nice bikes--no question.

Here's my own personal anecdotal story.

I have been riding big 4-strokes since 1983 (small 4-strokes since 1970) ? starting with a new 1982 XR500R. I progressed to a few Yamaha TT600s until 1996 when I bought a new XR600R. I love the heavy flywheel, long-stroke power characteristics of these bikes--plus they're comfortable.

Well, in 2002, my buddy buys a new leftover YZ426F and lets me ride it--I have to have one. So, a couple weeks later I have my own new '01 leftover. Very fun bike, light, quick revving and very powerful. That was fun for a while but I tired of the quick revving nature and longed for that lazy bottom end yank of the older 600s.

After a while I sold the YZ and picked up a 2003 Yamaha WR450F--fun bike but still missing that bottom pull of a big bore.

A few years ago I picked up that was at the time the biggest, baddest 4-stroke dirt bike you could buy--a Husaberg FE650E. Good bottom end that would actually pull from just above idle without stalling and power that had to be experienced to be believed. That engine made about 60 horsepower, pulled everywhere and revved quick but had a heavier flywheel than the Japanese MXers. About 260 lbs full of gas, all high end suspension, brakes, wheels etc. But in spite of seemingly being the perfect bike, I STILL missed the XR600. In between all this I did build and sell a couple XRs because at the time (and actually not until recently)did I realize the XR600 was the bike I wanted all along.

Sold the FE650 and bought another 'berg-- a 550. Sold it as well. Had a few XR650Rs in between all this too--great bikes but didn't handle in the tight woods as well as the 600 and felt more top heavy to me.

Fast forward to now. I have a plated '95 XR600 that I built from the ground up that will serve as my dual-sport and a '96 XR600 I just picked up a couple weeks ago that will be my woods bike.

I love these bikes. I love the way the engine makes power and where, I love the simplicity of the design, the soft, cushy suspension and seat, and the ease of maintenance and reliability.

They just don't make dirt bikes like this anymore.

If there's a negative I can say about the bike--it's heavy. But, it keeps me in shape. ?

Edited May 10, 2014 by zrxer

[Thumper3]

Not everyone wants (or needs) the latest, greatest, whizz-bang, technological wonder to have a good time and enjoy the ride. KTMs are dang nice bikes--no question.

Here's my own personal anecdotal story.

I have been riding big 4-strokes since 1983 (small 4-strokes since 1970) ? starting with a new 1982 XR500R. I progressed to a few Yamaha TT600s until 1996 when I bought a new XR600R. I love the heavy flywheel, long-stroke power characteristics of these bikes--plus they're comfortable.

Well, in 2002, my buddy buys a new leftover YZ426F and lets me ride it--I have to have one. So, a couple weeks later I have my own new '01 leftover. Very fun bike, light, quick revving and very powerful. That was fun for a while but I tired of the quick revving nature and longed for that lazy bottom end yank of the older 600s.

After a while I sold the YZ and picked up a 2003 Yamaha WR450F--fun bike but still missing that bottom pull of a big bore.

A few years ago I picked up that was at the time the biggest, baddest 4-stroke dirt bike you could buy--a Husaberg FE650E. Good bottom end that would actually pull from just above idle without stalling and power that had to be experienced to be believed. That engine made about 60 horsepower, pulled everywhere and revved quick but had a heavier flywheel than the Japanese MXers. About 260 lbs full of gas, all high end suspension, brakes, wheels etc. But in spite of seemingly being the perfect bike, I STILL missed the XR600. In between all this I did build and sell a couple XRs because at the time (and actually not until recently)did I realize the XR600 was the bike I wanted all along.

Sold the FE650 and bought another 'berg-- a 550. Sold it as well. Had a few XR650Rs in between all this too--great bikes but didn't handle in the tight woods as well as the 600 and felt more top heavy to me.

Fast forward to now. I have a plated '95 XR600 that I built from the ground up that will serve as my dual-sport and a '96 XR600 I just picked up a couple weeks ago that will be my woods bike.

I love these bikes. I love the way the engine makes power and where, I love the simplicity of the design, the soft, cushy suspension and seat, and the ease of maintenance and reliability.

They just don't make dirt bikes like this anymore.

If there's a negative I can say about the bike--it's heavy. But, it keeps me in shape. ?

No doubt about it that the xr600r/ xr650l are great pigs. Super tough and reliable. As mentioned imo even the 650l on a diet, makes a pretty good woods bike. As you say, the bottom end torque is hard to beat.  The ktm690r has all this and more, unfortunately i cannot justify spending 8-9k on a used dirt bike. From what i am told the husaberg fe570 is another desirable bike to own. Reliable engine that is easy on maintenance as well. Fast and lots of torque. Few fuel pump issues....quick fix though. Im really in no hurry to get rid of my pig. I will probally never get rid of it regardless if another bike comes into the picture. ? 

[MCVL]

I was talking today to the ktm690r owners brother. He said the 690r just recently required its 1st valve adjustment at 20,000km(12,000 miles). It was bought brand new in 2010 and has had 0 mechanical issues, and its driven hard. He also mentioned again that his "xr650R" is almost as fast as the 690r. Faster than a xr650"R", as reliable as a xr650 "L"...damm i want one. ? 

 

It can't be more reliable than XR650L technically  ?

They fed all the ponies they could get out of a single cylinder engine with steroids. And there are some problems with those engines, usually starting at 10,000-30,000 km beside obvious fuel pumps there are rockershaft bearings, rockershafts, rockers wear pretty common and without somekind of obvious reason behind it like oil starvation because of air in the oil pump on the L, they have plenty of oil, replace the rockers and it's ok for another 10,000-30,000 km, just keep an eye out for bearings and shafts.

There were cases when rockers failed in a trip, like Mongolia here: 

XR400, XR650L, XR650R and ktm 690 beside too heavy bikes for that trip like 950. 690 broke, others were mostly fine )

Not saying it's bad, it's badass, just not for far away trips and damn too expensive IMHO