is KTM 690 ENDURO R a reliable bike?

[minkyhead]

One of Stubbs' own quotes:

The 690 is like marrying a supermodel, they're great to look at and ride but a bitch to live with!

I definitely do not want to live with bitch :woohoo:
thanks guys, I see no ktm for me after all.

To be honest in adventure-dirt category around 500-700cc there is very limited choice right now

AJP’S PR7 660cc should be out end of the year, with proven engine, good suspension & fuel range. I am sure they will address the luggage issues also. (thumbs)

9jm9ld.jpg

http://www.enduro21.com/index.php/compo ... rally-bike

i can here it now wes

old engine cast off by yamaha

proven but badly overgeared ..why didnt they do somthing with the gearbox

you dont need supension like that because your a slow fat moron ect ect


8300 quid plus extras ..i could get a neville minsk for 25p and throw it away if it goes wrong or buy a 120hp monster that i cant control for 1500 quid more

i rode three 690s and was considering them ...two primary things put me off
it was badly uncomfortable with zero wether protection

it was to powerful for me and i dont think i could handle it off road ..mistake punisher for sure
and im not impresed by accelertaion and top speed ...its very viby at motorway speed s

i know five people who have owned the three will say straight out dont bother ..two will say they are the best bike ever ...i seem to find 2013 /14 models give less bad feedback

if i listened to pretty much anyone else i wouldnt be on a ccm 450 ..thank god i went me own way B)sometimes you have to buy it to try it

ps the ajp looka ace (thumbs)

[WesleyDRZ400]

Not every bike is going to please everyone, i dont care about what make a bike is but i do care about reliability and for any adventure bike the engine and electrics being as reliable as possible is the key factor..... suspension, wind protection, fuel range and ergonomics you can change to suit so for me the 690 was ruled out after numerous information form owners regarding problems...... shame KTM did not use the 690 RFR engine when they decided to make the 690 Enduro

Here is wind protection for £20 which did the job great for me :whistle:

1044092_10151979291191729_65038945_n.jpg (58.96 KiB) Viewed 2459 times

[600+]

I guess then looking at the 690 SMC is not a great idea

[WesleyDRZ400]

I guess then looking at the 690 SMC is not a great idea

I am only making my judgment on adventure bike being used for "adventure riding" in far away remote areas where there are no main dealers and very limited spares around so ruled a bike out with numerous documented problems

I am sure the 690 SMC is a great bike being used for what it is made for and also the FE570 SM would be amazing also. I owned a FX450 (FE450) and that was crazy

[AndyB]

I guess then looking at the 690 SMC is not a great idea

I had a 690SM from new in 2008 and it was a riot to ride but it wasn't ever going to be a bike you'd go touring on :pinch:

[PHILinFRANCE]

Not every bike is going to please everyone, i dont care about what make a bike is but i do care about reliability and for any adventure bike the engine and electrics being as reliable as possible is the key factor..... suspension, wind protection, fuel range and ergonomics you can change to suit so for me the 690 was ruled out after numerous information form owners regarding problems...... shame KTM did not use the 690 RFR engine when they decided to make the 690 Enduro

Here is wind protection for £20 which did the job great for me :whistle:

1044092_10151979291191729_65038945_n.jpg

WHAT ?????????????? YOU PAYED £20 for that !!!!! i got mine for nawt :laugh:



My little bit of Jap-Crap :whistle: never let me down (thumbs)

ps the Amaco Cadis didn't fair to well

[minkyhead]

awsome bike and awsome spec ...mr x s 690 in mezuga three years ago :side: looked like the mutts nuts i do remember him telling me just the exhaust hangar was ove 300 euros but what a lovly bike right place and right time all the power for the dunes :woohoo:

....giz a go mister

no feck off you untalented baldy tw*t ..was the reply :sick: :laugh:

truth is i didnt ask in case he said yes

[MotorcycleRider]

I brought a KTM 690 from a forum member on the KTM forum to go to Morocco. He was a popular member and a few posts on the bike commenting on it's mint condition as it was well known.

Rode it back from Milton Keynes to Manchester a late cold November evening. It must of been around 0 degrees, my first time riding on knobblies and down a dark M6 with shit headlights with the front stating to weave anything over 60MPH. It was a long ride! Near the end when stopping for fuel it struggled to start, I thought it was a weak battery being so cold. Then it started coughing and spluttering, anyway got it home.

A few days later I took it out no problem. I took it out again it had problems starting, then stalling when hot.

Read about the common fuel pump issues so put a new one in, same issue. I then got recommended a KTM mechanic who would also sort out the suspension. Riding it the 7 miles to the shop to be picked up it started playing up again, had to hold the revs when waiting at traffic lights or it'd stall, then it started coughing and spluttering, loosing power, gaining power, jerking. Eventually the chain had enough and snapped taking out the clutch cover with it. I had a 2 hour wait for the AA van to pick me up and drop it off to where I was originally going.

It must of been with the mechanic 2 months. He couldn't figure out what the issue was, was in touch the KTM center who had a bike with the exact same issue so was waiting for them to get back with a solution otherwise it'd be expensive replacing part by part.

To cut a long story short I never saw the bike again! I rode it about 5 times, paid for the suspension to be sorted, new chain, clutch cover, fuel pump then cut my losses when the mechanic made an offer to take it off me instead of waiting out a solution. I was a good bit out of pocket and was without a bike for a paid up trip to Morocco!

Lessons learnt, after getting a 690 then finding all the issues when looking I'd never buy one again. Sure when they work they are a great bike, but it seems not many of them work for long and when they do go wrong no one has a clue why, there's a long expensive list to work through. I'm lucky it never ran before Morocco as I'd be royally fucked it playing up in the middle of the Sahara.

[johnnyboxer]

So which bike did you buy to take to Morocco ?

[MotorcycleRider]

So which bike did you buy to take to Morocco ?

I ended up going on a Yamaha TTR 600. It was actually the perfect bike for the trip, even the fuel range wasn't an issue despite the small tank. I'm thinking about getting one now I'm in Australia but waiting to see what the new Africa Twin is like first.