Supersport to Dual Sport

Matthew.Tremayne

Matthew.Tremayne

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So, I've sold my '02 R6 that I've had forever, just took the dive and got a 2016 KTM 690 Enduro R. It's just getting ready at the dealer. I've ridden dirtbikes since I was young, but I just want to hear other people's experiences walking away from SS bikes. Did you ever go back? Also, what are your favorite places to ride your DS bike? I can't wait to get the KTM delivered, rip some dirt and blast some power wheelies! :headbang:
 
I am very tempted to go down the same path and the 690R is at the top of the list.

Be sure to report back your thoughts on the R once you have a few miles on her.
 
Learn to stand up. It's the only way that seat is tolerable for more than 1/2 hour. Other than that, fantastic bike, congrats. There are tons of trails up here near Barrie, you do need to be an OFTR member to legally ride Simcoe County forests. Check out the Ganaraska Forest as well, awesome place to ride.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
I got rid of my Ducati 1098S and got a Ducati Hypermotard 1100S. I can't get rid of this smile on my face. Enjoy your new bike
 
Fellow 14+ 690R owner here.

You may soon find that
- you paid an awful lot for this bike
- riding a slow(er) bike quickly is more fun than riding a fast(er) bike slowly
- owning a bike that is seemingly engineered to maximize fun at legal speeds makes perfect sense
- the bike is a real handful on singletrack. It's up to 100 lbs heavier than a real dirtbike. The tradeoffs are worth it but it's still heavy at 330lbs wet.
- you won't ever go back to a non-hydraulic clutch setup on dirtbike where you are always feathering the clutch
- the bike is peppier than you think even with stock gearing
- the seat is not all that bad. Out of all the bike seats I've ever spent time on (including a Seat Concepts one), the stock 2014+ 690R seat is the best
- the bike is a lot taller than you would like in certain situations (fall uphill!!)
- the steering radius sucks

Some 690R specific mods that people tend to do shortly after getting the bike
- switch to advanced engine mapping (dongle under the seat; it's free... or rather, you've already paid for it!)
- new handguards (otherwise you'll snap off the breakaway tips of your levers) at the slightest off
- offroad ABS/bad fuel dongle (so you can get ABS on the front wheel while leaving it off on the rear wheel)
- thermostat switch upgrade
- rear subframe bolts (if you plan on hauling stuff/people on your bike)

and then the regular stuff
- exhaust
- case saver

You'll be happy to know that many owners actually like the stock Pirelli MT21's ... except for their propensity to wear fast. I didn't find the wear too bad considering the torque this bike puts down. One can't have it all.
 
Snobike Mike said:
I am very tempted to go down the same path and the 690R is at the top of the list.

Be sure to report back your thoughts on the R once you have a few miles on her.
Click to expand...

I will be sure to report back as soon as I put some miles on it, after the get the bike delivered.
 
mudmojo said:
Fellow 14+ 690R owner here.

You may soon find that
- you paid an awful lot for this bike
- riding a slow(er) bike quickly is more fun than riding a fast(er) bike slowly
- owning a bike that is seemingly engineered to maximize fun at legal speeds makes perfect sense
- the bike is a real handful on singletrack. It's up to 100 lbs heavier than a real dirtbike. The tradeoffs are worth it but it's still heavy at 330lbs wet.
- you won't ever go back to a non-hydraulic clutch setup on dirtbike where you are always feathering the clutch
- the bike is peppier than you think even with stock gearing
- the seat is not all that bad. Out of all the bike seats I've ever spent time on (including a Seat Concepts one), the stock 2014+ 690R seat is the best
- the bike is a lot taller than you would like in certain situations (fall uphill!!)
- the steering radius sucks

Some 690R specific mods that people tend to do shortly after getting the bike
- switch to advanced engine mapping (dongle under the seat; it's free... or rather, you've already paid for it!)
- new handguards (otherwise you'll snap off the breakaway tips of your levers) at the slightest off
- offroad ABS/bad fuel dongle (so you can get ABS on the front wheel while leaving it off on the rear wheel)
- thermostat switch upgrade
- rear subframe bolts (if you plan on hauling stuff/people on your bike)

and then the regular stuff
- exhaust
- case saver

You'll be happy to know that many owners actually like the stock Pirelli MT21's ... except for their propensity to wear fast. I didn't find the wear too bad considering the torque this bike puts down. One can't have it all.
Click to expand...

Please explain these dongles, I haven't yet had the bike delivered to my house yet. I would like to know in detail so I can change the modes when it finally comes home sometime next week. I know ABS can be fully disabled by the push of a button. Keeping it on the front wheel would be good for rocky terrain. Do I have to purchase said dongle(s) as an aftermarket piece?

I plan of fabricating a steel skid plate and buying some hand guards with a metal backing. Also a rotopax was in mind as some adventure touring would be great.

I was planning on going to Ganny as well. Loved it on my old 2 stroker Suzuki, that I sold a few years back.
 
Matthew.Tremayne said:
Please explain these dongles, I haven't yet had the bike delivered to my house yet. I would like to know in detail so I can change the modes when it finally comes home sometime next week. I know ABS can be fully disabled by the push of a button. Keeping it on the front wheel would be good for rocky terrain. Do I have to purchase said dongle(s) as an aftermarket piece?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the ABS dongle needs to be purchased separately. It is an KTM Power Parts piece meaning that you can get it via any KTM dealership. Well by any I mean by any I mean show up armed with the part #.
For 2014 and 2015, the KTM part # is

60312953000

Double check with the dealership to make sure it is still compatible. Its official name is "Offroad Dongle" but can also go by "Bad Fuel Dongle" or "ABS Dongle"

I bought mine at GP Bikes in 2015 for my MY2015 690R and paid $131.99

You can also buy it from some online vendors for example...
http://www.ktmtwins.com/ktm-60312953000

This guy has the best channel I've seen on youtube for our bikes. This video shows the ABS dongle install
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWHN2xlaObY

For your throttle map selector switch, check the page on your owner's manual for "Tuning The Engine". On my MY2015 manual, it is section 16

Here's a thermostat switch upgrade vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IBHkalj3Hg


Riding singletrack on this bike is like trying to hustle a heavy car around an autocross circuit... you need the throttle to help you steer (by rotating the rear around) otherwise it's not going to feel quite as quick. I'm a little guy so have a hard time keeping her on a leash. Things happen quickly with this power. The bike feels like a runaway train with all that low down torque on tap leading to arm and leg pump arriving earlier.
 
I've been looking at KTM threads. I don't think US dealers will sell power parts across the border if that's the route you want to go. Also, as an aside, does anyone know where I can find Canadian prices for street KTM Power Parts?
 
mudmojo said:
Fellow 14+ 690R owner here.

You may soon find that
- you paid an awful lot for this bike
- .
Click to expand...

I actually think all things considered that the cost of the 690R is pretty "cheap" based on the specs/capabilities of this machine.

While bikes like a DR400, WR250, KLR, etc "could" be viewed as cheaper alternatives, none of them comes close to the performance of the 690.
 
MLadin said:
Why not have both your R6 and an enduro?
Click to expand...

220 for insurance on my R6 (it was 90 previously), 93 for my 690. I pay 56 a month for a 2 seat convertible. Insurance is getting pretty outrageous on sport bikes... Also wanted to get back to the dirt a bit.


@Mudmojo - Thanks for all of the info!
 
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Matthew.Tremayne said:
220 for insurance on my R6 (it was 90 previously), 93 for my 690. I pay 56 a month for a 2 seat convertible. Insurance is getting pretty outrageous on sport bikes... Also wanted to get back to the dirt a bit.


@Mudmojo - Thanks for all of the info!
Click to expand...

i keep getting this feeling that the province, the cops and the insurance companys had some backroom meeting in the past year or so and asked " what can we do to get sportbikes off the road?"
 
So, I've had a bit of time on the KTM.

Pros:
Fast
Quality parts and built well
ABS is sweet, I've never had it on a bike.
The 10 riding modes are great (obviously I chose the most powerful mode)
Wheelies are absolutely awesome on this bike (3rd gear power ups)
Feels like I'm riding a commanding vehicle down the road, sort of the same feeling you get driving an F-350. The height and presence is amazing. You can see everything and people see you.
Fuel range is great
It's a monster off road.
Takes a beating. Dropped it like 8 times in the mud, it was really thick and nasty.
Crossed a river with it and she went just fine.
Almost too much power for off road, I never thought I'd say that.... Maybe it's just how bad the conditions were.
GP Bikes has everything KTM, even New Era hats, which I love. It's sort of like Harley, they have everything!

There's more, but I just can't think of it.

Cons:
Fairly heavy compared to a real dirt bike.
Turning radius is horrendous. Thank God the rear wheel spins so much when you hammer it, to swing around.
VERY TALL! I'm 5'10 and I tippy to on it.
Expensive if you break anything.
Supermoto wheel + rotor kit is 2500 after taxes.....
Seat is pretty hard and I'm no fatty either. A big guy would really hurt his *** on the piece of 2x4 they give you.
Price was crazy after taxes. Came to $17,689.30 with my $500 dollar helmet.


All in all, great bike thus far and I'm hoping it proves to be the reliable workhorse, that provides me with the true 50/50 dirt and street performance that I expected when purchasing it.
 
Matthew.Tremayne said:
So, I've had a bit of time on the KTM.

Pros:
Fast
Quality parts and built well
ABS is sweet, I've never had it on a bike.
The 10 riding modes are great (obviously I chose the most powerful mode)
Wheelies are absolutely awesome on this bike (3rd gear power ups)
Feels like I'm riding a commanding vehicle down the road, sort of the same feeling you get driving an F-350. The height and presence is amazing. You can see everything and people see you.
Fuel range is great
It's a monster off road.
Takes a beating. Dropped it like 8 times in the mud, it was really thick and nasty.
Crossed a river with it and she went just fine.
Almost too much power for off road, I never thought I'd say that.... Maybe it's just how bad the conditions were.
GP Bikes has everything KTM, even New Era hats, which I love. It's sort of like Harley, they have everything!

There's more, but I just can't think of it.

Cons:
Fairly heavy compared to a real dirt bike.
Turning radius is horrendous. Thank God the rear wheel spins so much when you hammer it, to swing around.
VERY TALL! I'm 5'10 and I tippy to on it.
Expensive if you break anything.
Supermoto wheel + rotor kit is 2500 after taxes.....
Seat is pretty hard and I'm no fatty either. A big guy would really hurt his *** on the piece of 2x4 they give you.
Price was crazy after taxes. Came to $17,689.30 with my $500 dollar helmet.


All in all, great bike thus far and I'm hoping it proves to be the reliable workhorse, that provides me with the true 50/50 dirt and street performance that I expected when purchasing it.
Click to expand...


Jeez i'm having Deja Vu here. Hey Matt, it's Chase (I had the FZ-09).... Sold that and had a 2014 KTM 690 for a year. The 690 is really a phenomenal bike... but $17,689.30 / $17,124 without helmet!?!?!? That's almost what I paid for my 2015 KTM 1190 Adventure.... Maybe I'm missing something here.

* You can decrease the turning radius on the 690 by screwing in the steering stops.
* The seat concepts seat is definitely an upgrade... was needed for my fat ***.
* Wings exhaust is amazing.
 
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17+K ?? What? Ouch!!! Should have been 15K all in at the worst if my math is right? The MSRP is well under 13. Are the 16's more expensive?


 
Holy schmoly 17K, good thing you like it
 
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