Hi I'm just doing some research on my next bike and the ktm 690 is looking like a good one. The main concern I have is the reports of a very narrow ratio gear box. Has anyone tried to do anything about this ? Can gears out of any of the other KTMs (990 ect) be made to fit ? Maybe with a bit of machining in an engineering shop ? I have had a x challenge which I think has a wider spread than the 690 yet I was always wanting another gear on that so would I be able to live with a 690 ? Thanks kito
With the stock 15/45 gearing, 60mph = 4,500rpms. Going to 15/42 gearing, 60mph = 4,000rpms. The bike cruises 75mph no problem, with plenty of passing power left. Top speed is around 110mph. Riding around town, I always start off in 2nd gear. In the single track, first gear & 2nd gear seem fine for the tight sections.
I must say, it takes some getting used to, but the gearbox fits the power delivery. Unlike other large bore singles, the 690 doesn't really pull until about 3500k rpm. Most of them will pull just off idle. As a result, when you drop below 50mph you probably want 4th. Below 40mph 3rd. I don't really use 1st unless I'm rolling rock gardens or something. Around the city I short shift into 2nd as soon as I start moving. On the other end the motor seems to rev endlessly. 6th gear is good from 50 to over 100mph!
I have a 06 525XC and was wondering if the 690 has the same box, high first and narrow 2-6? I like the gearing on my bike and I dual sport it. The 690 is the bike I really want but to out of my price range and I feel I have a great bike for this area because it does all that I want except four lanes which is no fun anyway.
I own a 2010 690 Duke R and have been riding both the 690 SMC and Enduro. With the 690 Duke the gearing CAN be felt a bit tall and many change it from 16/40 to 15/40. The 690 SMC to me feels great as is and I'd leave it at 16/42. The 690 Enduro for my taste is geared too short if you use it mainly on highways, country roads etx. and I would change it from 15/45 to 15/42.
Interesting . So it seems at though you guys are having to change sprockets a lot depending on we're your going. If only they had a wide ratio box then I could crawl along at 5mph in the tight stuff and then cruse along at 70mph at lowish revs giving a smooth ride and good mpg
I think you've got that right, and i wish it were set up as you described. The gearing appears to me to be more for racing than low key recreation. Somebody tell me if I'm wrong - I'd love to know. The bike has such potential...
Thanks for the replys guys but trying to get back on topic .....The main concern I have is the reports of a very narrow ratio gear box. Has anyone tried to do anything about this ? Can gears out of any of the other KTMs (990 ect) be made to fit ? Maybe with a bit of machining in an engineering ?
From my messed up memory we did try to get a group guy going on a wider set of gears about 2 years ago but it fell thru. Sorry too lazy to search... it might of been the guy on here who did the pictures for a suspension tuning book? Anyways from what recall they needed a minimum of 20 orders and it was going to be in the neighborhood of 1,200 to $1,500 per set. That cost would have gone down with more orders. There are so many more owners/bikes out there now... might be worth someone trying to get that ball rolling again. I bet it'd be under $1000 if there were 40 orders...
My son built a desert racer out of a 2013 450. He had a custom gearbox made for it. Maybe could do the same for a 690.
I somehow doubt that unless he runs with a factory team or you're a seriously rich dad, the box alone would probably cost the same as an entire KTM... Are you sure that he actually had an entire gearbox custom made or is it possible that he simply swapped parts from another model, such as XC-W to XC-F or something along those lines?
Why are they charging so much for a gear box ? I could make do with just 2 maybe 4 gears cutting .To up the 6th and maybe the 5th Umm maybe I should be investing in a milling machine
I didn't pay for it and I am pretty sure it was around $2k. I think it is a fairly common practice among the SoCal desert racers. I'll check and report back. But it very well could be a parts swap thing. That makes most sense to me, now that you mention it.
Stock gearing is good up to 78ish mph sustained. I really don't feel the need to go faster (I would've kept my 950 if I wanted street speed). It will go much faster though if you want it to. It's perhaps the best dual sport to own living close to the mountains.
You were correct. It was a swap of 5th gear and added 6th with a XC-W. It cost $800 and was done by Carson City KTM. Guess that doesn't help with a 690..
This has been my concern too - I think I'm ready to get one but I always look at the husky TE630 and wonder if that's the better choice. It's my understanding that the Enduro has a gearbox that was developed more for a supermoto application which makes sense because it's probably the same box from the SM690 geared differently stock over 3 or 4 different models. Conjecture maybe. In other news I have heard that dumping the 2 exhausts and putting in a shorai battery makes the TE630 weigh the same as a 690 stock. Hmmmmm......Decisions, decisions. Sorry for the hijack.
Has anyone tried so far Enduro R with 16/42 (same as SMC) to see how it behaves? I'm interested in that combo but I'm not sure.
