RTW with Noah on a KTM 690

[Burner29]

Looking forward to following this!

If you want to spend anytime in Vancouver drop me a line, I'm right downtown with lots of secure parking right next to my 990.


Cheers,

Jamie

[Barman]

Originally Posted by RoninMoto

Thanks to everyone offering advice and well wishes. There are still some issues I am working out on the road... But that is half the fun. Today I am trying to find the rattle in my dash.

I am in Bend Oregon until Thursday morning then I am headed back to the coast to start going north again.

There was a rattle in mine that drove me insane for a while. I found the brackets for the turn signals were contacting the forks causing a buzzing noise. fixed with a pair of pliers to increase the gap.

[RoninMoto]

Originally Posted by Barman

There was a rattle in mine that drove me insane for a while. I found the brackets for the turn signals were contacting the forks causing a buzzing noise. fixed with a pair of pliers to increase the gap.

My front blinkers are on the Bash Guards. Now that i have 2500 miles on the RR faring i can see what is rubbing and needs to securely fixed or a gap made.

[RoninMoto]

Originally Posted by Jeckylll

Couldn't tell by your route if you were going to be in/near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. But if you get in trouble near here or need a place to crash I would be happy to help.

I am the part owner of a New shop DaD's Cycle and Sled shop and we can get you help 24hrs a day :)

Thank you,
I will be down in Montana by then. I graduated from MSU in Bozeman so I have some college friends to see. Plus beartooth pass south of Redlodge MT is on my list of places.

[Barman]

Originally Posted by RoninMoto

My front blinkers are on the Bash Guards. Now that i have 2500 miles on the RR faring i can see what is rubbing and needs to securely fixed or a gap made.

I should have paid more attention to the bike photos on the first page. The directional mounts were pretty much the last thing I looked at to fix the rattle, Thought I picked a winner for you on that one.
And I've found the fix to make the 690 run like a million bucks. Earplugs.

[g.arbo]

Subscribed! Well done dude, go for it. Looks like you plan to come to Ireland. I can offer you a bed and some local craic in Belfast.
Good luck and enjoy.

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by RoninMoto

I have friends that swear by the the dirt tricks products. Time will tell.

Sorry to overload on questions!
Just a quick comment on chains and so called "miracle" sprockets. What some riders miss ... especially those who ride mostly off road ... is that a sprocket can be TOO HARD. I've read several forums were dirt riders declare that their Ironman sprockets went through two DID VM-2 X-Ring chains and their sprockets still look new. They were thrilled!
See anything funny about this?

I get 25,000 miles on a DID X-Ring chain. Think those guys went that far ... on their "dirt bikes"? I doubt it. Most dirt riders do a couple thousand a year at most.

I've used DID chains over 250,000 miles, going back to 1997.
I normally run OEM sprockets when available or JT, AFAM or Renthal when OEM not available. No idea if KTM supplied sprockets are good ... or not, but they would be my 1st choice for RTW. Buy two!

Lots of "Snake Oil" miracle sprocket/chain hucksters have come and gone, like Larry "Vic" Krause and his Sidewinder products of ill repute, who has been around since the 70's.
I've not used Ironman but I do know a bit about metallurgy. A case hardened sprocket is of no advantage for overall chain life. Sure, it never wear out ... but how is your chain doing?

A new chain can cost around $120 to $170 to replace. More in some far away place. They are heavy and hard to pack. On long rides on my DR650 I always carry a spare front $15 sprocket (JT). I change it out every 10K miles no matter what. I've found that a fresh front sprocket adds LOTS OF LIFE to my chain. A front Sprocket is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Chains, not so much.

A super hard sprocket may look NEW ... but can wear your nice new chain in short order. You may only get 10K to 12k miles before chain shows signs of failure. My current DR650 uses a 525 chain (your KTM uses 520). My original chain went 12K miles (medium quality DID). Replacement DID VM-2 X ring went 24K miles. Current DID is now up to 12K miles ... has never needed adjustment, looks NEW. I just changed to a new front sprocket: OEM Suzuki. 45,000 miles on bike ... and counting.

Japanese engineers claim sprockets "should" wear, rather than the chain wearing first. In any case, keep chain clean as you can, light oiling, no sticky stuff.
Good luck! Looking forward to more reports.

[The Walrus]

Subscribed.......good luck.....let us know dates on the Montana segment.....lots to ride in that area.....

[RoninMoto]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

Sorry to overload on questions!
Just a quick comment on chains and so called "miracle" sprockets. What some riders miss ... especially those who ride mostly off road ... is that a sprocket can be TOO HARD. I've read several forums were dirt riders declare that their Ironman sprockets went through two DID VM-2 X-Ring chains and their sprockets still look new. They were thrilled!
See anything funny about this?

I get 25,000 miles on a DID X-Ring chain. Think those guys went that far ... on their "dirt bikes"? I doubt it. Most dirt riders do a couple thousand a year at most.

I've used DID chains over 250,000 miles, going back to 1997.
I normally run OEM sprockets when available or JT, AFAM or Renthal when OEM not available. No idea if KTM supplied sprockets are good ... or not, but they would be my 1st choice for RTW. Buy two!

Lots of "Snake Oil" miracle sprocket/chain hucksters have come and gone, like Larry "Vic" Krause and his Sidewinder products of ill repute, who has been around since the 70's.
I've not used Ironman but I do know a bit about metallurgy. A case hardened sprocket is of no advantage for overall chain life. Sure, it never wear out ... but how is your chain doing?

A new chain can cost around $120 to $170 to replace. More in some far away place. They are heavy and hard to pack. On long rides on my DR650 I always carry a spare front $15 sprocket (JT). I change it out every 10K miles no matter what. I've found that a fresh front sprocket adds LOTS OF LIFE to my chain. A front Sprocket is relatively cheap and easy to replace. Chains, not so much.

A super hard sprocket may look NEW ... but can wear your nice new chain in short order. You may only get 10K to 12k miles before chain shows signs of failure. My current DR650 uses a 525 chain (your KTM uses 520). My original chain went 12K miles (medium quality DID). Replacement DID VM-2 X ring went 24K miles. Current DID is now up to 12K miles ... has never needed adjustment, looks NEW. I just changed to a new front sprocket: OEM Suzuki. 45,000 miles on bike ... and counting.

Japanese engineers claim sprockets "should" wear, rather than the chain wearing first. In any case, keep chain clean as you can, light oiling, no sticky stuff.
Good luck! Looking forward to more reports.

Wow. This is a lot to think about. I carry a spare front sprocket. Since its on the bike im gunna run it. By mn we should have a good answer whether the sprocket is legit.

[RoninMoto]

Originally Posted by The Walrus

Subscribed.......good luck.....let us know dates on the Montana segment.....lots to ride in that area.....

Mid june.

[RoninMoto]

The RR kit has this aluminum piece that mounts with 2 screws under the dash. It was rubbing on the underside of the dash and against the side panels. The only reason I can see for keeping it on there is my power outlet is mounted to it. I will be moving the power outlet and removing this piece of aluminum. The 2 mounting holes are next to my thumb. It was rubbing at the top where you see the bare aluminum.


Another picture. I will put more up when its back together. I put the orange gas line on the bottom of the dash to keep it from rubbing. didn't work as you can see. I was also adjusting the sensitivity of the pickup on the TrailTech tach so i get a correct reading.

[jorich]

My friend and I are riding our 690's from Vancouver BC to the Oregon sand dunes. We're leaving early Friday morning. Maybe at the very least we will pass you on the road! Otherwise I would have offered you a bed and shower for the weekend in North Van!

[westcoastvaleska]

What kind of mileage are you getting on that KTM? When I was motorbiking Thailand a few months back, saw a few riders that started in Italy. Definitely Do-able man.

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally Posted by RoninMoto

Thank you,
I will be down in Montana by then. I graduated from MSU in Bozeman so I have some college friends to see. Plus beartooth pass south of Redlodge MT is on my list of places.

MMMmmm...... Now you've gone and made me hungry for the pork bellies at Over the Tapas!

[GSpot1200]

Ballsy riding a motorcycle to Alaska to go riding(snowboard)!!! Good Luck and Godspeed!