Reasonable protection for KTM 690 Enduro

[daniel5600]

I've just put down a deposit for a 2011 KTM 690 Enduro R.
Having never ridden dirt before, Im not sure how much protection I should be getting without going stupid.

My list currently consists of...

Skid plate
Radiator protection surround
Radiator guard
Engine crash guard

Is it wise to get all of these? are there others that would be priority?
Any advise would be helpful.

[refokus]

If you haven't been riding in the dirt and your getting the 690, I would recommend getting all the protection listed. Don't forget to get your body armor as well. ATGATT.

[StepOnIt]

I would ask yourself what kind of riding as I going to put this bike through??
I have an 08 690 and love the poor girl and ride her hard, when I can. I have only put a barkbusters and a flatland skid plate on her. As for the other things not to sure about them, but so far I have not needed them. Don't get me wrong I have put her down once or trice and she does not liked to be cartwheeled .

[zxrider11]

Touratech makes some nice accessories and protection pieces for the 690:

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/1...KTM-690-Enduro

[Rockcat]

Originally Posted by daniel5600

Skid plate
Radiator protection surround
Radiator guard
Engine crash guard

Is it wise to get all of these? are there others that would be priority?
Any advise would be helpful.

I would only get a skid plate. You don't need to add anymore weight if you are really going to ride the 690 off road.

[Pantah]

You might consider a radiator guard, but I ride mine stock. I've done 3 dual sport rides (and fell off a couple times), but was mostly mud so no biggie. I would think the plastic skid plate is adequate unless you ride lots of rock gardens. I also have a Yamaha 250 and a lot of owners are going to plastic skid plates for those. They say it's quieter.

Bark Busters type hand guards are nice, but once they get pranged it's hard to bend them back. The plastic ones flex, but not as much protection for your hands if you actually hit a tree, which is what I think the metal ones are for.

I've never really seen case guards for dirtbikes. Only for more street oriented motorcycles.

Mine has over 3200 miles now and the motor has finally smoothed out over the last 500 miles. I can still tell it's a single, but barely. Me happy!

[invisible monster]

Originally Posted by daniel5600

I've just put down a deposit for a 2011 KTM 690 Enduro R.
Having never ridden dirt before, Im not sure how much protection I should be getting without going stupid.

My list currently consists of...

Skid plate
Radiator protection surround
Radiator guard
Engine crash guard

Is it wise to get all of these? are there others that would be priority?
Any advise would be helpful.

I would say you are on the right track with your list. I put the KTM Hard Parts skid plate, Cycra ProBend handguards, and the KTM radiator guards on mine and feel comfortable that it is protected from most dual-sport style get offs.

[The Letter J]

Regardless of bike I always start with a skidplate, handgaurds, and if watercooled, radiator protection. From there, you need to decide how hard you intend to beat on it.

On my 690 I have:

skidplate: http://www.adventure-spec.com/defaul...m-690-e-r.html

handgaurds: http://store.cycraracing.com/ceremo11ba.html

case covers: http://www.adventure-spec.com/defaul...m-690-e-r.html

brake pedal/shifter tethers: http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...er/brake+snake

brake pedal: http://www.cleanspeedeng.com/Brake%20Pedal.htm

shifter: http://www.hdmoto.com/ProductDetails...uctCode=KTM1SL

tubular radiator cage: bought from Nomadic cycle racks years ago, but they no longer have it on their website... they would probably still make one if you asked nicely.

techspec to cover vulnerable areas on the sides of the tank: http://techspec-usa.com/product_info...cts_id=351&i=s

Chain guide gaurd: http://shop.bulletproofdesigns.com/p...&categoryId=30

I haven't purchased it yet, but I have managed to bend 2 rear rotors now so a rear brake rotor "shark fin" is definately on my list: http://www.scottsperformance.com/Pro...2&Bike_ID=4657

I ride in extremely rocky places and ride the 690 like a real dirtbike and these parts have all helped to make sure that I can ride back to camp. Just 2 weeks ago I had a bad get-off (lucky to be alive) on the 690 at 55-60mph in the desert while riding through rock strewn whoops... bike faired well other than breaking the bar mounts and some damage to the top triple clamp.

If you ride stuff like this, I think what I have is "reasonable protection" but is most likely overkill for casual forest road riding:

[daniel5600]

Thanks all for the recommendations.
Ill continue shopping and sussing it out.

[1 Bored Clerk]

My 690R was my first dirt bike and I found it was just fine with some good handguards. I put on Cycra Pro-Bends and different mirrors and rode it...18,000 miles the first year and a half. The factory plastic skid plate was just fine for the few times I actually hit something. If you start tackling harder stuff, you may want radiator guards. Other than that, I had no issues with mine...its was a great bike. I just sold it this summer in favor of picking up something smaller (500exc?) because I got tired of picking up something bigger (690R)!

I also like the body armor comment. Falling over will happen and you want to be the least damaged as you can be...you'll need your health for heaving the big girl up.

Man, thinking about it...it was a really frickin' awesome bike. I miss it.

[Night Falcon]

As others have already said the 690 takes the knocks pretty good out of the box. Ive binned mine a few times and its come through pretty good with only scratching to plastics. Having said that I have it set up for adventure riding rather than hard out dirt stuff....not that it dosn't get that from time to time

If your riding on rocky tracks a better bash plate, a rear break disk guard and some bark busters would be a good idea. Too much stuff bolted on ya bike if you are doing tight trails can be a pain though and there is always the crash that no manner of protection will save you from.

The 690 is a big bike and can become a handful real quick in the dirt especially at speed...probably wouldn't be my choice for learning to ride dirt on but it is a very capable bike once you get used to its size. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun on it!!