Hi guys, I sold my XTZ Tenere because I was fed up with the weight of the damn thing and it's lack of offroad capabilities. I had a 250 EXC 2-stroke so you probably know what I mean when I say offroad. Let's face it I am a knobbies man so let's return to t3h mothership, and get an orange bike Big problem, I can't decide between the excellent but hardcore KTM 530 EXC or the not-so-hardcore but probably more slab oriented KTM 690 Enduro R. My preference is going towards the 530 EXC, but I have doubts on its reliability when it comes to eating slab. For what I will use the bike: - Offroad riding, probably sand, fast stuff with sometimes some technical bits - Singletrack riding with probably narrower stuff, but not very often - Trips to work, about 20 km highway (freeway you call it or interstate or whatever it is), 40 km highway a day max :huh - Once a year maybe a holiday trip with probably 90% asphalt, slab, with probably distances of 1250 km single so 3000 km total... If I have to be honest, the 530 EXC looks sexier, seems like a more fun machine and it has a carb (no lousy injection, I HATE INJECTION) so I really dig the bike... But I'm also afraid of the maintenance... I read stories here of checking valves every 15 hours, changing oil every 1200 miles... This makes it a bit unrealistic I think since I have visions of doom seeing me doing nothing else then either riding or dragging half a toolbox with me on a trip since I need to check the valves half way (I already see it happening: omfg I haven't got shim XXX with me...). :eek1 So, what's your opinions? I like the Enduro R as well but I'm afraid it's too road oriented and still has too many troubles engine-wise (after all it is pretty new while the 530 is rock solid...) Your input is welcome! Cheers, Dom
A 530 for commuting 40kms on the highway each day? No way. 690 should be fun, get a set of 17" wheels to run during the week and then put on the knobbies for offroading on the weekends.
Hola, not each day... maybe once every two, three weeks The 690 Enduro R seems interesting, I had a LC4 640 Adventure and loved the bike, but it was heavy as a cow... One thing that really bothers me is the injection, why didn't they just stick a carb on it, silly austrians!
Say silly Euro emissions laws... BTW, I think this is the last year for carbs even on the EXC series, as the new factory MX1 bike already has injection and the "faux Swedish" Husby has it since last year...
The valves don't move much on the 450/530, so that will not be a problem. 1200 mile oil change intervals are too long though, I would do them about twice as often (and I am certainly not a maintenance freak).
I had the same question and ended up buying the 530. Love it! Very light and powerful. Maintenance is easy to do. Have more powerparts than 690 and cheaper (gas tanks for example) Better suspension Easy to fix anywhere you are. Now, if you are gonna ride on asphalt, buy the 690.
For any serious pavement pounding, I would look for a multi-cylinder bike. Singles are fine for around town, or secondary roads, but none are great at cruising at 75 - 80 MPH for miles and miles. Get an XR650 frame and wedge an EX500 motor in it. Only the Aprilia RXV comes close, but again, very high maintenance levels.
@Lukas: you mean swap oil every 600 miles (e.g. about every 1000 km's?) @Didndoit: do you ride asphalt sometimes on the EXC, is it doable? I'm not talking about hours and hours ofcourse, but sometiems a trip of 30 minutes slab is unavoidable. I agree on the parts availability, the 690 parts are expensie and there ain't too much available. You said easy to fix anywhere? As for the large trip I think about 200km will be highway, the rest would be smaller roads. What is a acceptable constant speed on asphalt with the 530? Is 120 km/h possible? (about 75 mph). I just been checking on the 690 a bit more and it still seems a lot road bike to me: controls, the way the rear brake cilinder is mounted (wtf...), the air filter (it's paper, dude...). Thanks for any input. Dom
Really? The EXC is a great bike. I had a 450 since a couple years ago, not too much different to a 530. Using it on road will be a matter of compromising off-road ability, IMHO. For instance, it will vibrate like hell if you don't balance the wheels, due to the presence of the tire-block, and those FIM tires are really a pain in case of a panic stop. Of course you can balance the wheel and put some more road oriented donuts. Brakes and suspension setup are good off-road, but you feel a certain lack of braking power and suspension "control" on the road. Final ratio has to be short for using it on rocky singletracks or deep sand, and this will affect its road manners. Of course you can choose to have a smaller rear sprocket. When I had the 450 I almost always trailered it, or used it a few times as a daily commuter when in my country house, a mere 10 kms far from my office. Both bikes have advantages and disavantages, and both of them could be tailored to became a compromise between road and off road...
Maurizio, Hmmm I'm being persueded to go to the 690 side So you sold your 450 EXC and bought the 690 Enduro R? How about the offroad handling of the bike, how is it compared to the 450 EXC? You're right about the 450 tho I rode one and it's a bit eh, extreme for road usage... I'm interested in how the 690 Enduro R handles offroad and compares itself to for example the LC4 640 Adventure and 640 Enduro bikes. Those vibed a lot (never bothered me) but were quitea bit to handle offroad, not to say you'd have some serious staminato keep em going. I am used to offroading a LC4 Adventure so no problems in that department, but I'm not going back that route Thanks man, Dom
I bought an Enduro in may, 2008. The R wasn't available at that time. Now I have done some work on my bike and it will be more similar to an "R": http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=544731 It is heavier, it has less steering, but i think it's more "planted" in fast fireroads or similar (I am referring to a friend's R that I have extensively driven before starting my project). On steep and narrow singletracks it has a little high 1st gear, nothing that some sprockets can correct, and the steering radius due to the frame shape doesn't help on hairpins. 690 is a completely different beast compared to a 640 adv. It is much more light and nimble, it doesn't vibrate so much and the engine pulls more than the old LC4. You can place it (the R one) exactely in between a 530 and a 640 adv, from the weight point of view. Of course it is not comparable to a two stroke exc, and it is a little bit an handful compared to the 530; but you can do both road and offroad without regretting your choice.
Yes I checked your thread... nice work you did, I especially like the rally filter conversion. With the EXC forks you probably have a bit more front/rear suspension travel then the R... Hmm sounds good, I especially like fast riding on long offroad stretches. That's what I liked about my LC4 Adv. in morocco, once on speed it was a rocket I understand it isn't a 2-stroke. I have my trial bike for that kind of work How is the injection? I rode a XT660Z Tenere and tbh the fuel injection s*cked, worst I ever had on a bike. My experience with injection is that they often are less smoother then carb setups, I hope KTM fixed this issue? BTW where did you get the tank filler top? I know the stock filler is worthless... BTW do you ever regret not having a 'R'? (only if it was for the cool frame color lol)
I feel it smooth, and I have (lucky?) never had stalling issues. The "on-off" effect is there, but it's less noticeable than that of a 990 SuperDuke I test drove when I was at the dealer to order my enduro. rally-raidproducts.co.uk, via their ebay shop. "I don't like those fancy, sour, orange steel tubes..." (Aesop's "The Fox and the Grape")
I avoid asphalt as much as possible, but it is doable. 30 min will be the max. time I would ride it. If you like fire roads and open trail rides the 690 is great, but you penalize on single tracks. When i say easy to fix, I mean that you don't need to be an expert or have specific tools to tune carbs. Fuel injection is a different story. I Morocco for example, is a lot easier to fix a 530 than to fix a 690 for sure. On asphalt I don't ride it faster than 100 km/h. On dirt it's a different story.
If you are more off-road oriented, get the 530. If you are more street oriented, get the 690. My buddy bought an 08 530 and put the big tank on it before it ever left the showroom. Eventually it became this... He now has 15K kms on it hasn't been apart yet. I told him it's time to go in to do a cursory check. It's reasonably comfortable on the road, as good as a 690 with the rally trim but it's lighter so it's not as tiring off-road. Maintenance is not that hard and the recommended intervals are mostly under racing conditions. These bikes will go a long time if used as a true DS. Sean
Some things to watch on the 450/530 EXC are oil migration between the trans and engine, and oil capacity. The engine side doesn't have much oil capacity so I added an HT oil cooler to my 400 XCW (same motor design). I have had no migration issues but many folks have. I use my 400 as a true dual sport bike, as it will handle pretty much everything. But no highway riding. I use my yzf450 as a supermoto around my town and neighboring towns. Usually limit to 2 hour rides and no highway. The 690E will do highway just fine, but obviously a twin will be even more at home there. Forget technical single track with the 690. Sure it can be done (and I have done it) but I'd much prefer to be on my 400 or, if super technical, my 200 2T.
I have a 2009 690r. Great all around bike. When I get in the tight stuff the bike feels big and heavy and has no steering lock. Then I feel like I should get a lighter bike. But then I ride the 30-40 miles back home on the pavement and realize the 690 is perfect. I really like the more relaxed maintenance intervals too. Any bike is a compromise-more so if street riding is involved. The 530 would not work for me because to get to the dirt I have to do quite a bit of highway riding which is fine with the 690r.
