Climbing a rocky hill on a 690

hello all,

I've been dirt riding for about a year now. Tons of experience on the road.

Ive been doing a lot of Desert riding, and having a blast. I feel like I have conquered Sand, but the rocky climbs are kicking my butt!

Here is a video of me getting frustrated, but still made it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIRGruXqCp4&list=UUeB1S4WEjl38AuOUlHBkT4g

Im curious to here how you guys attack it. Standing, sitting, speed, low and slow?

Thanks

I would probably do it just like that. I've seen enough videos of riders getting launched over the side after hitting a rock too hard to know I don't want to go too fast. Too slow of course, and its also bad.

Once stopped, it is tough to get going again. I can recall some difficult days on my kick start XL600.

Momentum and clutch.

Clutch is something I really do need to work on!

yeah, cant imagine kick starting me 690 on a hill. that would suck.

I would say standing while having a steady amount of speed. Doesn't mean fast, just steady.

Not easy to get going again once you lose your momentum on a rocky grade like you were on.




This is coming from someone with just a few years experience, most of which has been on my 690. Like yourself, I'm very comfortable in the sand, still getting used to the rocky climbs.

Also, I'm 5'11" ish, can touch on my tippy toes..so I def. try and keep my momentum up while standing. Dabbing a foot down becomes difficult on terrain like in your vid.

I guess above all else - Practice practice practice.

This makes sense. If you are slightly off the seat, the bike can move around a bit without stopping.

For an extreme example, watch some video of enduro-cross. Applying those techniques to our level of riding might make rocky hills more tame.

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if you're doing district races, one of these may help you out quite a bit....

A little faster than the video, might need to rev it up a little and use the clutch to smooth it out.
Probably better to stand but I know I sit down a lot.

More steady speed, stand to let the bike do it's thing, and be smooth on the clutch. 690's are known for having a harshly valved fork, and you can see the front end wander a lot early on in the vid. Deflecting the front end all over the place is going to suck the life out of you on something like that so suspension setup is pretty important.

^this (though I'm not privvy to how KTM sets up the 690 specifically). Your speed was slow enough that it was going to be nothing but a PITA to get up that hill. Though better to be too slow and struggle than launch off the side and play superman!

I'm not a very good dirt rider and I struggle to keep my speed up high enough to make things easy. I stand when I have to, sit when I can.

Doesn't help that the stock KTMs I've ridden were all valved to take on harsh terrain at speeds that would terrify most newer riders. It is sweet when you get going fast enough to get the suspension working but it takes a lot of commitment and a hard head for those times when ones speed exceeds ones skillset.

As others have said, a little more speed and standing(or at least off the seat) would help. Also, are you looking at the line you want(where you want to go) or at the rocks you're trying to avoid or the cliff you're trying to avoid going over? You're going to go where you are looking.

I did consider the Rekluse. I think Ill do a few more rides and see if I can improve before getting one.

I have been reading alot about the 690 having really tight front suspension. I think I will spend some money and get it set up for me.

I do see a common thread, more throttle, more speed, and get the bike setup. I think those are good things to start with.

I'd drop a tooth on the countershaft sprocket.

The first few minutes of that video I couldn't help having flashbacks to the faceplant video of the famed "Where the fuck is my bike" episode.
Looks like it could be the same spot.

Hmm, you're not wrong, they're not wrong, but I'd counsel you to choose terrain with less cliffs . At least until your capability has grown.

Lower pressures help, risk is the obvious one, more dings and on rocks, rimlocks aren't really optional, also check what tires local riders run, the correct tyre can increase your grip significantly.
It'll never be as easy as a trials bike though.

Pete

Me too. It's one of the roughest things in my experience, and I don't have great sage words of wisdom on the subject. Though I have observed a few things.

Going fast over rocks, where I'm basically floating, makes riding a heck of a lot easer. But, it beats the heck out of the rims I've noticed. I've cracked them and broken spokes this way. This is on levelish ground btw, not steep climbs.

Standing on the pegs vs sitting sure seems to help me keep control of the bike.

Scooting or leaning way forward doesn't seem to help the way I'd expect it to. Seems like it mashes the front end down, and lets the rear end bounce and sway more. This is likely a case of me over-doing the forward weight bias.

When it starts really spinning the rear tire, I invariably start getting a swinging going, and eventually pendulum out. The fine clutch and throttle control point between stalling and spinning is darn elusive and difficult to capture and control at this point.

As much as I love a low reving engine, keeping the revs up so the engine is better into it's power band helps keep things going smoothly.

1: once you get stopped on a hill, it can be difficult to get started again. A lot of times it is better to go back to the bottom so that you have momentum.

2: keep momentum up, does not mean go fast, just pick good lines and try to be smooth. Look ahead for rough sections and make sure to get a bit of speed before it.

3: slipping the clutch a bit at the correct times, like when crossing the top of a rolling rock or a wet root/log, will keep the rear wheel from spinning and slipping out. Learn to use the clutch, fanning it and slipping will greatly smooth out your riding. There is a reason it is soaked in oil and not dry like on a car or truck. Getting the clutch lever setup properly is very important, I have to cut the end off my clutch levers to make them work for me. I run the lever very close to the bar and I order to fully disengage, it has to be pulled completely to the bar. This allows me to comfortably keep a finger on the clutch all the time and with a flick of a finger, I can slip it.

4: lower tire pressure makes it a lot more predictable at lower speeds. The faster you go, the higher the pressure you need. Trials bikes go slow and run 3psi. Learn how to change a flat, because it will happen if you are running the correct pressures. Heavy duty tubes or tubliss help a lot.

5: Rekluse clutches are like automatic transmissions. Sure they help new drivers/riders but real enthusiast ride with the proper setup. There is a reason no hard enduro pro runs a Rekluse.

6: stand up! You cannot properly control the bike in rough terrain while sitting. While off-road, I am probably standing more than 50% of the time.

7: gear down on the rough stuff, the faster a bikes motor is turning over, the more difficult it will be to stall. It wall also be more predictable, it will be difficult for it to get away from you because it will already running at near max power. Bikes get away from people when the rider lets them idle down and then a bump throws them off and suddenly the bike revs and makes a lot more power. If you can't handle your bike at max power on a hill, then you need a smaller bike, and learn to ride a bike at its limit. I am a big fan of small bikes, they teach lots of good riding techniques that are very difficult to learn on a big bike.

Practice by riding figure 8's in your yard or somewhere. You have to know how to go slow before you can go fast. Practice riding slowly over rocks and logs in a controlled environment.