2012 ktm 690 enduro R owners, any major problems ?

[TheMuffinMan]

Originally Posted by dolphins13

Wasnt trying to be rude. I said a couple? not a few? I am trying to understand not mock. All the mods on that list, on the 690 wiki thread. Looked at a quick glance to be about 2000. I could be waay off. was a estimate. thx for your patiece. Been ridin 35 yrs but a noob to orange.

Oh the wiki thread. I thought you meant the wiki itself which doesn't have much on it yet.

Anyway, I don't think stuff other then what I listed is really necessary to fix the design issues of the bike. Other things might be nice but aren't a requirement in my opinion. It just depends on what you want to use it for.


And no worries, your post just made it sound like the bikes require a lot of cash into them to get them sorted. I just don't want people getting scared off by what I feel isn't the case. Sorry if I came off as angered or such; it was not my intent.

[dirty_sanchez]

5 days in rocky NW Arkansas smoked the original rear in just 1,800 miles on mine.

The steering lock to lock has never proved to be an issue while I'm riding her. Maneuvering her in the garage-it wasn't bad at all.

Go to a Japanese dual sport bike? I don't see it happening. I've swapped bikes with my buddies on DRZ's, KLR's, and XRL's, and once you've had a chance to ride the new or old LC-4's, the choice will be very clear.

Dirty

[TheMuffinMan]

Yeah I have a bridgestone tw21 and metzler sahara rear left over from my 950. Once I use them I'll probably go to a tkc up front and a mefo or heidenau on the rear.

[dirty_sanchez]

I put a Heidenau on the rear in one of those super duper heavy duty Michelin rear tubes.

I've run a few Heidenau's now, on the 640A and the 690 and like them better for the riding in my area. Still partial to the 606 in the front on both bikes though.

Dirty

[clintnz]

Originally Posted by dolphins13

I wanna be able to haul ass on asphalt (10 to 50 miles) on my way to the hardesr dirt riding I can find. I travel light. I

like to jump and climb really tough hills. So extra baggage sucks for me. Usually means a 100 to 150 total miles of riding.

For that sort of duty an EXC might almost work. Call the dude at the shop's bluff, tell him you want to test out the 500 for a weekend & see if you like it

Having said that, if you like your 640 for that stuff, you'll love the 690. The lighter weight, slimmer feel & lower CoG makes it feel much more like a modern dirtbike than the 640 does.

Cheers
Clint

[dolphins13]

Originally Posted by clintnz

For that sort of duty an EXC might almost work. Call the dude at the shop's bluff, tell him you want to test out the 500 for a weekend & see if you like it

Having said that, if you like your 640 for that stuff, you'll love the 690. The lighter weight, slimmer feel & lower CoG makes it feel much more like a modern dirtbike than the 640 does.

Cheers
Clint

If my dealer allowed test rides I definitely would of done it already. I start drooling everytime I look at the new 500's. Like the longer maintenance of a 690 tho. Would love to be able to test ride a 500 and a 690 2012 or newer.

[POMGRAD]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...6#post20223606

Help please!

[JustBob]

as one considering a KTM, specifically the 690EnduroR. My executive summary take away is that the bike's design is splendid but the execution (build quality) could be better. And....dealer expertise is a crap shoot, on the crap end of things.

I still have to sell the Multi before I get serious about this bike, so I have time. Keep the good discussion going.

[dirty_sanchez]

Just did the 1k km service for the '12 at Performance Cycles over in Lafayette, LA. Good people and they're 3 Minutes south of Interstate 10 for any other KTM travelers heading left or right and they have the Ultimate Set of KTM Tools.

Even though my bike has just shy of 2k miles at this point, I did everything checkup wise to the bike I could, given my lack of the KTM diagnostics computer.

Robert the Dad and Owner of the place rolled it in the back hooked it up, checked for codes while Jessie, the Son checked for any recall items.

Easy peasy, the bike had no recalls, Jessie warrantied the left mirror, whose stalk suddenly broke, going limp, while tooling down the road, transferred ownership into my name, and Robert found no fault codes, noted all values fell within specification, and I was down the road.

I fully expected a charge for running the diagnostics test, but when it came time to ring up a couple of stocking stuffers for Tiny D, they didn't charge me for any computer work!

I'm REALLY diggin' this '12 690E!

Dirty

[SKINNY]

Originally Posted by JustBob

as one considering a KTM, specifically the 690EnduroR. My executive summary take away is that the bike's design is splendid but the execution (build quality) could be better. And....dealer expertise is a crap shoot, on the crap end of things.

I still have to sell the Multi before I get serious about this bike, so I have time. Keep the good discussion going.

I suppose the build quality could be better on most any brand, but KTM is light years ahead of Husqvarna, and a few other Euro brands.
Dealer expertise is always a crap shoot, but in 15,000 miles & 2 690's, I've not needed the dealer to know any more than how to set the valves...

[Pantah]

I'm not sure why you have that opinion. My sons and I bought 3 KTMs this past year; a 350 EXC-F; a 200 XC-W smoker and a 690R for me. I think the build quality of each motorcycle is terrific. KTM seems to improve their products each year. True, my 2004 KTM 950 Adventure was not a very finished model, but I'd say the newer 990's are very nicely finished.

I always thought the gold standard of motocrossers was the Honda 450CRF, but these new KTM's are right there with it. We have a Yamaha R6 race bike that is a nicely finished product as well and I have a Yamaha WR250R. The New KTM's are certainly on par with those.

If you like the late model Ducati's that predate the modular products they build these days, I'd guess you would appreciate the newest KTM motorcycles.

Regarding dealers, I have three top shops within an hour of my condo in Boston. Two are family owned multi line dealers and one is a race shop. I have had nothing but great experiences with all three. They each have dedicated KTM techs and know their stuff, whether it's preparing the 350 for the Mexican 1000 or solving the tuning mysteries of my 950 when it was new.

Originally Posted by JustBob

as one considering a KTM, specifically the 690EnduroR. My executive summary take away is that the bike's design is splendid but the execution (build quality) could be better. And....dealer expertise is a crap shoot, on the crap end of things.

I still have to sell the Multi before I get serious about this bike, so I have time. Keep the good discussion going.

[Kimball76]

Originally Posted by dirty_sanchez

Before you decide against this bike, or cross your fingers on the '13's, remember the 99% who love the bike and are riding theirs with no issues are silenced by the 1% who are having a few fixable problems. And it's folks like you who are hearing those 1%'ers.

Be it a meal at a restaurant, your childs school, or service you get at Walmart or Lowes, none of us hear about the satisfied customers-we only hear from the squeaky wheels.



Dirty

+1
Great point for us all to remember ... typically it's the ones w/ problems that are motivated to raise issues, whether legitimate issues or not. I have about 2000mi on my 2012 690 and have had no issues, although I want to check out the fan issue when I get back to the house.

[Kimball76]

After further consideration I'll update my last post. After nearly 2000 miles I've had two issues with the bike:
1. As expected and as a result of the stock exhaust, my left/rear indicator is melting. The bulk of the damage occurred on a two day ride in October, and I expect it to be fully melted after my next multi-day trip in February.
2. The left handguard plastic snapped near the handle bar. It happened while I was cruising down the highway (enroute to my off road destination no less!) and wasn't a result of me dropping the bike, at least directly (although possibly it had been weakened on previous spills??). I'd planned to replace them with Acerbis or Barkbuster guards, this will just expedite the purchase.

[ramjet]

Just a note on the handguards. I like the look of the OEM guards so ordered another set after my originals cracked too after a good thrashing. When I received the new ones I noticed they were of a different and stronger plastic composition than what came with the bike.

But if you need some black Acerbis I've got some listed in flea market.

[thorinoakenshield]

Originally Posted by JustBob

My executive summary take away is that the bike's design is splendid but the execution (build quality) could be better. And....dealer expertise is a crap shoot, on the crap end of things.

I think the KTM build quality is exceptional.
I've wrenched on Yamahas, Hondas, Kawasakis, BMWs and KTMs....