KTM 990 and a 500? or 690?

[DuctTape]

For the first time in my whole life I'm unable to decide which bike.

My 990 is presently getting the last mods done to it, Aqualine fuel tanks, suspension updates and she'll be done (TEHEHE....yeah right)
Now that she's outfitted for the long haul it really pains me to take her out for just an hour or two and rack up all those useless miles close to home when she's really a marathon runner not a sprinter.

I was sold on the 690 due to all the aftermarket products available and the fact that sometimes my 2 hour ride ends up taking me 100's of miles from home necessitating a high speed highway run home as the sun sets in the west.

The flip side to this is that I live in the country so I have lots of acreage close to home to play in and the 500 with it's 50LBS of saved weight has it's appeal for that but for some reason I really like to ride in rocks and those are 50 miles from home and why I stray so far at times and I'm just not sure the 500 would be up to that type of use (100 mile highway stints)?

Hmmmm, even after reading this back I'm still not sure what bike would fill the hole..................I guess I could always just buy another 990 and see how much weight I could drop off of her but I really hate the thought of owning 2 of the same models even if I use them differently?

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts or experience they would be so kind to part with?

[rsteiger]

Funny..

I have been thinking about the 690 myself for similar reasons.

Right now I have a DL650 (which is mainly for the street and long distance rides), WR250R, KTM 450 EXC (been doing some work on it lately.. sort of setting up as a play DS bike), and a GasGas XC250.

The WR250R is my long range DS ride provided there is not much HW miles involved. I am planning on using the KTM as a weekend DS play bike but have been thinking about maybe selling that and getting a 690 since most of my weekend rides do involve some highway miles. The again the 450 EXC has been able to handle those fairly well.

[zxrider11]

Go for the 2012+ 690 Enduro, it is the most versatile machine out there right now.

There are a few mods you will want to consider, so budget for the following:

Upper & Lower Tank bolts from RallyRaid
Scotts Steering stabilizer with rubber mount
Seat Concepts seat cover
Wings Exhaust cannister

[TheMuffinMan]

I had a 950 and bought a 690. I intend to ride it in the rocks as well as adventure tour on it.

The 500 was a choice, but for me the longer maintenance intervals of the 690 compared to the 500 are what sold me. I was riding my 950 in the rocks before the the 690 feels like a feather comparatively.

I say the 690, but that's just me.

[jimmex]

Not a bad problem to have: which killer KTM combo conundrum. Nice alliteration huh. If you're going to be riding really gnarly single track and you don't mind trailering your bike, I'd go with the 500EXC as its easily the best big bore bike on the planet. If your off-roading is of the milder type and you don't want to trailer, I'd go with the 690 as its pretty capable off-road but will be far better on the hwy. Saludos, Jim

[Pantah]

I rode a 950 for 60k miles. Then I bought a Yam wr250r to do the CDR solo. It travelled so well, I sold the 950 and replaced it with a new 690R. Similar weight to the Yam, but with about as much speed as the 950.

I added a Scotts damper, Seat Concepts, Wolfman luggage and a lowering link. 4k miles on it so far and very happy with it.

[DuctTape]

Sounds like my initial 690 decision is the way I'll go.

Tomorrow a guy is coming out to look at my 2000 Hardly Road King Classic (Ridden 0nly once since I got my 990) which will pretty much pay for the 690 and who knows, a 300 exc or Christini may be warranted after I get the 690 built.

I thank you all and a shopping I will go!

[Velociraptor]

I have thought of trading my 690 for a 500 but I doubt I will do it. The 690 handles the highway OK and maintenance intervals are reasonable. The lighter weight of the 500 is not enough incentive to part with my 690.

[DuctTape]

If I have to trailer it to ride it I figure something even lighter then a 500 would make more sense. If Christini had an option for more fuel AWD would be the cats meow!

[Humanbeingexpert]

These are exactly the thoughts that I have been having on the 690 vs 500. If transport was no issue it would be the 500, but the 690 serves a larger role...road bike, enduro, etc. also seems like the better overall choice due to the maintenance intervals, even with the weight issue.

[TheMuffinMan]

Originally Posted by Humanbeingexpert

These are exactly the thoughts that I have been having on the 690 vs 500. If transport was no issue it would be the 500, but the 690 serves a larger role...road bike, enduro, etc. also seems like the better overall choice due to the maintenance intervals, even with the weight issue.

I wouldn't even call it a weight issue; it's the lightest bike in it's class by far.

You will need a shock spring, the rear stock one is notoriously soft.

And check out the wiki (though the server/website will be down this weekend since I'm moving on Sunday)

[DuctTape]

By looking at the SPECS on the KTM site the 690 only weighs 50 LBS more then the 500. After muscling the 990 around I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between the two.

[Todd34]

I just downsized from a 990 to a 690 and I love it so far. I was going back and forth about 690 vs. 500 because I could only have one bike so I picked the 690. The 990, 690, 300 combo would be bad ass!

[dep411]

This thread is driving me nuts. Waiting for the call from my dealer that my 690 is in..... Is a horrible wait :)

[SigPig]

I have been toying with the idea of downsizing my 690 to a 350 EXC-F. Not much help I know.