KTM 690 Enduro R + SMC (almost)

Bought myself a used (9000km) 09 690 Enduro R. Mostly ridden on tarmac (on motard wheels) and in very good condition. Got slip-on and KTM cam (is that what it's called?) so got 75hp. Feels really powerful compared to a Duke I tested earlier.

So plan is to ride it on gravel roads and some easy off road. And buy motard wheels and maybe compete in a single cylinder class (on race tracks, not motard tracks) they've got here next year. Very versatile bike, can be used for fairly tough off road, motard and even on longer trips.

The strategy is reducing from 4 to 2 bikes replacing these 3 with the 690:

KTM 400 EXC Enduro (too much hassel putting on trailer and drive 2hrs to ride. And Enduro tracks too tough for me ):


KTM 450 SMR (lost interest a bit and can use the 690 with motard wheels instead):


Yamaha XT600 (well, look at it ):


Problem is, I've still got them all but trying to sell the first 2 and convince a buddy to buy the XT. So at the moment I've got 5 bikes

nice work pingvin.... I recently picked up a used '08 SMC for my daily
beater in to NYC. added some Leos and an open air foam filter, which gives
it a bit of a boost

I love it... it's so much fun.

enjoy.

Sold last week

So now only got the SDR and 690enduro. Except high sided in Austria a week ago (low sun+gravel). 2 days in hospital but no serious injuries, back in Norway now. Not sure about the SDR, it's still in Austria. Helmet cracked all the way through...scary








So that's it. If bike can be repaired, I might just sell it. 4 times in 4 years, I take the hint. I want to see 50 and my wife and kids need me. Will probably keep the 690 enduro both for gravel riding (much lower speeds, less/no traffic) and maybe some motard and track stuff on motard wheels.

ouch, sorry to hear about that!

Winter No problem Just put on some studded tyres. And I mean studded, I kept them from my enduro track bike i sold and put them on the 690. Not even close to legal and terrible on tarmac. But on hard snow they grip like you wouldn't believe it. I went as fast as i dared and never had any big slides. My buddy (that you see in one of the pics, had street legal studs but I left him for dead...and he's more experienced on off road than I am.

Ready for track





Have 690 SMC forks and brakes as well but have to do some modifications for it to fit.

Took my road racing license today...using the 690 The superduke had raceteks so used the 690 with wets as it was 8deg and raining. Still crashed but the 690 crashes well so no problem there Actually mix of norwegian and swedish riders. 7 norwegian crashed...0 swedes

Tomorrow it's back to enduro mode

I`m jealous.

good stuff Pingvin!

re the studs....I had no idea that was how it worked....So you just buy the studs and screw em in yourself then?? I thought the tyres came with em. That's awesome!! Looking forward to next winter already now!!!

My tyres came with studs but a couple of buddies used the ones you screw into the tyre and they work surprisingly well to

Back on enduro wheels again now Had 22deg on sunday so perfect bike weather. Though was a slight disappointment being back on gravel roads after riding on snow all winter. Snow is more fun...and you've got the snow banks if you go down Oh well, guess I shouldn't complain.

Got the SMC forks and brakes mounted after some adjustments. Last time it was raining so the enduro brakes were OK, but very happy had the SMC brakes when back on same track the 2 last days. Not as good as the superduke but the SD has twice the discs/calippers so not that surprising.

Planned to use my superduke mostly but due to some electric problem I only did one session. Also had my 690 and the big surprise was how well it worked Had to experiment to find a good posistion and found moderate hang off was better and the wide bars give a bit of a strange position on track. But it is SO easy to turn and change direction which I guess is no surprise with 130kg and 160 rear tyre. What was a surprise was how well the motor worked. Of course I had no chance against the sports bikes on the straights but I didn't loose that much.

Actually I didn't miss the superduke at all. Makes me wonder if I really need the superduke at all. If the 690 is good enough on a race track it certainly is good enough on the road

dont forget that now you can change maps with tuneECU... so if you want some more oomph

wow... I also bought an SMC last year and was wondering how long I'll keep the SD
I used it more then the SD at the moment, it's my commuter bike and it rides
much like a DH MTN bike a round NYC.. its quick, fun and surprisingly fast.

Good on you pingvin!!!

So 690 promoted to tarmac duty, and SDR sold. Of course had to spend the money FAST before wife waste it on new kitchen or bathroom so now the proud owner of a brand new KTM530EXC-R Champions Edition (which means other decals ). First ride today and it sure is way easier to handle on gravel and trails than the 690