A New Chapter -KTM 690 Set Up

[AJRJ]

Wow nice, mind sharing the trip GPS on that last photo?

Happy to swap some of my own GPS routes with you!

No problem. That's about an hour and a half from Radium.

[AJRJ]

The Bike has been great, and figuring out where it can be used has been a blast. I'm also enjoying getting it set up for my version of the dream do-it-all bike. Of course most people would say there's no such thing, but this is likely as close as it gets for around here anyways.

The last bit of tweaking for last year addressed a couple things, one mechanical, and one ergonomical.

One downside of a 12 - 13 year bike is the rocker arms are right in a range where there have been a few failures, all well documented on line. They were recently superseded with an updated part #, so a trip to Cycle Works had me a set:

They installed with ease, as the open trellis frame makes these bikes very easy to work on. A quick re-shim and we were off...

The other item was a set of the KTM rally pegs. I've ridden for years on stock KTM pegs off road, and actually don't like anything larger for that use. The affect on shifting and size does not work to your advantage, YMMV. On road though, where you can stand for long periods on gravel, these pegs are where it's at!

By the way, don't stand on pavement you look like a

[AJRJ]

Hmmm....

Soooo...

A hint...

[AJRJ]

In the mean time, here's an update on the Mitas XT 754 rear tire. I freaking love this thing for traction, and it's proved to be reasonably durable (by my admittedly low standards) for road use. This tire is NOT DOT legal, so don't use it if that's a big deal to you.

The rundown is ~2500 km, probably 500 km on pavement. Now it looks like this:

This tire ha zero flats, and didn't have any bigger cuts than the MT21 rear that was on it before. This was the first tire with the rear Tubliss installed, and it was near perfect. I ran pressures as low as 15 psi on gravel and in rocks, and regardless of the missing knobs, it hooked up like Velcro. The Tubliss on the 2.5" rear rim (again not DOT, use at your own risk) would slowly leak down over a week, but it never got to the point where I added air, even on 3 day rides. I'd just fill it at home before I left, and be getting awesome traction when I got back The front Tubliss on an MT21 will hold air for 6 months.

Tires are like a lot of things though, even though this works perfectly, I have a new set to try for the spring...

[AJRJ]

Well, there certainly has been a lot of time to work on the bikes. Self isolation has to have some positives...

The 690 is a great bike, and has been an absolute blast to ride and explore on. This thread has been a chance to document some mostly minor fixes to a pretty great stock motorcycle. There is one significant shortcoming, especially for riding around here. Time for some un-boxing.

That would be the hardware kit for these:

The one real thing you can't do on a 690 it seems is to go really far They are desperately in need of some fuel capacity. Especially for the back country rides we've been doing, the range is the biggest limiting factor. There are a lot of places to get far far away from a gas station in the Eastern slopes. We did do a ride last year that was 500 km unsupported, but it involved a stashed gas can, 2 - 2l Industrial Nalgene containers, and a Tim Hortons Take 12 coffee bag filled with gas.

[AJRJ]

I have to say that the service from Rally Raid UK was great. They did make a mistake in the year of the fit kit they sent, but they immediately shipped the needed parts, which showed up at my door from the UK 3 days later

The install was painless, after having the tank flipped up, as I had some practice before changing the fuel filters.

The fit and construction of the kit was excellent IMO. It appears to well made with a lot of thought, and CNC plasma (or laser?) parts.

The fully installed tanks seem to fit well, and have minimal impact on my riding position while seated, and no impact while standing. The increase in fuel of 9.5 liters should be enough to get me around 400 km to 450 km, depending on the ride. I'll be out to double check that...

[Rider Eh!]

So they are a bit less capacity than the new Husky 701 LR tanks I take it. They look more low profile though. What's the cost diff?

[AJRJ]

They are a bit less capacity, for sure. I have not seen official North American Pricing on the Long Range Kit, but I expect its ~$2,500 ish. The LR kit is plastics and a seat, but the real thing is that it includes a second high pressure pump and a switch. Kind of tough to compare to what really are just a pair of oversize tanks .

The new 701 Long Range will be a bargain when the complete motorcycle is (or if?) for sale here. It's only about a 1000 Euro add, so much cheaper than the separate kit. The redundancy built into the kit is a huge peace of mind to guys doing Round The World type adventures. I do like the simplicity and relative light weight of these tanks so far, but the jury will be out on their long term function and durability.

[AJRJ]

While the bike was apart, and while I was busy with quarantine, I also upgraded the available power outlets. Aslo with me running two GPS units on the bars a lot of the time, I was switching cords back and forth, as I slowly ran them low on battery during the day. Now I on't have to worry about charging everything when I stop, which has it's own challenges. The 690s also use a shunting style regulator/rectifier which can go bad apparently (mostly related to overheating IMO), so I thought I'd get a way to keep an eye on that as well.

Amazon has a solution for both:

The 690 is already wired for accessories, with a pair of connectors behind the headlight. One set is constant on, the other is keyed on. I would always run the USB style connectors on the keyed side. They have a small parasitic loss, and will run your battery down over a few weeks or months, so keep that in mind. I'm already running the KTM power parts USB adapter, which is awesome for its durability and waterproof caps.

A quick hole in the side of the headlight mask, there was just enough room.

And voila, I had a volt meter with a dual USB plug, readyto go. I'm pretty sure that I ordered the orange one on Amazon, you know, the whole Kool-Aid thing... But the blue works well, and it's great peace of mind being able to see the voltage and know if there's anything weird going on.

[Powdercowboy]

Nice write up! I recently picked up a 2012 ktm 690 to keep me busy when I'm not on the dirt bike. Definitely stuff to learn about these bikes to keep on top of them!

So far iv only upgraded air filter to twin air, and added a O2 dongle. Ordered the new waterproof wolfman e12 saddle bags.

Are you still running the factory muffler?

[AJRJ]

Nice write up! I recently picked up a 2012 ktm 690 to keep me busy when I'm not on the dirt bike. Definitely stuff to learn about these bikes to keep on top of them!

So far iv only upgraded air filter to twin air, and added a O2 dongle. Ordered the new waterproof wolfman e12 saddle bags.

Are you still running the factory muffler?

I really like the older E12s that I have, and the newer Wolfman stuff looks awesome. Post a pic when you get it mounted.

I never ran the stock muffler, for all the reasons you already now, like heat and weight. I started with an eBay Chinese Akro knock off, where I had a muffler shop custom make the mid pipe for me:

Worked well, was lighter (still heavy), smaller, but also on the loud side. Not an issue for me, but was for the guys I ride with

I since upgraded to the only muffler recommended by the interwebs for KTM dual sports, the Wings.

It's lighter and quieter, although I only run it with the insert. Also came with a little muffler key chain and a t-shirt so

[Powdercowboy]

Nice write up! I recently picked up a 2012 ktm 690 to keep me busy when I'm not on the dirt bike. Definitely stuff to learn about these bikes to keep on top of them!

So far iv only upgraded air filter to twin air, and added a O2 dongle. Ordered the new waterproof wolfman e12 saddle bags.

Are you still running the factory muffler?

I really like the older E12s that I have, and the newer Wolfman stuff looks awesome. Post a pic when you get it mounted.

I never ran the stock muffler, for all the reasons you already now, like heat and weight. I started with an eBay Chinese Akro knock off, where I had a muffler shop custom make the mid pipe for me:

IMG_3124.JPG

Worked well, was lighter (still heavy), smaller, but also on the loud side. Not an issue for me, but was for the guys I ride with

I since upgraded to the only muffler recommended by the interwebs for KTM dual sports, the Wings.

627.JPG

It's lighter and quieter, although I only run it with the insert. Also came with a little muffler key chain and a t-shirt so

I'll post some pictures when I get my shipment from dualsportplus.

Im sure I'll upgrade to the wings once I get busy with work again, as it's still relatively quite with the insert in. I YouTubed some of those ebay exhaust and they are LOUD lol. I'll just have to watch that the factory muffler doesnt burn my new bags.

I'm still looking for a rear rack so I can mount a rotopax gas can. I may try and make my own with the downtime I have. Definitely need something so I dont have to worry about running out of fuel.

It came with pirelli rear tire, front was shot, so I put on a shink 804. Havnt tested tires is any type of dirt yet.

[AJRJ]

It's lighter and quieter, although I only run it with the insert. Also came with a little muffler key chain and a t-shirt so

I'll post some pictures when I get my shipment from dualsportplus.

Im sure I'll upgrade to the wings once I get busy with work again, as it's still relatively quite with the insert in. I YouTubed some of those ebay exhaust and they are LOUD lol. I'll just have to watch that the factory muffler doesnt burn my new bags.

I'm still looking for a rear rack so I can mount a rotopax gas can. I may try and make my own with the downtime I have. Definitely need something so I dont have to worry about running out of fuel.

It came with pirelli rear tire, front was shot, so I put on a shink 804. Havnt tested tires is any type of dirt yet.[/quote]

I've used these containers for gas with my e-12s with great success. a full 4l fits in one side. These are industrial Nalgene containers, 2 l each. Absolutely 0 leaks or fuel smell.

I've seen a lot of people use rotopax with success, but I've also seen some bad luck especially with 690's. Lacking the full rear subframe has you rely on the threaded inserts in the polymer tank. The weight of the rotopax + fuel + wash board gravel = failure in a lot of cases.

[Powdercowboy]

It's lighter and quieter, although I only run it with the insert. Also came with a little muffler key chain and a t-shirt so

I'll post some pictures when I get my shipment from dualsportplus.

Im sure I'll upgrade to the wings once I get busy with work again, as it's still relatively quite with the insert in. I YouTubed some of those ebay exhaust and they are LOUD lol. I'll just have to watch that the factory muffler doesnt burn my new bags.

I'm still looking for a rear rack so I can mount a rotopax gas can. I may try and make my own with the downtime I have. Definitely need something so I dont have to worry about running out of fuel.

It came with pirelli rear tire, front was shot, so I put on a shink 804. Havnt tested tires is any type of dirt yet.

I've used these containers for gas with my e-12s with great success. a full 4l fits in one side. These are industrial Nalgene containers, 2 l each. Absolutely 0 leaks or fuel smell.

062.JPG



I've seen a lot of people use rotopax with success, but I've also seen some bad luck especially with 690's. Lacking the full rear subframe has you rely on the threaded inserts in the polymer tank. The weight of the rotopax + fuel + wash board gravel = failure in a lot of cases.[/quote]

Oh really I didnt know that, I supposed the weight flopping around could pull the inserts out. Where did locate those nalgene bottles?

I'm putting together a little tool/roadside parts kit. I'm not sure what you carry but feel free to chime in on suggestions. So far I got
-small socket/bit set
set
-Allen keys
-spare fuel pump (pm me if your looking for spare pump for 1/3 price compared to amazon)
-21" tube
-tire pump
-ziptie, tape, tie-wire

Enough to cover the basics so far. Wouldnt mind making a kickstand bypass dongle like you have done.

[AJRJ]

Yeah, in regard to the rotopax it puts the weight high and aft of the rear axle, kind of where you don't want it. For pavement rides I'm sure it's great, but I don't do many of those. I had to order the bottles from Amazon USA, as I could not find a Canadian seller. About $30 each or so. although the Canadian $ was a lot better... I shipped them to Speargrass, and went and got them.

One thing I don't like about any hard fuel container, is that they are the same size empty or full. I had some success with the Tim's take 12, after all I plan to look into some soft fuel bladders, as I like the fact that they roll up and are very light once the fuel is out. I have some ideas that may turn into future purchases

I can do a tool kit breakdown, some may find it interesting.