Author Topic: Do you plan on riding long distance on your 690 enduro?  (Read 6460 times)

Milesofsmiles

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On my 990 I have done some very long rides with the renazco racing seat and raised bars and did not get fatigued. On my 2014 690 I did 160 miles with a seat concepts seat and could not wait to get off the bike. For me, it seems just to lite for serious slab miles. Just thinking about powering down the klondike's endless miles makes me shutter.
You guys who can stay comfy for hours on slab with the 690 are a true bread. Don't get me wrong though, I would take it in a minute across America On the TAT.

Roostmaster

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After owning a 2002 Honda CRE500 since new and finding parts drying up (Honda Australia Road legal Enduro model) I purchased what I thought would be the best bike for my type of riding, the 2015 500exc.
I found it to be a great machine so I started doing longer and longer rides than Id ever done before like 250k's in a day, let me tell you after an hour on the exc its hard to sit down on the seat for more than a few minutes especially since Im short so have fitted the KTM low seat, about as comfortable as a piece of railway iron.
After less than a year this bike was not enough anymore, little did I know I was actually morphing into an Enduro / Adventure rider.
So after much homework and having never seen a 690 in the flesh I bought a 2015 690 enduro r.
First ride I was just as interested in its beauty as I was gob smacked by how clumsy it was, but the ability to ride such long distances in relative comfort was a new feeling for me, compared to my other bikes.

So Ive researched just about every site available to help choose which modifications I will make and what products I will use on the 690.

To date Ive got 2500k's on it, Ive planned to spend a year or two getting it ready for a long distance tourer as I plan to ride across Australia on her, from the top, down the West, across the Center, then back up the East, probably around 15000 kilometers either by myself or with some friends if they get bikes (they are looking at DR's & KLR's)

So far Ive done a 350k ride and a 565k ride, both day trips on mostly dirt.

For me the order of modifications just to get it up to a decent day tripper went like this:

1. Steering Stops on day 1 after nearly dropping it due to its poor turning circle.
2. Wings Silencer after the stock burnt my 10yo son.
3. High flow Uni air filter.
4. KTM Rally pegs (the stockers are way to small IMO and the wider pegs make the bike a dream to ride)
5. Wide foot for the side stand (nearly fell over a few times in soft soil)
6. 16 tooth front sprocket - best upgrade to date besides the pegs, kind of WR transmission now with acceptable 1st gear crawl speed and great highway ability.
7. Double take 'adventure' mirrors - way better looking than the enduro mirrors IMO and they sit snug with the curves of the bike.
8. Scott billet rear disc guard.
9. Kenda Big Block tyres, UHD tubes and rim locks - balanced (I made a small mistake by ordering the rear 150 trying to get more rubber on the ground but the wide tyre has curved a lot to fit the rim.
* one thing I found when I did the tyres was that the stock rim strip isnt adequate to stop the sharp edges of the spoke nipples, there was evidence that this would be a potential tube killer so I taped the spoke nipples also.

The big ticket items Im chipping away at now (after much research) to get her long range capable:

*KTM wind screen
*Rally Raid Radiator Guard
*Rally Raid tank bolts mod
*Increased fuel capacity (undecided on what but maybe a Safari tank due to bigger size & lesser price than Rally Raids)
*Rally Raid luggage racks
*B&B engine guard, front sprocket guard & rear luggage rack - http://bboffroad.com.au/shop/online-brands/ktm-products.html?model=168
*Andys Straps soft panniers - http://www.andystrapz.com/products.php?productCategoryId=22&Level=1
*Navigation - Undecided
*And of course camping gear

For me the 690 has practically made my 500exc redundant, but Im reluctant to let the exc go as it is a great bush weapon or at least better suited to ride with my sons on their bikes.
My CRE500 is officially retired although it goes to the pub for a beer once every 6 months.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2016, 01:47:08 pm by Roostmaster »
I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.

rastawheel

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I only trailer the race bike to races and rides. The 690 is my commuter/ weekend adv bike. I've only had it for two months now, but already got one 800 mile weekend in. I use a GL Great Basin bag to pack all my camp gear and I also run a 15L dry bag on my tail rack. The set up worked great. I will be doing two more extended weekend trips over the next three months. I think we are taking our dual sports out to CO this year instead of the dirt bikes. So that will be nice to have the big thumper and FI.
My long rides are mainly farm roads and forest roads.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2016, 03:49:59 pm by rastawheel »