I just can't bring myself to seriously consider it. I keep getting that shiver as if its a little cold out an I suddenly realize I need to take a whizz.  Besides, I ride 50/50.  Since I went with the 16 tooth sprocket on the front, and discovered 115+,  I just don't think there's more that I could wish for.  I do realize your mileage may vary of course.  And the KTM 690 Enduro R is the swiss army knife of scoots.  If'n I wuz rolling up and down those 45 degree hills that fardrifter is rolling over, then my priorities would be adjusted accordingly.  But I'm an old war dog that raises hell on the road, chases deer across the trails, and laughs maniacally when I go airborne a few piddly feet into the air.  I'm a simple feller with simple needs.  Haul most royal butt, never let a deer get away with thinking it is smarter than me, and always keep the front wheel up when I go airborne.  Hell yeah!  Be well and remember that I'm out there.

Man, that was just beautiful.  Makes me feel proud that being a hooligan transcends nationality.

This is my final upgrade for the year, which is a lie I tell myself every time I throw money at something new and cool for my bike.  Earlier today I installed the KTM Touring Windscreen onto my 2014 Enduro R. After three weeks on backorder it finally showed up.  Installation was easy.  You have to drill four 9mm holes and I have a drill press.  But wait a minute!  Deez is what's left of America.  We don't got no stinkin' 9mm drill bits around here!  Try Canada.  I worked it out.  Use a 23/64 drill bit that comes standard with most bit kits and you'll be just fine.  That's one tick below a 3/8 bit.  It looks very cool on the bike and hides those cables that roll over the top of your digital display nicely.  (Smoked black tint)  But if you want to be able to gaze off to the sides of the tranquil highway at nature, rolling along without a care in the world such as that ugly fat cicada locking in on you and busting you upside the forehead, then this windscreen isn't going to make you happy.  I can't say its totally worthless from a functional perspective because it does a respectable job of reducing wind pressure against your chest given its meager size.  But most importantly, it looks cool and it only cost 65 smucks.  Very cool with the trick folding Touratach mirrors I installed a few days ago.  Its a keeper.  But next time I want to gaze off at nature while tooling down the tranquil highway, I think I'll take the Harley.  Them Cadi-dids can hurt ya' ma'an.  Be well and enjoy the greatest motorcycle of all time.

Oh, very cool.  I studied the pics of the Scotts rig and it looked like the vibration damper on the one I was looking at stretched out over the tops of the un-lowered fork tubes.  That's good news that it does fit.  After riding mine some more today I'm thinking my vibration reduction is more like 75% than 50%.  I hear the flex bars make a difference too but I haven't tried them.  Since I've gone with the PHDS setup, I'm going to go with the KTM steering damper because the clamps I've got index onto the mounts on the steering damper (like the factory clamps do on the triple tree where there's a ridge along the outer side for the clamps to align with.  That's good to know about the Scotts rig though.

 

I've been in the process of making mods to my KTM to support the fact that most of my riding is on the street.  Here's the latest.

1. Tires - For the street, gravel, or well defined trails I ride on, I decided on going with a true 50/50 tire set.  So I went with the Heidenau K-60 Scout tires.  (Note there is also a 70/30 version for the rear, but I went with the 50/50 version)  These tires work great, they're very versatile, and they stick to the road like glue.  They are also reputed to last for 9 - 12 thousand miles.  Very happy with these tires.   Perfect for my application.

2.  Mirrors - I went with the Touratech folding mirrors.  When folded out, I now have radically better visibility of what's behind me and they are less prone to vibration than the cheesy stock mirrors.  I had to glue one of the stock mirror lenses to the mirror's frame (like it was supposed to be already) in order to keep it from rattling.  Not a good mirror.  I highly recommend the Touratech folding mirrors. 

3.  Front Sprocket - Last but not least (for this post) I swapped out the 15 tooth front sprocket with a 16 tooth version.  Again, since most of my riding is on street, gravel, or well-defined trails, I was willing to sacrifice a little bit of acceleration and low-end grunt to get smoother street performance and top-end.  Note that the factory gear ratio is 15/45.  I've now set mine at 16/45.  For comparison, the Duke, which uses the same motor, runs 16/42.  Don't go over 16 teeth.  There isn't room for it with the factory sprocket cover.  Changing front sprockets is easy, and I can always go back to the 15 tooth version in less than 30 minutes.  What difference did it make?  For a given level of engine output (in 6th gear) I'm now moving around ten miles an hour faster.  Speed transitions as I roll on/off the throttle at highway speeds are much less abrupt, but contrary to popular opinion, I'm not seeing a significant increase in gas mileage.  Perhaps I'll see a little difference after I run a couple of more tanks of gas through it, but the initial tank indicated a wash.  I expected this as the reports I've seen on the Duke's mileage is virtually identical to the Enduro R.

Have fun.  I hope this post is helpful to those of you who spend more time in conditions short of full-up motorcross.  My configuration didn't stop me from giving a respectable chase after an albino Doe (really) across a huge grass field last Saturday.  Next time I'll be giving a report on the Progressive Handlebar Damping System (Due for delivery today).

I suppose technically the front is a little higher with respect to the rear now, but the undercarriage looks level just like it did before when I look at it from the side.  (Doesn't factor in sag of course which I left at factory settings)  I'm still planning to put two inch vibration reduction risers on it to raise the bar a little so I don't have to bend my neck so much when I'm riding.  And the stability and precision of my steering has really improved.

When I got my 2014 690 enduro, it stood so tall I felt like  was a ballerina (sans the pink tu tu) on tippy-toes holding it up.  But even without the tu tu its hard to look cool at redlights on tippy-toes holdling your bike up.  It also felt like I was riding around on an extension ladder given my 5 foot 9 height and 29 inch length pant size.  So after I installed the koubalink, and lowered the front the prescribed 3/4 inches, the bike handles substantially better through the twisties.  That twitchy steering that made me think I was going to need a Scotts Steering Dampener is much more solid now in side winds and around trucks on the road.  So that left me with the side kickstand to deal with.  As I lowered the rear 1 + 5/8 I hacked off 2.5 inches of kickstand and made a new foot using some 1/8 "weldable" mild steel I got at Lowes.  If you lower it one inch then only hack two inches off.  In either case keep the foot angle close to the original foot angle and you'll be fine.  Then I took the kickstand to a weld shop that charged me $20 and took three minutes to weld my new foot on.  They sprayed some black paint on it for me and so I made them take $30 for the deal.  They told me to bring them something bigger next time.  I agreed.  So, I have to say that the koubalink mod is very worth it based on my experiences.  I'm a happy ex-ballerina (still no tu tu).