I had ordered a replacement Heidenau for my F800GS rear and was sent a 18" tire by "accident". That started the whole Cinderella complex. If the shoe fits - I might as well take it as an affirmation that switching to the 690 would be an ordained decision.
I made the swap. Sold my BMW F800GS, and acquired a 2012 KTM 690 Enduro. It came with a few bits - Scotts Damper, FMF Pipe, and the odd Touratech piece of gold. I spent the weekend spending the "extra" I had from my F800GS farkle sale to start the fine-tuning for my new Adventure-Lite bike.
Response from my fellow GS riders was varied. The big boys, 1200GSers all asked what I was doing and made comments like "are you going to ride THAT to Mexico?" Other's whom have tasted the 690, or longed for one as a secondary bike gave me a hearty applause - saying it was a bold move.
My thinking is that the 690 will serve me well for most of my riding. I typically do 70 or so miles to the trailhead, and spend the day on Jeep Trails. Seasonally, I am blessed to do a little Inter-continental traveling to the likes of CO, UT, CA, NV, Mexico and Canada. Maybe a quick change of the front sprocket and purchase of Black Dog Cycle Works new Throttle Control will be in order. An aside, I talked with Kurt from BDCW and though he forgot to advertise the TC as good for the 690 he believes it will works just fine.
Hitting the DMV up for tags tomorrow and farkling Friday/Saturday. Gonna need some time in the sand to get ready for my Baja trip in the spring.
Let the fun begin.