First Impressions: 2008 KTM 690 Enduro

I took delivery of my 2008 KTM 690 Enduro on Saturday afternoon and immediately headed up into the Santa Cruz mountains to break it in properly. Over the next 66 miles I formed the following initial impressions of the bike. In comparison, my most recent motorcycle has been a 1999 Kawasaki KLR650 which was designed for the same purpose: To allow riders to travel in reasonable comfort both on- and off-pavement. The two bikes, however, are separated by nearly two decades of engineering practice, and the KTM is nearly twice the cost of a KLR. What would 20 years and five thousand more dollars bring?

When getting on the bike for the first time I was immediately struck by two things: The seat feels significantly higher than my KLR, but it's also narrower at the front, allowing me to still comfortably get the toes of both feet on the ground. The bike also felt much lighter, as it was very easy to lift it off the side stand. This makes sense, as the KLR is about 420 pounds, while the KTM is about 100 pounds lighter (both wet weights).

When I switched the ignition on the instrument gauge fully lit up as the tach swept across its full range of travel and the speedo indicated the number of front wheel revolutions per mile it was set for. This latter feature is very nice, as the circumference of different tires—especially if you switch from knobbies to street tires—can significantly affect the speedometer's accuracy. It was also a relief to know that I wouldn't have to continually subtract about 8% from the displayed speed, like I had to do to compensate for the overly optimistic speedo on the KLR.

It was especially thrilling to see an odometer that displayed all zeros and briefly imagine all the adventures to come. A short press of the starter button and the bike burbled to life, the automatic choke and cold start routines of the fuel injection system quickly settling the motor into an easy rhythm.

I then also realized that the suspension had settled very little when I got on the bike. As I started to ride off this impression magnified into "wow, this is the most stiffly sprung motorcycle I've ever ridden." I haven't had a chance to measure the sag yet, so I'm very curious to see if my perception is accurate. The footpegs are also a bit closer to the seat, so my knees are bent a little more than usual. Not uncomfortably so, but it was noticeable.

As I made my way through the city streets and up towards the mountains the brake pads started bedding into the rotors and the smooth surface on the knobs of the Pirelli MT-21 tires started roughing up and gaining more traction. Testing the front 300 mm brake revealed a surprising amount of braking power—far more than what's available on my KLR, even with its upgraded 320 mm disc. It must be the twin-piston brake calipers on the 690 that are responsible for the difference, as the KLR has only a single piston.

Now the coolant temperature was getting towards the middle of the gauge, so I started getting more aggressive with the throttle. Because of the stiff suspension the bike is deceptively fast. On the KLR you definitely feel the bike squat as you gas it, but the 690 keeps a nearly even keel and it just goes. It's trivially easy to wheelie in first gear, and even though the bike's ECU restricts the power in second and third gears, the front end can get precariously light as the RPMs climb. While there's a good amount of power throughout the RPM range, there's a huge hit around 5,000 RPM that has you tenaciously gripping the bars as your peripheral vision blurs. Because the engine was still new I couldn't fully enjoy the rush to redline (7,750 RPM) as the 6,000 RPM break-in limit came on so quickly, but the future promises some tremendous fun up there.

By now I'd made my way up to Skyline Drive, which was unusually free of traffic this late afternoon. While the posted speed limit is never more than 50 MPH, that was plenty of room to stretch the new bike's legs a bit and help the rings get fully seated with lots of high gear acceleration and deceleration. (OK, maybe a generous interpretation of the definition of "50" helped.) It also gave me plenty of curves, sweepers, esses, and hairpins to try out the handling. I didn't get too aggressive with the knobby tires, but the handling was predictable, stable, and confidence inspiring. The stiff suspension still managed to absorb some larger bumps without passing too much back to the rider, but even better manners should be available by relaxing some of the settings. (Again, this is in marked contrast to the KLR, who's sagging suspension must have been engineered for 100-pound examples of our species, not the beefier North American variety.) The counterbalanced engine wasn't perfectly smooth, but the minor vibrations were never annoying or worrisome; they simply added to the visceral thrill of riding a well-engineered machine.

It could pull smoothly from about 2,500 RPM, and the slipper clutch made downshifts smooth and uneventful at the rear no matter how abruptly I let the clutch out. Performance of the hydraulic clutch was light, smooth, and predictable. The gearbox was a little notchy and stiff, but my left foot is used to recalcitrant transmissions so I never hit an unexpected neutral or missed a shift. The ratios of the individual gears are remarkably close to each other; in fact, its six-speeds have the same first and final ratios as the five-speed KLR transmission. This is about the only disappointing aspect of the bike that I've found so far, as I'd much rather have a lower first and a higher sixth to make the bike more versatile off- and on-road, respectively.

Skyline Drive, then Bear Creek Road, passed beneath my wheels as I enjoyed the long summer day and the amazing capabilities of the 690. Only the smallest hint of the recent fires near Bonny Doon lingered in the air. Once I got out onto Highway 17 I began to notice that the seat was getting a little uncomfortable, and that the handlebar grips seem a little under-sized and hard. The wind blast over the bikini fairing was smooth and hit me just below my pecs, providing a nice bit of balance for a light-weight grip on the bars. The mirrors were usually vibration-free, but the right one seemed a little more prone to blurring the view than the left. The bike continued to be smooth and enjoyable at highway speeds, although the tires began to hum a bit around 65 MPH. With plenty of power on tap even California's high-speed highways were no match for the 690. Again I ran into the artificial break-in RPM limit long before the engine ran out of steam, but even cruising around in the mid-70's the bike proved to be stable and comfortable.

I'm still interested in the small, optional windshield that KTM offers, though, as I expect the wind blast may prove tiresome during extended highway journeys. Similarly, I want to see if I can easily switch to a larger front sprocket for my commuting and long-distance travels, while still being able to keep the same length chain and switch back to the stock front sprocket for exploring off-pavement.

And then, all too quickly, my garage appeared in front of me; it was time to end the day's adventure. With the oil still hot I did a quick oil and filter change, capturing a sample of the used oil in a specimen bottle for analysis at the lab. The process was quick and easy, and only marred by the discovery that someone along the way had cross-threaded the upper-left bolt that attaches the skid plate to the frame. I guess I'll let the dealer try to re-cut the threads or Time-Sert it—that's what a warranty's for, right?

Oh, and even though my dealer had thoughtfully applied some adhesive heat shielding to the left rear turn signal, it still managed to start discoloring at the bottom. KTM uses a completely different rear taillight/license plate/turn signal cluster for the North American market, and in an unfortunate oversight the left rear turn signal sits barely above the muffler's exhaust outlet. This has lead to a rash of melted turn signals and warranty claims for replacements. KTM has assured my dealer that they're working to quickly fix the issue, but no factory solution is available right now.

At the beginning of this article I asked the question "What would 20 years and five thousand more dollars bring?" I think the initial answer is easy: More power, more adjustability, more control, and less weight. Will the 690 Enduro prove to be as timeless a design as Kawasaki's KLR? Only time will tell, but assuming that the bike proves to be reliable and the exchange rate doesn't doom it, KTM may very well have an enduring winner on their hands.

Comments

[Dragos]

Dude…that’s awesome. The web is stacked with nice (kiss ass-ers) reviews about 690, but yours seem fair. I will buy an 690 asap. Thanks again.

Dragos

[wimpi]

Hi, good text. I have to same feeling.
Where is installment with good experience from address: http://sobiloff.typepad.com/blakeblog/ktm-690-enduro-faq.html ?

Wimpi

[Andrew Lacey]

Interested to know if you got the windshield, how much it set you back, and how much of an improvement it made.

At the moment I'm looking at getting an enduro with a windshield. How can you tour without a proper windshield???

[Blake Sobiloff]

Wimpi: I added I link from my homepage to the FAQ. I hope that helps.

Andrew: Still no windshield, but with winter weather (OK, OK, rain) coming in I'm starting to think about it. I'll update the blog when I do.

[Craig]

Hey buddy, What I want to know is if you twist that throttle quickly in a low gear, does the front wheel come up?