A 690 Enduro for the long haul
 

My first post here. I'm a regular on ADVrider and have been riding for a long time. I'm prepping my 2013 690 Enduro for a 20,000 mile ride from Portland Oregon to Tierra del Fuego. I'm going with 2 others, one on a DR650 the other on a BMW 650GS. I think I have everything covered at this time. My bike has 6,000 miles on it. I installed a Safari tank, upgraded tank bolts, and Zega panniers. I'm starting with new tires, sprockets/chain, even new rockers. I'm using a Uni air filter and Scott's oil filters that are reusable. My concern now is what spares to take. I have rockers, counter sprocket, fuel filter, fuel pump, light bulbs and tubes. What else should I take? Thanks

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psmfgmgucq.jpg

Beautiful bike!
Hanging out on KTM forums on ADV you've probably heard it all and have a good idea about potential problems. :thumbup1: Sounds to me like you've got it covered ... as much as possible anyway. :innocent:
There ARE KTM dealers down south ... but not many.

How many 690 owners have made the trip you're planning? What's the general track record of the 690 over the long haul, fully loaded?

I only know a couple riders (from reports on ADV) riding 690's RTW or very long distances. I'm sure you have read these reports, so hopefully well prepped and can learn from their experiences. Both of the guys are good mechanics ... which helps! beer

Seems we hear mostly about weird fuel pump issues and rocker arm/top end issues too. But the newer 690's seem to be much better ... hopefully! :helpsmilie:

Having two riding partners is good. A trio, IMO, is the perfect number.

I've ridden the 690E a couple times, loved it. I wonder about the sub frame and your Alu. cargo boxes. Lot of weight? Stress off road?

I ran hard boxes/racks on my DR650, nice but added 30 lbs. I did not need. Very tough going off road.
I switched to soft panniers. Happy, and can carry just as much if required.
Total cargo weight: soft bags, racks, tools, tubes, parts, clothing, med kit, misc, plus 30 liter Wolfman Top bag: About 65 lbs total.
Total loaded bike weight: 430 lbs. all up with 5.3 gal. fuel.

I'm sure your 690 is a lot lighter ... but is the sub frame strong enough?

bier

http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net...-bikestand.jpg

As you can see above I use an Enduro Star stand for changing wheels and I carry a small electric pump when running on tubes.

The KTM touring screen helps very slightly and is a cheap option. I also have a tank bag up front for small stuff. Otherwise sounds like you are all set. The 690 has pillion pegs so clearly the rear is strong enough for up to 30kg of panniers, contents and roll bag.

http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net...1-icheroad.jpg

But check how the bike sits on the side stand when you are all loaded up. In the photo above I've had to park on the wrong side of the road as the stand is too high for the camber on the right and needs a bit chopped off. If you do chop some off, have a wider plate added to the bottom for boggy ground.

The 690 has been reliable for me. No issues apart from the mirrors falling off (might have been me not tightening the lock nuts). Just a bit of engine oil and chain oil.

Think about adding some of this lot to your spares list :

Fuses
Fuel pump relay
Starter relay
Spare clutch/brake lever
Front/rear brake pads
Split link(s ?) for chain

Or, build a good relationship with a KTM dealer near home who holds good stock levels and is geared up to get stuff out to you fast via UPS or DHL

Also download name/address/contact info for KTM dealers in the countries you will be passing through - fingers crossed you won't need to be giving them a call but you never know ......

Finally, what gearing are you running ? The stock gearing is quite low and means the engine will be revving quite high at motorway speeds. I have heard that constant high RPM can contribute to rocker arm failures so on my 2015 690 I've gone up 1 tooth on the gearbox sprocket - from a 15 tooth to a 16 tooth whilst leaving the rear standard - and it's happy sitting around 65 to 70 mph whilst still giving decent fuel consumption.

I've read every RTW trip report that I've found, I think I've got most things covered, I tend to be anal about being prepared. I was thinking about brake pads and now that you mentioned it I'll grab some extras. I don't mind purchasing wear items as I'll need them later anyway. I'm running stock gearing 14/45, I'll give that a shot and see how it goes. I was originally thinking this would be a hardcore dirt trip but as the departure time gets closer I'm getting the feeling bad roads will be the worst of it. I don't know my riding partners real well just yet so I'm just going with the flow.

Getting a list of the KTM dealers should be simple right? Not for me. I've tried countless times and the KTM website is not cooperating for me. I think the problem is I'm using a mobile device (iPad). We just moved and I don't have the regular computer hooked up yet. If one of you cold send me a link to a list of the dealers I would appreciate it and I'll see if that works.

http://www.ktm.com/us/contact/

KTM North America Inc.
East
1119 Milan Avenue
Amherst, Ohio 44001
Customer Service Phone: 1-855-215-6360

SOUTH AMERICA:
ARGENTINA GUATEMALA BRAZIL MEXICO BOLIVIA PARAGUAY CHILE PERU COSTA RICA ECUADOR

Go to above page, top right of page it says country (USA in this case) select pull down menu and select a country. Not bad coverage really.


Plus one on brake pads ... rear pads for sure.

Off road ride? Not so easy without guide or previous experience. In Mexico you can find LOTS of off road. Do you know where it goes? And which Cartels operate in that area? :innocent: (Baja is safe! :thumbup1:)

Cent. America, not so much without help but Caribbean side is well worth seeing in Dry season. (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras)

I've read reports of FUN off road exploring in North Central Peru', parts of Bolivia, northwest Argentina (Dakar territory) and more. Lots of dirt routes in Colombia and Ecuador too, with fun paved roads connecting everything up. Guides and tours are around there. Many reports detailing these areas.

I have the stand, mine might be a different brand but looks the same. I have a good air pump in my tire kit. Even shortened the kick stand and welded a bigger foot on it. I'm using KTM pannier racks that transfer most of the weight to the passenger pegs so I should be ok. I even replaced my fill cap with that neat one from KTM twins. I think I'm getting close. New modular helmet and comm is next. This is getting expensive!

PM ronin moto, I think he has about the highest mileage 690.

My Metal Mule pannier rails are also triangulated to the passenger pegs to place most of the weight there. Good design.

My favourite helmet is the modular Caberg Hyper X but I don't think it's homologated for use in the USA.

http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net...rekkammask.jpg

I love the freedom of an open face helmet (but with a massive visor that comes real low) and in the photo above I've taken off the chin bar and am using a neoprene mask against the cold.

I like engines to be unstressed and I did consider raising the gearing but decided against on experience. I have two 690s, one based in London and the other in Spain which I use in Morocco. Normally I am bumbling along at 50-60 mph enjoying the scenery and saving my tyres for the dirt, but on both bikes I've done mega day journeys at motorway speeds.

The UK bike I rode 700 miles from the Island of Harris (where the tweed comes from) in the Outer Hebrides, to London, in one day. On the other bike I rode from Marrakech via Casablanca to Tanger, then crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and rode another five hours to the other side of Granada in Spain, again a total of 700 miles in one day. The 690s feel absolutely fine and unstressed at 80 mph and I've had them both up to 100 mph but then it gets a bit hairy on knobblies and with luggage.

So I'm quite happy with the stock gearing. You can see my fuel consumption figures below, I generally reckon on about 25 km/litre when taking things easy.

http://badges.fuelly.com/images/sig-metric2/251250.png

http://badges.fuelly.com/images/sig-metric2/326017.png

The other thing I've done on the Spanish bike is to replace the stock muffler with a Wings. Not for the increased noise or lower weight but because the standard KTM exhaust runs so hot it can melt the contents of the roll bag on the rear rack.

Im not sure how the 690 does with spark plugs, but with the DR650 in SAmerica the crappy low octane gas fouled the spark plugs (yes it has 2), so might be worth throwing a couple of extras in. Maybe with the FI the 690 will run a bit better.

Nice looking bike BTW, Ive often said if the DR650 gets axed I would use a 690, have a great trip :)

I can recommend Iridium type spark plugs. (I like Denso over NGK). Iridium plugs produce a cleaner, hotter spark that resists fouling well. Iridium plugs also last over double the miles/kms. of standard plug.

Better starting, smoother idle, a bit better fuel economy and very long life.
Almost impossible to foul due to oil, poor fuel, too rich mixture from riding at very high altitude. (not a problem with F.I.)

+1 Yep, Ive used Iridium plugs since I bought the DR, they are much better, but they still can foul with a rich mix on a carb, hopefully the FI will reduce any fouling on the Altiplano with the shitty Bolivian fuel, but I would still carry a spare on a 690.