690 hot silencer

[Graham and Sue]

Has anyone opened up a standard silencer to see if the CAT can be removed so it runs cooler. We have just got 2 of these bikes and so far only run them for 70 miles just to try them but I can see how the horror stories of melted luggage would be correct. It is too expensive to change them at present and we like the quiet however luggage is also expensive, our previous bikes of this style were CRF250l's and it was pretty simple to get the CAT's out, this removed a kg of weight and they certainly ran better.

[francs]

Get a luggage rack (you can't put a luggage on 690 without it) , be careful when you load your bike and that's it. It works for me.

[Arma]

I've got a Husqvarna 701, so the rear of the bike is the same layout as yours. I've got Rally Raid racks and Magadan panniers, which have straps which go under the seat. With the frames in place the straps are comfortably far enough away from the panniers to not melt.

If you really don't want racks, which I can understand for weight reasons, Enduristan make a cheap strap on heat shield that should do the trick.

That said, if you are carrying more than light luggage suitable for a couple of days riding the prevailing wisdom seems to be that you need a rack to transfer the weight of your luggage down into the footpeg mounts, avoiding strain on the subframe / bolts. At a minimum if you are carrying heavy luggage on rough terrain get the subframe re-enforcement kit from Perun Moto or Rally Raid.

[Tim Cullis]

I have two 690s. The one I use for touring in Spain and Morocco has a Wings exhaust fitted for exactly the reason you outline.

I'd be very interested if anyone has opened up the standard exhaust, it weighs a ton compared to the Wings.

[Graham and Sue]

Thank you Guy's, Yes I have fitted Rally Raid racks to them both but even though I had read how hot the silencer gets nothing prepares you for the reality of close to red hot and was concerned that even with the air gap the straps are going to be cooking, time will tell when the salt disappears off the roads. The ktm's are a first for us having sold a Varadero with 50000 miles on it, a 650gs and 2 Crf 250's to get them, a test ride was not likely and so we bought them blind only having read articles. So far 1x 70 mile run is all we have done and they seem fine although I think the gearbox ratio's quite odd but I'm sure we will get used to them, a lower first gear would have been nice.

[francs]

For the lower gearing get a 14 pinion (it'll do a trick) . I "seen" (on forum) exhaust get "emptied" and it became very loud (I don't like that) and you need a skilled welder to put it back together.
As long as the baggage is not touching exaust (2cm is enought) nothing will "burn" .

[Graham and Sue]

I weld for my living so not a problem however I don't want loud, the Crf's that we did were not any louder without the CAT, just ran better. I did change the front sprockets on the CRF's and they were better on wee roads but ruined them on faster roads and I changed them back. The KTM's are running at about 65mph at 4500 rpm so already quite high, not sure what KTM were thinking about when they picked the ratio's.

[Tim Cullis]

I have a 2013 and a 2014 model and find the gearing good.

Initially I thought I would like wider ratios but the bikes are very confidence-inspiring off-tarmac (even with luggage) and I'm rarely going so slow that I would like a lower first gear.

I've also done some long single-day trips, for example Marrakech via Casablanca and Tanger, over to Algeciras and then another five hours of riding to the Granada Altiplano, so over 1,000 km. The last five hours were more or less solid 130 kph as by then it was early hours of the morning and very cold at altitude. I also did Aberdeen to London in one hit coming down the A1. The upshot is that I'm (personally) happy with the standard ratios.

[Arma]

I can understand the concern on the gear ratios, at both ends of the scale - on initial use it does feel a bit odd. Both at motorway speeds and at low speeds off road.

But having covered some distance and done some trails on the new bike it really does work, for me at least. 1 and 2 can tackle anything with confidence inspiring ease, unless you go out looking for trouble. To be honest if you're looking for that kind of extremely technical trouble you are probably on the wrong bike. 6 can cruise all day long at 130 - and feel adequately comfortable doing it.

[Graham and Sue]

Very interesting, with only 80 miles on mine it was an initial observation, we did a muddy track back down to the farm and Sue immediately commented on how much confidence the bike gave her, the engine is so smooth and responsive and somehow even though it is a pretty lightweight machine KTM have given it a big bike feel, the CRF 250's were 1kg heavier but felt like 250's if that makes sense. We have both done many thousands of miles on motorcycles, I have now been riding for 55 years, from the age of 7, we got fed up of the weight of our big bikes and the 250's were very hard work for long distances on the road so we are looking forward to getting to know these new bikes, maybe the perfect all rounder.

[rog]

Hi I guys just browsing the forum and saw this, I did cut out the Cat on my exhaust when I brought my 690 about a year ago its a 2014 . Its a pretty simple process and had no i'll effect to the running of the bike, I did it to reduce the heat from the exhaust which it has

I took a couple of pics of how I did it and can email Tim and he can post it up.

not sure I can being first post and all

rog

[Graham and Sue]

Hi Rog, yes please I would be grateful to see your pictures and will have a go, In am very reluctant to change the silencers, both from the cost point of view, and we don't want more noise. Look forward to seeing them, Graham

[rog]

Hi I will try and post with pics, this could take some time ...

So my bike is a ktm 690 enduro 2014, I did this to lose some of the heat ( which it has in my opinion) as for a weight saving by buying a akro $$ ££ well I weight 86 kilos and could do with losing a couple of kg's, so this will please the wife and doc

right here we go take one exhaust, I guess anybody doing this can take it off the bike (pretty simple process)


you will cut around the end weld.

I took my exhaust to my local welder to check that he could weld stainless and to get a price. he said yes and put some money in the tea/biscuit fund ( I put in £10) he also gave me a 1mm metal cutting disc, but these are a couple of £ from a hardware store.

Next cut carefully around the weld ( I guess you could use a hacksaw,but it won't be neat) and don't go to deep, then pull apart the pieces

here is the offending cat I drilled a series of holes in it
then used a old cut down broom handle and punched out the cat from the other side.
I then cleaned it up using a wood chisel to scrape off any missed bits, Top tip file off any Burrs before starting otherwise you will need one or two plasters


then put it back together and back to your friendly welder


lastly take it out to give it a good test, I took mine to Maroc and it was a awesome success, I have done about 6,500 miles and no issues

[Graham and Sue]

Thank you very much, I will try that when time permits. Graham

[Tim Cullis]

Hi Rog

So you're happy with the reduced heat?

Any idea of the weight you saved?

What difference did it make to the sound?

Tim