It's true, we don't see many of the big KTM's going RTW. Hardly ever mentioned here, a few on ADV Rider. I'm sure there are some out there, but not so many.

Even fewer 640's nowadays. The 690 motor is super smooth so if you could fit a wide seat on there ... it might work 2 up. Great motor ... but top ends fail on regular basis. If they fix that, I might buy one.

For the real truth, take a year and follow the bike specific forums. Now you'll learn about all the real problems ... and the fixes too! The good news is as said, KTM are not standing still like some elements in the Japanese OEM's. They move forward. But they're engineers aren't as good as the Japanese and they're still 10 years behind in certain areas.

KTM's Motto: Ready To Race!

(but remember, to finish FIRST, you must first FINISH!)

I didn't find the 690 motor to be super smooth when I rode it back to back with one of my project 640s, in fact the project 640 was a very smooth example of the LC 4 and it actually felt less buzzy than the 690... The one I rode was the 654 CC example, perhaps the later models with the true 690 displacement are smoother than the earlier models..

While you don't see so many KTMs chosen for around the world trips you do see a lot chosen for expedition type riding over rough terrain... Places like Africa and Australia come to mind... If you look at the DR 650 3rd gear failure stats the biggest percentage come from Australia... BMWs are a favorite of RTWers but they also suffer when the terrain gets rough, look no further than long way round and long way down... Those bikes did fine on the journeys until the terrain got rough, then things started to fail... So bike choice really depends on the type of riding you plan to do... Groomed easy roads and tracks some of the favorite choices will be fine, but when you take them off the beaten path don't expect the same reliability with those bikes...

I rode a 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure R from Boston to Ushuaia, 20,000+ miles going 2-up for half that distance. Did most regular servicing myself and had work done in shops in Houston, Colombia, and Chile. There are more KTM dealerships than you'd think, even in South America.

I had no serious problems. Wouldn't worry too much about its reliability. I'd take it over a 1200GS any day.

That said, like a 1200GS (or a V-Strom, for that matter) it's a HEAVY bike, especially loaded up. Great for two-up fun, but for my next trip I'm taking a 690.

Summary:

First 690 I rode was '07 or '08, (first year model). I only rode it off road, so not sure about smoothness. But next one was a '12 or '13 model. At high revs it did vibe a bit (nothing close to 640E or SM) but cruising at round 60 to 65mph, I found it quite smooth for a single. (for comparison, I came off a Tiger 1050, which is smooth as glass)

It's true, about 80% of DR650 3rd gear failures are from Oz riders. They ride the DR650 as a full enduro race bike there. The DR650 clearly not suited for race duty, even though a guy rode the Baja 1000 on one!

Overall the DR's hold up well to abuse and don't require much service at all. With only a couple hundred known 3rd gear failures out of about 100,000 units sold worldwide since 1996. (Suzuki have over 2000 dealers in USA alone) It's true Suzuki have not corrected or improved the bike much at all, not much changed in 20 years of production ... good thing they got it close to perfect back in '96!

True again, BMW are the most popular bike here on HUBB and many are out doing RTW. But also true, when going gets tough, they seem to break far too frequently for something claimed to be 'The Ultimate Riding Machine".

My hope is that KTM will continue to evolve the 690, making it more comfortable and long term reliable. Also be interesting to see the rumored lighter, smaller twin that KTM supposedly have in R&D. KTM have the ADV market by the tail at the moment. I hope they make the best of this unique opportunity.

I had a 2004 KTM 950 Adventure which I did quite a few off road trails on when touring around. I sold it at around 20,000 miles to a mate who has now covered nearly 90,000 miles including riding as far as Turkey, Georgia and Azerbajan. It was faultless whilst I had it and my mate has only had a few electrical problems due to broken wiring later on in it's life.

It's had a hard life and he's still pleased with it.

As for 690's, I've ridden mine half way round the world to Mongolia via as much rough terrain as possible deliberately taking the more scenic routes. I suffered from a hole in the radiator in Kyrgyzstan which could have happened to any bike.

Another friend who was with me also on a 690 carried on from Mongolia to Magadan totalling about 15,000 miles then another 8,000 miles round New Zealand. In between both 690's have done off road trips in the UK and Europe as well, racking up in excess of 45,000 miles between both 690's and they've been great.

So speaking from actual experience rather than hearsay I'd say there's nothing wrong with KTM's for any serious trip particularly if the going gets rough away from tarmac.

There are a few issues with them but you'll find pretty much the same with most bikes especially if they are used hard. Preventative and regular maintenance helps with any machine.

However if I was going to make a sweeping generalisation I'd put Honda at the top of the list for reliability and even they're not perfect.

I have a 1190 Ktm done 23000 miles so far and really pleased with it ridden it in a variety of conditions in many countries
Safe riding
Paul