school me on a ktm 690 enduro r

[Paul_E_D]

UPDATE: top end is toast

$1,700 for machine shop to service head/valves, top end, new oil filters, oil change, new air filter, and all the labor involved. He said it's mostly labor.

dammit...the air filter - cleanliness is godliness!

kinda bummed because I thought that going from a maximum maintenance YZ250 to a long service interval 690

and I've read posts were people have gone 20-30,000 miles on the stock top end

completely over generalizing based on emotion on this individual data point: people that complain my YZ "needs rebuilds so often"

Well, if you use a street bike like a dirtbike, it will need dirt like maintenance schedules. Can't blame the bike

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[breakdirt916]

I Honestly don’t believe it was a Case of riding it too hard on pavement...I think this was a case of a poor seal around the airbox (some forum chatter suggest seating the filter can be lousy) and excessive dirt getting into the top end.

I am somewhat confident a fresh top end with a Rade bolt on pod filter with a sock pre filter changed often should solve this

I have friends with 701s that thrash the bike and go years with it. Never did a top end and stopped adjusting the valves because they stopped moving

But 4 stroke KTM/Husky are not immune end all know all. They blow up too so one must assess if they are committed to the cost of that maintenance. It’s better than a jap single but is it $5K better?

[OneCheekRider]

it felt a little odd dropping off at Cycle Gear, but they do it for $32ish off the bike

Their hours might not be as great as Cycle Gear but I go to 562 Motorsports (are you still in Long Beach?). They first charged me $25 and now they know me as "Mike the tire guy" and only charge me $20/wheel off the bike. They literally drop what they're doing and mount the tire... depending on how many sets I'm getting done, I'm typically in and out in <10min. My No-Mar is for sale bc of this.

UPDATE: top end is toast

$1,700 for machine shop to service head/valves, top end, new oil filters, oil change, new air filter, and all the labor involved. He said it's mostly labor.

Guess I'll hold onto my WR250R a bit longer

[Paul_E_D]

I Honestly don’t believe it was a Case of riding it too hard on pavement...I think this was a case of a poor seal around the airbox (some forum chatter suggest seating the filter can be lousy) and excessive dirt getting into the top end.

I am somewhat confident a fresh top end with a Rade bolt on pod filter with a sock pre filter changed often should solve this

I have friends with 701s that thrash the bike and go years with it. Never did a top end and stopped adjusting the valves because they stopped moving

But 4 stroke KTM/Husky are not immune end all know all. They blow up too so one must assess if they are committed to the cost of that maintenance. It’s better than a jap single but is it $5K better?

Definitely did not say you rode it too hard. Dirt/dust and not checking on your air filter. I am guilty of filter abuse on my dirtbike too, but here we have mostly mud, not desert dust.

[breakdirt916]

oops, I read that in reverse (using dirt bike as a street bike)

so yes, there is more maintenance...and likely my own fault for not checking after each dirty ride...

however it's pretty well discussed that the Rade and Rottweiler designs are far superior over stock in terms of sealing off any air gaps around the intake. The OEM design, if not seated properly w' a healthy dab of grease may set you up for failure; so best to swap it out. I will blame the bike's design a bit & Nod to the YZ here - the old school airbox design w' oiled filter is tried and true.

my buddy accused me of wasting good miles on pavement runs and fire roads.

He compares the 690 akin to ferrari maintenance and suggests I should do the same. I compare the 690 = BMW driven hard on street, high performance, needs more maintenance than a camry, but can be used as a daily

so - new top end, rade tank/pod filters w' sock prefilters, check after every dirty ride. I should be able to keep flogging on street

@onecheek - I don't live in LB anymore...I moved to south OC. Although I've been to 562 motorsports to change tires quite a bit when I lived there...it did strike me as odd that they'd do walk up tire changes and stop whatever they're doing too.

[Kurlon]

$1400 for a new cylinder/piston/head from KTM, add a gasket kit, do the work yourself?

[breakdirt916]

Update: cylinder head is finally back from the machine shop.

Top end parts in stock, scheduled to get worked on within a couple days.

I bought a new D606 rear, 216AA fatty front with ultra heavy duty tubes

Having the Rade 1.6 gallon aux tank installed too

Hopefully done within a week or so...then a quickie ride local to test everything out, and an LAB2V shakedown run Saturday 11/13.

Then ride from LA to Vegas on Thanksgiving weekend

I think we are gonna run the BaoFeng UV-5R radios for the range...ugh...rather just have Cardo cuz it’s hands free

[breakdirt916]

update: top end is done

bike still runs rough

fuel pressure tested - low

there is a crack in a fueling system part (?) so they're ordering the parts, but it's delayed

guessing it's a fuel pump/filter issue

dang it, I called it

EDIT: turns out that internal fuel filter are common failure points & often not the first suspect when the bike runs rough.

trying to figure out the big picture with these euro brats:
-higher upfront initial purchase price - 30-50% higher than the japanese singles
-many factory designs require immediate fixing (desmog/tune, airbox seal on 690) before you even start riding it - you will only know this through forum/group/owner discussions. Dealers will tell you no such extra work is required.
-after buying new, expect the valves to move for a couple service checks. After a few checks, it should stay for awhile
-certain items will just fail eventually (ie. clutch slave cylinder)...it's the norm. See aforementioned owner groups for these items.

*some* bikes will be bought new, done a couple valve checks, then run fine for 10+ years.

my friend's suggestion is If I want to do a 70 mile loop on pavement on a nice day or run errands, add on a street bike like an Africa Twin. Stop trying to ask the 690 to do so much. Meticulous maintenance, truck it, and “good dirt” miles only. So uh, treat the 690 like a dedicated MX bike?

part of me wants to just keep flogging it, be meticulous on air filter maintenance, then just pay the shop for the technical maintenance like valve checks and rebuilds. Have them do it before the recommended interval.

Your ability to say "Meh..." to just about every bike you've had is beyond entertaining. I can't wait to see what you get next!

haha, what? maybe

[tls25rs]

Admittedly I don't ride my 701SM off road but it has been used and used well in the time that I have owned it and the only thing that has happened is a head gasket needed to be replaced (admittedly not a trivial thing). The valves haven't moved, the slave cylinder hasn't failed, the fuel system works just fine, it hasn't lost the kickstand magnet, it hasn't needed to be de-smogged. Not really sure what all the fuss is about on the internet regarding these bikes. Pretty sure Paul_ED owned a 690 and rode the snot out of it for more than a few years and didn't have any issues either.

[breakdirt916]

yup, that's what I'm expecting...I should be able to flog without planning any rebuilds at all

the bike has a 6,000 valve check interval, with no recommendation on top/bottom end at all.

I'm also questioning if the shop mis-diagnosed it. Changing the fuel filter/seal kit made it run smooth again. why didn't they check that first?

whatever

$2,300 later & I have the bike back. (includes tire install + rade aux tank install)

I don't have time for a break in/oil change for the new top end...and the shop just recommended half throttle/sub 6k rpm for the first tank or so...then bring it back after LAB2V for a valve check.

just finished 7 days straight of pediatric vaccine shots with screaming kids/melt downs. Over it really need this ride right now.

gonna just take a lap around the block, swap out the top case rack, sort out tools/radio/gopro/hydration/snacks, and just head up to the day 1 starting point

my crew also gave me shit. they claimed I didn't "check the shop's work" and that "shops make mistakes too", which is why the top end went out.



this time I have to check the shop's work and go in assuming they made a mistake

[breakdirt916]

Welp, day 1 of LAB2V complete...about to head into day 2!



Good news: bike runs

Only issue I had is my powered Garmin Mount doesn’t work so I am running it on battery...used it 6:45am - 2pm and still has 42% left

Expecting to need it until 4pm today...day 2 is 220+ miles

[breakdirt916]

MADE IT!



Day 1 was 186 miles

Day 2 was 242 miles

Bike ran great!

The Rade tank puked fuel out of the overflow towards the end of day 2

The Garmin randomly turned on and off, had battery issues, and I 100% need to get a powered mount sorted out. Also going to mail it to Garmin for a new case as the power button broke

Tail light lens is long gone and one exhaust

Body just sore and tired...I need to get into shape!

Time to plan next year

[typeone]

awesome !!

[Kurlon]

MADE IT!
The Rade tank puked fuel out of the overflow towards the end of day 2

The wut? Radiator tank puking fuel?!

[tls25rs]

The wut? Radiator tank puking fuel?!

http://adventuremototouring.com/gear...iary-fuel-tank

[Kurlon]

Ah, that makes a hell of a lot more sense.

[loudbeard]

Body just sore and tired...I need to get into shape!

Time to plan next year

You need to start doing kegels. I thought it was BS at first and now I can kegel 85 pounds and ride all day.

[breakdirt916]

just googled Kegels...I guess if you're going to Vegas

but @Kurlon - yes, Rade Garage is 1.6 gallons of fuel in a tank that goes in place of the oem airbox.

[breakdirt916]

whoa!



whoa!



whoa!



WHOA!

[Kurlon]

Dude, at least smile on the podium!

[breakdirt916]

notice how in older indian family photos, nobody is smiling?

#nosmiling

ordered up the Sicass tail/brake light. Turns out the OEM 80's design/incandescent bulb is a known "eh, it kinda sucks" part of the bike. The Euro spec OEM KTM part is an LED setup & Sicass uses that part on a mount which bolts onto the factory location.

although the intake is considerably louder now, I'm still somewhat itchy for a mellow slip on. Yosh? Akra? Arrow? Wings?

also - $800 for 17" Excel supermoto rims + tires = worth it?

it's honestly a fun pavement machine as long as you're not slabbing 85+mph for 2 hours

just keep the dirt rims on from October <-> March-ish, then Sumo for the summer...summer dirt only duty will be in the forests instead of the deserts anyways, and can be covered by YZ

[xrocket21]

Loving it! Thanks for all the posting, it is fun to follow your adventures.

[Crconnor18]

I used to be against the 690 enduro but after this thread I’ve been catching myself looking at these on the ADVRider Flea market.

[breakdirt916]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the support and this space.

Update: bike is back at the dealer for the break in valve check and oil change.

The taillight swap is also on hold. A bolt for the tail plastics/rack is spinning. The nut it threads into, is an insert embedded in the plastic gas tank...so the bolt needs to come out without the insert, then the insert extracted, then a new insert one glued/JB welded into the gas tank.

I pulled up on the bolt, pushed down on it, and could not get it to move without spinning the insert...so I added it to the list of things for the dealer to do...I will replace the tail light after they sort out that bolt.

I pulled out the old filter and inspected the intake myself



A little dirt on the flat edges; but otherwise no hint of dirt got inside.

then I oiled and installed the 2nd Twin Filter. No shop touches my air filters ever agains.

This is the old OEM intake that came out...does this look like a intake that inhaled a bunch of dirt and trashed a top end?

[Paul_E_D]

How could we know from looking at it?