school me on a ktm 690 enduro r

[Paul_E_D]

I recall you got a new Mayhem recently…did it work well down there? I was at both of Lost’s San Clemente stores a few days ago…

Nice! Off topic, but the board was perfect for the medium scale surf that we had. I bought the libtech version of the rnf redux a size bigger than I wanted. Worked great in waist to overhead strong waves. Also, zero dings or pressure dings despite being abused heavily.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[breakdirt916]

could be on topic

I was planning on adding a surf rack for the summer

bikes and boards can be in harmony

used it again for a landlord run



70-ish miles round trip...saved $18ish in gas costs

the 16/49 gearing worked great to pass ratchet drivers on the 5 freeway

I smash through all the gears and flog the ish out of it

for all the money I'm spending on this bish, I have zero intention of babying it

tentative april/may:
-250ish mile street bike loop
-multiple canyon runs

there's a 100-130ish mile dual sport run at the end of April - I am trying to decide if I want to use the YZ or the 690

[Kurlon]

Can you ride your 690 over to the east coast for a day? I want to try something with your front brake bracket...

[breakdirt916]

yeah, take it...still annoyed with it



died again twice on the way home

no warning, no sputtering, just stalls

headlights/cluster lights/starter cranks fine. battery terminal connections solid.

cycled the key, flipped the kill switch, nothing. Waited a few mins and tried again and she fired right up.

checked the TBI connector and it was fine

WTF??

[Kurlon]

Wow, $750 for the wiring harness... I'm spoiled by cheap prices on the smaller machines. (Granted the quality of the harness and connectors on them are also... meh.) Clarify the symptoms for me:

Engine dies like you hit the kill switch, no sputter, no hesitation/warning, just out like no spark? Does the instrument cluster flicker/go off, anything like that? That's got me leaning electrical. My first thought would be a failing pulser coil, they tend to cut in and out like this when marginal, fine when cold. IIRC that bike has a 6 pin diag port that some ODB tools can read, might be worth getting a cheap scanner to have on hand, when it's acting up plug in and see if any sensors aren't reporting data.

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Something like this: https://obd247.com/products/fault-co...0-1290-125-390

[FriskyDingo]

Something like this: https://obd247.com/products/fault-co...0-1290-125-390

gonna pick one of these up

[Paul_E_D]

yeah, take it...still annoyed with it



died again twice on the way home

no warning, no sputtering, just stalls

headlights/cluster lights/starter cranks fine. battery terminal connections solid.

cycled the key, flipped the kill switch, nothing. Waited a few mins and tried again and she fired right up.

checked the TBI connector and it was fine

WTF??

Geeze, you got a lemon. It definitely seems electrical. loose ground?

[breakdirt916]

@kuron - that’s correct. Bike stalls as if I had accidentally hit the kill switch.

Bike stalled again today pulling away from a light. Smooth pull in 1st gear, 2nd gear, then just randomly stalled. I tried jiggling wires coming from the handlebar kill switch, around the ignition switch, the TBI connector, under the seat near the fuses, the harness under the headlight, and nothing changed how the bike ran. I kinda got fed up and dropped it off at the dealer.

[Kurlon]

I'd consider throwing a pulser (ignition pickup) at it. Low cost, can cause the symptoms you've had, and you are more than capable of doing the swap yourself.

[breakdirt916]

well, it's back

this time around the dealer said the battery post/ground was loose (was it? I checked both and they were on tight), which contributed to intermittent firing, and caused the spark plugs to foul. They swapped both plugs out, and bike runs normal again.

I'm still not 100% on the bike being reliable, so I'm going to test it on local loops with tools, uber, and AAA roadside assistance in hand.

[Kurlon]

I'm trying to think of the last time I saw a modern four stroke foul a plug and I'm drawing a blank. Time for a new shop, is this the one that suggested a top end before?

Ship the bike to me, I'll try and sort it, and also make sure it doesn't get cold by testing the back roads around me constantly.

[breakdirt916]

yup, same shop...plugs on a modern 4 stroke? really?

had a 550 mile overnight coastal trip this weekend...at this point I couldn't trust the 690, so I went big:





it's actually a pretty nice motorcycle. Effortless to ride, fun in the twisties, just floats on the slab, low center of gravity, etc.

coastal spot hopping on a motorcycle is actually pretty awesome

just go 1-2 hours, stop for an hour to eat, take in a view, hangout with buddy, then just move on. The 2 hours to slab to the good stuff is minimal to no issue.

No real schedule; just go by feel.



is it $20-$30k good though? It may be! I just don't do 3-500 mile days that often to make the bike worthwhile.

[nhbubba]

I'm not a buyer. But there is a reason those things are very, very popular. They do not suck.

[Paul_E_D]

I was going to mention battery but that seemed insulting...

[breakdirt916]

Honestly I don’t think it’s the battery or a ground connection…I think that’s the shop’s plausible explanation.

I’ve considered other shops, but do they really want to touch a bike that’s been through this much work at 6k miles? And I want to prove a point to my buddy (who claims it’s 100% my lack of maintenance that’s causing all my issues) and to the shop (they’re the only one that worked on it…how can they blame another shop or me?).

[Paul_E_D]

But the battery IS plausible. With your use pattern, those bolts could loosen fairly regularly

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But the battery IS plausible. With your use pattern, those bolts could loosen fairly regularly

[breakdirt916]

it's possible, but I had to bring it to them twice to figure that out? was it really the TBI connector the first time? Was it the ground this time? Can I trust the quality of their work? Is this bike more problematic than others?

<-- annoyed

did a 320 mile pavement ride yesterday to test things out...seemed to run ok



if this darn thing just worked as it's supposed to, I might actually enjoy it



this can fully replace a Ninja 500 for canyon duty.



It's best if I do 60ish mile stretches with a stop. If it's super windy and doing 80-90 for long slabs, it'd like a little more wind protection.

I might *just* be able to sneak in with the euro scrambler/ADV crowd too.



My friend and I go back and forth that I could add an Africa Twin/Vstrom 1000/890R for big bike duty (touring/camping/light off road duty).

I may at some point, but for now the 690 is fine for a few times/year...or just rent a big bike when I need it.

[breakdirt916]

Happy Easter. just did an awesome 600ish miles in 2 days (250ish miles of canyons, 350ish miles of slabbing)



bike actually did ok

didn't randomly stall, fuel system didn't break down, etc.

but otherwise, the 2 days were pretty friggen great. Canyons w' friends/food are so fun. If you guys can fly out and spend 2-3 days of local (to LAX) canyon riding, you can cover a good amount.



the 690 is more than adequate for canyon runs...and on good authority, I don't need to go any faster in the canyons than I'm going on street tires on the 21/18 setup...however, the slab isn't the most comfortable. And everywhere I go includes 45-90 mins of highway slab (includes lane splitting). We were talking about the ideal 2-bike setup and that an 890 might be an excellent SoCal big bike for the kind of riding I want to do.

[Kurlon]

https://www.rallymotoshop.com/produc...fari-fuel-tank

[breakdirt916]

Ooo...I feel like that would add what I want...but is it a smart purchase?

as they say in tik tok #FYP

[breakdirt916]

[TheIglu]

Dude, that was FUN.

[breakdirt916]

In case nobody noticed, our very own TTD instructor/NESR Moderator came to the West Coast and we got to slay some classic california canyons!

Thanks for coming Iglu! It was a blast!!



did another 200-ish mile pavement day over memorial day weekend:



it's really not a bad street bike...200-400 mile days no problem





The storage unit for the YZ went up a crazy amount, so I'm dropping them for 1-2 months, and I thought I'd try dirt again on the 690



it's honestly just not the same



feels like I'm towing a trailer...and it sounds like I'm shaking a rack of marbles when it gets bumpy



and when you hit the limits of traction, you feel the weight.

It was far more pleasant to get back on pavement.

It almost feels better as a street or flat/2-track dirt road bike than a true dual sport/dirt bike.

oh well, just a month or 2 of bigger bike dirt riding until I can use the YZ again locally. 1st world problems.

[breakdirt916]

went up again on Saturday after work



it felt a little better off road with more saddle time





oh hai



not exactly the same as Paul's black bear encounter, but still kinda cool nonetheless

then I get an SOS text that someone's out there with a flat...I called w' no answer

5 mins later, then they roll up!



they were 3 dudes deep, with no spare tube, irons, air/pump, or axle tools

I had everything except an 24mm axle tool for a CRF300L...so we ask the jeep bro's



we bought a big crescent wrench off them for $20 and headed back for the tube swap



my only wish, is that I had an LED headlamp...

otherwise, a couple cell phones, one bike running, 3 dudes, and we swapped the tube out

these are kinda worth the $12 for fishing the inner tube valve through the rim:




and I kinda want more light out of the KTM headlight



but a moto minded setup is like $515

worth it though...

got home around 11:30pm....nice little adventure in the dark!

[loudbeard]

my only wish, is that I had an LED headlamp...

NiteRider makes excellent stuff with a ton of mounting solutions.