school me on a ktm 690 enduro r

[breakdirt916]

NiteRider makes excellent stuff with a ton of mounting solutions.

my only wish, is that I had an LED headlamp with me**

I was referring to something to strap to my head while changing the tire at night. I have a ton at the house; just never really carried one in my pack. There was always a shadow when you're trying to see where the brake pads were when lining on the rear brake rotor, or when fishing the inner tube valve stem through the rim. I try to keep my pack as light as possible, so I usually don't carry extra stuff...plus I hardly change a tube at night.

[FriskyDingo]

notice any issues with "vibration" numbness in the hands? getting some crazy vibes from my 690 Duke, looking onto various "anti-vibe" solutions..

[SRTie4k]

What's the headlight in a 690? I'd be willing to bet a Cyclops LED bulb would be a fantastic upgrade. Been running one of their kits for 5 years now and they're way brighter than stock and reliable.

[breakdirt916]

it's a stock headlight...I have tried the cyclops adventure bulb in an FE350 (and I also have the LED helmet lamp), and it was indeed far superior over stock...now take the cyclops bulb and take it to the next level: that's the moto minded setup It truly is a you-get-what-you-pay-for and I'm at the point that I'd just buy once cry once.

@frisky - yes, the 690 is vibey. 2019+ models have a counter balancer added which helps, but doesn't solve it. I don't go numb because my previous bikes (FZR600, YZ250 2-stroke) were all worse...I also try to use a cramp buster on long slabs so I'm just resting a palm on the throttle instead of wrapping my hand around it.

[breakdirt916]

daylight savings, mean 8pm sunsets

got a 3-ish hour ride after work



found a coupe more 15-20 second single track sections that are big bike friendly









getting more used to riding her off road. Definitely want more saddle time before LAB2V

[OneCheekRider]

Can I ask where that is? Looks awesome.

[breakdirt916]

Can I ask where that is? Looks awesome.

Same place, Santiago Peak area. Don’t be fooled; it’s 98% fire road and 2% single tracks that are 15-240 seconds long. But if I can do the easy single tracks on the 690 with street rubber, you’ll do great on the WR250. Come on down.

[OneCheekRider]

I will definitely head over there, been meaning to for a while now since it's not a far ride.

[breakdirt916]

"it's too hot to ride" is echoes out in the hills of the inland dirt bike spots and the high desert

...they're saying that, but do they listen to answer of: But when is it too hot?



comfortable, breezy, weather with clear skies at night



just rained yesterday too, so minimal dust

getting more comfortable on the 690. I'm not death gripping the bars as much and getting used to 1 finger/no hands riding down the mountain. You don't ride the bike; the bike rides itself. You just provide the rider input. And try to remember "your bars are bamboo."

after I change the tires to knobbies, I'd be willing to try some of the more challenging ST

still kinda digging how versatile a big thumper dual purpose bike is for me. I can just as easily go on a "social" group ride with 40 other bikes, as I can slab on freeways at 80-100, do a 300-400 mile pavement day, hit some 2 track dirt roads, but also some easy single track while picking up groceries on the way home. It's all in one bike with more of a dirt bias. Far superior to the KLR/XRL/DR650 both on and off road.

[breakdirt916]

did a 280 mile desert night run

79 in sunny, breezy, San Diego



and 96 at 9pm in Anza Borrego





having an LED headlamp mounted to your helmet helped A LOT in the canyons....you get light where you turn your head!



being a couple hours away from civilization, the milky way was pretty clear

night runs are cool...it's some of the same rides you're usually doing; just a little different...and kinda spooky!

[OneCheekRider]

Looks familiar! Night riding into Borrego, cant say I've done that!

Montezuma/S22 is probably one of my favorite roads (when it's not 100+ degrees)! I love hitting Palomar on the way there and back!



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[breakdirt916]

You should try the night run! It’s definitely something different

I was thinking of riding to Fonts point to watch a sunrise - ever checked it out?

[OneCheekRider]

You should try the night run! It’s definitely something different

I was thinking of riding to Fonts point to watch a sunrise - ever checked it out?

I have not! Let me know if you want some company, definitely up my alley.

[breakdirt916]

it has maybe 4-ish miles of sand each way, but should be doable on a bike, no prob.

I'm going to maybe check out the road conditions sometime soon

...after I change the tire to knobbies...with this:



found on craigslist; I offered $340 thinking he'd counter at $350; but he just accepted $340.

upon further inspection, it's an "ADV" setup: $681 retail, $580 on sale from rabaconda...5 tire irons, 2x17" spoons, 12-18mm spindle, 62mm adapter for GS shaft drive wheels

aside from the bag missing a zipper, it's not a bad price for something that was only used a few times. I do need to change 10.625 tires to break even though...I have 3 tires that will get changed within the next 3 months though.

[Paul_E_D]

Love my rabaconda, has paid for itself many times over

[breakdirt916]

it did not suck



-keeping the wheel stationary helped when cranking the irons
-being around knee height beats wrestling on the ground or ankle height (the cheap moose stand)
-having a good strong bead breaker doubles to make many small pushes to push a tire off (better than the cheap moose stand)
-the irons ARE AWESOME. compared to a regular motion pro ones, it's like a sore dick: you can't beat it. the ADV version provides 5...I only used 3...and most of the time only needed 2.
-the bag kinda sucks, but it is of no worry to me. I won't unbolt the stand that often.

changing the tires actually took less time than removing/installing the rims.

for my first go, it's *still* tiring.

Took me roughly 2 hours including rim removal/mounting & airing up. in 88 degrees I pounded 1.5L of water and starving after. It'll get easier.

I don't recommend being on dirt - be inside a garage or shed. Dirt/sand gets into everything & if you lose nuts and valve cores, they'll be gone forever. I may try laying a moving blanket down next time inside the moto shed.

Not sure I'd pay full retail at $680 for the ADV. $340 was worth it though...I did 2 tires today, have 1 more to go this month, and 2 more to do before LAB2V, and it'll have been 1/2 paid for itself.

old tire was past toast, so I threw up a used Maxxis I had kicking around. I'll put a good condition 606 w' new MX216 fat tire in September or October, then I'll be LAB2V ready.

[breakdirt916]

back on knobbies is nice...



it's like having snow tires - you bomb around more aggressively

supermoon from the peak was pretty cool too; the light from the moon actually illuminates the ground

[breakdirt916]

it's like having snow tires - you bomb around more aggressively

oops...this is not a small bike

you'll feel 350lbs in the more technical stuff

bent the rear rack...which probably helped it from flipping on top of me

It has a street bias, and I enjoy it more at its limits on tight street (as as canyon carver) than at its limits of dirt (in technical dirt stuff). I'm thinking to limit it's dirt use to fire roads, long desert rides, or flatter single track. hills and steep stuff just aren't as fun due to the weight. I am really feeling an E-bike like a Sur Ron for these dirt runs

[breakdirt916]

saw the high coolant temp light come on twice



something must be off after the dirt nap

saw a clean/stock 690 at the dealer and his radiator brackets are definitely different than mine.

what it's supposed to look like



what mine looks like:



bike is at the dealer for a 10k mile oil change, valve check, and cooling system inspection.

I cleaned the air filter myself, but honestly dirt seems to collect on one side and I can't get it all out:



might as well replace it: Twin Air Filter 158422X




the weird part about searching by part number, is that Twin Air Filters lists this exclusively as a Rade Garage 690/701 filter. Unlikely to find it at a dealer's shelf

and it's $55 shipped

dammit...you gotta pay to play

when is someone coming out with a 120 mile range electric dual sport?

[FriskyDingo]

saw the high coolant temp light come on twice...

Haven't had the light come on yet, but the bars get right up to the top at SLOW traffic lights on my 690duke.
That crash looked nasty, i'm sure something was affected. Hope your OK

[Kurlon]

What are you cleaning your filter with? I've got some that were N A S T Y that a dip in kerosene got sparkling fresh. Usually oxy-clean does the job if using NoToil oil or similar.

[breakdirt916]

I usually use the cycle gear UNI filter kit with a cleaner and an oil

Call from the shop - radiator is damaged $550 installed

[Kurlon]

Radiator is $350 new, I'd do that job myself, shouldn't be that big a hassle.

[breakdirt916]

yes, you are correct...$350 is a going price for the usual online retailers



they charged the full $402 retail for the radiator and 1 hour of labor

picking it up tomorrow

haven't ridden in so long, that I'm amped to head up the local mountain tomorrow!

Got a group/pavement ride Sunday

[breakdirt916]

distance makes the heart grow fonder...



finally got the bike back, and all I wanted to do was ride, ride, ride











run errands...go the bank...pickup groceries

but despite the "need" to ride, I still couldn't stop thinking about my gripes

longer rake + trellis frame = doesn't turn as well

compared the YZ, when things got hairy the bike was harder to steer out of trouble. The extra 80lbs meant it was likely just going where it was already headed.

but that's fine for a 50/50 bike. This is the price you pay to have such depth in opposites ends of its capability; versatility . Choose to skip the more tight/technical terrain.

Veto the single track with a sudden left uphill turn.



Stay on the fire roads and flat, flowy trails.