The ultimate KTM 690 Enduro R gets put to the test on an adventure across France | MCN Special

[@motorcyclenewsdotcom]

Have you got an off-road adventure planned for 2024? Tell us below 👇

[@CaptinCrash321]

I really enjoyed watching this video. I’m learning a lot as I am just about to embark on a nine week adventure through Europe. I’m leaving Australia on 22 August 2024 and I’m traveling through Europe on an 890 Adventure R that I’m purchasing in the UK, so I’m really looking forward to this trip but I’m doing it solo doing some road some TET. I have just come back from Vietnam riding bikes there for 21 days and that was very interesting so I’ve now got the bug. Here is one of my videos if anybody is interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGXZmahnZ5KCbbMsi=vrF-jCkJ_0Nj1Gg1

[@indrakumarnishad4525]

Vikash.nishad

[@terrys2232]

Great videos, thank you. Sorry to hear about your Dad. Mine passed away 3 years ago and you miss him like crazy but it’s the memories and the things he passed on to you that keep you going.

[@richardsimpson3792]

Sorry about your Dad. He must have been so proud of you!

[@michaelguy593]

Thank you 🙏🏻 he was one of the good ones 👍🏻

[@MotoLocoYT]

You were the only other riders i bumped into too, although i chose to skip the flooded sections near Angers and had a great time. Might bump into you again some day - Gavin, on the KTM 500

[@michaelguy593]

Great to hear from you Gavin. Glad you had a good ride. Be cool to bump into you again 👍🏻

[@swifttone]

You're a big reason why I got into the 690 platform and bought a 701. Rallied out with big gas tank, rally tower, and all the power and suspension mods. Love it and thank you!

[@terramoto215]

This is the way! Had an amazing solo trip through France, Spain & Portugal on my 690 last year. With the heat wave and the few tricky situations i found myself in I was glad not to be on anything bigger - really is the perfect platform.

[@Niki_Parvanov]

How did the 690 present itself, any feedback?

[@oli-no-way]

Great videos, thank you. Sorry to hear about your Dad Michael!

[@williamclarke2020]

Sympathies on your Dad's passing, Michael. I love your reviews. Informative, fun with no ego in the mix. Cheers, Mate.

[@michaelguy593]

Thank you William. Kind words Best Michael

[@marcusgeorge1825]

A lovely video. Thank you. Sorry to hear about your loss, I’m sure your father will be looking down with a huge grin on his face. Ride free, be proud.

[@mrethicpreneur7510]

Thanks Mike for another superb film. Your Pyrenees video on the Honda AT has been such an inspiration and this likewise. Uniquely, you combine a spirit for adventure with in depth knowledge of the subject, without question one of the best ADV contributors on KZbin. Thanks for coming back following a tough period personally.

[@michaelguy593]

Really kind words…thank you. Glad to hear my Spanish trip was an inspiration. I really want to go back there on the 690. Safe travels. Michael

[@ryanroux5429]

Great ! Thanks for sharing, your smile says it all.. loving the journey on your weapon of choice 👌 I ran a early 2010 with a local South African rally kit over thousands of hectic gravel, with the freeway commute to connect the dots, and I always loved that bike😎 I wish you many more wonderful adventures, happy travels

[@MichaelShaw206]

Condolences on your loss. Epic bike trip. The flood waters made me nervous for you. Thank you for sharing this.

[@61greybeard]

Great video Mike so sorry to hear about your Dads passing. Your passion for riding bikes and adventures really comes through on the video you’re Dad would have been very proud ❤️👍

[@sergioscalia5922]

The little honda seems to keep up reasonably well...☺️

[@Niki_Parvanov]

Was thinking the same thing. Only thing was, no wheelies 😅

[@Jarvis60]

So sorry about your father passing. I am sure he is very proud of you knowing what you are doing.

[@seanholland9576]

Well done on the enjoyable film Michael, shows why we love the mix of off road and travel. A mate and myself are off to Morocco in November for a trip through the Sahara with wild camping, he’s on a T7 and I’m on a 701, we’ll be experiencing less water I reckon. The positives are the TET community regularly post up lost and found so you might get your filming bits back. Well done, that’s a proper adventure.

[@michaelguy593]

Thanks Sean Have a great trip, sounds awesome

[@shadowred1980]

Thank you for recording that. Then for covering both bikes. Great job. :)

[@thescandiflicktv]

Awesome film Mr Guy, loved that you brought a stock 300L together with the highly modded 690. The perfect bike do exist, not in theory but in practice. That 300L was capable enough to do the exact same adventure, although maybe not as easy to power wheelie but it got out there, on that adventure, and what ever bike gets you there is the perfect bike.

[@michaelguy593]

So true. I love my KTM, but there were times I would have preferred to have been on the CRF!

[@1981athos]

This is adventure riding. I love it! Great stuff.

[@creedm3040]

Awesome video! I am so sorry for your loss. Having recently gone through the same thing I can empathize with you. What an adventure! I really enjoyed this and I hope to see more. Really a fantastic job. It could have been much longer, that good. Best!

[@C90_Adam]

Great video, had a blast on my 2012 690 at ABR too. Made my own rally front end, drew up the parts in CAD and had the bits made. Ended up doing it for about half the price and learnt some skills along the way. Look forward to seeing what else you do in future.

[@ogasi1798]

french tet gets better the further south you go - nice work good soaking trip, the knee deep soaking fields covered in overflown rivers looks like shropshire in january

[@markgardner7142]

Great video! Have a 2020 690R which is used for TET trips. Best and cheapest mod I've found for improved low rpm performance, ie smoother, is the O2 sensor eliminator kit. About £25 from Smart Moto. Also standard gearing too high for slow stuff, found a good compromise (imo) of 15/50 And Heat Demon heated grips that go under the original grips, luxury in wintertime!

[@stevehaydon5127]

Thank you for the superb ride report, showing that adverse conditions only add to the adventure! So far this year rode Baja and the Colorado BDR on my 690, and upcoming ride in Vermont in October. I agree with other comments that the O2 dongle seems to help smooth fueling at low rpms. Wondering how much you feel you benefited from adding the windscreen/tower. I just stick the GPS on the bars and enjoy the close-up visibility w/o any screen, and up to 70 mph don't think I notice much. The Honda didn't have any wind protection -- did you compare notes on that point? Apart from tires and bigger pegs, I've only done the O2 dongle and ABS dongle (so I can have abs active on the front only), and have usually talked myself out of other "improvements." In your next report, could you please let us know how the new front sprocket works out? I did that to good effect on my 790 but haven't seen any reports on the change-up on a 690. I've been debating going down one tooth and probably will, though haven't found a KTM part replacement and am a little leery (probably without justification) to go aftermarket on that part. Cheers and will subscribe and hope that you keep 'em coming.

[@phillipchandler8862]

Did you good to get away and have some fun. Nice down to earth video with your friend that we can all relate to. What really came across to me is how good the Honda is. The KTM as you have built it is no doubt faster and special but was a good contrast showing what you can get out of the box and get going on. Look forward to some more adventures. Cheers. Cheers.

[@gnarlybadger690]

Quality, off-road touring through France cheap airB&B just fantastic 🤘🏻 Going to do a Coast 2 Coast using the. TET/ GNT if the sun comes out in the UK

[@Bugside]

Now THIS is adventure riding, not sitting on the highway with cruise control on a GS

[@donkeizluv]

For GS riders, parking the bike on dirt sidewalk to take pictures are an adventure

[@sib610]

All depends what you mean by adventure.

[@TheLimey1664]

one mans trip is another mans adventure. Riding to Starbucks is an adventure after a week sat on your arse in the office!

[@MagnumMuscle1000]

A GS is capable of proper off road riding. You just have to have the skills and not be afraid to drop it.

[@martyn_g]

Why should only off road be considered adventure? That is a bit elitist, lol. Who actually cares where one goes. It’s up to the rider. Your trip, is your trip. Let’s drop this so called “adventure bike” bullshit term, and just call it travel?

[@ADEngineeringUK]

sorry to heard about your loss Michael, i do own a 690 ER too, fully gear up doing H.A.T Extreme class this yr with my mates most of them on 690's too we do lots of tet down in Kent and surrey if ( section 4/19 ) if you fancy some technical chalky hills give us a shout , Carlos from Kent

[@kentm111]

Sorry to hear your loss, but keep up the good work. Made me get off my backside and get on my ES700.... and empty the bank account on parts.

[@ashleybatt6667]

Sorry to here about pops bro he would be so proud of you

[@ThePedroDB]

Brilliant road/trail trip vlog. Loved it. Makes me wanna go and do something similar. I'll manage without the waist deep water sections though.. 👍

[@rosstinelli]

My condolences mate ! You seem to be quite a cool lad ! I can only imagine you got that from your pops ! ❤️

[@deanmsimpson]

That was a fantastic video and inspirational. Thank-you 👍

[@maybeerainmaybeesnow]

I don't know your grief, but I know grief. I wish you and your dad the best. Always.

[@ronanrogers4127]

Lost my mum recently, it’s not easy. Loved the video, a fellow 690 rider here from down under

[@davidsampson3537]

Superb bloody fantastic vid

[@aleksanderveit427]

Top👍

[@_Makanko_]

Great adventure!

[@motoboggle7525]

Absolutely fantastic video, goes to show also that as nice as it is you don’t need to spend a fortune (crf300) i think the Rally version would be a perfect little tet bike

[@HartyBiker]

I've heard the 300L rally has some pretty woeful suspension that really needs fixing, especially if you plan on any touring

[@Niki_Parvanov]

Condolences about your day, I bet he was proud of you ❤

[@terryomara9403]

Great vid

[@ljubott]

😜😜👏👏👍👍Top Adventure 🏆 Amazing💪💪

[@TrustUsTonight]

Daniel seems a decent guy!

[@markozer0]

great video test! I'm interested about how your equipment was under heavy rain...what kind of gloves and rain pants-jacket have you dressed?...about the seat concept, is it XL or standard? thanks!

[@michaelguy593]

Hi, firstly thanks for watching, it was a good trip. Seat is the Seat Conepts Low which is approx 15mm lower than stock. Pants were Rev-it Dirt series Jacket Alpinestars Venture R which I love and the over jacket is the Adventure Spec single track, which is a top piece of kit. Gloves Alpinestars AMT 10. Great glove, been through a lot, but not waterproof. Happy riding Michael

[@scottc3]

Great video. I have a 2021 690 Enduro R. Cracking bike, doing a similar trip soon. Interested to hear how you get on with the DMD2 tablet as am considering one.

[@IanGrant-y2p]

Great vid, well done!!

[@murraybajada5367]

Great vid! Also running a 22 690 here in Oz and love it. The TET looks fun.

[@glx5165]

The French guy must have given you some Calvados (Apple Brandy).🤪 It's nice with some hot water and a pinch or lump (cube) of sugar (kind of like an apple grog).

[@davidrodenhurst3299]

Get the remap. They are very lean off the bottom. More fuel makes them smoother, and easier to ride off road. Did mine with a second hand Power Commander, but I see there are companies remapping the std ECU. Great little adventure video 👍

[@michaelguy593]

Thanks for the confirmation. It’s definitely on the to do list 👍🏻

[@Rossi593]

Sorry to,hear about your dad. It’s a blow as I know. Great video and eagerly anticipated. I’ve just come back from 4,200 miles in the US east side doing TAT and BDR with a fair amount or road riding. My steed a 2019 690 with a Nomad screen. A question on that: does the Rade screen give decent protection at road speeds? I need that and the Nomad was excellent and seems a bit taller and wider. The Rade is certainly very high quality and looks great but this is head over heart I loved the 690 and over 23 days it gave me great confidence despite my 5’8” stature and utter lack of experience or skill! I have a 701 here in the UK and working on “adventurising” it. Tower and seat are most pressing. Look forward to part 5!

[@kuhndj67]

You built my bike... except I started with the 701. I looked at all the suspects for "lightweight adv" back in 2022 when I was planning my Transamerica Trail ride... and ended up with the 701 and $9,000 in upgrades. $20k is expensive for a dirtbike but cheap for a top tier adv bike. It was (IMO) the PERFECT TAT bike for a aggressive rider. I still do not believe there's a better bike for multiweek hard ADV riding (for me). the 300L rally (with a bunch of upgrades) would be in the ballpark if I was a smaller rider but I'm not.

[@bikenavbm1229]

like the vid done some of that but an earlier iteration of the route. luxury boys cabin on a day crossing. carefull with moose talk and think you need mirrors too., legality en all. would like to know more about the DMD2 stuff if you get a chance sometime. thanks

[@davidmatthews3093]

Forget the CRF and go straight for a Voge 300 Rally. The stock tyres and stock suspension are great and you will have just as much fun on the trails as those who have invested a lot more on something like the 690. Sometimes having an ego can be expensive to manage.

[@TubbyTrialTeam]

great vid really interesting.seeing the TET in France on two very different bikes. I'm really sorry to hear about your dad it's a really tough thing to deal with I lost my dad in October 23 and found it a real rollercoaster of emotions. I raced with you at sweet lamb when you rode the Ducati desert x my Ktm nearly slid into it on the slippy grass we both fell off on. so that was a close one!

[@michaelguy593]

Thanks for the comment. Your assessment of our crash at Sweetlamb is very generous! It was 100% my fault! Nice to hear from you and hope your year of racing is going well 👍🏻

[@julianearle9726]

Hello I see u got wp xaxt pro internals I have the same also I have a tractive rear shock totaly transformed my bike giving me loads of confidence.

[@nobodyshero200]

Great adventure. Thanks for sharing. Sorry about your Dad.

[@CaptinCrash321]

I’ve might’ve missed it somewhere but what time of year exactly was this trip done as I am trave from Australia to ride through Europe for eight weeks and I’m interested in the weather patterns.

[@davemurphy9276]

It was end of April. It’s been unusually wet this year though.

[@seneca-jl7lt]

Another inspiring video. Sincere condolences on losing your dad; I lost my own about 2 years ago and it is still pretty raw. I have a T7, which is a great bike, but...the weight is an issue, so I've been eyeing the 690 for a while. Have you had any reliability issues in the 2 years?

[@julianearle9726]

Hello again I fitted wp exactly pro intended for a 350 exc thus giving me the same travel as an enduro bike .

[@rideandcampallday1985]

Do you have the gpx file that can be downloaded for your route ?

[@Darren_71]

Why are you using a Montana 600 alongside a Zumo XT? The XT can use the full Ordinance Survey 1:25k mapping SD cards, I use the GB one in mine, display looks great too using OS maps.

[@IanGrant-zl5dd]

Dave sounds North Walian? CRF seems more than adequate for the TET? Sorry for your loss.

[@davemurphy9276]

Well spotted! Originally from Trearddur Bay, but that’s a long time ago..

[@IanGrant-zl5dd]

@@davemurphy9276 Beaumaris here. Nice to see the CRF doing its thing, I’m new to riding and am struggling to see a better, first, off road bike. Do you think you’ll upgrade the suspension on yours?

[@dmurphy3858]

@@IanGrant-zl5dd I think that's prob going to be the next thing. I'm short though, so wary about putting a harder suspension in and making the bike taller. Being able to reach the floor properly is better for my riding than a stiffer suspension.

[@adamplumtree64]

Enjoy that 👍condolences x

[@miro_s]

Nice thank you! Did you do anything to the shock (apart from shortening) to match the pro6500 insert on the front?

[@OmegaYachtBroker]

What map type/setting your running on the Garmin?

[@mikeisland7382]

Nice job building what you can't buy.

[@selegaso]

Thanks for the great report. Does the Xplor cartridge also provide more suspension travel? If so, how much?

[@michaelguy593]

No more travel, just better, more controllable damping right to the end of the stroke. For the riding I’ve done so far, the stuff in the video, it just feels plusher. Plan is to take it to Sweetlamb in Wales to get it dialed in as I think it’ll really come into its own when pushed on faster more demanding terrain.

[@blackiesmisadventures3413]

Not a Ktm fan but that looks mint, what size Kriega bags are they? Great content as usual

[@michaelguy593]

Thank you👍🏻 They are the OS 12s

[@alexmoreno8156]

I think the CFMOTO 450MT would be a good cheap choice.

[@brucekendall52]

Surprised you dont head for Spain/Portugal for the dryer conditions.

[@TUBESTOOL]

What tower is that?

[@_authentlc_]

oh, this bike can swim 😆

[@gillesgenete9598]

Nice report and comments 👍 on my side, like the guy you crossed, I sold my 701E after 14.000km of TET (France, Greece)for a 500EXCF, already 10.000km of TET (France , Portugal). If you have a chance to come back to France, I suggest you ride the TET from center of France South bond, to see how various are the sceneries and tracks. Alps and Pyrénées are a must. ✌ Just back from TET Portugal (9 days, 1820km), next trip is TET Spain , a loop for 6 days in the Picos de Europa in August.

[@mabsbry1318]

Wow, you are def living best life with 24k km of TET. Do you live in France - I believe it is absolutely perfect TET ?

[@gillesgenete9598]

@@mabsbry1318 yes, living North of France, and retired so plenty of time to ride, with few good friends.

[@binkysquiggums]

I am after a lighter weight (slightly) more powerful replacement for My beloved Bush PIG (2007 Suzuki DR650), for Long distance adventure touring In Australia. I wanted to get a tower and a steering damper as well. How far can you go between fuel stops on the KTM690? Are they reliable?? what are the weak points on the bike???

[@michaelguy593]

Hi, Fuel consumption really depends on the type of riding. We don’t have the space like you do in Oz so it’s poss to get 150 miles as our riding is slower. You can get an additional 5litre tank from Rade Garage which is situated where the standard air box is…or where my tool kit is located. I love my tower for the looks, nav position and weather protection. I’ve had zero reliability issues. KTM have been making this bike for a very long time so it’s proven. Safe travels Michael

[@ozjohnno]

@@michaelguy593 Cheers bloke

[@Davidkxf]

What tablet did you say you got?

[@kpowers9017]

When will you be going public with the horrendous reliability problems of the 790/890 series?

[@phillipchandler8862]

What's your bad experiences with them? I have a 23 890r seems ok so far. Can't say I like it much really. First bike ever ordered without a test ride. Did it on the strength of having a 990 years ago that was great.

[@kpowers9017]

There is an entire Facebook group dedicated to camshaft issues with them. Put me right off. The press seems to be sweeping it under the cover.

[@CharlieboySLONDON]

​@kpowers9017 I also own a 20 890R and I'm in the group. I'm yet to have issues with mine but is a massive worry. The YT community should really be looking into this to force KTMs hand to sort these issues under warranty, it is there manufacturer's error.

[@simonhantler8062]

what seat concept model on the 690?

[@michaelguy593]

It’s the ‘Low’

[@gregneville8944]

This looks like a perfectly miserable ride. The kind that are fun in hindsight. Well done!

[@ogasi1798]

get the fuel dongle - sorts the low end crap out quick smart, no need for remap

[@BIGGIEsmalls13]

Hilarious French pronunciation!

[@horizontal120]

this just dose not look fun to me :d but to each their own I guess ..

[@obsidian....]

Talking head video? Nah

[@JohnRushworth]

That apple so called cider drink was probably Calvados. More like a brandy. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvados