This 78-HP Dual-Sport Is Basically A Dirt Bike With Anger Issues
With pretty much everything dual-purpose getting more attention these days, we have seen a mini-revival of the dual-sport segment. For a time, all we had to choose from was a handful of outdated Japanese bikes, and the odd competition-spec European enduro machine. But, over the last few years, we have seen several bikes getting launched and updated, all of which perform better off-road than your average ADV!
Dual-Sports Offer More Off-Road Capability
As more and more riders seek to take their adventure motorcycles off-road, they are discovering the limitations of these bigger, heavier motorcycles. While these bikes are most certainly capable of going off-road occasionally, they are still primarily street bikes that have been designed for travel. A dual-sport is the other way around. It is an off-road bike that has been toned down for street use.
While all dual-sport bikes are based on some form of dirt bike chassis, all is not equal in this world either. There is a wide selection of approachable bikes that offer street bike service intervals, all of which make less than 40 horsepower. Then we have the competition-spec enduro bikes which are significantly more powerful (and in most cases, lighter), but have the kind of service intervals that are measured in hours, not miles. The bike in question offers the same level of performance as these competition spec bikes, and the same service intervals as the more approachable bikes.
The KTM 690 Enduro R Is Basically A Dirt Bike That Can Be Ridden Every Day
MSRP: $13,399
Naturally, the best of both worlds kind of solution is never going to be especially cheap. The 690 Enduro R is pretty expensive when compared to all the adventure bikes on the market that have similarly powerful, yet smoother, parallel-twin engines. It is also far less comfortable than those bikes, and has a tall, uncompromising seat height. This is what you are indeed signing up for if what you want is more off-road capability, because that is precisely what you get in return for your hard-earned money.
With 78-HP, The LC4 Is Once Again The Most Powerful Single On The Market
A few years back, Ducati released the Superquadro Mono engine. With 77.5 horsepower, it became the most powerful single-cylinder motorcycle on the market. KTM clearly took this personally, and made the decision to revise the 690 platform in an effort to wrestle this hypothetical crown back from the Italians. The entire crankcase is new, with lighter internals and a new oil delivery system. All this resulted in the all-important Euro5+ emissions compliance, but it also gave the bike an extra 4 horsepower. Just enough to usurp the Ducati.
Street Bike Reliability Meets Dirt Bike Capability
KTM gets a lot of flak for reliability issues. Most of the engines they produce are performance oriented, so this much is understandable, especially when buyers come into a purchase without the prior knowledge that these bikes really are “Ready to Race.” The LC4 engine is a high-performance single, but the previous version proved that it was also a reliable performer, with very few issues throughout its production history. While the revised version has only been out for a little while now, KTM has placed a huge amount of confidence in it, extending the service intervals to 9,000 miles.
The 690 Enduro R Is A Modern, Feature-Rich Motorcycle
Traditionally speaking, dual-sport bikes are not known for having much in the way of tech features. But, it is fair to say the 690 Enduro R is not your average dual-sport. The previous version was relatively high-tech, and the latest bike simply builds on that. It has off-road abs (which actually works off-road, unlike some systems), lean-sensitive traction control, ride modes, and a small, robust TFT dash which actually looks like it belongs on a bike like this. Naturally, both ABS and traction control can be switched off completely when you feel the need to thrash it a little off-road.
An Aggressive Bike Like This Does Not Promise Much In The Way Of Comfort
With a 37-inch seat height, the 690 isn’t exactly the most approachable motorcycle in the world for shorter folks. It isn’t really meant to be though. It is an aggressive, uncompromising off-road motorcycle with the componentry to back that up. That tall seat height is largely thanks to its long travel, fully adjustable WP Xplor suspension, which offers 10.4-inches of travel up front, and 9.8-inches at the rear.
This works hand-in-hand with its robust steel trellis chassis. A chassis which also works pretty well on a tight, twisty section of tarmac, only limited by its off-road oriented tires. At just 357 pounds, it is by no stretch of the imagination the lightest dual-sport, but it is only a little heavier than those more approachable bikes and has twice as much power. Suffice to say, it is a fun bike to ride pretty much anywhere, not just off-road, with maybe one exception.
It is not the kind of motorcycle you want to be using for extended highway runs. Big singles like this tend to vibrate a fair bit at highway speeds, and pretty much everything that touches the bike will eventually go numb after a while. It has no wind protection, and a seat that seems to have been taken straight off one of KTM’s dirt bikes. It works great, offering a good amount of grip for your knees while you are standing up off-road, but precious little in the way of long-distance comfort.
As such, it requires a certain level of commitment to taking the road less traveled, and if that is what you are after, we can scarcely think of a better tool for the job. While the marketing for most ADVs promises so much in terms of off-road competence, this dual-sport with some pretty serious anger issues is the bike that actually delivers that kind of riding experience. The only real catch is the fact that this kind of riding experience isn’t really for everyone.
Source: KTM
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