Test Ride: KTM 690

[G.P]

I had a chance to ride Weeksys KTM 690 today, the subject of more forum words than most bikes on the planet!

I had ridden a previous 690 of Weeksy's but on track at Pembrey a couple of years ago. I remember it being quite high, but light and easily manageable.
it was the same with this one, the main difference, I think, being that this one has a Wilbers rear shock so was very plush.
Starting her up was familiar as the KTM dash comes up with the message "Ready to race" and the dash is very similar to the 790 I recently owned. I was expecting the famous error message, but nothing - gutted
I prefer the riding position on the 690 to my 790, its more Trailie / SuperMoto feeling and very comfortable, the seat is more compliant than the plank on the 790 as well.
The motor is really eager, spins up quickly but with plenty of torque too. On the private road section we encountered I saw 112mph on the dial pretty quickly. we did a nice flowing section of the A338 and the steering and turn in were very user friendly, changes in line were dead easy and it really felt like you could throw it about.
It has a small screen which was very effective, you could do all day 80mph cruising on it i reckon.

Oh, and it was very clean

I can see why Weeksy loves them so much, they do put a smile on your dial at non stellar speeds,

Recommended!

[Yorick]

Is it a keeper?

[Couchy]

Good first bike yeah ?

[Bigyin]

Good first bike yeah ?

Ideal after a Mod 2 pass or for the wife to pop to the shops on

[KungFooBob]

or for the wife to pop to the shops on

With a top box, obviously.

[formula400]

its mad how good the 690 is, i loved mine, it seemed easy to have loads of fun on, plus on track it was a laugh, gutted i had to sell mine at the time.

[Supermofo]

With a top box, obviously.

You rang

[Tomcat]

Yeah, he kindly and bravely lent it to me at Pembrey and after a couple of rather cautious laps I was surprised how easy it was to get used to, very good track manners. Arguably lacking in power for a trackday but plenty for the road, and in such a user friendly package. All in all a damn good bike.

[Supermofo]

When I sat on a 790 I was actually surprised to feel that it was lower quality to my 690. Cable clutch, cheaper levers, harder seat. Only little details but just felt more budget. It also felt smaller than the 690 too. Heavier but smaller.

[weeksy]

Yeah, he kindly and bravely lent it to me at Pembrey and after a couple of rather cautious laps I was surprised how easy it was to get used to, very good track manners. Arguably lacking in power for a trackday but plenty for the road, and in such a user friendly package. All in all a damn good bike.

Did you find it lacking in power compared to the SV650 then ? I found it about 5mph down on the SV down the back straight at Donington but other than that i didn't think there was much in it in that context.

I was shocked yesterday when we came out of a roundabout and i was on the 1200 monster, i thought i gave it a decent bit of throttle and GP was right on my shoulder on the 690 !!!

[Tomcat]

Did you find it lacking in power compared to the SV650 then?

Not badly, but noticeably - mainly at the top end, which isn't really a road bike issue as you're doing well above legal speeds by then. Lack of a fairing may also have made a difference.

[Taipan]

Loved mine, well until it katieboomed obvs. It was a great commuter for going into London on.Instant punch to power in and out of gaps etc. ISTR it was pretty damn economical too! That sit up riding position is always a winner in traffic too. It was an absolute hoot of a thing to blat about on.

Downsides, Mine was an early one and had crap fuelling at low revs constant throttle, not good when commuting as it lurched about and was very jerky. A booster plug enriching device sorted most of that out through. The real thing i disliked was the vibes. At certain revs it'd blur your vision and in general it always numbed my fingers something terrible. If it hadn't have blown up its time was coming to an end because of it. It wasn't something i could have lived with.

Despite it saddling me with a £900 repair bill, I don't regret owning it. As I said its. an absolute hoot to ride. Would I buy another? No, probably not. I think the Xt660X would suit me better?

[Supermofo]

Mine was an early one and had crap fuelling at low revs constant throttle, not good when commuting as it lurched about and was very jerky.

The real thing i disliked was the vibes. At certain revs it'd blur your vision and in general it always numbed my fingers something terrible.

It's funny I don't have either of those on mine. I can pottle through traffic/villages at 30mph in 3rd or 4th and it's fine.

I feel the vibes after say my 5 hour ride to Yeovil but other than that don't really notice. Maybe the occasional bum cheek tingle and bars a little at prolonged 80 mph but then it's a big single, in normal riding its fine.

I reckon it could it be a personal thing as doubt the bikes are that different. My Dad mentioned the throttle and vibes, my brother and I think it's super smooth.

[G.P]

Downsides, Mine was an early one and had crap fuelling at low revs constant throttle, not good when commuting as it lurched about and was very jerky. A booster plug enriching device sorted most of that out through. The real thing i disliked was the vibes. At certain revs it'd blur your vision and in general it always numbed my fingers something terrible. If it hadn't have blown up its time was coming to an end because of it. It wasn't something i could have lived with.

Weeksys had no throttle snatch and no vibes, surprisingly smooth for a twin. The throttle was tame, it was in street mode but I didn't have to think about it, just twist it. Yours sounds like it may have been a Friday afternoon bike ?

[weeksy]

Downsides, Mine was an early one and had crap fuelling at low revs constant throttle, not good when commuting as it lurched about and was very jerky. A booster plug enriching device sorted most of that out through. The real thing i disliked was the vibes. At certain revs it'd blur your vision and in general it always numbed my fingers something terrible. If it hadn't have blown up its time was coming to an end because of it. It wasn't something i could have lived with.

Weeksys had no throttle snatch and no vibes, surprisingly smooth for a twin. The throttle was tame, it was in street mode but I didn't have to think about it, just twist it. Yours sounds like it may have been a Friday afternoon bike ?

Really smooth for a twin, you'd be astonished it's a single

[G.P]

Weeksys had no throttle snatch and no vibes, surprisingly smooth for a twin. The throttle was tame, it was in street mode but I didn't have to think about it, just twist it. Yours sounds like it may have been a Friday afternoon bike ?

Really smooth for a twin, you'd be astonished it's a single
[/quote]

TYPO !! - but yeah, its smoother than a few old twins I've ridden!

[Taipan]

Mine was an early one and had crap fuelling at low revs constant throttle, not good when commuting as it lurched about and was very jerky.

The real thing i disliked was the vibes. At certain revs it'd blur your vision and in general it always numbed my fingers something terrible.

It's funny I don't have either of those on mine. I can pottle through traffic/villages at 30mph in 3rd or 4th and it's fine.

I feel the vibes after say my 5 hour ride to Yeovil but other than that don't really notice. Maybe the occasional bum cheek tingle and bars a little at prolonged 80 mph but then it's a big single, in normal riding its fine.

I reckon it could it be a personal thing as doubt the bikes are that different. My Dad mentioned the throttle and vibes, my brother and I think it's super smooth.

Its a bike that likes to be ridden and the harder you ride it, the better it feels. If I only rode it round the back roads, I'd not have the complaints, but in heavy traffic, it wasn't that good. A lot of newer bike run so lean they luch about at low revs at a constant throttle, my F8R did, hence I had that remapped. I do suffer with numb finger son aot of bikes, I think because I ride with my fingers on the levers, but Man the Duke would see me shaking my hands back into life after 15 miles.

[Taipan]

Downsides, Mine was an early one and had crap fuelling at low revs constant throttle, not good when commuting as it lurched about and was very jerky. A booster plug enriching device sorted most of that out through. The real thing i disliked was the vibes. At certain revs it'd blur your vision and in general it always numbed my fingers something terrible. If it hadn't have blown up its time was coming to an end because of it. It wasn't something i could have lived with.

Weeksys had no throttle snatch and no vibes, surprisingly smooth for a twin. The throttle was tame, it was in street mode but I didn't have to think about it, just twist it. Yours sounds like it may have been a Friday afternoon bike ?

Only one i've ever ridden, so cant really compare it to another? That said when I had it repaired I said about it being vibey and was that it starting to let go? The mechanic said doubt it, they are a vibey engine?

[Nidge]

Blimey you two... Weeksy thinks he was on an 1100, and GP thinks he was on a twin... did you really actually swap bikes at all?

[Supermofo]

Blimey you two... Weeksy thinks he was on an 1100, and GP thinks he was on a twin... did you really actually swap bikes at all?

Day release from the old folks home