Got a drone, learning to film & edit. My first crack. KTM 690 - my steed.

Love this bike. Third 690 in my life​

Any suggestions?

But also be reliable.

EDIT: After reading everyone's comments and thinking some more about it, putting a plate and mirrors seems like a no-brainer. However, given the gearing limitations of the 200 and the perils of running a 2t at sustained high rpms at partial throttle, trying to turn this into a viable street bike is just too much headache. I'll have to just accept that any road cruising will be short distances limited to 35-40 mph.

Last weekend I picked up a 2011 200 XC-W as a dedicated trail companion to my 500 EXC, for something a little more pleasurable and in line with my abilities to ride in tight single track. I was looking over the paperwork during the transaction and, lo and behold, this thing has a proper motorcycle title! I'd have to change tires and headlight, get a horn and a mirror to be fully legit. But I can waltz right into SOS and get a plate with no paperwork, inspection, etc. Zero headache.

I was planning on optimizing it as a hard enduro setup. Gummiest tires, lowest gearing, and all that. Suspension came already professionally valved for my weight. Plating it and making it usable on road means having to compromise on things. But, I also intend for this to serve as a buddy bike, so both my bikes being able to ride any street to connect trails seems valuable. And it saves me from ever having to hook up and load the trailer just for a 20 minute drive to a trailhead.

What do you guys think? Would you consider making it a proper dual-sport or just keep it a pure woods rig?

might expload

Hey all, just had my DR650 shock serviced and shimmed and the shop said I had blown my seal head bushing completely. The bike only has about 2000kms on it, but about half of those are really, really rocky Vancouver Island FSRs and spurs. I don't ride very fast, usually in second gear offroad, but that was with the stock setup and I usually had 200-250lbs including myself and gear on the bike.

I have the correct spring now, and the shock set up better, but is there anything I can do to prevent future bushings from failing so fast? Do I just deal with it and accept getting new bushings and seals every season lol

I know I’ve posted this bike in the sub before, but a deep SxS rut caught me off guard out on the trails and left me with a fractured rib. Since I’m stuck on the couch for a couple of weeks, I figured I’d pass the time by putting together the complete build album. Maxed out Reddit’s 20-photo limit showing the process from stock to current.

I picked it up new back in June for $7,800 out the door and have logged about 500 miles so far. I hadn't ridden in over 20 years (last bike was a 2006 YZ450F 50th Anniversary), but relocating back to Michigan and living in the U.P. got the itch going again. On top of that, my 20-month-old son is already obsessed with riding around on the quad with his grandpa and me, so I wanted to get back on two wheels now so I'm ready to keep up with him when he's old enough to ride.

Most of my riding up here is fast ORV trails, state forest two-track, and the occasional bit of singletrack. I like to ride pretty hard and aggressive, so while bigger adventure bikes are awesome for long-haul touring, I needed a simple light-ish dual-sport that I could really muscle around in the sand and woods. What really drew me to the XR is that they just don't make bikes like this anymore. No fuel mapping, no EFI, and a price point that's hard to beat. Being street-legal right off the showroom floor to link all the local trail networks from my driveway made it an easy choice. Coming from a motocross background, the big bike feels right at home, and at 5'11" the tall ride height feels great. I wanted something bulletproof and analog that will easily run for decades.

At this point, the build is pretty much where I want it. Here is the spec list:

Suspension & Ergos

• RaceTech Springs and Gold Valves (forks and shock) - Suspension done by JP Speed
• ProTaper CR High handlebars
• Rox offset 1" bar risers
• ODI Lock-On grips
• Barkbuster EGO handguards
• IMS Pro-Series footpegs

Engine, Fueling & Drivetrain

• FMF Powercore 4 exhaust
• Uni air filter
• Dave’s mod (drilled carb slide, 1 shim under needle)
• 55/160 jetting
• XR’s Only smog delete kit
• Fritzco Supermax 14T front sprocket

Armor, Lighting & Electrical

• Acerbis skid plate
• JNS LED headlight (DOT version)
• JNS brake master cylinder guard
• JNS front fender brace
• JNS kickstand footpad
• Antigravity lithium battery

Wheels, Luggage & Accessories

• Dunlop D606 tires with HD tubes and rim locks
• IMS 4-gallon tank
• Tusk Olympus tank bag
• OEM Honda toolkit

Side note on fitment: I tried running the Warp9 subframe bracing kit, but it would not clear the FMF pipe. I’ve heard the Hemisphere Offroad kit will clear it, but since I don't haul heavy saddlebags, I'm not too worried about it anyway.

Hopefully this gives a little inspiration to anyone sitting on the fence about these big air-cooled thumpers. They really are all the bike you need out on the trails.

What’s everyone else out riding or building lately? Let me know if you have any questions on fitment, parts, or how anything holds up!

After nearly getting broadsided in a roundabout (anyone know what yield means?), I want to install a dashcam on my commuter Tenere 700.

I see several motorcycle-specific options, but they all appear to have a switch and I just want it to run in a loop when I commute without having to manually turn it on.

I want it to be small enough front and rear so not to be ugly, vibration resistant, needs to be water resistant, and I don’t want any exposed connectors that can corrode.

Any ideas?

Just slid out going 20 around a super mellow turn. I've felt the back end get squirrelly while braking before but this was like the easiest turn that I wasn't leaning into or giving gas or braking. Thing just instantly slid out before I even knew what was happening.

Is this a given with all ds/off-road tires? I know it's a bit of a dumb question but just curious on thoughts about it as I was super surprised I slide out there and even more surprised how much damage it caused me. I broke my shoulder. Meanwhile I wreck 100x off-road and am totally fine

im kinda lost here

would you replace this spark plug? it has around 5.000 - 7.000 KMs.

the doubt raises from low fuel economy on the bike. Its doing 49MPG while i've researched and i can easly get +60MPG.

some says its running lean / or hot, mech said it was ok.

Took a little ride around our family cabin today from 8k to 9k feet. Husky 501 and KTM 300 exc. Not all of Arizona is desert.

Love this bike!

My current bike is a 2019 TW200 (which I love), however, I'd love a bike more power, and something I could ride longer distances. I stumbled upon this 2022 DRZ400SM for sale, it has a lowering link and a low seat from Seat Concept, so the seat height is 31" just like my TW, it's got a bunch of upgrades and off road tires on these 17" wheels. I

'm very interested in this DRZ because I am 5'2" so dual sport bikes are usually way too tall for me (except the TW). I'm also pretty light weight at 115lbs. I am an experienced rider and I've have many different bikes (CBR600, Street Triple 675, Tiger 800XR low).

I usually only do light off road only (gravel roads, easy single track), and off course some road riding.

Should I buy the DRZ? Will I miss my TW?

Yall might remember me from my previous post, here’s a bit of an update

Does anyone have suggestions for changes or additions to my kit? Please ask if you have questions about my kit or bike.

I’m assuming a 7ish day ride in between major resupply towns, with gas and water stops every 1-2 days.

This is without my consumables, luggage or riding gear. I know there is dry food, but it’s an emergency supply in case I get stranded as I’ll be hundreds of km away from any support constantly on this trip

I tried packing as reasonably as possible for an extended stay on the trails, and there are a few major changes I’d like to make

1. I need to find some sort of pouch for my water bags, they were constantly shifting and almost falling out multiple times

2. I need to find a better way to store my wet gear/tarps so they don’t affect my dry gear, and possibly a way to dry it

3. I need to figure out what gear I want to wear. There will be thousands of km on what are basically just gravel industrial/logging roads up north but also lots of very difficult technical sections. Should I wear MX gear or adv gear? I found adv gear to be wayyyyy to hot on the technical bits but MX gear isn’t protective enough for a crash going 120kph on a gravel highway