Thanks for taking the time to do this in english phil

I'm sorry for your loss with your friend.

right on! my drz400 had 97,000 MILES (156,000km) before it seized up.

Currently own a 690 SMC 2008. Got the bike at around 28k km with a broken odometer (due to vibrations, known KTM 690&990 issue), managed to fix the original one partially in order to check how many kms it had. 78.000km at the moment -Replaced speedo/odometer with a known good one, took it apart, glued every single plastic bit that can break due to vibrations, hot glued the lcd connections, all good now. -Replaced Voltage Regulator, it spiked up voltages for miliseconds, untraceable basically, throwing error codes & messing up the ecu & timing. -Replaced piston & rings instead of just rings at 50k km, bike didn't fail, I had a big trip upcoming, wanted to be completely sure it doesn't die on me -Replaced fuel pump & fuel filter with a billet aluminium one (a bit low on pressure, bike ran just fine, got a billet filter because the brushes in the OEM pump gunk up the Mahle filters really quick -Rebuilt clutch slave -Replaced clutch master, the Magura mineral oil bullshit system sucks, my slave & master broke at different times, otherwise I would've replaced it with something that runs on Dot Brake Fluid -Replaced injector after cleaning it too many times, bad gas is part of the problem. -Butterfly Valve stepper motor, luckily I found another broken throttle body and the owner agreed to sell the stepper separately. (It broke almost at the same time as the voltage regulator) -Repacked the Akrapovic twice since 30.000km, the compression just destroys the packaging making the exhaust sound hollow & broken. -Akrapovic carbon endcap once due to it cracking from vibrations,heat & compression escaping around the rivets. -wheel bearings, steering stem bearings, sprocket carrier bearings (690s don't appreciate jumping & wheelies that much) -in-tank fuel light sensor, also managed to fix the old one -intake manifold rubber hose, it simply broke due to the bike backfiring on intake, it does that like 10 times a year blowing the throttle body off the intake, carry a 7mm socket with you and you're covered. -starter relay I ride pretty hard, wheelie, jump & go on track pretty much on a monthly basis, I live in a mountain area. The only issue which left me stranded on the side of the road was the voltage regulator, bike wouldn't start when the broken regulator got hot to touch, or it would start but it backfired like it was about to explode. For anyone thinking about buying a Euro3 KTM 690, get a Vgate OBD Scanner & obd interface cable for it, TuneEcu can save your ass if the bike leaves you on the side of the road, keep the "KTM 690 EFI 2008 - 2013 : Idiots Guide" as a pdf on your phone & you'll be good to go. DON'T GET AN AKRAPOVIC, either keep the stock exhaust, get an Arrow/LeoVince/G.P.R. or Wings exhaust. The Akra is a moneypit. I got the bike in 2018 & I will probably keep it until it is unfixable .. probably hang it on the garage wall when it completely blows up or convert it to electric. 100% my favourite all-around bike so far. Would buy the newer model if I had the money

Great to hear all your very positive comments! Thanks a lot!

Thank you! Yes, I had a 2017 690 Duke for 2 years, did 57000km on that. Best bike! Why I didn't keep it? My daughter in law wanted it, so I had to buy a new bike. A 790 Duke. With a motard style handlebar it feels almost as good as the 690! But the engine on the 690 is sublime. It's a rock'n'roll engine, not for people who's annoyed by vibrations/pulse/life. So easy to maintain and always gets me home. Bond with it through self maintenance and you get a friend.

Your lost friend will always be in our hearts.

You are so right about 690 owners living with anxiety 😂

This is the exactly kind of review i have been waiting for. A long term use of the 690. Sins a child I've always been a fan of SM's.And I've been wanting this bike for a very-very long time, but haven't been sure of the reliability? I own a 2006 KTM 525 EXC-F that's converted to a streets legal SM, I've had it for a couple of years now, and i love it. The fun i have on that machine is like nothing else. (So far). That's why my thoughts are going more towards the/a 690. This upload blew my mind, 100.000 Km, and been though all of those countries... Am amazed! Now i have full confidence in buying a 690 for sure. Now i only need to get that money. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us.

I have my duke 690, 2008 , 1.owner, belive or not with 150.000km in 8years... 42 rear tyears,24 front... 6X new chain kit... i change oil every 2-3k my self... i have akrapovic...bike run perfect always... i change just klutch...i burn it because burnouts and hard driving in hill.😊 In 2016 i broke gearbox and duky is now sleeping... i have new 890duke now...😊 I love ktms... for me best bikes...cheap,realible and easy to maintance...

I bought a brand new 690 three weeks ago and i really love it. Nice to see that they can hold up for that milage

I did 55.000 km on my MTO7 in three years. Now I have a Tenere and it just clicked over 1800km in three weeks.

this is awesome to see. i bought a 690 from the dealer last year and i absolutely love it. i did have to go back to the dealer for various fixes under warranty for example: cam chain tensioner had to be replaced because the bike made al kinds of pinging noises on startup sometimes my radiator had to get replaced because it cracked at the mounting brackets and it started leaking.

always rode sportbikes until i bought smcr 690 2012, 2 months ago. Its the most fun i had riding a bike and doing maintenance is something i enjoy doing :) one of my best decisions as far as motorcycling is concerned ;)

This is refreshing! I have had 2 690s. First one was 2010 SMC. Sold that one cuz I wanted to get my hands on a 790 Duke. Sold the 790 After 6 months cuz I missed the 690 style of riding. Sold the 790 and now Im on 2015 690 Enduro with Supermoto Wheels. :D I think there is no better bike this easy to maintain.

Thank you very much for this! one of the view people who encourages people to do the maintenance on their own and pushes people to outdo themselves and learn more about their bikes. Thanks Phil!

The part price policy of KTM is a serious concern and was one of the main reasons for me selling my beloved 990.... EVERYTHING is 2-5x the price it used to be not even 10 years ago when you compare it to prices / receipts from back then in the forum's. It's just not fun when suddenly a cheap fix turns into a huge hole in your wallet

Thanks for the video and all your replies to viewers! I recently got a Husqvarna LR 701 enduro and love the 500km range 😀 ❤❤❤

Hallo Phil, bestimmt wieder ein tolles Video , gehe ich mal einfach von aus, oder anders ausgedrückt bewährte Qualität wie wir es von dir gewohnt sind. Meine Bitte, kannst du vielleicht mal ein Video machen wie es eure Meinung nach um Großbritannien steht ? Sowohl deine Meinung , als im besonderen die Meinung deiner Ehefrau . Das würde mich wirklich sehr interessieren . Vielen lieben Dank, für das tolle Video . DLzG Marco Ach so, wenn es geht bitte auf deutsch.

Damn what a bike, first gen 690 is like uncle for my 701, I love this bike so much, it's really high, it allows you to watch over the cars, you can custom almost everything and I'm glad that your is still running

I still love the sound of 690s. I don't think I will ever buy one again though, because when I bought my 2008 SMC (used, MANY previous owners, like >12) the engine seized after 150km. 1700€ Engine Rebuild later and it ran awful. No power whatsoever, rattled like crazy and didn't like being on, just turned off or didnt start at all most days. Sold it and went back to Suzuki. Never regretted it a second. Mine was restricted to 32hp (old A2 law) back then, it was so slow that my tuned 125 two stroke outran it in a drag race (after which the engine blew up).

I bought a 2020 about a month ago and so far I'm loving it. It's such a good machine when you live in a city with dodgy roads. The Canadian Prairies have extreme temperatures and soft foundations which generate potholes. I'm surprised these bikes aren't better sellers given how capable and fun they are compared to the alternatives. I plan to do all the maintenance myself so it's encouraging to hear confirmation that it's straightforward.

Thanks for the honest review! I've the Euro 5 version, it's a pretty solid bike after riding it for a couple years.

I have never wanted a 690 nor have I looked at it too much, but now I want one to ride and look at Well done on the review, very calm watch lad!

My girlfriend have a smc-r 690 (2016) with 80.000 km now. I do all service myself also. Changed rocker arms at 60.000 km.

Awesome dude !!! My 701 year 2022 is now already at almost 19k km... and this season is just started. Hopefully the newer models are just as strong as yours.

Good review! Thanks for taking the time to do it in English. I would like to buy the bike if it really needs to go!

Great video! I have a 2023 690r Enduro and it is nice to know how reliable the bike is. I hope the rocker issue is now fixed on the newer bikes. I also had a 2009 690r and remember switching out some rockers on that one.

Absolutely love the SMC by far the most fun on 2 wheels I've ever experienced ❤️

love it. Thanks 4 sharing. my absolute dream bike since they came out... love the pre facelift one because i hate the new speedometer :(

Weiterhin gute Fahrt. 👍🏻 danke für das Video und die Infos. Grüße aus dem Ktm Forum 😁

Amazing how big of a difference from my 690. I had it for 4 years and about 20.000 km. 4 or 5 pistons, 1 cylinder head, a lot of fuel pumps and filters

I never even knew this bike existed.. thank you for the video i have been thinking about a bike to commute to work that isn't too big but can do motorways no problem. This one looks great.

It’s nice to see someone using there bike that much

3:52 man this windshield looks like a cosmetic upgrade, must be like the first good looking windshield

I'd keep it. The kilometres the bike has done would make it hard to sell, or if it did sell I don't think you'd get much for it. The only thing it comes down to is somewhere to store it, and my suggestion is in your loungeroom!

Thank you for making this video. Good content 👌. I had a 2001 ktm 640 adventure, i put over thirty thousand miles on it with no issues. If anything, it ran better than it did when new. I'm hoping my 2022 gas gas es700 will be as reliable 🤞

Great informative review, awesome bikes I have an 08 enduro LC4 with only 8000 miles from new, only nagging issue is the bleeding fuel pressure FI flicker on start and occasional stall which having changed the fuel pump for a kemsko aftermarket one I believe it to be the stupid nylon fuel lines possibly leaking or seals (I’ve had it out 4 times now..) I am so frustrated I am just about to spend £425 on a whole assembly (fuel pump, fuel lines, plastic cover, filters and clips..) for a genuine OEM replacement….when you love the bikes you have to spend what it costs and these early bikes, as I’m sure the newer ones also, are a riot when the mood takes..ride safe 💪👍

German Police care about the stock airbox!? Serious business. Thank you for the detailed overview. Myself and my partner have a couple LC4 engines with over 45k kms. I just bought mine, owner just replaced the camshaft. Seems like the main issue is those rocker arms for the older models. Thanks for the vote of confidence. We have the enduro version, and they are fantastic for ADV use. Eat motorway speeds all day, then blast up virtually anything off road. The rider is by far the biggest limitation on these machines. I agree with not trusting the dealer. Particularly with older machines, they have no idea how to troubleshoot stuff logically.

Great video. Very informative and I like your sense of humor:)

I’m loving my 2020! I’m really beating on it pretty good with the stunt riding and so far I’ve had no issues! I’m keeping an eye on those rocker arms.

I have a 690 with similar mileage and the same issues as you had. I would still buy another one. Have a 990 smr with 90000 on it now too

Great video. I have a 2007 I bought used. I loved the look of the Beaker front end. I plan on running it forever bc I'm on the fence for newer model ktm reliability. I offen consider something more touring or cruiser as I age but every ride I cant deny the fun of a capable lightweight bike.

Was thinking about a 690 SMC for years, trying to save up. And then I bought an XT660 and it kept my hunger for the SMC saturated. And now we have a Duc Mono 698 ... and now I'm in doubt ;)

Love this video. Great to see someone riding them as intended & strangely invested in that accent!

Nice video! This makes me a lot calmer as a 690 owner, mine should be good for at least 75000km more!

Wow, the KTM 690 has cam shaft wear issues as well. I thought cam shaft wear was only happening on the KTM 790 and KTM 890 models which required replacement of camshafts. This suggests KTM have a wider cam shaft manufacturing issue, cam shafts are not a wear items and should look brand new even at 100,000km.

Lang drauf gewartet, bin mal auf dein Fazit gespannt nach so vielen Kilometern. Hatte auch zwischenzeitlich überlegt mir nochmal ne ältere zu holen, wenn die alten aber 7.000€ kosten und ne neue beim Händler 10.000€ seh ich das nicht ein.

On my ride from Portland to Ushuaia Argentina my 2013 690 my engine failed in Antofagasta Chile. It was the exhaust rocker bearing. I had a spare so I replaced in a motel parking lot. I’m on a Husqvarna 701 now with the improved engine.

I also ride a 690 SMC-R 2015. Currently at 26.500. Before I had a 690 SMC-R 2016, this was a total mess up. There were so many things wrong with the engine and I had to replace the piston and cilinder already at 11.000 soon after I bought it. I think if you really maintain these 690's good they can last long. Other than that its an amazing bike, I love it more than my superduke 1290 r

sehr stark. das schaue ich mir später an ❤

Thanks for the story! Greatly appreciated.

I can't imagine touring on a SM. I take my bike with me in a van. I've just spent 2 weeks in the Alps and covered almost 2k km. 350km is the most I did in one day and I had enough. Not to mention I wore a brand new rear tyre almost down to its cord and I'm not even a fast rider. last year in May I took the bike for the same trip with a tyre that was already a bit worn in... after a week I had to find a tyre shop for a new rear tyre 😂 I ride a SWM sm650 which is a copy of a Husky sms630. a brand new camshaft costs 130 euros 😅

Amazing ! I'm at 30 000km, and started to wonder how much is left....except for the clutch cylinder no problems at all.😊 Engine sounds like a bunch of loose nuts and bolts, ever since new.. lol...but runs like a dream.

I've been wanting to buy one of these but I think you sold me on it. Not sure which version yet. I have been looking hard at the Enduro with a bigger front wheel. Thanks for doing this in English.

in more or less 6 years, i hope to do a video like this about my Mt09 :D

My 2015 390 duke has achieved more than 60k kms, but not without issues… the previous owner was a complete idiot and gave me the bike with the head gasket basically gone, i’ve noticed a strange oil consumption problem and strange bubbles in the oil after using the bike… i’m not a mechanic (in thet period i was still a noob and didn’t know anything about engines) and after spending 500€ for a complete service and 300€ for a complete front fork service the bike still runs great, incredible for the city, incredible in the twisties. Apart from that problem all the regular maintenence i did all by myself, brakes, clutch replacement, oil, filters, chain tension, electrical stuff…

Your English is excellent 👍. The rocker arms may not have been getting proper lubrication. From the wear in the pictures, it looks like they were not getting oil. Friction will both remove material, and reheat & re-temper it making it softer and vulnerable to wear.

What a great video 👌. Do you enjoy the euro 4 better? I had the 2010 and now a 2022 but man what they lowered the new models. 2010 had 275mm of travel and now the new 215mm 😄

The rocker arms on these get replaced every 10,000 miles if you want to be sure. As of 2019 690's don't have these rocker arms any more, and they run way smoother and make 8 more HP. Vibration is near nil. 75mph is easy for hours. For me, any bike can have issues. I had one BMW and I am cured for life, no mas. By 36,000 miles it was no longer trust worthy to go out of town on.................the first electrical repair was under warranty luckily. @ 4500.00 for parts, and 2 months down time...................the shop admitted it also needed a new wiring harness @ 1500.00 for parts. It always used a lot of oil. Like a half quart before lunch if I rode it hard.

Iam really scared to buy a ktm.. But this vid is making me more confident, my GS 650 thumper had 100.000km and was still good... And a few parts like rockers is a small price to pay over that distance. I already paid 1400 euro for 13k km for my Vespa 300 so.. Yeah... Uhm... The itch is getting out of hand on this one

Hallo Phil ich habe eine ktm smc 690 2011 mit 28.000 km gelaufen. Bisher nie was kaputt gegangen . Was kann an dem baujahr oft kaputt gehen. Habe angst das bald was passiert

I can only dream of making it to 100,000kms on my 690! Dude insane!

Legend!

Can relate to the need to grease the linkage... and the swing arm pivot point but then you don't. LMAO.

"How do I know?, it broke" , that is exactly how I figure things are not made well :D

Ich habe eine Wave Bremsscheibe auf meiner 2011 smc eingebaut, und der Tacho stimmt nicht mehr, was könnte der Grund sein?

That is a nice review Phil, I ride a 701 enduro, which shares parts with your bikes, but I never thought to my 701 as a long distance capable bike until now. Maybe i shold ride my 701 on my next long distance tour.

I love this bike! I miss mine :)

I am hoping I am as lucky as you with my 2022 Husky 701!

Hi, I’d like to make a question. Is there any mechanic differences between the new and the oldest 690? (Except the 10 hp)

GEILES VIDEO!!!

I had the exact same story as you but the problems happened much sooner on my 2014 SMC-R: -8,400km: rocker arms failed and replaced both with the updated part nrs. -28,000km: rocker arms failed again and camshaft damaged From now on, I will just replace both rockers every 15,000km.

Thanks for making this video!

Great review. Thank you.

Great video. Thanks

7:10 the hole in the fuel filter to me looks a bit too regular shape to be just chafing in the tank, it looks more like a round blade cut... 7:42 you mention knocking issues, and you also have had blown rocker arms; do those incidents have any timely connections..? For the fuel filter, I suggest changing every 10 000km, or so. I am at my 3rd filter now, closing in on 30 000km mark, and last year I cleaned the injector. Got noticeable addition of torque to the lower RPMs. Previously I was not able to get the bike off of standstill on 2nd gear, especially at idle RPM, which it is now capable after cleaning. Also, intake rocker arm bearing got stuck around 13 000km, so I had similar top end rebuild with valves and camshaft.

We have the 2017 KTM 1290 Super Duke's R, we bought them brand new, they have now 151 000km and have crossed 20 diferent countries 😆😆

tolles Video! Lg

What about oil changes? Old Honda XL/XR had camshaft wear if the oil was neglected. Your cam looks like its been cooked, or its sub standard metal. Still riding a 123kg Honda XL but with only 20hp.......still smiling.

Great video! Thanks for sharing! What's your opinion on what's the better bike to get for having both a supermoto and a dual sport. Get a 690 SMC and get dual sport rims/tires or get a 690 Enduro R and get supermoto rims/tires? Cheers! 🍻🏍

Behalten, solang se net weg muss, kannst die Maschine auch bei dir lassen. Wär schad drum.

Wenn man dieses Motorrad normal , sportlich bewegt . Also nicht nur auf einem Rad und Bournouts . Dann hält eine 690 viel länger als jeder erwartet . Auch die neuen Modelle :) Einfach noch sehr gute Motorräder . Auch wenn sie einen schlechten Ruf haben als Öltanker weil sie eher schwerer sind , vorallem die neuen Modelle .

Thanks for the video showing how reliable these bikes can be if you take care of them. I hope to get that many miles on my 2022 SMC R. How many times have you had to adjust the valves?

Never annoyed by the vibration of the handle bars or the huge ammount of engine noise? Thinking of selling mine 690 after allot of repairs and most recent the dash broke whats about 400 euro....😵 Good review of your bike anyway

Herzlichen Glückwunsch erstmal zur sechsstelligen Laufleistung mit der 690er! Zwei Fragen hätte ich: Was glaubst du würdest bekommen, würdest du sie verkaufen? Wann denkst du müsstest du den Motor ausbauen und zur Generalüberholung einschicken? Ich stelle die Frage, weil ich mit meiner Enduro R gerade bei 73k bin und gerade die Nockenwelle und die Ventilhebel tauschen musste aufgrund der von dir geschilderten Probleme. Mir bleiben also noch 27k (rund 2 Jahre) bis zur Generalüberholung, die ich wahrscheinlich machen lassen werde, weil ich keine Lust habe mein einziges Moped mit geteiltem Motor in der Garage stehen lassen zu müssen, wenn ab 100k die goldene Grenze zum Retrofit überschriften ist.

Excellent video.

Really informative video, I recently rebuilt a 690 Duke 08 and it's been running pretty good. It only had 31k and the gearbox was in pieces. Good to know that the hard work was worth it if you got to 100k. Just wondering is yours the 690 or the 654 engine? Thanks for the help!

Wie heißen dies "Rockas" von dene du sprichst auf Deutsch? Ich find keine Übersetzung, vermutlich, weil ich es falsch schreibe :D

My forks only lasted 10,000km before they started leaking.

Does your 690 consume any oil between changes? My Husqvarna 701 E has 29,000km now, and the only issue was a camshaft at 15,000km that lost the case hardening on the lobes. Here's to hoping that mine can hit the 100,000km mark!

Why is the speedo on this bike nicer than a brand new one?

How often were you changing the engine oil and what brand / viscosity were you using?

Well done! Im only a 1/3 of the way with my 2019 1090R. Question, how does the chain oiler work? Timer? Or is it just gravity fed?

I had my 690 Enduro for like 40000km before it got stolen also 2008 model :c

Do you prefer the old SMC or the newest ?

I love my 2023 KTM 690 SMCR

thanks for sharing

hey dude if its not too much bother could you tell me what gear you wear looks very tidy

Why not poland visit? Great moto. I have too. Regards From Poland.