Island Hopper
New member
A high percentage of the 690s running in the Dakar have experienced gearbox failures. One rider had this failure 2 days in a row as to where he had to limp to finish the stage in 1st gear on both days. One thing good on the 690 is that the engine is easily removed when compared to the 640/660 to make repairs a lot quicker. Some of the 690 riders have modified their riding style to go easier on the gearbox just to make it thru . It could be that the riders on the older style bikes may have the advantage this year, we will see. I'm sure KTM is already working on the problem to find and replace the faulty components.
