690 tire thread!!!!

[LordEndo]

Is it too early in the year to start a tire thread?

Current tires on my 2013 are;
Rear - motoz tractionator
Front - continental twinduro

The rear seems reasonable but it’s hard to say as the front is so awful. I fear for my life if the dirt is slightly damp or loose and dry.

Mitas C17 front is enroute now but I’m really considering the Pirelli Scorpion Pros. 8 years ago I ran the scorpion mid soft tires on my WR and was impressed offroad with no onroad complaints.

 

[04klr]

Another 13 690 here, have run the Scorpion Pro in Baja (and around here) multiple times, good tire! Several rear dunlop 606 rears have been destroyed on my particular 690 and seems a good choice, reasonably quiet (certainly as compared to your howler of a MotoZ), with good traction and durability. Note though, that if a rock is hit hard enuf in the rear it can split the inside of the carcass thus chew away at the tube creating a flat, or many flats for brent til the damage was discovered. This is not a one-of issue so there is now a pretty darn good MT21 stuck on my rear (and because there were no 606's available at the time). And there's a Mitas C17 up front which seems to work well and has some good genes in terms of longevity.
While in apparent fear of your life, you sure do ride f-ing fast.

What oil are you using?? (harhar no answer required as I dont care).

 

[LordEndo]

Lol....it takes oil?

 

[LordEndo]

You know I'm not big on F.I.M. tires though, as the Scorpion Pro is. However it is gentler on the terrain - the 690 is known as a gentle bike after all..... A Scorpion MX32 Mid Hard would probably do the trick as well and get some reasonable mileage to it.

 

[LordEndo]

Alright now I’m on to the MT-21 (most likely) or a Mitas E09. The E09 was awesome on my 950, but the MT21 might be just that little bit better in the soft stuff.

 

[BRYAN690R]

I have tried most of the popular brands of DOT off road tyres on my 690R
Really liked the rear Dunlop D908RR Rally Raid, but only the 150/70-18 size is currently available, as the 140/80-18 was discontinued
I am currently running the Motoz Rallz 140/80-18 rear tyre.
It's pretty decent off road, with long tread life and low noise on the hiway
Very stable on wet pavement

 

[Ando__]

Do you 690 guys run rim locks?

 

[BRYAN690R]

I do. I run a regular Motion Pro aluminum unit on the rear wheel.
I balance the wheel with a couple of brass spoke weights.
I usually air down to about 15psi in the rough stuff
I run IRC HD tubes I get from Gnarly Parts

 

[Ando__]

I do. I run a regular Motion Pro aluminum unit on the rear wheel.
I balance the wheel with a couple of brass spoke weights.
I usually air down to about 15psi in the rough stuff
I run IRC HD tubes I get from Gnarly Parts

Thanks good info. Thinking about taking the plunge on a 690 and haven’t had to run rim locks on past bikes

 

[BRYAN690R]

First year I had my 690, I did not have a rear rim lock installed
Ran my rear tyre at about 18psi with no problems
Running lower pressures than that is inviting trouble without a rim lock
Takes allot of weight to balance a wheel with rim locks
I got my brass spoke weights from Tokyo Offroad out of Japan
Arrived in 3 days, this was before Covid19
Can also get them on Amazon, although they are of lower quality

 

[tomcycle]

Tires Tires Tires, it doesn't matter what tires you run if your suspension is not up to the task. Now I am not a KTM guy but have ridden with a few over the years. One complaint I have heard is the suspension needs work, any truth to this?

 

[04klr]

on an uphill washboard switchback ride from seton towards lilooet, i simply could not keep up with mark on his 1190 out of the turns. it was not all the tire that was causing this, it was the chattering from my rear end that marks bike didn't suffer from. suspension negating any traction. (too much preload, not lowered after a recent trip and on this trip carrying basically nothing)
while not sure if its absolutely needed, all the orange bikes in this house have had suspension tweaks here and there and certainly springs have been changed.
that said the well worn big blocky shinko was struggling for grip on the uphill gravel, now if there was a sharp new rally raid 908rr back there,,,

 

[offworlder]

Tires Tires Tires, it doesn't matter what tires you run if your suspension is not up to the task. Now I am not a KTM guy but have ridden with a few over the years. One complaint I have heard is the suspension needs work, any truth to this?
View attachment 385003

KTM's stock suspension has actually gotten (much) worse over the years (read: "XPLOR"). So much so that they now sell proper suspension as an extra, read: "XPLOR Pro"

 

[Berrybear]

Tires Tires Tires, it doesn't matter what tires you run if your suspension is not up to the task. Now I am not a KTM guy but have ridden with a few over the years. One complaint I have heard is the suspension needs work, any truth to this?
View attachment 385003

Soo true, I'm on 2017 701 with the infamous Xplor fork and this thing only comes alive at 50mph through the gnar that took you by surprise. I remember my 2012 690 not being any better though. Rear suspension I thought was workable. Tire wise I like Motoz Rallz on the rear but prefer Maxxis IT, for the front I love Shinko MX216 fatty, I run 12psi front & rear for a while now, no rim locks, so far so good fingers crossed