KTM 690 Mods

Dorky

Dorky

Moderator
The only reason I put on the FMF silencer was so that I didn't eventually stick my hand or cheak to that red-hot factory silencer/thermonuclear device. Plus it removes a bunch of pounds.
 
H

Howtzer Dog

New member
Ive looked in the KTM catalouge for the rad guard and that carbon fiber clutch cover. I see the clutch cover models are all "X" and nothing listed for 690. Same for Rad guards. Am I missing something here?
 
KTM-Bryon

KTM-Bryon

Member
Parts Info

Parts Info

KTM-Bryon said:
Looking pretty bling with the carbon fibre guard now!


KTM Carbon Clutch Cover Protection 690 LC4Code: 7503002605049
Click to expand...



Here is the rad guard:

rad_guard_76535940000.jpg

KTM Radiator Protection 690 Enduro

Code: 76535940000
 
H

Howtzer Dog

New member
Thanks. I'm gonna order those up. So far I've ordered a skid pan from flatland and guards from HDB. The headlight is really lame. I'm contemplating a Trail Tech as I'll re mounting the dash anyway. Does anyone run a big 8" baja light on the street? Really if it's aimed down I cant see getting to much heat....
 
KTM-Bryon

KTM-Bryon

Member
Nov. 2011 UPDATE

Nov. 2011 UPDATE

So here is the summary on the "Mods".

  1. HDB hand guards are great. Sturdy guards plus themirrors are easy to use. The bar clamps are nice but they changed the layout for my speedo etc. I had to move the dashboard up about an inch so I could read all my warning lights. 1.b. TAG REBOUND TECHNOLOGY grip matrix surrounds the grip in a DNA-modeled molecular structure. This places 40% more cushioning material in strategic places along the entire shaft of the grip. By strategically placing this material where it�s needed, and not placing it where it isn�t needed; we have been able to achieve a minimal grip diameter. YUP, plus THEY ARE SO NICE! YUP, these are great hand guards and grips!
  2. Tidy Tail. I was not overly impressed with this unit. I really like the aluminum bracket that mounts the license plate etc. However the pictures all showed the Tidy Tail with turn signals but when it arrived I found those were extra for this$125 US tail light. The tail light itself filled up with water and dirt then shorted out within 4 weeks. The Tidy Tail itself cracked into several pieces July 2010. I have a KTM OEM Euro tail now.
  3. TuBliss. Great ideal. The only thing I don't like is the Slime they recommended be used. I will try "Stan's Tubeless" slime or no slime at all. I like it for the 690 but there is always a leak somewhere. Typically the valve stem area and it will take 24 hours to go from 18 psi to under 10psi. So I can ride all day but I have to add air before every ride.
  4. Hyde Skid Plate. This seems like a good one. It has stood up well after some good hits plus decent coverage but missing coverage for the rear brake master cyclinder. I gave this skid plate plenty of tests and finally I lost it somewhere on the Loose Screw trails Aug. 2011. I bought another one right away.
  5. TM Designworks Chain Guide. This thing seems burly but I don't think I have hit it hard yet. I have hit it hard now. I hit it hard enough to break off the tabs on the swingarm but the guide is perfect. I had the tabs rewelded and have since bent them...:(
  6. Touratech disc guard. This thing is total crap. Too bad I didn't see other reviews before wasting my money. You can see how bent it is already and it hasn't been hit hard. The rear disc is easily three times stronger than this guard. It IS still on my bike however. Seems to act as a guide to keep the rocks etc off the disc.
  7. FMF PowerBomb header and Apex Silencer. This is the best thing you can do to your 690! The Apex is a bit loud and doesn't have a spark arrester available so a Q4 or similar silencer would be better. I hope to have a spark arrester made soon. Well this all didn't work out so well. I couldn't get the spark arrester figured out and put the Cat. Converter back on. Then the PowerBomb cracked at all the heat shield mounting points and so the OEM header is back on. So the factory exhaust is working good but I did notice a small reduction in low end power. The PowerBomb seems to work.
  8. DNA air filter. This is an oiled filter and it seems to be performing well. There isn't a MAS sensor on the 690 so that is not a concern. The Drycharger and removing the snorkle may be mostly for show. It does have a mean sound to it though! Ya, a bit too mean a sound. It was fine with the loud FMF Apex but with the factory exhaust I put the OEM snorkle back on too.
  9. 15/46T gearing. This was planned and ordered before the FMF exhaust was added. I don't think it is required now but it is 2% lower for better acceleration.
  10. Clean Speed brake arm. Wow, this thing is sexy and it works! The bearings are so much better than those plastic bushings and my OEM arm cracked after bending it six times in six months. Still going great. This is a tough brake arm! The folding tip was too big and I only used it once then switched back the KTM tip. My boot kept catching the folding one.
  11. Renazco Gas Nozzle & Acerbis Cap. This is great. The second best mod you can make. The gas goes in but no dirt. No gas has leaked out yet. I had so much gas come out I wondered how much muddy water went in... This is a great mod.
  12. KTM Rad Guards - These are strong and easy to mount. Don't tip over without them!
  13. Sharpen the foot pegs. My boots slipped off the pegs a few times so I gave them an hour of so of sharpening with a file. They are way better now.
Other items:

  • The kickstand almost fell off. 2 bolts missing and the third only hanging on because the spring attached to it. Loctite these and torque them!
  • The tank bushings wear out over time and the entire tail gets up and down play. I put new ones in at 8000kms and it is like a new bike. This is about $40 for the bushings. Those OEM bushings only lasted a few hundred more kms then they had play again. I got some aftermarket ones that are more of a soft plastic. I found Zach on Advrider http://sodakmachineinc.com/contact.html These have been perfect for 4000 kms even with the heavy loaded up Coyote saddlebag on the bike for a 1000-2000 of those kms!
  • The electrical connectors are not sealed. I found many with corrosion in them and they were full of dirt. I cleaned them up, added Dielectric grease to the pins, and silicon sealant to the wires where they enter the connectors.
  • Special note on Electrical= The fuse for the starter was very corroded Friday when I checked it. The bike starts way way better now. The starter is turning over twice as fast now! I cleaned everything and added dielectric grease to the connections and note that a spare fuse is mounted right beside the one in use.
Ongoing issues:

The headlight burns out a lot. 3 burned out so far.

Gotta check the fuel filters. I know a bunch of dirt went into the tank. This was very very dirty. I put in new one but the OEM kit is about $70. I plan to find a local source. I think some VW's use the same ($10) filter.

Future Plan:

X2 HID headlight and 16/45 gearing for the big trips.

Pics to be posted soon for these items.

I am just installing an Acerbis LED Vision HP Headlight with a 35W H4 bulb. I wired it up with 14 gauge wiring and a on/off relay. Also a relay for lo/hi. It seems very bright in testing in the garage and with 14 gauge wiring I can go to 100W if it will stand the heat! I wired the headlight through an on/off switch on the HDB dashboard. The bike really turns over fast and fires up nice without the headlight drawing power.

I am also wiring up a Garmin Zumo 660 GPS mount that will have an on/off switch on the dashboard too.

I tried the EVO1 air intake but it was the same as the DNA/drycharger set-up I had already tried. Too loud with a small power gain.

I have the 16/44 gearing and have a few rides on it. It is great on the open road but riding in first is like what second gear used to be. It is just too tall a gear for serious off-road but great at 130 km/hr!

I am thinking about a Rally Raid 5 litre rear tank and saddle bag mount for my Coyote bags. Maybe in the New Year...
 
Last edited:
H

Howtzer Dog

New member
I installed a Euro fender and light and the rad guard. For the white tag illum I drilled a 1/8"hole and put some clear glue in the hole and ta da! White licence plate light!
How does a guy upload pictures on this forum? I may be "challenged" but I can't find it.
 
H

Howtzer Dog

New member
I did some homework on the fuel vapor cannister....
It's a filter designed to trap/filter the fumes from your tank. The line from the tank supplies the evil fumes and the other line is hooked into the intake, so vacume. The solenoid opens as controlled by the ECU at given intervals sucking the evil fumes into the engine for a given duration... again as controlled by the ECU. The fuel mapping will change to compensate for the "vacume leak" caused by the solenoid/valve opening.
How to take it off? Of course for off road use only...
Go to Crappy Tire and get some rubber vacume caps in the "Help" section and cap off the line to the vacume. You can cap it at the solenoid to keep it clean and save the remaining hose. Zip tie your fuel vent out of the way.
Disconnect the Batts and re hook em up and start your bike without touching the throttle. It will do a self test opening the solenoid and compensate for the vacume leak. Because now there's no leak the mapping will not change. You're done.

If the solenoid is semoved the ECU will see it as a error and trip a code. To fool it measure the resistance across the solenoid valve and replace it with a resistor of equal resistance.
PS this is only my take on how it works as a mechanic.... If i'm wrong appogeeesss!
 
KTM-Bryon

KTM-Bryon

Member
NEW Headlight

NEW Headlight

So I did a night road ride in November and I could barely see my orange front fender so it was time for a new light.

I re-wired the bike with a new relay at the battery and 14 gauge wires up to the new headlight. I picked an Acerbis LED headlight because it looks kinda cool and uses a H4 bulb. 14 ga wires will run up to 100 watt bulbs so I will see how much heat this Acerbis can take.

I also put in a Hi/Lo beam relay on the headlight and a small on/off switch on the bars. I used the accessory 12V behind the headlight to power the on/off relay at the battery via the handlebar switch and the OEM high beam wire to power the relay on the headlight to switch to hi beam. Works great and I still have a high beam indicator.

The bike really starts up nice without the headlight drawing power from the starter!

Here are some pics. Note I still use the factory headlight wiring plug plus the new 14 ga power and ground wires.





Bike running with the headlight off. It has both the LED side lights and a small daytime running light!



Here it is with the stock 35W bulb:



I am already thinking about a bi-xenon upgrade but we'll see how this goes.
 
KTM-Bryon

KTM-Bryon

Member
Here is the dashboard. The Highway Dirt bikes bar clamps have a spot for four switches. I have on/off switches for the headlight, mini-USB power plug, and the Zumo 660 now with just one left for grip heaters (maybe).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top