First bad drop

The fantastic day of roaming around the countryside and forest roads ended in tears when I managed to drop the bike and bust open the radiator. I was at and an end of a forest road when me and my friend decided not to push our luck and go riding on a what looked like a self made enduro training track. It looked gnarly at parts and we should've been heading home anyway. As I was turning the bike around at crawling speed I lost my balance and dropped the bike on it's right side. I immediately heard a hissing noise that told me I broke something badly. After I picked up the bike I noticed the radiator was leaking and the temp sensor on the right side had broken off. I had managed to drop the bike on a 3 inch thick tree stump that had hit the bike on it's most vulnerable spot, the radiator.

 No warning lights lit up on the dash and the bike seemed otherwise intact so I limped to the nearest gas station and bough a bottle of radiator fluid. Luckily the leak was so small that I could easily ride 20 kms, refill and carry on. I rode the bike to the dealer who promised to take a look and give an estimate of the damages.

My fear was that the radiator would be unrepairable and that alone would set me back 560 €... Luckily they reported that the radiator could be fixed by welding and the whole thing would cost me around 300€ Including the broken side panel etc. Like an idiot I had not done the zip tie mod or bought the radiator protector even though I knew that the bike was vulnerable at the radiator. Needless to say I ordered the radiator protector to be installed as they repaired the bike.

KTM 690 Enduro R seat height - revisited

UPDATE [8. September 2014]

The seat height seems to be a major mental hurdle for many. I've done roughly 6000 kms with the bike now. Suspension is completely stock as is the seat. I haven't even touched the rear. A sin I know. (The ergo seat makes no real difference either). I'm 173 (5'8) cm and 73 kg (160 pounds). The only issues I've had with the seat height have to do with getting the kick stand up if the bike is parked at an incline to the left. Meaning that your right foot needs to go further down to reach the ground compared to being parked at level ground. The problem is somewhat pronounced when loaded up with gear. UPDATE: the kick stand issue can be solved with a neat little trick i picked up from ADVrider forums.

690 Enduro R seat height looks obscene when standing next to the bike

The seat height really isn't that bad once you get on the bike.

KTM 690 Enduro R seat heigh

The seat height (910 mm) of the 690 seems to a major issue for many. Most shorties tend to give up on the 690 before ever even trying the bike for size. The seat height number is intimidating, I'll give you that. Then again, my previous Tenere was only half an inch lower and weighted over 120 pounds more than the 690. It was a bit high but in no way unmanageable. The 690 is significantly narrower which results in me getting my feet on the ground better than on the Tenere. I'm not able to flat foot, but I'm not on completely on my toes either. The lower COQ and weight of the 690 removes any of the wonky top heavy feeling that a fully fuelled Tenere had.

IMAGES >> http://cycle-ergo.com/

If you are in Danny Devito class height wise, there's always the lowering link option to lower the suspension. Koubalink seems to be the preferred choice for 690 riders.

IMAGE >> http://www.koubalink.com/