The idea of a dual-sport motorcycle is that it can do everything equally well – road, no road, nothing should really affect it, or its ability to deliver fun. But as with everything else, there are products that lean one way or another in the dual-sport category. Some of them feel like dirt bikes that can just about tolerate a paved road. Others feel like wannabe dirt bikes, with the barest of abilities once the tarmac runs out.
So finding a dual-sport that can do both without breaking into a sweat is like finding a diamond in the rough. If you look long and hard enough, a couple of examples will jump out at you – but there is one that stands (jumps?) head and shoulders above the rest.
Can A Dual-Sport Bike Be A Single-Bike Garage?
Any bike can be a single bike garage if you’re brave (or poor) enough. Jokes apart, dual-sport bikes are one of the few genres of motorcycles that can do well for anyone, and they are available with such varied engine sizes that there genuinely is something for everyone. You can have a beginner 150 cc air-cooled, carbureted dual-sport that provides the best fuel efficiency among all full-size bikes, or you can get a slightly detuned racer that can deal with the highway, or you can get an old-school bruiser that has seen a thing or two in its time, and is now reliable enough to do military service. The only question is, what do you want from your dual-sport?
The KTM 690 Enduro R Is As Happy On Pavement As It Does On Beaten Paths
The big KTM dual-sport bikes have always been great off-road, because that is in their DNA. It is relatively recently that KTM has focused its energies on tarmac, and it has had success with products like the Duke and RC series of motorcycles. However, its core competency remains dirt, so believe us when we say that the KTM dual-sport bikes are truly capable both on and off-road. At the pinnacle of its dual-sport range is the 690 Enduro R, which is a fascinating product.
It Is Priced Like A Premium Product
There’s no two ways about it: the 690 Enduro R’s $13,399 price is a big commitment, especially when you realize that there are adventure bikes like the Yamaha Tenere 700 available for less money. However, the KTM is quite literally like a supersized dirt bike when you get to off-road situations, and not ADV, no matter how good, will be able to match up to its prowess there. This has become even more pronounced with its recent update, bringing its electronics bang up to date and on par with any other premium product.
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Old-School Thumper Gets Its Crown Back
The 690 Enduro R has enjoyed the title of most powerful single-cylinder for a long time, and then the Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono and its 77.5 horsepower crashed the party. It needed an update to meet new emission norms, so KTM decided to give it a comprehensive update and take back the crown, all in one fell swoop. The result is the same 693 cc LC4, but it now makes 78 horsepower and nearly 54 pound-feet that goes through a six-speed gearbox.
Updated Electronics Make It Much More Usable
While the engine’s physical dimensions might not have changed, KTM has now equipped the 690 Enduro with a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU. This is big news because the dual-sport segment, by and large, has old-school cable throttles, and it is a definite shift to electronics that has been happening recently. The gearbox has a standard two-way quickshifter, there are ride modes, there is switchable cornering traction control, and an optional dynamic slip adjust system is also available.
Interesting Single-Rider Chassis Is Unique
One area that the 690 Enduro R hasn’t changed is the chassis. This is still the same as before, with a trellis frame made out of chrome-molybdenum steel. There is no traditional subframe, but the plastic fuel tank is also the rear subframe. That means an underseat fuel tank, which lowers the center of gravity as well as the weight. The flip side, though, is that a pillion is impossible to carry along. That makes it strange because the smaller, more affordable 390 Enduro R is capable of carrying two people.
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Premium Suspension And Off-Road Type Wheels And Tires Are Present
WP provides Xplor suspension for the 690 Enduro R, with 48 mm inverted forks at the front and a pro-linkage type rear shock. Compression and rebound can be adjusted at the front, while preload, rebound, and high and low speed compression can be adjusted at the rear. There is a huge 9.8 inches of travel available at both ends.
There is a 300 mm front petal brake disc and a 240 mm rear disc (also a petal disc) for the 690 Enduro R, with a Brembo two-piston floating caliper at the front and a single-piston caliper at the rear. There is cornering ABS, and it can be switched off only at the rear wheel or at both ends entirely. 21/18-inch laced wheels with tubed off-road-type tires reiterate its off-road focus.
This Is A Full-Size Dual Sport
The 690 Enduro R isn’t for those with a short inseam, with a 36.8-inch seat height. The benefit is good ground clearance as well, at 10.4 inches. It is a fairly large motorcycle, with a 59.2 mm wheelbase. The 3.2-gallon fuel tank might be a little small for long highway runs, but it will do fine everywhere else. With the lightweight materials and weight saved with that unconventional fuel tank/subframe, it weighs an incredible-for-a-middleweight 335 pounds!
TFT Display Is Big New Addition
The 2025 update of the 690 Enduro R brought not just the emissions compliance, by-wire throttle, and six-axis IMU, but also the 4.2-inch TFT display we first saw on the 390 Enduro R. It has an unconventional aspect ratio, but it works well, even managing to provide turn-by-turn directions. Bluetooth is provided as well.
KTM’s usual ‘upgrade package’, which is a software lock, is available on the 690 Enduro R as well. Subscribe to it, and you receive access to an additional ‘Rally Mode’, which offers granular control of the dynamic slip adjustment and motor slip regulation, and you get nine levels of traction control made available to you. Options include an Akrapovič slip-on exhaust and a center stand.
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Other Dual-Purpose Dual-Sports
The 690 Enduro R does not have much competition. Oh, there are options on paper – the Honda CRF450RL ($10,099) is one, but it is a toned-down race bike and therefore won’t really be the best companion for long highway stints. There are a couple of old big dual-sport bikes like the Honda XR650L ($6,999) and Suzuki DR650S ($7,299), but their pricing indicates that they are quite far off the KTM with their air-cooled engines and five speed gearboxes. If you have to carry a pillion along, you’ll need to look at these seriously, else there is no real competition.
The only real competition is within the KTM umbrella itself: the Husqvarna 701 Enduro is identical to the 690 Enduro R, and retails at an identical price. It might deliver slightly more value, because the optional Akrapovič exhaust of the KTM is standard on the Husky. If you’d like to save some money, there is also the Gas Gas equivalent of these two, although the ES700 hasn’t been updated as the other two have, so you’ll get the old set of features with it.
Source: KTM USA