RUST magazine: Rust#14

Adventure
as singles have come to be. It’s no powerhouse
the way the 67hp KTM 690 is, but at
54-56hp it’s way ahead of the Japanese, and
the fuel-injection is creamy-smooth – something
of an improvement on where the
TE630 finished (in itself, evidence of
continued development by the SWM R&D
guys in Varese). As well, that chassis is
competition-derived, and so while it has
shorter legs (210/270mm travel) and bigger
seat and tank, it has the integrity, still, of a
pure-bred racer. That takes it a fair
technological cut above all but the KTM.
SMOOTH
Riding the RS650R over some trails in
Wales, the tech and the market position all
come into utterly rational focus. The bike sits
only so-high. It says 900mm on the specs,
but it seems lower, and with a narrow seat
and tank combination it’s easier to reach
the floor than the numbers imply. Shorter
riders really should check this out, it’s not a
sky-scraper. And while the suspension stroke
is shorter (I call it 9” suspension, proper
enduro spec being 12-13”) the Marzocchi
forks and Sachs shock do a great job of
offering nicely damped, plush movement.
Sure if you rode it like a racer you’d find
limitations, but it’s not a race bike, so that