RUST magazine: RUST#41

2019 KTM 690 ENDURO R
improving the bike’s civility is certainly
a good example of the wonders of
modern engineering.
So how does that 74hp feel? Very nice
actually. Not at all peaky with
an incredible flexibility – and
I noticed less of that lowrev
judder that you typically
get when you make big capacity
singles chug. You could putter along
or you could rev it out like a Dakar
racer making up for lost time. It’s a
surprisingly amenable motor and
whatever your mood it’ll meet you
there.
So yes, it’s smooth, to the point it
almost doesn’t feel like a single. But as
well we’ve got a slipper clutch (as does
the FE701) and that too is adding to the
ease of use, you can change down early
for a corner – too early – and the 690
Enduro R won’t bite you. And that gear
shifting, with Quickshifter+ is pretty
damn slick. We’re used to quickshifters
in a road race context – and of
course it’s now found on adventure
heavyweights like BMW’s R
1200/1250GSs – but it’s a surprise to
find it on a humble trail bike. Yet it’s a
worthwhile addition, particularly as it
still operates neatly even at low engine
revs. The more you play with it, the
more you enjoy it. One small word of
warning, on slack downshifts it did
sometimes find false neutrals – which
can be a sweat if you’re relying on the
engine braking at that exact moment
– so it paid to use a firm boot on those
downshifts.
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