ing adjustment) and adjust-
able throttle response in Rally
mode. You
should get the
Rally mode.
The 690 Enduro R chassis
is relatively unchanged save
for
a new skid plate, cen-
terstand mounts and minor
frame-flex
tweaks. The body-
work gets updated, and there's
a new LED headlight, the same
unit
from the 390 family of en
-
duro models. The suspension
hardware stays the
same with
updated settings and added
damping performance, push
-
ing fork travel back up to 10.4
inches
after a few generations
of lower travel. Shock travel
remains 9.8 inches.
Even with significant
performance and durability
updates
across the board, the
KTM 690 Enduro R is un
-
changed at its core, as polar-
izing as ever. It's still a bike
between segments, looking
for
a home. It is undeniably
rowdy and blazingly fast, es-
pecially when you get the big
piston
singing in the mid-rpm.
Here it simply takes off, and
we're along for the ride.
On the street, it sort of
encourages you to jump
curbs and act like an absolute
hooligan. So, ripping around
town or out to a fishing spot
can be maximum fun. But for
more serious off-road use,
it commands some respect.
This is due to the bike's speed
potential, for sure, but it also
has to do with an odd balance.
In slow motion, the bike is a
boat, reluctant to turn with
precision yet still feeling very
have a lighter pull at the lever.
All of that is good and well,
but the headline here could
easily be the electronics KTM
crammed into the 690 Enduro
R. Starting at the dashboard,
KTM continues its fantastic
display trend with a 4.2-inch
TFT dashboard here, and I love
it. It gives you direct access
to information and is easy to
read. It's also mobile-friendly
and can connect to your smart
-
phone via KTMconnect.
Behind the screen is
where
the magic happens.
KTM now loads ride modes
into the 690 Enduro R, and
it has a memory function,
so your settings are saved
if you stop and turn off the
bike—win! On the 690 Enduro
R you get Street and Off-Road
modes standard and you can
fork over some cash for the
rowdy Rally mode. Each of
these will adjust the updated
cornering traction control and
cornering ABS settings ap
-
propriately. These really show
up in Off-Road
mode where
ABS is limited in the front and
turned off in the rear—a good
setting. You can also turn it
all off, if desired. If you run
Rally mode, you get nine-level
slip adjust on the fly and an
all-new Dynamic Slip Adjust
function. This tech allows
the bike to slip more than its
current traction control setting
to move the bike out of soft
sand or mud, for example, by
letting the big girl eat more
than you've limited via the TC
setting. You also get Motor
Slip Regulation (engine-brak
-
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 4, 2026 P105
