Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1547011
P100 RIDE REVIEW I 2027 KTM 690 RALLY I guess we don't have to do that anymore. KTM did it. They built the KTM 690 Rally. And it sure looks like they put the right pieces in the right spots. PIECES OF THE 690 RALLY PUZZLE KTM didn't reinvent the wheel here. They started with the stron- gest single-cylinder off-road bike on the market and built in long-distance capability. And the timing is good. Using the latest 690 Enduro R architecture and electronics, they've walked into an off-road-focused, adventure- worthy setup. By blending a wild off-road bike with rally-based ergonomics and styling, the 690 Rally didn't have to come at this from the wrong direction. Most current adventure-class machines are hyper-tuned street bikes, built to tackle off-road ter- rain thanks to smart tweaks to the road-going-first chassis. The 690 Rally starts off-road first, a rarity in today's product planning, even among the high-spec ver- sions of larger machines mar- keted as off-road tools. The 690 Rally is, without a doubt, the 690 Enduro at its core. It has nothing missing from the minimalist dirt bike ver- sion. It has the same seat height (36.8 inches) and suspension travel (10.4 front and 9.8 rear). The Rally has simply added key hardware and software to complete the package. The list is remarkably small. It includes two front fuel tanks, a handlebar- mounted switch to select which tank's fuel is used (front or rear), the 450 Rally Replica-inspired rally tower, an LED headlight and windscreen, ADV-sized rally footpegs, and two different 12v accessory ports. It also includes a USB-C port and a standard cigarette lighter-style port. The 690 Rally frame is unique in that it has the front tank mounting points as well as mounts for the front navigation tower assem- bly. This brings the factory-level upgrade full circle. This is not simply a bolt-on kit that works on any 690 Enduro frame. All this adds about 20 pounds to the bike before fuel. And thanks to nearly two gallons of capacity in the new front tanks, the new total fuel load bumps up to more than 5.25 gallons. In total, the bike will be around 30 This is the way ADV bikes should look! Rally- inspired style will always reign supreme.