The "other MCN Michael" giving us a look at the results of 2 or 3 years of research and testing on his "lightweight" ADV bike. Wish I was 30 years younger and I'd be tempted to put some of this wisdom to test. I love hearing about the +++'s and - - - 's of this type of riding. That's the type of riding I started out with 60 years ago. Well done, Mate.
I like that he says which parts didnt really work that great, and why. many seem like they're just selling parts and everything is always great. Most of us have learned, just because many guys online say its great, doesnt always work out that way. Ive walloped my 690 once or twice, once bounced into a tree going around a gate and a rally tower would have been bashed if not smashed. Rally guys have a new one in the truck, I do not. I dont like screens sticking up at all, nothing in my line of sight. Thats just me.
Awesome series. I have mine set up almost identically. Get the fuel dongle and the SAS/EVAP delete. You’ll get a much nicer and smoother throttle response in the low range. A complete remap of the ECU even better.
Love my 690. My mods; NoMad tower, Wings exhaust, Renazzco seat and a few other small do-dads. Bike really is a unicorn. Only con is, she runs very hot. I cook in any stop/go conditions
I’ve had a ‘17 690 and now a ‘21 701. Love both of them, my 701 is similarly built to yours, Britannia composites tower, solid performance suspension, renazco seat, rade intake and fuel cell, wings exhaust. Get the fuel dongle and a power commander, my bike doesn’t have a soft low end at all. These are great bikes!
Hi, Michael. 701 owner with similar mods. The Wings exhaust is a good option - nice and light and they do a kit to make it decently quiet. My Rade air box didn’t have any issues with the many (many) water crossings in Iceland. Oh, yeah, I’d definitely recommend getting your bike on a dyno and remapped. It made a huge difference to the fuelling on mine (took it to Dave Wood Racing in Buckingham).
Yeah, changed the exhaust and air box. Of course, it will change the throttle response. Maybe I should remap my gas gas as well. I think I'll get the suspension revalved first. It's an expensive sport.
My first ride off-road a rock pushed the foot brake into my case saver and punctured it. Didn't damage the engine cover. Looks like maybe Michael has the AXP skid plate, which I love. Huge coverage, light, and tough. Also seems to reduce road noise.
pretty good wrote off MCN many years as every thing was the best thing seemed no integrity, but watched a few of your vids and still watching so ta for the info, but call me a square if you like but as someone that says he tries to be a sustainable trail enthuisiast, better if you stayed on the main trail and did'nt cut the corners across virgin grass especially in proper wet and on top end kit with likely very fresh good tyres. you know how it goes one does it then the next soon a new line is created then another and in the worst case the trail has Vehicle ROW removed. cheers.
Great video thank you. On my 690 I run a wings exhaust (no catalyst so not so much heat) and had it remapped. After that it was a different bike - the fuelling low down the revs is transformed and is now smooth and torquey. It’s less lean so runs cooler too - how it would have left the factory were it not for euro 5 regulations.
Great video! My 690 setup is pretty similar. the 6500 WP cartridge forks (along with a TracTive shock) were far and away the best upgrade - so much more confidence in the gnarly stuff. These are really great bikes for this sort of usage - definitely my favorite dual sport / light ADV bike I've had.
Well the choice of bike was the main mistake. They will be unsaleable by new year. KTM are going into liquidation. They have 230,000 unsold bikes in stock. A whole years production. The Government paid the November wages by they are broke and were burning through €3 million a week.
Pretty sweet build. I am in the same boat with my 701. Its slightly older and I went with the nomad adv tower and the airbox mod from radegarage. Its a sweet bike with its own trade offs, but the weight savings are worth it. I miss my GS on the road, but on the trail the bike is great!
I like what you have done. However, it would have been better done on a twin vs a thumper. I think for the money invested, I would have purchased a Tuareg 660. Probably similar on the trail, significantly more comfortable on the road. Maybe a good comparison video in the future?
100 lbs, at least, lighter is why the Thumper. It makes a real difference. Not similar on the trail, try a 690 sometimes its a laugh a minute. 690 isnt at all top heavy like a Tenere or a T7.
I am an extremely happy T7 owner and I’ll be the first to tell you that in anything loose and technical, I’d trade the T7 for a 690/701 in a heartbeat. The 100lbs difference is massive in technical scenarios. For everyday stuff? You’re 100% correct - the twins are way better for a do-everything ADV. But if the focus is truly off-roading and being able to do anything and everything, the singles are always going to be an extra bit more capable and easier to ride than the twins.
What's with all the "female" spam comments? Seriously. What's the source of that? They don't say anything about the actual content. They could be posted on any video.
I bought a 2019 for doing exactly this to. Had some nice bits on it already, concept seat, double takes, wings slip on etc but the bike decided that the coolant wasn’t needed and blew through the rad. Shame as has great potential to be awesome. The weight of these is a real attraction as they are significantly lighter than most of the other options. Do prefer the general feel of a twin though vs a single. Hope it stays solid for you 👍
Your build is almost 1:1 what I'd do to my 701 if I had the budget. I mostly just don't have a tower (yet), I've still done long high speed 75mph days though. But I think I've got a higher tolerance than most people. There's a couple other differences in terms of specific components, but the intentions are the same. I've got the rade fuel tank instead of the storage. I live in the US and I need the extra range. I've got a wings exhaust instead of the akrapovic, I'm not sure which is quieter. I mostly bought the Wings because it's titanium and much much more affordable than the other titanium ones because you can buy direct from the factory. Fit and finish is solid, and I've got the silent insert which helps with the noise although it's still loud. They claim it's close to stock, I'm not sure I agree. I'm a fan of the intake noise from the rade airbox though, but I almost always ride with filtered earplugs. There's only one important change I'd make to your bike. I generally like Outback Motortek's products, they make good stuff. I don't feel like their crash bars are adequate on this bike. It's not just them though, I don't feel like there's any on the market that have adequate coverage. The radiator is this bike's main weakness. The mounts are incredibly flimsy, even with the Outback bars on my bike, I still managed to bust the radiator on a low speed off camber drop. The solution to this is the Flatland Racing Radiator Frame/Guard. I've got no affiliation with them, I'm just a fan of the product. It basically puts a big bracket/frame around the radiator to absorb any side impacts. The downside is that it's not compatible with the Outback guards, so my plastics are vulnerable. I've had plenty of big crashes and haven't broken them or the radiator though. It's worth the trade off because broken plastics won't leave me stranded. I'm not sure if there's any crash bars that are compatible because they typically share the same mounting points. I think maybe the T-Rex racing ones are but they have a bolt that goes through the engine case and I'm not a fan of that. I don't believe in unicorn bikes because unicorns are subjective. But the 690 platform(701 in my case) is definitely my unicorn. I don't think there's a more flexible/adaptable bike out there. It can do a good job at basically anything short of 2 up or Goldwing style touring. Especially when you factor how easy it would be to get a set of sumo wheels for the sporty canyon carving stuff.
you have done most mods like i have done to my es700. I am adding a steering damper as with rally screen I find the bike gets very tank slap happy on hard acceleration. I have the AS mini tower running samsung tab with dmd2 currently considering to go mousse or not. also dropped front sprocket to 14t which is a must for any technical off road riding. as for exhaust I have wings with silent kit. works a treat and runs cool and fuelling is nice etc and it's not much louder than stock nice one
My 21 690 runs SO good, with just a Wings muffler and a fuel dongle, I hate to get rid of the oem airbox, its a big part of the tuning of the bike obviously. Its impossible to get a straight answer about this online. Some say they love the noise, some say they dont notice the induction noise. Some say it gives tons of horsepower. No set answer as to how it works. Like with most aftermarket parts many are so thrilled they exaggerate wildly. Just be sure you know the deal about keeping the stock airbox and filter sealed up properly. The front of the airbox lid has tabs that HAVE TO be inserted where they go, into slots. The plastic surround around the key has to come off to make sure its done right. Or it can suck dirt. No tower on mine, I like it simple like a dirt bike. I do use the small KTM screen with a PUIG add on adjustable screen. At least one range stiffer springs front and rear might be good for my weight, but its not bad at all like it is. Its MUCH better suspension than my 890R. 890 in stock form is very,very stiff. Unless you ride it like an MX bike thru huge craters, then it works great. I dont much ride it like that,
@@ktmtravels3727 thats the thing, most everybody has a different take on these intakes. It seems like once someone buys a farkle, they want every one else to buy it.
I have a 22 Gas Gas 700 and whilst I like the extra space when removing the OEM airbox, it does affect the fueling. It becomes too lean of the bottom and there is an obvious flat spot at around 5000rpm. You will also hear a louder intake noise and no power increase. If you are happy with how it is running with the OEM airbox, then just leave it as is. I have since had the remap to fix all of that which is expensive.
They need new management and better engineering, R&D and endurance testing. I would rather have that than another failed motorcycle company. I used to ride a Norton Commando. The solution is to improve -- not to fail. That's how the Japanese succeeded so successfully.
The "other MCN Michael" giving us a look at the results of 2 or 3 years of research and testing on his "lightweight" ADV bike. Wish I was 30 years younger and I'd be tempted to put some of this wisdom to test. I love hearing about the +++'s and - - - 's of this type of riding. That's the type of riding I started out with 60 years ago. Well done, Mate.
Your videos are an example of what quality content on TH-cam should be. Keep it up!🍪😅🥊
I like that he says which parts didnt really work that great, and why. many seem like they're just selling parts and everything is always great. Most of us have learned, just because many guys online say its great, doesnt always work out that way.
Ive walloped my 690 once or twice, once bounced into a tree going around a gate and a rally tower would have been bashed if not smashed. Rally guys have a new one in the truck, I do not. I dont like screens sticking up at all, nothing in my line of sight. Thats just me.
Awesome series. I have mine set up almost identically. Get the fuel dongle and the SAS/EVAP delete. You’ll get a much nicer and smoother throttle response in the low range. A complete remap of the ECU even better.
Love my 690. My mods; NoMad tower, Wings exhaust, Renazzco seat and a few other small do-dads. Bike really is a unicorn. Only con is, she runs very hot. I cook in any stop/go conditions
I’ve had a ‘17 690 and now a ‘21 701. Love both of them, my 701 is similarly built to yours, Britannia composites tower, solid performance suspension, renazco seat, rade intake and fuel cell, wings exhaust. Get the fuel dongle and a power commander, my bike doesn’t have a soft low end at all. These are great bikes!
Hi, Michael. 701 owner with similar mods. The Wings exhaust is a good option - nice and light and they do a kit to make it decently quiet. My Rade air box didn’t have any issues with the many (many) water crossings in Iceland. Oh, yeah, I’d definitely recommend getting your bike on a dyno and remapped. It made a huge difference to the fuelling on mine (took it to Dave Wood Racing in Buckingham).
Yeah, changed the exhaust and air box. Of course, it will change the throttle response. Maybe I should remap my gas gas as well. I think I'll get the suspension revalved first. It's an expensive sport.
@ So. Much. Money.
Glad to see the old Pudding is doing well! Merry Christmas!
All good & interesting, however how much did all the mods cost?....
Thanks for sharing- really interesting would be interested to hear what your budget/costs have been.
Merry Christmas 🎉
My first ride off-road a rock pushed the foot brake into my case saver and punctured it. Didn't damage the engine cover. Looks like maybe Michael has the AXP skid plate, which I love. Huge coverage, light, and tough. Also seems to reduce road noise.
pretty good wrote off MCN many years as every thing was the best thing seemed no integrity, but watched a few of your vids and still watching so ta for the info, but call me a square if you like but as someone that says he tries to be a sustainable trail enthuisiast, better if you stayed on the main trail and did'nt cut the corners across virgin grass especially in proper wet and on top end kit with likely very fresh good tyres. you know how it goes one does it then the next soon a new line is created then another and in the worst case the trail has Vehicle ROW removed. cheers.
Just fantastically done. Thank you!
Great video thank you. On my 690 I run a wings exhaust (no catalyst so not so much heat) and had it remapped. After that it was a different bike - the fuelling low down the revs is transformed and is now smooth and torquey. It’s less lean so runs cooler too - how it would have left the factory were it not for euro 5 regulations.
I have an adventure built 2021 Husky 701 with the Rade Garage tower and I LOVE the bike! Super powerful and capable.
Great video! My 690 setup is pretty similar. the 6500 WP cartridge forks (along with a TracTive shock) were far and away the best upgrade - so much more confidence in the gnarly stuff. These are really great bikes for this sort of usage - definitely my favorite dual sport / light ADV bike I've had.
Watching your channel is like a celebration every time you post a new video. Continue to delight us with your fun and energizing content!⛵️🫐🫦
Well the choice of bike was the main mistake. They will be unsaleable by new year. KTM are going into liquidation. They have 230,000 unsold bikes in stock. A whole years production. The Government paid the November wages by they are broke and were burning through €3 million a week.
Pretty sweet build. I am in the same boat with my 701. Its slightly older and I went with the nomad adv tower
and the airbox mod from radegarage. Its a sweet bike with its own trade offs, but the weight savings are worth it.
I miss my GS on the road, but on the trail the bike is great!
good job fella
I like what you have done. However, it would have been better done on a twin vs a thumper. I think for the money invested, I would have purchased a Tuareg 660. Probably similar on the trail, significantly more comfortable on the road. Maybe a good comparison video in the future?
100 lbs, at least, lighter is why the Thumper. It makes a real difference. Not similar on the trail, try a 690 sometimes its a laugh a minute. 690 isnt at all top heavy like a Tenere or a T7.
I am an extremely happy T7 owner and I’ll be the first to tell you that in anything loose and technical, I’d trade the T7 for a 690/701 in a heartbeat. The 100lbs difference is massive in technical scenarios. For everyday stuff? You’re 100% correct - the twins are way better for a do-everything ADV. But if the focus is truly off-roading and being able to do anything and everything, the singles are always going to be an extra bit more capable and easier to ride than the twins.
What's with all the "female" spam comments? Seriously. What's the source of that? They don't say anything about the actual content. They could be posted on any video.
I bought a 2019 for doing exactly this to. Had some nice bits on it already, concept seat, double takes, wings slip on etc but the bike decided that the coolant wasn’t needed and blew through the rad. Shame as has great potential to be awesome. The weight of these is a real attraction as they are significantly lighter than most of the other options. Do prefer the general feel of a twin though vs a single. Hope it stays solid for you 👍
Agree it’s a great bike. For real technical rideing, I think the first gear could have had a lower gearing.
I have wings on my 701, light, cool, looks great and sounds great too ❤
Your build is almost 1:1 what I'd do to my 701 if I had the budget. I mostly just don't have a tower (yet), I've still done long high speed 75mph days though. But I think I've got a higher tolerance than most people. There's a couple other differences in terms of specific components, but the intentions are the same. I've got the rade fuel tank instead of the storage. I live in the US and I need the extra range. I've got a wings exhaust instead of the akrapovic, I'm not sure which is quieter. I mostly bought the Wings because it's titanium and much much more affordable than the other titanium ones because you can buy direct from the factory. Fit and finish is solid, and I've got the silent insert which helps with the noise although it's still loud. They claim it's close to stock, I'm not sure I agree. I'm a fan of the intake noise from the rade airbox though, but I almost always ride with filtered earplugs.
There's only one important change I'd make to your bike. I generally like Outback Motortek's products, they make good stuff. I don't feel like their crash bars are adequate on this bike. It's not just them though, I don't feel like there's any on the market that have adequate coverage. The radiator is this bike's main weakness. The mounts are incredibly flimsy, even with the Outback bars on my bike, I still managed to bust the radiator on a low speed off camber drop. The solution to this is the Flatland Racing Radiator Frame/Guard. I've got no affiliation with them, I'm just a fan of the product. It basically puts a big bracket/frame around the radiator to absorb any side impacts. The downside is that it's not compatible with the Outback guards, so my plastics are vulnerable. I've had plenty of big crashes and haven't broken them or the radiator though. It's worth the trade off because broken plastics won't leave me stranded. I'm not sure if there's any crash bars that are compatible because they typically share the same mounting points. I think maybe the T-Rex racing ones are but they have a bolt that goes through the engine case and I'm not a fan of that.
I don't believe in unicorn bikes because unicorns are subjective. But the 690 platform(701 in my case) is definitely my unicorn. I don't think there's a more flexible/adaptable bike out there. It can do a good job at basically anything short of 2 up or Goldwing style touring. Especially when you factor how easy it would be to get a set of sumo wheels for the sporty canyon carving stuff.
Great video. Love the 690/701 platform. What kind of mileage are you getting on those Dunlop EN-91?
Lot's of info with the pros and cons Micheal👍 To help weigh up if with doing it would have been very helpful if you had included the individual costs.
you have done most mods like i have done to my es700.
I am adding a steering damper as with rally screen I find the bike gets very tank slap happy on hard acceleration. I have the AS mini tower running samsung tab with dmd2
currently considering to go mousse or not.
also dropped front sprocket to 14t which is a must for any technical off road riding. as for exhaust I have wings with silent kit. works a treat and runs cool and fuelling is nice etc and it's not much louder than stock
nice one
Should have bought a CF Moto450Mt or Himalaya 450 and used the money saved for more travel.
Good luck with the resale on a KTM
Your videos are a real hit with the ladies, Michael !😉
My 21 690 runs SO good, with just a Wings muffler and a fuel dongle, I hate to get rid of the oem airbox, its a big part of the tuning of the bike obviously. Its impossible to get a straight answer about this online.
Some say they love the noise, some say they dont notice the induction noise. Some say it gives tons of horsepower.
No set answer as to how it works. Like with most aftermarket parts many are so thrilled they exaggerate wildly.
Just be sure you know the deal about keeping the stock airbox and filter sealed up properly.
The front of the airbox lid has tabs that HAVE TO be inserted where they go, into slots. The plastic surround around the key has to come off to make sure its done right. Or it can suck dirt.
No tower on mine, I like it simple like a dirt bike. I do use the small KTM screen with a PUIG add on adjustable screen.
At least one range stiffer springs front and rear might be good for my weight, but its not bad at all like it is.
Its MUCH better suspension than my 890R. 890 in stock form is very,very stiff. Unless you ride it like an MX bike thru huge craters, then it works great. I dont much ride it like that,
I can recommend the Rotweiller intake set-up with a PCV, perfect fueling, easy maintenance.
Seen lamb chops build series
@@ktmtravels3727 thats the thing, most everybody has a different take on these intakes. It seems like once someone buys a farkle, they want every one else to buy it.
I have a 22 Gas Gas 700 and whilst I like the extra space when removing the OEM airbox, it does affect the fueling. It becomes too lean of the bottom and there is an obvious flat spot at around 5000rpm. You will also hear a louder intake noise and no power increase. If you are happy with how it is running with the OEM airbox, then just leave it as is. I have since had the remap to fix all of that which is expensive.
sometimes it makes sense to go a little further to find out )
Your channel is a real find! The quality of the videos and the presentation of information is top-notch. Thank you so much for your hard work!♂️🐮♀️
Yamaha/Honda, are you guys watching?
Ha, so Wildee effectively pushed ypu over in that water!
O Michael O Michael How Are You hooooo
Each of your videos is a story that touches the deepest feelings and emotions. Thank you for your sincerity and talent!🏋️⛸🐡
Your videos are not just content, they are stories that stay in the heart. Keep inspiring us!🧃😝😆
Why anyone would find this appealing in the UK is beyond me. Crap tracks, a good soaking, bike minging. A proper nightmare.
Now I want to ride off-road in the UK.
Is that a woman??
Really hope this brand goes out of business.
How would that benefit you? Your just a big ball of hate and negativity, is that it? Join the 1000's of online haters.
They need new management and better engineering, R&D and endurance testing. I would rather have that than another failed motorcycle company. I used to ride a Norton Commando. The solution is to improve -- not to fail. That's how the Japanese succeeded so successfully.
What a stupid comment. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
Why do you watch videos about KTM's if your don't like them?
@f.h.9606 it's a great comment and you know it.
Your videos are always a high standard of quality on TH-cam. Thank you for your work!🎼😳🏜