manuel grohse If you can go on an adventure with 1- no broken bones & 2- no broken bike. the lack of power or performance & light weight is just trivial.
When shit goes down and your sitting in a wet tent not knowing what the fuck to do next. You can count on Nerb to arrange a helo evac. That clearly took more than just hey go get my friend please. Great work Nerb. A real star I wanna buy him a lot of beers just watching this. You owe him Tom, great friend you got there. No flys on him man. Peace fellas.
+Sleepingdragon 1 Yeap Nerb is pretty awesome. Normally most girlfriends would worry about there boyfriends riding off into the desert but my gf knows Nerb will bring me back alive.
Just wanted to say these videos make my day, Tom! Can't wait for your next U.S. trip so we can ride again! I'm glad you made it home safely and are now enjoying an awesome Honda! Much love, brother.
I'm glad you decided to put out niche content rather than the usual motovlogger clickbait stuff. loving this series! its cool seeing nerbs point of view too in his videos too.
Ive lost count the amount of Adventure Videos i've watched where a KTM690 gave trouble and/or died on the trip. Great to see you got out, what an Adventure indeed.
KTM has to be just sick watching this series and last year's. I have totally written that brand off just watching your problems and seeing the same thing you do: Nerb's bike is reliable as a Toyota.
One hell of an adventure, though. One you'll look back on and wonder what drugs you were on in the first place! Great series - can't wait for the next episode.
First, I look forward to these episodes more than anything else on TV or the web right now. Nice work on documenting this and making it very compelling. Anyone from KTM reach out to you? I would guess not. They don't seem that PR savvy in these matters. But, you're right, for some reason the 690 Enduro is a bike that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in remote areas. And, if you're not a wrench, someone who is comfortable field stripping a bike to take a peek inside the engine, forget it. Yeah, yeah, you need to be self-sufficient and all that, but I'm a decent rider with not much experience on field (or garage) repairs. Again, nice work. Will be curious to see what you replace the 690 with for some of your long distance adventure rides.
+Patrick Nolan KTM did look after me. Both my rebuilds were 100% covered under warranty and KTM admitted the bike had a factory fault both times and the bike breaking was no fault of my own.
little tip when being towed on a bike with another bike, loop tow strap around foot ped and have your foot pressure hold it on that way if get off like lift foot up and rope goes and you dont crash
bad idea ! towing the handlebars ! I'm sure you found tat out Tom 😛. anywhere in the frame would have been better idea I guess! love your videos. keep it up MATE!! 🤓
Peg to Peg - Tie the rope to the Right foot peg on the front bike, Left peg on the bike being towed, hold the rope by weighting it with your boot - NEVER tie the rope to the bike being towed !! That way if anything happens you take your weight off the rope to prevent being dragged. Ideally the bike being towed is the brake for both bikes so that way you can keep the line tight. Takes some practice to get in sync but safety first. Good videos crazy shit good on you guys !!
I rode bikes in this part of the country for years (Mt Isa) When you tow a motorbike feed the rope through the centre of the handle bars and just wrap it once or twice around the left hand grip. Don't tie it off. If things get out of control just let go of the rope and hey presto it comes loose. No crash. You can tow like this no problem at all.
Howdy Tom. Was it a good idea to ride the bike while it was running so bad - knocking etc? Anyway, you had a lot of fun on the steed, and made some good videos with her. Another great video mate.
+Dirtbike Downunder the knocking sound came through the camera sound a lot more then how we heard it. It didn't sound too bad after we flushed the oil so we thought it might be alright
hi Tom - all good Vids mate. sorry to see the trip went the wrong way - still got an adventure you won't ever forget seems. Q: have you considered that maybe the location of the 690 oil pick up and front filter may get staved when doing a wheelie, and the usual rpm you wheelie at is pretty high, that this may have added to the issue, long term? I have a 690 also so just wondering if you considered this at all, as i may have to stop wheelies ??? :(
...so strong emotions in the beginning. Can you please tell me the name of the music? And yes ... Very beatifull when you wawed to the cows. God bless you
ive seen a tutorial on towing a bike with a bike. they said you should lightly wrap the rope around your footpeg and then stand on it so when you lose control of the bike, just lift your foot and the rope will fall off. maybe this helps next time
Damn Tom, no idea what you guys are doing to your 690s lol. Mine's at 30k+ km and still running strong with proper maintenance and ridden hard. I don't know if you talked about what happened in a previous video though. My rockers at 20k still looked mint but will be replaced this winter. I'm just saying this because there's guys on Global Ktm 690 fb group with more than 100k km with minor maintenance not even a new pair of rings. Great adventure videos btw.
Yeah Im also interested. I have 2 friends with over 100000km of RTW travel and mine has 45000km of hard riding across West Africa with no problems. I stay on top of the maintenance myself. But mine is still running strong. BTW Tom great series!!
+Kartin' Steve $16,000 KTM and a flight home is a fricken big loss. Not to mention you can't just fly home from where we were. You can't just call a taxi either. There is 1 bus a week that goes to Townsville from that town. The KTM was fixed under warranty which cost me nothing and I sold the ute for the price I bought it so what I did worked out great.
Ok, I wasn't sure how invested you were in the KTM or if warranty would cover it, and you did well on the ute, so well done mate. Thanks for documenting it all, very entertaining.
I feel your frustration, but the 690 is the only bike that fits the 3 requirements you list (exactly the same ones I have). Fuel pump, injectors and rockers are its Achilles heels though. The KLR, DR and alike are a 100LBS heavier, have half the HP and aren't (at least my KLR) fast enough for freeways unless you're wound out in 6th on flatland to make 75mph. I refuse to go multi cylinder for Enduro.
Not the only. XR650R is lighter and same HP/torque. Only problem is the 5-speed but it's not often you need over 100 MPH. Too bad you can't buy new ones, maybe with a 6-speed (would add weight though).
I had a 650L, but like you say, they're not made anymore. The other 650's are gutless and are 5 speeds too. Traffic averages 80+ mph here in the states and they're blind to seeing bikes. I'm going on a 6000 mile ride through Europe and Africa next year that will be challenging for the KTM on the autobahns, but perfect in Africa off-road. Fully laden it'll be under 450lbs. No other bike can match its performance, its capabilities and weight. I'd love to take my WR450, but it again is a 5 speed and 70mph loaded down isn't possible. My KLR is very comfortable and can carry a ton, but it's a dog and frustrating off road. It too is a no go. I considered a KTM 500 exc, but again it's not as capable as the 690 and cost more!
The R is a 5 speed, kick start bike that isn't street legal. It doesn't compare with the 690 for those reasons. The L was street legal, had electric start and was street legal, but was air cooled and gutless just like the KLR and DR.
Honda xr 650l that should be your next bike. they used to race the R version in Baja but Honda stopped making them because everyone who wanted one had one and they never broke.
when you tow a bike, you wrap the rope once around the footpeg and then put pressure with your feet. Then if you get a big wobble on, you life your foot, the rope frees and you come to a stop and start again. Usisng the handle bars like that is instant injury waiting to happen (as you found out) as you can't steer or slow down........
Hi tom A few weeks back i sold my 500 Supermoto and had the Choice of Eighter an light Adventure bike or a two stroke I think you should consider buying the yamaha xt 660 I have read really good reviews of it (besides the suspension that can be upgrated) Btw i went for the 300 two stroke and i love it ;D Cheers from germany:)
i got a 690 to upgrade from my wr250r, these 2 bikes seem like the best in the category as far as modern motor, light weight, reliability goes. yeah, there's the dr650, klr650, drz400, crf250L, xt660... but they all have something not up to par for what you expect from a new bike in 2016. Only the WR and 690 tick the boxes. But the 690 is too flawed and KTM really should have sorted it by now. Valve rocker arm has been an issue in the LC4 motors since the 625, over a decade ago. Come on KTM, it's not fucking good enough. I'm glad I kept my WR, when the KTM has problems I ride it. My 690 is currently fooked, (new valve rocker arm recently too) I'll be selling it and it's back to the little old WR for me. might get a dr650 and mod the hell out of it
Unfortunately I feel there is no perfect dual sport. You're going to sacrifice something (power, weight, reliability, maintenance schedule, local dealer support/mechanics, etc.) with any bike over another. It seems to me KTM is a rich man's bike due to the high quality that reflects the price, the high maintenance (especially the EXC) and what used to be labeled as "questionable" but now can confidently be described as "known" reliability issues. I would love to have a 500EXC or the 690 but after careful consideration I'm going with the WR250R. Just wish Yamaha would release a 450 version. Watch out for those crazy cagers. Later.
Nerb-san! A king among men. What a legend.
Now this is what you call an adventure! Great series mate, keep it up.
I think, an adventure bike has to be one thing and one thing only. and that is relieable.
manuel grohse If you can go on an adventure with 1- no broken bones & 2- no broken bike. the lack of power or performance & light weight is just trivial.
Lee Bradley you must be pretty badass if you go on an adventure eventhough you have broken bones
When shit goes down and your sitting in a wet tent not knowing what the fuck to do next. You can count on Nerb to arrange a helo evac. That clearly took more than just hey go get my friend please.
Great work Nerb. A real star I wanna buy him a lot of beers just watching this. You owe him Tom, great friend you got there. No flys on him man.
Peace fellas.
+Sleepingdragon 1 Yeap Nerb is pretty awesome. Normally most girlfriends would worry about there boyfriends riding off into the desert but my gf knows Nerb will bring me back alive.
nerb1 you the real mvp, always good having someone like you on an adventure, cheers mate !
There's always something that sparks my interest at the end! It's the best series I've ever watched.
Just wanted to say these videos make my day, Tom! Can't wait for your next U.S. trip so we can ride again! I'm glad you made it home safely and are now enjoying an awesome Honda! Much love, brother.
+Arthur Sperotto haha so you can scare me shitless again
hit me up i am in the US as well...with my 1200GSA so no mechanics issue here...LOL
love your channel mate!
vrauuuuuuuuu
I'm glad you decided to put out niche content rather than the usual motovlogger clickbait stuff. loving this series! its cool seeing nerbs point of view too in his videos too.
That ute is hilarious. Couldn't find a van with fur and dog ears on it?
I Love this episode. Everything just fluently. the pics the script. very entertaining
Well this is a pretty good reality show so far haha. I read you got your bike fixed under warranty so good on ya!
Looking forward to the next part (:
How was this 4 years ago damn
Ive lost count the amount of Adventure Videos i've watched where a KTM690 gave trouble and/or died on the trip.
Great to see you got out, what an Adventure indeed.
Bloody hell that fall looked nasty 😣
KTM has to be just sick watching this series and last year's. I have totally written that brand off just watching your problems and seeing the same thing you do: Nerb's bike is reliable as a Toyota.
Best Honda advert ever.
This is what we want deep inside while we go on adventure trips ! Great stuff!
One hell of an adventure, though. One you'll look back on and wonder what drugs you were on in the first place!
Great series - can't wait for the next episode.
These videos make me wanna move to Australia. Looks like y'all have the best adventures
First, I look forward to these episodes more than anything else on TV or the web right now. Nice work on documenting this and making it very compelling.
Anyone from KTM reach out to you? I would guess not. They don't seem that PR savvy in these matters. But, you're right, for some reason the 690 Enduro is a bike that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in remote areas. And, if you're not a wrench, someone who is comfortable field stripping a bike to take a peek inside the engine, forget it. Yeah, yeah, you need to be self-sufficient and all that, but I'm a decent rider with not much experience on field (or garage) repairs.
Again, nice work. Will be curious to see what you replace the 690 with for some of your long distance adventure rides.
+Patrick Nolan KTM did look after me. Both my rebuilds were 100% covered under warranty and KTM admitted the bike had a factory fault both times and the bike breaking was no fault of my own.
That's something at least.
@@RidingWithTom what broke on it?
This series is sickkkkkkkk 👌
so majestic, will you be doing another adventure trip once you heal up?
The first bit of the video I see your knees are really clean
Hope you're fine Tom.. awesome Adventure series.. best I've seen... hope you make more... Cheers!
I just watched this whole series yesterday and I love it!!!
Been waiting to see this xD
Donovan Rohaley same
the best adventure series on youtube, youtube,
nice mate, wish i could have that tons of money to do the adventure like you
thank you for showing me Australia from different point of view. ride safe
Such an adventure, I agree with the other guy, these videos straight make my day, thanks for making awesome stuff Tom.
Finally! Been looking forward to this video!
Again with the cliffhanger? Did nerb kill the tom? Will the UTE do mad sick smokies?
ute skidz are next vid
With that epic paint job it will probably do them for days on end.
Well you wanted a adventure, And i think you well and truly got it thats crazy man.
After watching all this i'm glad you made it back in one peace.
I watched one of the "Popular" motovloggers on another channel put up wallpaper.. Then came here for the win. Keep em coming.
Wow. Watched 3 videos and am subbing, great adventure snaps mate! Hi from an SA rider.
Dude awesome videos! I felt so sorry for you when u fell :( . I'm glad that you are ok! . You've earned a sub !
This was a great episode. What an adventure!!
I looked up Adventure in the dictionary and it had a link to this series.
Damn what an adventure, love the series!
For lightweight adventure bikes ready to go check out the CCM 450 GP and the new AJP PR7 launching soon
Mate $1000 for 2.6hrs of chopper time with a pilot is a bargain! Go ring a chopper place at Moorabbin and see what the going rate is per hr.
Is Nerb going to finish uploading his videos of the trip?
Yes... I just been busy with work. Will get to is soon. Hopefully I can show some differences of the trip from Tom.
Sweet
little tip when being towed on a bike with another bike, loop tow strap around foot ped and have your foot pressure hold it on that way if get off like lift foot up and rope goes and you dont crash
Awesome vids its like a good tv show waiting for the next episode!!
bad idea ! towing the handlebars ! I'm sure you found tat out Tom 😛.
anywhere in the frame would have been better idea I guess!
love your videos. keep it up MATE!! 🤓
Peg to Peg - Tie the rope to the Right foot peg on the front bike, Left peg on the bike being towed, hold the rope by weighting it with your boot - NEVER tie the rope to the bike being towed !! That way if anything happens you take your weight off the rope to prevent being dragged. Ideally the bike being towed is the brake for both bikes so that way you can keep the line tight. Takes some practice to get in sync but safety first. Good videos crazy shit good on you guys !!
Michael Glennon totally agree 👍 very good technique actually. It would be helpful. Thankyou
Love your videos Tom keep up the good work
Watching whilst waiting for my tyre change on my bike, god bless you, Ridingwithtom
Such a great series, makes me wanna come back to Australia lol
love love love this series! its like the long way round but not really haha
you gotta keep that friend of yours Mr.Nerb he is THE MAN.
I rode bikes in this part of the country for years (Mt Isa) When you tow a motorbike feed the rope through the centre of the handle bars and just wrap it once or twice around the left hand grip. Don't tie it off. If things get out of control just let go of the rope and hey presto it comes loose. No crash. You can tow like this no problem at all.
If there's one thing I've learned watching your channel it's that I will never buy a KTM...
Whats all that scuba diving at the end of the videos about actually?
+Iglo Backfisch I flew up to Cairns a flew days before we started the adventure and did some scuba diving
Nerb = top bloke
love this so much keep up the good work tom! recommended a beginner bike?
Prash Karu s1000rr
Prash Karu any bike you want just uave good throttle control m
HP4
lmao
Will there be an Africa twin replacing the 690
This went from being a fun series of vids to watch to an absolutely epic story! Who the hell gets stranded for four days and rescued by heli,
nerb1 where are your footage????
Coming Oliver... Ive just been busy with work. Soon!
awesome!
lol i was lying in my warm bed thinking of how tough my day was today
awesome series Tom btw thanks for putting a cliffhanger lol
Holy shit that must have been so frustrating.
I like how the camera falls in the right place to see Tom in pain, thumbs up for the camera
+DAWNOFHAWKMOON haha yeah worked out perfectly
nice channel, nice videos. Greetz from an German 690 driver ;)
OUCH .I'm loving these vids .
Howdy Tom. Was it a good idea to ride the bike while it was running so bad - knocking etc? Anyway, you had a lot of fun on the steed, and made some good videos with her.
Another great video mate.
+Dirtbike Downunder the knocking sound came through the camera sound a lot more then how we heard it. It didn't sound too bad after we flushed the oil so we thought it might be alright
Damn son! Subbed after watching this!
...and ordered a GS! :)
hi Tom - all good Vids mate. sorry to see the trip went the wrong way - still got an adventure you won't ever forget seems.
Q: have you considered that maybe the location of the 690 oil pick up and front filter may get staved when doing a wheelie, and the usual rpm you wheelie at is pretty high, that this may have added to the issue, long term? I have a 690 also so just wondering if you considered this at all, as i may have to stop wheelies ??? :(
dude this is freaking amazing!!!! you are one lucky bastard
...so strong emotions in the beginning. Can you please tell me the name of the music? And yes ... Very beatifull when you wawed to the cows. God bless you
ive seen a tutorial on towing a bike with a bike. they said you should lightly wrap the rope around your footpeg and then stand on it so when you lose control of the bike, just lift your foot and the rope will fall off. maybe this helps next time
Nerb the legend to the rescue. :p
Damn Tom, no idea what you guys are doing to your 690s lol. Mine's at 30k+ km and still running strong with proper maintenance and ridden hard. I don't know if you talked about what happened in a previous video though. My rockers at 20k still looked mint but will be replaced this winter. I'm just saying this because there's guys on Global Ktm 690 fb group with more than 100k km with minor maintenance not even a new pair of rings. Great adventure videos btw.
Yeah Im also interested. I have 2 friends with over 100000km of RTW travel and mine has 45000km of hard riding across West Africa with no problems. I stay on top of the maintenance myself. But mine is still running strong. BTW Tom great series!!
I like these replies! I have a 690 as it was the only option that would replace my 300 but give me more distance and comfort
With the cost of the engine repair and possibly losing money on the ute, would it have been cheaper to leave the ktm there and just fly home?
+Kartin' Steve $16,000 KTM and a flight home is a fricken big loss. Not to mention you can't just fly home from where we were. You can't just call a taxi either. There is 1 bus a week that goes to Townsville from that town. The KTM was fixed under warranty which cost me nothing and I sold the ute for the price I bought it so what I did worked out great.
Ok, I wasn't sure how invested you were in the KTM or if warranty would cover it, and you did well on the ute, so well done mate. Thanks for documenting it all, very entertaining.
i think the 690 would be reliable you have just had a bad run tom :(
Scruffybiggems everyone has a bad run with them, European lemons.
honda moto lol at that name and your saying ktms are lemons
I feel your frustration, but the 690 is the only bike that fits the 3 requirements you list (exactly the same ones I have). Fuel pump, injectors and rockers are its Achilles heels though. The KLR, DR and alike are a 100LBS heavier, have half the HP and aren't (at least my KLR) fast enough for freeways unless you're wound out in 6th on flatland to make 75mph. I refuse to go multi cylinder for Enduro.
Not the only. XR650R is lighter and same HP/torque. Only problem is the 5-speed but it's not often you need over 100 MPH. Too bad you can't buy new ones, maybe with a 6-speed (would add weight though).
I had a 650L, but like you say, they're not made anymore. The other 650's are gutless and are 5 speeds too. Traffic averages 80+ mph here in the states and they're blind to seeing bikes. I'm going on a 6000 mile ride through Europe and Africa next year that will be challenging for the KTM on the autobahns, but perfect in Africa off-road. Fully laden it'll be under 450lbs. No other bike can match its performance, its capabilities and weight. I'd love to take my WR450, but it again is a 5 speed and 70mph loaded down isn't possible. My KLR is very comfortable and can carry a ton, but it's a dog and frustrating off road. It too is a no go. I considered a KTM 500 exc, but again it's not as capable as the 690 and cost more!
Bill Ness XR650*R* is a completely different beast than the L
The R is a 5 speed, kick start bike that isn't street legal. It doesn't compare with the 690 for those reasons. The L was street legal, had electric start and was street legal, but was air cooled and gutless just like the KLR and DR.
some of them are street legal, ive seen more than one forsale for around 5 grand
I hope you dropped a set in that v8 on a quiet back road
Khartyfilms haha next vid
Honda xr 650l that should be your next bike. they used to race the R version in Baja but Honda stopped making them because everyone who wanted one had one and they never broke.
its safe to say u dont live a boring life mate and btw have u posted the video where you break your leg i hope you recover fast and well cheers
Learn from your failures and make sure it won't happen
That's what an adventure teaches and fun
Does anyone Know the Name of the Music Used between 1:00 and 3:40
when you tow a bike, you wrap the rope once around the footpeg and then put pressure with your feet. Then if you get a big wobble on, you life your foot, the rope frees and you come to a stop and start again. Usisng the handle bars like that is instant injury waiting to happen (as you found out) as you can't steer or slow down........
It would seem Nerb's 1190 was quite a good purchase considering the lot you guys have had lol.
+Knife1437 1190 is fricken bulletproof
did u ever get the bike back and or did u get a new one?
should have waited to comment....
Should have...
Hi tom
A few weeks back i sold my 500 Supermoto and had the Choice of
Eighter an light Adventure bike or a two stroke
I think you should consider buying the yamaha xt 660
I have read really good reviews of it (besides the suspension that can be upgrated)
Btw i went for the 300 two stroke and i love it ;D
Cheers from germany:)
Before this video, I didn't even know what a UTE was. I was like you going to bring it back with a what?
now THAT is an adventure!
is it rude to ask how much you paid for that ute? i was expecting a half beat up hilux
How many mi&hrs on it when it let go?
ok, but why did you use a chopper anyway? :)
So you left your bike just because it needed an oil change? What was the fault?
Lol "Fifthteen"! It was in the title but got fixed, still in the actual vid
What was the problem with 690?
That Ute is fucking mint, dude. You're lucky to find that. /s
Awesome
How much was the ute?
i got a 690 to upgrade from my wr250r, these 2 bikes seem like the best in the category as far as modern motor, light weight, reliability goes. yeah, there's the dr650, klr650, drz400, crf250L, xt660... but they all have something not up to par for what you expect from a new bike in 2016. Only the WR and 690 tick the boxes.
But the 690 is too flawed and KTM really should have sorted it by now. Valve rocker arm has been an issue in the LC4 motors since the 625, over a decade ago. Come on KTM, it's not fucking good enough.
I'm glad I kept my WR, when the KTM has problems I ride it.
My 690 is currently fooked, (new valve rocker arm recently too) I'll be selling it and it's back to the little old WR for me. might get a dr650 and mod the hell out of it
Unfortunately I feel there is no perfect dual sport. You're going to sacrifice something (power, weight, reliability, maintenance schedule, local dealer support/mechanics, etc.) with any bike over another. It seems to me KTM is a rich man's bike due to the high quality that reflects the price, the high maintenance (especially the EXC) and what used to be labeled as "questionable" but now can confidently be described as "known" reliability issues. I would love to have a 500EXC or the 690 but after careful consideration I'm going with the WR250R. Just wish Yamaha would release a 450 version. Watch out for those crazy cagers. Later.
where in the world is that
how do you get the money needed for this?
5:09 This is what I imagine every Australian looks like.
#NERBFORPRESIDENT
Oh god... This is going to go straight to his head.
Suzuki DR650; light, powerful, reliable.
Super reliable. Not so light or powerful...