KTM 690 Enduro R

Compared to the all-new range of dual-purpose adventure tourers from KTM, the 690 Enduro R easily feels quite dated and looks like it belongs to one or two generations old, which actually is the real fact about this motorcycle. However, the lean design and tall stance of the KTM 690 Enduro R looks very purposeful.

The KTM 690 Enduro R shares its front fascia with many simple bare-bones enduro motorcycles from KTM, which looks minimalist with a large plastic cowl surrounding a trapezoidal headlamp. The presence of crash guards on either sides of the handlebar as well as a high mounted front fender with a tipped front chin ensures that this motorcycle looks aggressive and has that go-anywhere feel even when viewed head-on.

From the sides, the KTM 690 Enduro R feels simple, but it is not anywhere as basic and minimal as the other smaller enduro motorcycles from KTM. The long and slightly curved single-piece seat looks slim but can accommodate two adults at a time. The sleek and small fuel tank extensions ahead of the seat extend all the way towards the rear and seamlessly blend with the sleek rear side body panels, and also expose the tubular trellis frame in the midway.

This frame, which is painted in orange color, packs in the single-cylinder engine wholly, with the engine getting a thin bash plate at the bottom of it. An under-seat exhaust pipe, as well as compact rear fender with a small LED tail lamp at the top of it, rounds off the look of the KTM 690 Enduro R from the rear, and so do the off-road spec tires over the spoke wheels.

The KTM 690 Enduro R gets a very decent-looking rider’s cockpit comprising of normal-looking switches and a very basic instrument console in the center, which displays only the basics in the form of speedometer and odometer. This makes it look very pale for a motorcycle of this category.  The LED turn indicators are mounted just on the sides of the instrument console, at the top of the front fascia.

Staying true to its design ethos and name, the KTM 690 Enduro R gets a very capable mechanical setup under the skin. The motorcycle has been equipped with 48mm upside-down hydraulic telescopic forks at the front and a fully adjustable mono-shock with pro-lever linkage at the rear, both of which have been sourced from WP. A 300mm disc brake at the front and a single 240mm disc brake at the rear serve the braking purposes on the KTM 690 Enduro R.

The biggest highlight of the KTM 690 Enduro R has to be its engine, for it is the largest single-cylinder engine in a modern-day production-spec motorcycle. The four-stroke, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 693cc engine of the KTM 690 Enduro R pumps out 75 PS of power and 73.5 Nm of torque and is coupled to a 6-speed gearbox.

This is another area where the KTM 690 Enduro R feels like one generation old motorcycle. While other middleweight motorcycles are steadily improvised with new-age electronics, the KTM 690 Enduro R has only cornering ABS with off-road mode offered as standard, and nothing else.

While the KTM 690 Enduro R might not be as modern and appealing as other new age middleweight enduros or adventure tourers, it continues to one fantastically engineered motorcycle with its basics sorted very well, when it comes to sheer mechanicals on offer.