I've been wondering about the KTM 690 Enduro as an all round bike and one for a bigger trip, so I bought one and did some mods to it to make it how I roughly wanted it, then once it was done, I set up a three day route and set off in January 2020 as its inaugural trip.
The route planned was a Coast to Coast from Cumbria to North Yorkshire and on Garmin's Basecamp showed 300 miles. So I filled the two fuel tanks, loaded the panniers and set off on a dry Friday morning.
The ride to the coast was uneventful and on tarmac, I garnered a few odd looks from the golfers adjacent to the first lane as I passed by with my loaded bike, but soon forgot them as the trails beckoned and my attention turned to keeping the bike upright. As I passed a friends house, I called in to find he'd gone mountain biking for the day, so carried on. The views were lovely today with the cold air hanging around, the Lake District Fells shone in that light covered in early morning dew.
I passed a bench that had been left at a view point in memory of someone local, so stopped for a picture before heading on again upwards.
I came across an old Morris Minor car which had been lovingly restored. I do love classic vehicles and would like to restore one one of these days along with a couple of old trials bikes from pre 1965 which keep catching my eye lately.
Lane after lane rolled under my wheels, interspersed by the necessary tarmac roads. I never saw a soul on any of the lanes, so had the entire day to myself until I arrived at MHB Motorcycles in Kirkby Stephen to have a coffee with another mate.
Once I'd left MHB, I stopped next to the coffee bean stone and got a call from a mate who was staying in Ingleton, so decided to do a detour at Hawes and drop down to see them and get some chips. This turned out to be a good little trip as Geoff and Jackie are long time friends and we have all had a lot of laughs over the years. I wasn't allowed to pitch my tent on the caravan site they had pitched up on, so headed back into the hills in the dark to find somewhere to camp for the night. It was a bit blustery but nice to get snuggled into the tent with the bottle of wine I'd bought for my friends.
The next morning was grey and wet, so I packed up in a hurry, finding out that I'd left my stove fuel bottle at home so although I was carrying the stove, pans and food, I could heat it up. What a waste! Still this trip was meant to be a kit and bike test for bigger things, so here was a lesson. Pack properly!
I crossed from the Dales to North Yorkshire after visiting a lane I'd never been down before, it turned out to have been split in half by the NERC Act 2006, which has been used to close dual status routes in lots of places around the England and Wales. So although this was a county road and either end, it is a footpath in its middle.Of course you travel a couple of miles and have to turn a heavy bike around in a tight and rough ground space before you find that out! So helpful these planners!
Just before I left the Dales, I was cruising down a trail I've ridden many times before, I didn't see the rut until the last second and by then the front tyre hit it hard and flipped both me and the bike. Both went down hard and sustained some damage. Me, I saw stars for a bit and still have two lumps on my head, the bike suffered a detached headlight, a broken plastic bracket and a ripped strap on a pannier. Pay attention!
I rode on into the night, finding a campsite in a bit of woodland this time, away from everyone and very sheltered, so once pitched, it was a very peaceful night
Next day was a mix of woodland riding and moorland lanes, the front tyre on this bike wasn't suited to mud, so I dropped the bike a couple more times as it skittered away. Picking up nearly 180kgs is not fun on your own and it wastes a lot of energy. Still this is why I was on this trip to find out things like this.
I reached Robin Hoods Bay at 1.30pm on day 3, had a chat with a mate who wanted to catch up that night, ate and refuelled, then set off back west. A night of gossip, Italian food and a soft bed followed before heading back home the next morning for meetings.
What did I learn?
KTM 690 Enduro R 2014 - Very capable machine, chuggs up anything, heavy to move around Motoz Adventure Tyres, excellent on hard terrain and tarmac, crap in mud for the front tyre. (The rear is fine)
Giant Loop Coyote Bag - when they crash, you can tear the bottom strap off the bag, there is a bodge fix to get you home but it'll be a pig to restitch
Adventure Spec Riding gear, great combination and well thought out kit.
Don't forget your stove fuel bottle, drinking water and a penknife and/or multi tool!
All in all, a great trip which blew out the cobwebs and set me up for more riding this year
The route planned was a Coast to Coast from Cumbria to North Yorkshire and on Garmin's Basecamp showed 300 miles. So I filled the two fuel tanks, loaded the panniers and set off on a dry Friday morning.
The ride to the coast was uneventful and on tarmac, I garnered a few odd looks from the golfers adjacent to the first lane as I passed by with my loaded bike, but soon forgot them as the trails beckoned and my attention turned to keeping the bike upright. As I passed a friends house, I called in to find he'd gone mountain biking for the day, so carried on. The views were lovely today with the cold air hanging around, the Lake District Fells shone in that light covered in early morning dew.
I passed a bench that had been left at a view point in memory of someone local, so stopped for a picture before heading on again upwards.
I came across an old Morris Minor car which had been lovingly restored. I do love classic vehicles and would like to restore one one of these days along with a couple of old trials bikes from pre 1965 which keep catching my eye lately.
Lane after lane rolled under my wheels, interspersed by the necessary tarmac roads. I never saw a soul on any of the lanes, so had the entire day to myself until I arrived at MHB Motorcycles in Kirkby Stephen to have a coffee with another mate.
Once I'd left MHB, I stopped next to the coffee bean stone and got a call from a mate who was staying in Ingleton, so decided to do a detour at Hawes and drop down to see them and get some chips. This turned out to be a good little trip as Geoff and Jackie are long time friends and we have all had a lot of laughs over the years. I wasn't allowed to pitch my tent on the caravan site they had pitched up on, so headed back into the hills in the dark to find somewhere to camp for the night. It was a bit blustery but nice to get snuggled into the tent with the bottle of wine I'd bought for my friends.
The next morning was grey and wet, so I packed up in a hurry, finding out that I'd left my stove fuel bottle at home so although I was carrying the stove, pans and food, I could heat it up. What a waste! Still this trip was meant to be a kit and bike test for bigger things, so here was a lesson. Pack properly!
I crossed from the Dales to North Yorkshire after visiting a lane I'd never been down before, it turned out to have been split in half by the NERC Act 2006, which has been used to close dual status routes in lots of places around the England and Wales. So although this was a county road and either end, it is a footpath in its middle.Of course you travel a couple of miles and have to turn a heavy bike around in a tight and rough ground space before you find that out! So helpful these planners!
Just before I left the Dales, I was cruising down a trail I've ridden many times before, I didn't see the rut until the last second and by then the front tyre hit it hard and flipped both me and the bike. Both went down hard and sustained some damage. Me, I saw stars for a bit and still have two lumps on my head, the bike suffered a detached headlight, a broken plastic bracket and a ripped strap on a pannier. Pay attention!
I rode on into the night, finding a campsite in a bit of woodland this time, away from everyone and very sheltered, so once pitched, it was a very peaceful night
Next day was a mix of woodland riding and moorland lanes, the front tyre on this bike wasn't suited to mud, so I dropped the bike a couple more times as it skittered away. Picking up nearly 180kgs is not fun on your own and it wastes a lot of energy. Still this is why I was on this trip to find out things like this.
What did I learn?
KTM 690 Enduro R 2014 - Very capable machine, chuggs up anything, heavy to move around Motoz Adventure Tyres, excellent on hard terrain and tarmac, crap in mud for the front tyre. (The rear is fine)
Giant Loop Coyote Bag - when they crash, you can tear the bottom strap off the bag, there is a bodge fix to get you home but it'll be a pig to restitch
Adventure Spec Riding gear, great combination and well thought out kit.
Don't forget your stove fuel bottle, drinking water and a penknife and/or multi tool!
All in all, a great trip which blew out the cobwebs and set me up for more riding this year
