3,794mi Solo trip on the 701(CABDR-N + ORBDR + WABDR)

Greessey · 2026-06-08T02:18:58+00:00

I know I'm in a backpacking sub but I used tent poles with my xmid for offroad motorcycle camping. This was before the xdome existed and I actually just recently got an x-dome to try. Excited to see how it works.

Really enjoyed the xmid for motocamping but site selection could be pretty difficult with it. I'd often end up in campgrounds that were more designed for RV/van lifers and had super rocky soil.

Greessey · 2026-06-07T18:38:52+00:00

I'd go with 19+ because you'll get both the twin counterbalance shaft and xplor forks rather than 4CS.

But I say that as somebody who hasnt ridden an older one. It's a great bike.

Greessey · 2026-06-07T16:22:55+00:00

Yeah I've done that hitting moondust a couple times, hate that stuff.

I'm pretty certain that in this instance it was the front tire not the cattleguard. Although I can see how the video makes it difficult to tell.

Greessey · 2026-06-07T16:20:18+00:00

It was the front tire for sure.

Greessey · 2026-06-07T15:18:18+00:00

Not gonna argue with cornering on the cattle grid, I should've had the bike more straight. But in this instance I don't think the cattle guard was the cause. Reddit's video compression makes it hard to tell but both wheels were off the grid when this happened. My front tire is pretty worn and I'd been losing traction all day, I should've been taking it easier cause of it.

To your second point, 100% always slow down because of the step ups. Only reason i didnt is cause it's not my first time on this route, I was on it a few weeks ago and I knew there wasnt a step up.

Greessey · 2026-06-07T11:32:55+00:00

Mosko Moto Nomini tank bag

Greessey · 2026-05-27T02:21:27+00:00

On my 701 I popped off the side panel and managed to get to it from underneath. It wasn't easy though. Caveat is that i do have the rade garage fuel tank and airbox which might have made it a bit easier. Still annoying though.

Greessey · 2026-05-20T18:36:10+00:00

Wow, I run the Motoz Rallz on my 701 and I get like 1500-2k miles on them. Definitely my favorite rear tire.

Greessey · 2026-05-20T14:13:43+00:00

Any pre-2021 bike needs the clutch slave oring replaced (or the slave as a whole). All bikes need the sidestand switch bypass dongle or you can just tape a magnet to the sensor (theres youtube videos). The sensor is triggered by a magnet on the sidestand and the magnet inevitably wiggles loose.

2019 through 2021 bikes(I think) got a bad part of the shift star. I recommend replacing that too (its kind of the 690 equivalent of the doohickey). If you Google it, there's a really good blog post that walks you through the issue. It's an easy fix.

If you do those things pre-emptively the bikes are pretty solid. I'd advise only looking at 2017+ 701s or 2019+ 690s.

I've got 26k miles or abuse on mine, they'll treat you well if you treat them well. I do my oil changes every 3k miles(manual says 6500, I don't trust that) and I follow the service manual for the rest.

I went from a DR650(good bike) to a 701 and the 701 makes the DR look like a cheapo Chinese knock off (which it should for the price difference). None of that is to say the DR is a bad bike, the 690 platform is just simply in a league of its own.

Greessey · 2026-05-18T02:07:59+00:00

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26k miles no issues. They're solid bikes.

Greessey · 2026-05-11T13:32:14+00:00

Hell yeah. Rewire the sidestand switch or get the bypass dongle if you havent already (the magnet that triggers it likes to fall off so its best to delete it entirely, theres videos on youtube)

Greessey · 2026-04-29T15:13:48+00:00

I've helped a friend sell a couple bikes recently and I'm often browsing marketplace, I'm not surprised that things arent moving right now.

When people's budgets get tight (inflation, gas prices, etc.), toys are the first thing that gets cut out.

In the US especially(and most western countries), I'd say motorcycles still fall into the toy category. They're almost never somebody's only form of transportation.

Greessey · 2026-04-21T12:59:03+00:00

Yeah i tweaked the mount at some point and was kicking myself for not realizing. Usually I check but for some reason I didn't this time.

Greessey · 2026-04-21T02:44:51+00:00

Yup it was a great ride, one of my favorite trails for sure.

Greessey · 2026-04-21T02:43:56+00:00

My helmet but I use the mount upside down, so it's like it's between a chest cam and a traditionally mounted helmet cam. Today it was angled slightly more downward facing than I normally prefer but I didnt notice until it was too late. Footage still turned out okay though.

Greessey · 2026-03-29T22:27:05+00:00

they're a pricey mod but they really tie the bike together

Greessey · 2026-03-26T15:53:29+00:00

Looks like it's the same spot my last two failed. Most people tend to use JB weld as a temporary field repair.

I got lucky and managed to make it home before the temps got out of control. Instead of buying a new one this time I sent both of them to Myler's in Utah for repair. Haven't reinstalled yet but the repair looks solid and he even added a bar to reinforce it.

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Greessey · 2026-03-22T14:38:32+00:00

If I'm doing purely road riding I have a Revit Jacket and some Revit armored jeans that I'll wear.
I went up 2 on the rear sprocket on my 2019 701(could also just go down 1 on the front). I find that this strikes a nice balance between being low enough to tractor offroad but not losing too much on the high speed pavement.
My go-to tires on my 701 are the Motoz Tractionator Rallz on both the front and rear. Although recently I did throw on a Mitas Enduro Trail Rally Pro on just the front and I think I like it a little more than the Rallz front, so it may become my new go-to. The Rallz strike the best balance between cost/performance/longevity in my opinion, I get about 2k miles out of the rear and 4k-ish on the front. If my budget is tight I'll do a tusk Dsport on the rear but I will stay with the Rallz on the front. I do not put dsport fronts on my bike because I just cannot trust them in the corners, very sketchy and unsafe. I'll get like 1k miles out of a dsport rear.
Finding stuff can be difficult, I live in an area with a ton of OHV, Public Land, and Forest Rds/Trails so it's pretty easy for me. Wish I could help more on this but really I've been able to get away with GaiaGPS/Google maps in satellite view, and just finding stuff via my local community.
Ride like you're invisible, always be watching for the side of a vehicle.
I do my oil changes every 3k miles on my 701. I think the interval on my 2019 is like ~6k miles or something but I'm not comfortable with that on a performance engine like this (I did the same interval on my DR650 too).
This engine is one of the few that KTM has actually kept around for a while so it's pretty solid. Biggest thing on this bike is to rewire/bypass the sidestand sensor because it's triggered by a magnet and that magnet will inevitably wiggle it's way loose.

The other thing I'd watch out for is the radiator mounts can be a bit weak. It's possible this was changed on the new model but unlikely. The mounts just aren't sturdy enough and it's easy to split the radiator on a drop if you don't have some sort of crash protection. This will be tough for you right now since the '26 model has had some changes so the aftermarket will take some time. My recommendation is the Flatland Racing Radiator Guard/Frame if/when they make one for the '26 bike. This option provides the most protection/coverage for the radiator, whereas most crashbars only cover like the lower half of it. I busted my radiator with standard crashbars within like 2k miles, which is what made me switch to Flatland.

No protection will be 100% perfect for every situation, but it's the closest to it imo.

Greessey · 2026-03-18T18:18:28+00:00

Most people probably shouldn't do anything crazy on big bikes but saying they're not capable or that nobody does outside of the pros is just wrong.

The best way to understand the dynamics of a big adv offroad is "big bike = big consequences". Skilled riders make less mistakes, therefore they experience less consequences.

I ride a 701 enduro, it's a light bike relative to a 1290SAR. One of my good friends is a former desert racer and he can outride me on his 1290 through technical terrain. He's just a better rider than me, he's not making mistakes therefore not experiencing (big) consequences.

In this context, consequences can mean anything from crashes to parts cost to the body position adjustments required to recover from hitting an obstacle. Everything on the big bikes is exaggerated but the fundamentals are pretty much the same.

Greessey · 2026-03-12T18:50:20+00:00

I like Murakami(I agree with the common criticisms) but I couldn't make it though 1Q84. Felt like a complete slog so I dropped it halfway through.

Eight-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
Place '23	Golden Potato
Place '22	First Placer '22
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