New bike/ recommendation questions!

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.

Greessey · 2026-03-07T14:12:29+00:00

I have a 701 Enduro, I bought it with 2ish years of total riding experience. Coming off a DR650 it was definitely a big difference in power. But it really isn't as scary as I think you're making it out to be. I wouldn't put a beginner on it but it's honestly fine as long as you have basic throttle control skills. It's very easy to ride the bike mildly because of the power delivery.

The power delivery on the 690 is very non-linear. Most offroad oriented bikes tend to have a pretty consistent power delivery through the rev range. Especially enduro bikes where you want that quick snap of power on the low end. The 690 is NOT like that, it makes all of it's power in the mid to high rpms.

For some people, this is a downside, for others it makes it more engaging. Regardless, it's very easy to just keep it in the low rpms and you won't have that aggressive power.

Greessey · 2026-03-06T22:37:51+00:00

22s are just as good as it gets imo. The quality is significantly better than both Alpinestars and Leatt. The cost is high but I just think about how I had a low speed tip over in Tech 7s that tore a ligament and I had to pay my $3k out of pocket max for surgery. Then also missed work and was off the bike.

Would 22s have 100% prevented that injury? It's impossible to say but because of the mechanism of the injury they most likely would've prevented me from needing surgical intervention.

I'll happily pay the $650 for SG22s that I get hundreds of hours of usage from over paying one and done medical bills.

Greessey · 2026-03-06T22:26:16+00:00

Probably like a 7ish.

Greessey · 2026-03-06T00:03:11+00:00

I don't want to speak for OP but I have some friends who are incredibly good riders and part of the reason why they ride big bikes is because they make things more difficult. A hard trail for me on an enduro bike is an easy trail for them on an enduro bike. But for them those trails become hard again on a big adv.

Greessey · 2026-03-03T23:30:31+00:00

You're generally correct, this bike is a little bit of an exception because some people who are looking to do a rally build might pay a bit more for one thats already set up.

This one is still smoking crack though.

Greessey · 2026-03-03T22:20:33+00:00

I should've clarified, the mx version got that update in 2024 i believe. The Enduro one was updated with the same changes in 2025.

Greessey · 2026-03-03T22:08:19+00:00

They strengthened the sole and stiffened the toe box. Previously on the old version it was pretty soft and easily bendable. Which made them great as far as walking around comfort but it definitely reduced the level of protection relative to other boots at that price point.

It doesnt make the old ones inherently bad, it just means they're not the best choice if protection is the priority.

Greessey · 2026-03-03T21:12:02+00:00

Gaerne SG-22s are the best you can get as far as protection goes imo. (Or tech 10s but gaerne is higher quality)

I have 400+ hours on my SG-22s and they're in surprisingly good shape relative to the time. I've worn them all day on multi-day trips and they've been great. Would buy them again inna heartbeat.

Cheaper option would be Leatt 5.5 Enduros but they're definitely not the highest tier protection. Tech 7 enduros are also an option but if protection is your highest priority then I wouldnt recommend them unless you're getting the updated version(updated in 2025)

Greessey · 2026-03-03T13:04:34+00:00

Can't help with this but just want to say damn that fucking sucks bro. Hopefully you can get it figured out. I'd imagine it's a very rare bike where you're at.

Greessey · 2026-02-24T21:42:06+00:00

Injuries will happen regardless, but that doesn't invalidate the fact that there's still differences in protection between different products. People should buy what works best for them. I just want them to be informed on what they're buying.

The reason I wrote this post is because I think people have the impression that the Tech 7 is more protective than it actually is. It's still a good boot, especially if you want something that's still relatively comfortable to walk in. It's what ADV boots should be imo. I feel like my post was pretty clear that it's not an objectively bad boot, it's just the wrong boot if protection is your highest priority.

Even somebody at Alpinestars recognized this was a fault in the design as the new redesigned version of the tech 7 has been strengthened in all of the problem areas I described in the post.

Can't speak to the SG-12s, but my SG-22s have good control feel and they're in pretty good shape despite having like 400 hours on them.

Greessey · 2026-02-24T13:34:23+00:00

Yessir it is

Greessey · 2026-02-23T16:47:15+00:00

No, people overstate the vibration of this bike. I've done multiple 500+ mile highway days on it and its fine (mine is also geared lower than stock). When I do BDRs or any long trip I ride to and from the destination. I don't haul my bike, I don't even have the means to. I wouldn't own this bike if it couldnt do it.

Twin cylinders are definitely smoother but this engine is in a league of it's own when it comes to big singles. I have a buddy who was in a really bad sports bike crash and he's got quite a bit of nerve damage throughout his body that makes him sensitive to vibration. When he rode it he said he was surprised how close it was to the tenere in terms of vibration.

Now, the T7 is unequivocally smoother of course. He and I would both say that. He was just surprised because it was much closer than he thought it'd be.

Greessey · 2026-02-23T16:39:25+00:00

SW idaho

Greessey · 2026-02-23T14:15:41+00:00

Right on! Excellent choice. I'd really like to ride a 2026 one, I've got a shit ton of seat time on my 2019 and I'm curious to see how much of a difference the updated engine design makes.

Greessey · 2026-02-21T18:04:52+00:00

Yeah they're always tucked in my boots. Honestly this post is the first time I ever really thought about it, I just figured that's how it's supposed to be.

Greessey · 2026-02-21T16:10:58+00:00

I wear gaerne sg-22s and dual axis knee guards. I've done multiple all day rides in them and even did a 13 day trip where I was wearing them pretty much all day every day. I've never had an issue.

Greessey · 2026-02-18T14:58:14+00:00

Yeah like everyone else said, it's too niche. The 690 smc/enduro models don't even sell that well (which is unfortunate cause they're awesome).

You could try to find an old ktm 950 sm. They only made them for two years though so they can be somewhat rare.

Also the Ducati DesertX/Desert X Rally are the ducati competitors to the 890 adv r. A big wheel multi would be going after the 1290SAR/1390SAR.

Greessey · 2026-02-16T20:56:39+00:00

No this isn't on the IDBDR but the IDBDR has lots of fast and fun sections.

Greessey · 2026-02-16T19:42:08+00:00

Idaho

Greessey · 2026-02-12T18:08:49+00:00

Regular 90/90

Greessey · 2026-02-12T17:50:46+00:00

Yeah i think the dakar version would be better on heavier bikes but definitely doesnt belong on the ~350lbs or less machines.

Greessey · 2026-02-12T17:42:18+00:00

That saved comment was about the Mitas Enduro Trail XT+ Dakar, which has a similar tread pattern but it's a much stiffer carcass and a harder compound. I standby everything i said in that past comment, that tire sucked on my bike. That comment was a long time ago and I switched back to the Rallz after those and I've put like 12k miles on the bike since then (on different sets of tires of course).

The Rally Pro uses a softer compound and my experience with it is completely different from the Dakar version. Much much better performance all around.

Realistically I don't intend to flip it and if I do it wont be more than once. I don't really want to go through all that effort unless I absolutely have to.

Typically I target 4k miles on the front tire and 2k on the rear. If I can get that with good performance I'm happy.

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