KTM 690 Enduro R

KTM 690 Enduro R...

I know it’s a bad idea to be surfing websites about motorcycles you don’t have the money for. Especially when you have a mighty fine KLR650 in the driveway, but I’m only human and sometimes I do the wrong thing…=-) Click on the image above for some specs.

The other side...

I’ve been stoked about the KTM 690R lately and can’t help lusting after it a bit. I was driving past my local KTM dealer the other day and nearly went inside to check it out and find out the price. I knew that was going too far…sort of like it’s okay to appreciate your wife’s sister in her bikini at your pool party, but grabbing her ass – not so much!….=-)

Naked view...

So I’ll just admire this fine bike from a distance and I won’t tell my KLR anything about it.

KTM Supermoto Fender

White KTM fender installed…

The stock front fender on a KLR650 is huge and not everyone loves how it looks. The size contributes to some instability at highway speeds when the wind is gusting or you are in turbulent air around vehicles.

She’s a bit smaller…

I had heard the KTM Supermoto fender was a nearly bolt on mod for the KLR.

New and old…

So I figured I would try it out and see what I think. You can buy these KTM fenders online for as little as $25 + shipping.

View from below…

The mounting holes on the KTM fender are close, but not exactly where they need to be for the KLR. You’ll need a Dremel tool to enlarge the holes a bit. It’s nothing major – about a 1 beer job if you aren’t anal and a 2 beer job if you want it to look pretty.

Side view…

I did a rough job and got it on fast. You’ll need to deal with the speedo cable that is running through a bracket riveted on the right side of the stock fender. I just drilled out the front rivet and left the rear part of the bracket on the fender in case I wanted to reinstall it later. You can relocate the bracket to the KTM fender, but it isn’t needed.

Here is the stock bike for comparison…

So far the KTM fender is working well. I need more time to road test it on the highway and see what I think. I’ve heard that some people prefer the larger stock fender for rain riding as it provides more protection. I’ll have to figure out how I feel about both fenders. Swapping them is a 3-5 min job so I may end up using both of them depending on what sort of riding I’m doing at the moment.