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The 690 is actually quite amazing off-road and has decent highway manners. Mountain single track would be tricky on the 690 but not impossible. I personally view the 690 as a reliable 330 lbs dirt bike, not quite the adventure bike level and definitely not a race bike. Your biggest concern with the 690 would be fuel, as increasing capacity requires auxiliary tanks. Both expensive and bulky.
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If you still have the 300, go the 690/701 as it works so well, and there's no point in having two bikes that are so close in the job they'll do. The 690 will open up a whole new world of moto and moto buddies with overnight trips anywhere and back and you can thank me later.
See if you can get a test ride and find out for yourself.
p.s. get a good steering stabilizer which ever you do. they all get a bit nervous over 70mph and when the 690 will do 100-120 depending on gearing ......... pucker up!
Everybody knows how great the 650R is in that setting, so I won't waste your time.
I was actually VERY SURPRISED at how well the 640E did. The harder I pushed it, the better it performed. I was with a buddy on an EXC525, and the bigger 640 ate that thing for lunch.
I sold the 640E, and bought a 640 AdventureR.
As an adventure bike, the 640 AdventureR was superior. The tank provided about 350 miles of range, racks and panniers were easy, the service intervals between maintenance were nice and long, and the motor was bullet-proof.
I sold it because it kind of wallowed around in the whoops. It was not nearly as capable off-road as the 640E was.
So I sold the AdventureR, and bought a 690 Enduro.
The 690 Enduro is the best bike I have ever owned. It has a VERY LOW center of gravity, so it is surprisingly nimble. It is very competent off-road, and sand, hill climbs, whoops, and jumps are all in its wheelhouse.
I thought about making it as close to the Adventure R as possible (aux tanks, racks, panniers), and decided that was the WRONG thing to do. IF I want a full-on adventure bike, go back and get the 640 AdventureR. But trying to make the 690 like the 640 would be doing the 690 a disservice. It is a much better "dirt bike" than the Adventure, so I am going to try and keep it that way.
I did a 800+ mile loop on it last year (tent, sleeping bag, riding clothes and food all with me), and it did great. Perfect? No, but really good. I was mostly limited by the gas range. 150 miles is about all you can hope for.
I think the 690 is PERFECT for a 30/30/40 split. 30% on single track, 30% on double-track, and 40% on pavement.
Oil changes are easy (service intervals are large), and it is quiet and smooth.
I have desmogged, uncorked the muffler, bumped the TPS and added a JD tuner. And it rips! I rode a box stock 2016 model recently and it felt like a total slug in comparison. I LOVE the PDS suspension and open chambered forks on the KTM vs Husky. I am totally satisfied with the performance and never want to see a linkage again.
The 500 will slay the single track as where the other bikes are certainly going to suffer. Your wants totally depends on your needs. I hate the street and just wanted a plated race bike, so I can legally ride in the national forests. If I wanted to do serious slab I'd opt for the 690/701 or would have kept my FZ1.
Real dirt bike = 500
half dirt, half street = 690/701
IMO
I think you answered the dilemma for yourself with that statement. If you're only concern with roads is connecting one trail to the next, then the 500/501 Dual Sport is the way to go, no question. Although you may be doing long distance "adventure type" riding, you don't sound like an adventure bike guy.
I will say though, those 690s are much lighter and more "dirt bike" feeling than I imagined. I was able to buy a cherry one with 130 miles on it for cheap a few years back and flip it for a decent little profit. Rode it around town and on a quick dirt road and was impressed with it.
I'm about the same weight as Peelout, so that bike is a handful in tight spaces. Bigger guys love it for sure!
My 501 works very well in the dirt, It is kind of sketchy on the pavement, ( I guess that's what makes it good in the dirt)
I've done a bit over 90 miles on the stock fuel tank ( I'm running a 3 gallon now). Oh BTW I don't think your 300 tank will work on the 500 ( Fuel Pump ) but I could be wrong. The thing about the Husqvarna is that you can use some of the same parts as the KTM's if needed. Overall I really enjoy my 501. We did a short ride a few weeks ago in the Cascades, ran into a bit of snow. I don't think we'll be able to get over the pass off road until July.
I've got some friends that wanna hit China Hat in June.
450 is for Eastern Washington.
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The newer 690 will require a suspension overhall though, if you want to cover offroad terrain at speed. In '12 or '13 they shortened the travel by a full 2". A lot of guys just put a motocross fork on and modify the shock or replace it outright with something that restores the original 12" of travel. Ohlins and a few others make direct replacements and fitting a SX/XC fork is fairly straight forward.
Personally, if i was looking at the bikes you are, I'd find a really clean Husaberg 650 and call it a day for the time being. You could pick one up for less than half of your other choices. The extra cash could be spent on outfitting it for exactly whst you want yo do with it. Parts support is stll pretty good at this point.
I have ridden all of these bikes. The older 690, the revamped 690, the 500 EXC, and the Husaberg. They are not directly comparable bikes, and like a lot of posts have mentioned, it's hard to recommend one without know your exact expectations and motivations.
EDIT: I see that the Husky comes set up with a moto fork and the longer shock. This, imho, makes it a more viable option than i originally posted. In fact, this would easily swing me towards that bike over the 690, regardless of parts support.
First, the drawbacks in my mind on the 690. The upfront cost is crazy as you already know. But as a Baja bike or adventure bike it lacks range. To get decent range to make it comparable to other desert sleds is going to cost well over a grand. Thats not a typo. To get 5.5-6 gallons costs a grand or more. You cant just go to Justgastanks.com and order a desert tank for $300 like you can for most other bikes. If you ride supported in group, not a big deal. But we like to get out there and not have to worry about either arranging fuel or worrying which fish camp we can bum/buy gas at.
To a lesser extent and being nitpicky, a lack of kick start and FI. The micro jumper packs are great, so lack of kickstart really is a huge deal breaker. And its my own lack of knowledge on how to fix FI on the trail that I am hung up on. I'll learn a new bag of tricks I guess when I finally get one.
Yep, when the price of one use comes down and I can build one to my tastes for a reasonable price, I'll get one. So the Pro's.
The 690's motor absolutely RIPS in stock form for a thumper. Blows a stock but long in the tooth 650R away. Getting up on top of sand at freeway speeds is childs play for this bike. And the wide ratio transmission lets it lump along at 70mph with out a fuss if you find yourself behind schedule and have to hit the pavement.
It really hides its weight well. I've ridden one with rally tanks (the big ticket item) and in stock form. In stock form it doesnt feel like the 320+lb bike it is until you drop it. The later less suspended ones feel darn near nimble for such a heavy bike when moving. With the rally tanks and taller suspension, you will feel the weight in places where you may have to dab a foot (rock gardens or washes, long rocky climbs). But I wouldnt hesitate to ride to 90+% of the routes in Baja.
The key IMO to the 690 is to compare it to other big thumpers. When you do that, its a F'ing rocket and svelte. If you try to compare it to a 450 or 500 XC/EXC.... well its not a 260lb dirt bike. Its a fricking incredible 320lb desert sled or dual sport. Hope that makes sense.
All bikes are compromises. If your idea of Baja is riding supported and doing nothing but knarly terrain all day, the 450 or 500 is a better choice. If you like to blast the open desert, are willing to spend the $$ to get range, and appreciate the 690's long legs to open up more distance in your ride, the 690 is a great choice.
When the price of one comes down in a couple of years, I'll be picking one up. Just cant justify the price yet for a bike I'd only use a couple times a year. Ridiculously sick bike though for those with the cash now!
For me, I see it as give and take like anything. The 500 or 501 can rip, are still pretty agile, but can cruise the open road *fairly* well (kind of). I'd rather have a lot of fun in the twisty trail sections, as opposed to a a little fun on the trails and 100mph on the open road.
And actually man, the XR650R really is a beast-of-a-great bike for stuff like that. Total tank that is dead-reliable and can be picked up for fraction of the bikes on your list. Yeah I'm sure a lot of stuff would kill it now, but they're still really good.
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