We were flabbergasted after we heard that the KTM 390 Adventure was not being previewed at EICMA, until they announced these little 690cc ‘R’ cousins, the 690 SMC R and the 690 Enduro R. Both the bikes are powered by the most powerful single cylinder engine, a 690cc motor that churns out 74bhp and 73.5Nm of peak twist. The SMC ‘R’ and the Enduro ‘R’ seem to be built on the same frame, however built for different uses.
The 690 SMC ‘R’ is a supermoto bike that is powered by KTM’s latest gen LC4 motor. At 74bhp, it is crowned the worlds most powerful production single cylinder engine. KTM engineers havenot only worked to make this Supermoto more punchier, but also more practical. The fuel tank capacity has gone up by 1.5-litres 13.5-litres.
The bodywork has also been reworked to be sharper and more slimmer. The lightweight handlebar is rubber-mounted, four position adjustable and is fitted with adjustable brake and clutch levers. The seat has also been made more comfier with improved ergonomics, also available is a seat height reduces that manages a -40mm reduction and is available as a KTM PowerPart.
Assuming that the owner of the 690 SMC ‘R’ would be an aggressive track junkie, the bike features fully adjustable WP Apex 48 upside-down forks at the front with separated damping in each tube. At the rear it is equipped with a fully adjustable WP Apex shock absorber connected to a single piece cast swingarm via linkages. ‘Late’ braking duties are carried out by a 320mm disc with radially mounted Brembo 4-piston calipers at the front and 240mm disc with 2-piston caliper at the rear.
This Enduro bike is built to take on both tarmac and trails with absolute ease. Again, powered by the 690cc LC4, single cylinder motor seen in the SMC ‘R’, that puts out 74bhp and 73.5Nm of torque. The motor is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and come with a Quickshifter + for seamless up and down shifts. This too has improved practicality with a bigger 15 litre fuel tank and a new chassis frame. To be of optimum use on trail rides the Enduro is fitted with 21-inch rims at the front and a 18-inch at the rear wrapped in Mitas E07 tires. The wheel hubs are CNC milled and lightweight.
Aiding in its offroad capability are full adjustable WP Xplor suspension at both ends. The rear WP Xplor shock absorber connected to the single-piece cast swingarm by linkage has a high resistance against bottoming out. The Enduro ‘R’ also features a host of riding electronics, such as lean sensitive braking, traction function with two riding modes Street and Offroad. The bike is equipped with Offroad ABS that allows considerable amount of rear wheel lockup.