[Algarve Nick]

Hyperpete, despatch riders, especially long distance ones do big mileages. I took a R1100GS from 4K to 95K miles, and if I hadn't written the 950 off at 19,500 miles I'd still have it, which would mean that it would have over 68K miles on it by now. I wonder how it would be fairing.

 

[Dan1]

in case it stops...

Just give me a dial, will grab a trailer and come get ya......providing your past Charters Towers, if its before that I'll send one of the others boys that may be closer.

 

[Bikeaddict]

This convo is definitely interesting I was about today gonna buy a 2013 duke 690 but I'm still confused, the deal was I give him my 2016 kawasaki z250 and give him a 1000 bucks for the duke 690 but I want to know which bike is better, more lasting, fun and less mechanic paying so I still wanna know the answer can a duke 690 last as an everyday bike? Because I'm willing to keep it as a main bike I know the kawasaki z250 is better as an everyday bike but it feels small im 6'3 180 pounds kinda need more power I've got a 2003 zx6r but I can't ride it everyday it overheats in traffic a lot and kinda hard to drive in heavy traffics

 

[Bikeaddict]

This convo is definitely interesting I was about today gonna buy a 2013 duke 690 but I'm still confused, the deal was I give him my 2016 kawasaki z250 and give him a 1000 bucks for the duke 690 but I want to know which bike is better, more lasting, fun and less mechanic paying so I still wanna know the answer can a duke 690 last as an everyday bike? Because I'm willing to keep it as a main bike I know the kawasaki z250 is better as an everyday bike but it feels small im 6'3 180 pounds kinda need more power I've got a 2003 zx6r but I can't ride it everyday it overheats in traffic a lot and kinda hard to drive in heavy traffics

And ya forgot to mention the duke has 21k km on it not bad right? and my z has 19k

 

[todds]

I hope it lasts, I regularly get 100+ thousand miles out of my old BMWs before I swap them for something else. My 2018 690 Duke is my primary transportation. I put 10k miles on it last year even though I was laid off for a while, commuted for a while on my K75S, and working from home most the year. It better last as long as those old BMWs I pick up for a couple grand and never bother doing maintenance on them...

 

[usedtobefast]

This convo is definitely interesting I was about today gonna buy a 2013 duke 690 but I'm still confused, the deal was I give him my 2016 kawasaki z250 and give him a 1000 bucks for the duke 690 but I want to know which bike is better, more lasting, fun and less mechanic paying so I still wanna know the answer can a duke 690 last as an everyday bike? Because I'm willing to keep it as a main bike I know the kawasaki z250 is better as an everyday bike but it feels small im 6'3 180 pounds kinda need more power I've got a 2003 zx6r but I can't ride it everyday it overheats in traffic a lot and kinda hard to drive in heavy traffics

So a 8 year old thread brought back to life.

I think the z250 could tolerate neglect better than a 690. Like on a 690, if you don't check the oil and it burns a bit and then it runs low and you mess up the engine ... is that a 690 flaw? Or say on the 690 the rocker bearings start to wear and the owner notices it doing a valve adjustment and buys the parts and replaces them ... vs an owner that just never gets the valves adjusted ... again, 690 flaw?

So I'd say the z250 is more of a drive it and maybe do a wee bit of taking care of it and no worries if you kind of ignore things, it will still run. And since most owners are more like this, the z250 would last longer for most owners.

And your zx6r should not overheat, so something is wrong on that bike to make it do that.

One thing to consider, a Yamaha MT-07 or FZ-07 (same bike, names changed in the US) ... super reliable, super fun, similar fun as a 690 but needs less attention, the 07 valve adjustment schedule is something crazy like every 24000 miles! Not sure about your area, but in my area plenty of these on the used market with 3000-7000 miles on them.

I picked the 690 because it is lighter than the 07, has better suspension, and a bit more leg room (knees less bent on the 690), and I don't mine maintaining my bikes (kind of overdo it, like I will change the oil at 3,000 miles vs 6,000) ... and if the 690 rocker arms are shot around 15K miles I will just replace them and not get all bothered by it.

 

[Bikeaddict]

I hope it lasts, I regularly get 100+ thousand miles out of my old BMWs before I swap them for something else. My 2018 690 Duke is my primary transportation. I put 10k miles on it last year even though I was laid off for a while, commuted for a while on my K75S, and working from home most the year. It better last as long as those old BMWs I pick up for a couple grand and never bother doing maintenance on them...

Ah I see BMWs are the most expensive in my country unfortunately wish could get a gs or some supermotos like a dorsoduro.

 

[todds]

Ah I see BMWs are the most expensive in my country unfortunately wish could get a gs or some supermotos like a dorsoduro

I stick with old BMWs from the 70s through the early 90s. BMWs after that were no longer reliable or cheap! If you want a bike to last forever without any maintenance, pick up a K75 for $2,000.

I do think, if the Duke 690 is burning oil or rocker arms fail, those are design flaws. Proper fitting/quality cylinders and rings should not allow much of any oil by to be burned. Properly engineered and manufactured rocker arms should never fail. My Duke fuel tank leaks, properly designed/manufactured fuel tanks should not leak. The 690 is full of design flaws, intentional or otherwise.

 

[Bikeaddict]

So a 8 year old thread brought back to life.

I think the z250 could tolerate neglect better than a 690. Like on a 690, if you don't check the oil and it burns a bit and then it runs low and you mess up the engine ... is that a 690 flaw? Or say on the 690 the rocker bearings start to wear and the owner notices it doing a valve adjustment and buys the parts and replaces them ... vs an owner that just never gets the valves adjusted ... again, 690 flaw?

So I'd say the z250 is more of a drive it and maybe do a wee bit of taking care of it and no worries if you kind of ignore things, it will still run. And since most owners are more like this, the z250 would last longer for most owners.

And your zx6r should not overheat, so something is wrong on that bike to make it do that.

One thing to consider, a Yamaha MT-07 or FZ-07 (same bike, names changed in the US) ... super reliable, super fun, similar fun as a 690 but needs less attention, the 07 valve adjustment schedule is something crazy like every 24000 miles! Not sure about your area, but in my area plenty of these on the used market with 3000-7000 miles on them.

I picked the 690 because it is lighter than the 07, has better suspension, and a bit more leg room (knees less bent on the 690), and I don't mine maintaining my bikes (kind of overdo it, like I will change the oil at 3,000 miles vs 6,000) ... and if the 690 rocker arms are shot around 15K miles I will just replace them and not get all bothered by it.

Thanks a lot for asnwering me didn't expect someone to answer me tbh🙂 anyways, the problem here is that I'm 18 years old I wish I could get an fzo7 in terms of reliability It's a lot better than the 690 duke but it's price is close to 6-7k$ in Lebanon and idk if you guys heard we have a $ crisis in here and I'm still too young to be capable of getting 7k unfortunately anyways to the point we were talking about, so if I heard you right you still have your 690 and you still ride it? How many miles have you ridden in those 2 years? And what mechanics have you paid for? And the problem in my zx6r is the radiator it's not doing its job correctly I'm kinda sick of old bikes you know what I mean? Its a 2003 or 2002 zx6r kinda forgot I've been paying for thr past 2 years on it and it wasn't still enough to get it in a good shape (mechanically) that's why I've been searching for new bikes since they tend to last longer than old ones. i thank you again for responding to my message and hope to get enough info about this ktm cuz tomorrow is probably the day I'm trading it if it's clean and doesn't need any repairs.

 

[Bikeaddict]

I stick with old BMWs from the 70s through the early 90s. BMWs after that were no longer reliable or cheap! If you want a bike to last forever without any maintenance, pick up a K75 for $2,000.

I do think, if the Duke 690 is burning oil or rocker arms fail, those are design flaws. Proper fitting/quality cylinders and rings should not allow much of any oil by to be burned. Properly engineered and manufactured rocker arms should never fail. My Duke fuel tank leaks, properly designed/manufactured fuel tanks should not leak. The 690 is full of design flaws, intentional or otherwise.

Damn that's weird but for such prices why would the ktm have so many flaws I mean their bikes are pretty expensive you get what I mean? The only reason I'm considering this ktm 690 it's because of its price I mean 4k$ is a great price for a 2013 duke 690 with 11k miles on it right? But I'm actually not ready for heavy maintenances especially for KTMs you can't take them to any dealerships the KTM company would be a great idea since other dealships are less experienced in my country

 

[Bikeaddict]

Hyperpete, despatch riders, especially long distance ones do big mileages. I took a R1100GS from 4K to 95K miles, and if I hadn't written the 950 off at 19,500 miles I'd still have it, which would mean that it would have over 68K miles on it by now. I wonder how it would be fairing.

Thanks a lot for asnwering me didn't expect someone to answer me anyways, the problem here is that I'm 18 years old I wish I could get an fzo7 in terms of reliability It's a lot better than the 690 duke but it's price is close to 6-7k$ in Lebanon and idk if you guys heard we have a $ crisis in here and I'm still too young to be capable of getting 7k unfortunately anyways to the point we were talking about, so if I heard you right you still have your 690 and you still ride it? How many miles have you ridden in those 2 years? And what mechanics have you paid for? And the problem in my zx6r is the radiator it's not doing its job correctly I'm kinda sick of old bikes you know what I mean? Its a 2003 or 2002 zx6r kinda forgot I've been paying for thr past 2 years on it and it wasn't still enough to get it in a good shape (mechanically) that's why I've been searching for new bikes since they tend to last longer than old ones. i thank you again for responding to my message and hope to get enough info about this ktm cuz tomorrow is probably the day I'm trading it if it's clean and doesn't need any repairs since approximately 4k$ for a 2013 duke 690 is a great deal right? But im still not sure if its a good idea to buy a bike with 21k km on it what do you think?

 

[usedtobefast]

Could you sell your zx6r and your z250 and then pick up a used FZ-07? If so, that might be a great choice. Fun zippy bike, super reliable, low maintenance.

I think part of the issue with KTM is they began as a dirt bike company, and was a dirt bike company for a fairly long time. So they are used to people taking their dirt bike pistons out at 100 hours of use and maybe replacing rings/pistons. Like they expect the owner to be interested/willing to pull their bike apart with no worry. So for KTM, having valve adjustments needed every 6000 miles seems like a super long time to KTM! They probably think their racing 450 4 strokes would already be rebuilt twice by 6000 miles.

But ... if you can test ride the 690 and you love it and you could easily resell it where you live with no issues ... the risk is kind of low. But you shouldn't expect to just ride and ride and ride and never pay much attention to it.

Good luck!

 

[Bikeaddict]

Could you sell your zx6r and your z250 and then pick up a used FZ-07? If so, that might be a great choice. Fun zippy bike, super reliable, low maintenance.

I think part of the issue with KTM is they began as a dirt bike company, and was a dirt bike company for a fairly long time. So they are used to people taking their dirt bike pistons out at 100 hours of use and maybe replacing rings/pistons. Like they expect the owner to be interested/willing to pull their bike apart with no worry. So for KTM, having valve adjustments needed every 6000 miles seems like a super long time to KTM! They probably think their racing 450 4 strokes would already be rebuilt twice by 6000 miles.

But ... if you can test ride the 690 and you love it and you could easily resell it where you live with no issues ... the risk is kind of low. But you shouldn't expect to just ride and ride and ride and never pay much attention to it.

Good luck!

You got a great point naked bikes were always in my mind since I was having trouble with sportsbike been riding bikes since I was 13 years old and changed bikes more than 30 times you know trades and stuff but I'm willing to stick to a permanent bike for myself(around 6-7 years until I'm capable of buying a new reliable bike) since now im first year college student so I still got 1 question to ask you what should I expect to work on and repair in these 7 years if im willing to get the 690 duke 1 thing to keep in my my country is prettyyy small so my rides are limited ima say 60-80km max if my ride is outside town

 

[Bikeaddict]

Could you sell your zx6r and your z250 and then pick up a used FZ-07? If so, that might be a great choice. Fun zippy bike, super reliable, low maintenance.

I think part of the issue with KTM is they began as a dirt bike company, and was a dirt bike company for a fairly long time. So they are used to people taking their dirt bike pistons out at 100 hours of use and maybe replacing rings/pistons. Like they expect the owner to be interested/willing to pull their bike apart with no worry. So for KTM, having valve adjustments needed every 6000 miles seems like a super long time to KTM! They probably think their racing 450 4 strokes would already be rebuilt twice by 6000 miles.

But ... if you can test ride the 690 and you love it and you could easily resell it where you live with no issues ... the risk is kind of low. But you shouldn't expect to just ride and ride and ride and never pay much attention to it.

Good luck!

And ya to answer your question, that could be a great idea ima say my zx6r can get me around 2k$ and my z250 around 2200$ I think? Ill add around 600$ thats around 5k so yeah probably a good idea ima check some used fz07s and update here the prices that I found

 

[Bikeaddict]

So I've taken a look into the lebanese market unfortunately no mt07 can be found found some mt10 -mt09 around 7k-9k$ although what I noticed is a lot of euro bikes like the aprillia shiver and manas some ducati monsters what do you think of them? Are they as reliable as the fz07 I don't know if they're equivalent to the fz series in terms of reliability but they're also twin cylinders naked street bikes

 

[todds]

So I've taken a look into the lebanese market unfortunately no mt07 can be found found some mt10 -mt09 around 7k-9k$ although what I noticed is a lot of euro bikes like the aprillia shiver and manas some ducati monsters what do you think of them? Are they as reliable as the fz07 I don't know if they're equivalent to the fz series in terms of reliability but they're also twin cylinders naked street bikes

A Suzuki SV650 is a wonderful bike. I would choose one of those before I chose a Ducati Monster. I owned a Monster and was glad to get rid of it. I've actually found that old bikes are more reliable than new bikes. The cynical side in me tends to think that the manufacturers use this as a way to keep their service centers busy and to keep you coming back in to the dealership ready to trade in your troubles for something new, yet again. It's more likely that bikes are becoming more complicated and manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce cost and maximize profits. A rider's expectation is low, the majority of riders put between 8 - 11,000 kilometers on a bike - ever. There is no good reason to make them last.

I would look into the FZ-6, YZF600R, SZR660, etc, but I have had tons of luck with Yamahas. When I bought my 690 Duke, I didn't expect that it would be as reliable or as much of a good decision as an older Yamaha or BMW. I bought the Duke because it is a fun bike, I felt it is KTM's last best effort and there will never be another bike with such a strong adherence to an ideal (it must be a single and it must be the best). The twins seem like a sellout to me. Sure, they will have better performance but that's not always what it's about, is it?

 

[Bikeaddict]

A Suzuki SV650 is a wonderful bike. I would choose one of those before I chose a Ducati Monster. I owned a Monster and was glad to get rid of it. I've actually found that old bikes are more reliable than new bikes. The cynical side in me tends to think that the manufacturers use this as a way to keep their service centers busy and to keep you coming back in to the dealership ready to trade in your troubles for something new, yet again. It's more likely that bikes are becoming more complicated and manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce cost and maximize profits. A rider's expectation is low, the majority of riders put between 8 - 11,000 kilometers on a bike - ever. There is no good reason to make them last.

I would look into the FZ-6, YZF600R, SZR660, etc, but I have had tons of luck with Yamahas. When I bought my 690 Duke, I didn't expect that it would be as reliable or as much of a good decision as an older Yamaha or BMW. I bought the Duke because it is a fun bike, I felt it is KTM's last best effort and there will never be another bike with such a strong adherence to an ideal (it must be a single and it must be the best). The twins seem like a sellout to me. Sure, they will have better performance but that's not always what it's about, is it?

I agree with you but 90% of the bikes you listed cannot be found in my country bikes are pretty limited here except for scooters I've got 3 scooters and they're pretty boring tbh what are your thoughts on the aprillia mana/shiver and the ktm 690duke(2013)

 

[todds]

No contest. The Aprilia is an over weight, underpowered bike with an automatic transmission. Not anywhere interesting to me. I prefer the 2016 and newer 690 engine but plenty of people enjoy the 2013 version. I don’t have any opinion on which would be less costly to maintain or more likely to need repairs.

 

[Bikeaddict]

No contest. The Aprilia is an over weight, underpowered bike with an automatic transmission. Not anywhere interesting to me. I prefer the 2016 and newer 690 engine but plenty of people enjoy the 2013 version. I don’t have any opinion on which would be less costly to maintain or more likely to need repairs.

Wait what? Automatic transmission? Which ones u dont mean the mana or monster?

 

[todds]

How about the Yamaha MT-03? That is a modern version of the SZR and was available in Lebanon. Also, it’s a bit too much motorcycle but the GSXR600 is also an excellent bike. Facebook Groups