I have seen pictures of the big KTM 690R on Timbersleds website but I have not seen any video of it in action. I would love to have this bike for summer and if it works well in the snow it would be ideal for me. The 2012 690R have a claimed 68HP and 51 lb ft of torque! I know it is heavy but with that power and EFI I would assume it would be fine for some one my size (6'5'' 300lbs). If anyone has one please chime in. Road, dirt, and snow would be awesome year round fun! 50MPG is a great bonus also.
To heavy!! You would be hating life off the trail. If you have the coin get a 450 race bike if you don't you can do like I did and get a CR500.
As an update to my CR500 build I now have 4 rides on it and after some gear and pipe swapping it now rips on the snow. For anybody that has a CR500 or is looking to convert one I would recommend the FMF gnarly pipe and 14-20-17-17 gearing. Prior to the gnarly pipe and above mentioned gearing I tired several different gearing combinations with a PC (pro circuit) pipe and I believe the gnarly and gearing combo mentioned to be optimal from what I have tested. The gnarly pipe alone was a night and day difference, the PC lacks low end torque and like to over rev which equals lots of vibration. The 14-20-17-17 gearing is equal to 13-17-17-20 but in order to get the drive chain down on the sprocket to get my master link in I had to use a c-clamp and press the chain down onto the sprocket, this made the chain tighter than I was comfortable with hence the other option. The only problem with running two 17 tooth sprockets in your chain case is that either the chain is to long or to short so you have two options, you can buy a half link and keep the idler/tension sprocket or you can remove the idler/tension sprocket along with the two aluminum standoff's. I didn't have a half link and was planning on riding the next day so I chose option two and it actually works really well and I don't feel that the chain is much looser than I would run it with the idler/tension sprocket, let put it this way I couldn't get the master on without taking one of the sprockets off.
Before I figured out the pipe and gearing combination that I am now running I was pretty disappointed in the CR500, I rode my buddies 12' KTM 500 and it made my CR500 feel like a turd. At that point I was pissed and about ready to sell the CR500 but after I cooled off a bit I decided to try my buddies gnarly pipe and I felt the gearing was not optimal I couldn't hold track speed because I was over revving third and couldn't hold 4th so I geared up a little and am loving the bike now. With my current setup I have rode the last two weekends with that same KTM500 and the CR500 definitely has a power advantage over the KTM500 and I think it handles better too. I will say that after riding that KTM 500 with a new (12') timbersled kit I think the newer suspension is much plusher than the first year kits and for some reason they roll a lot easier than any first year kit I have been around.
With the good comes the bad and the vibration of the CR500 at the handle bars is something you will definitely notice. With the PC pipe the vibrations were almost unbearable by the end of the day due to having to rev the engine so high to get it on the pipe. With the gnarly pipe I would say the vib's are almost cut in half and although they are still noticeable I can now tolerate it.
I should also mention the fuel mileage because that is something that has been brought up several times as a disadvantage to running a 2stroke. My only real comparison is with the above mentioned 2012 KTM 500 and an near as either one of us can tell they are nearly identical in fuel consumption which really surprised me. This CR500 burns less fuel than my KTM 300 which makes no sense but I guess it is what it is.
So if your looking for a cheap bike that's easy to maintain and has more than enough power to hang with those expensive, loud, thumpers I would say the CR500 is a very good option.
