Just saw a 2012 yesterday and played with it. Actually it was a pretty cool how it happened. I'm on a 3 week vacation buzzing thru Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (not so much vacation ) and in Bangkok was looking for a shop to work on my bike. (I'm not on the KTM - I'm riding a KLX250/351; 690 doesn't go that far from home!) Anyways it's been a while since I've been somewhere where I don't speak the languae let alone the script and I had spent hours on google maps/advrider/hand motions to taxi drivers trying to find 3 motorcycle shops in this congested city of 13 million! (At least on the KTM you don't have try to figure out how to say "mikuki 147.5 main jet" in Thai" - not in a single dictionary I found!) Anyways after giving up 7 hours later I decided to go to some glitzy mall some fellow tourists were going to. Normally I hate those places - the guys I heard about it from were obviously into the kind of things I'm not but I was really craving AC and a Starbucks. Walk in the mall and there in front of me was a massive Dainese display - I thought this may be a cooler mall than I thought! Then I see a new RC8 and a KTM X-bow car! 100 meters later there were about 50 new Kawasaki's and all of Kawasaki's top brass was there (best chance for figuring out how to say "mikuni 147.5 main jet" in Thai and writing it down and keeping it if I get it!). Long story short Honda, Triumph, Harley and yes KTM were all there. I've had the 2008 and '11 690's. The 2012 looked/felt shorter to me than the 2008 but it's been a while since I've seen my 8. It was a gauge back to the 08 style which to be honest I really would like if it didn't break all the time. I could be wrong, but the rake/trail seemed a tad different too; my feeling was that it would be better on the road, more stable at high speeds but not as good in the dirt. It's been a year + that I've seen/ridden my 08 so I may be whacked on that perception it appears to me the 2012 would be more road oriented than the 08 even with the rake and trail and of course the 09-11's the best off road. I left my camera - I may go back to said glitzy malls though not just you guys pictures though but because they had a cold stone ice cream there!
I had 6 fractures in my wrist when I bumped into my buddy with 40km/h when he suddenly stopped in the middle of the road... Not a great way to end a great day of off-roading somewhere in the German woods... That's 2,5 years ago and my wrist will never be the same. I still ride and climb though. I'm unstoppable :)
I don't think the 2012 has $1000 more ability/benefit than a bike a year older....A pal just bought a new 2011 off the floor for a $1700 price reduction apparently offered by KTM Canada....he paid $11,000 (including 12% tax he said....but motorcycle guys a lot). Use the $1000 for a new seat and hard parts/FMF Q4...
Last year I replaced the stock headlight on my '09 690. I bought a used Trail Tech X2 HID from a lister here...it was great for several weeks and then the bulbs and/or ballasts burned out within a month or so (I was third owner of light apparently): http://trailtech.net/ktm-x2-kits.html Last fall I began to make some calls to Trail Tech and the folks I talked to seemed knowledgeable yet were varying in their opinions. One person said that they offered ballast upgrades (newer models) that were better...and said that HID bulbs were for racing and wouldn't last as everyday driving lights......and another said that they had newer ballasts and that the HID bulbs should last for a long time (no mechanical elements to break as they used gas for the light....and that HID bulbs ran cooler than halogen bulbs....something I have read in other places). So, over the months and not riding, I started all over again with them. Last week I called TT again and got the following info: Yes we can sell you new ballasts $50 and $60 each (one for low beam, one for high) Yes we can sell you new bulbs ($75 for 2" low beam; $85 for 4" high beam)....:eek1:eek1 I asked if I could install their halogen bulbs in the same nacelle ( low beam and high for $15 each) and the guy said the wiring could get complicated... So, I asked, "What would you do to save money with this system?" He suggested I buy a whole new halogen unit for $100. That started to sound good.....so I went back to their website and found that I had to choose between their Offroad X2 and their On/off road halogen unit..... So, I called them back and asked WTF is the difference??? The nice lady said: "The offroad halogen low beam is not DOT approved as it does not have a "clipped beam"...and will shine more light into oncoming traffic....the on/offroad has a low beam PROJECTOR bulb that "is clipped" (imagine circumcising a bulb???)....but you can't have the clear plastic protector lens on the on/off road unit as the projector bulb sticks out too far". So we discussed the ethics of blinding oncoming traffic vs good light coverage and had a chuckle. I thought about it all, asked if I could install higher wattage than their stock 35 watt H1 (low beam) and H3 (high beam) without melting stuff and was assured I could. So, I ordered the new halogen on-offroad unit....$124 or so. In my research I came across this thread re: lights: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=465594&page=6 Here are some more questions: 1) Is Trail Tech stuff questionable quality? 2) Experience of other riders???? 3) I like the look of those 7" and 8" round race lights....who makes them with a hi and lo beam (TT is just high beam) 4) $300 a year for lighting is just a bit much, don't you think? And just to really screw me up, my friend sent me this right after I ordered the Halogen: Baja Designs LED: $350....(lasts a million hours ) http://www.bajadesigns.com/ProductDetail/6601004R_Squadron-Led-Motorcycle-Racelight Comments, suggestions, donations....?
There full of crap I have a hybrid because the ballast kept blowing My light low beam halogen hi beam HID very easy to wire Plug and play pull the ballast out plug in the halogen done , I did get creative from the light to the bike so could have hi-low beams even that was pretty simple
i have the HID x2 from TT. imo great idea, very poor execution. had to send it back 3 times with less than one mile on it. every time i hit a bump the light would go out. (im not talking off road. im talking in my driveway.) the ballasts are junk. all three of the lights did this. you could gently tap the light with your hand and it would go out...they would refire but it took 5-10 seconds...not helpful in the dark. i have kits from DDM tuning on my triumph which were 25$ for the bulb and the ballast and they are 100% better in quality and performance. there customer service is good. they sent a replacement light right away every time. so all in all i would stay away. (from the HID at least.)
I am currently running the Trail Tech X2 HID on my 2009 690r. I have had it a few months more or less and have done 3-4 rides totaling maybe 20 hours on the low beam. Still working so far. They told me that everything is better now and it should last a long time but I guess I will actually SEE how long it lasts!
Bought one of the halogens. Now it's sitting on the shelf $$$ down the drain: Pros: Looks great Well made Cons: Heavy Doesn't fit Not much more light than the stocker Did I mention heavy and ill fitting and feeble?
If you spend the money on new ballasts they'll blow out again. I've heard complaints over and over about them. Retrofit a BiXenon HID, with ballasts from HID50 into a 08 (deeper) headlight mask.
The kits from HID50 certainly seem to be the business. Walter Colebatch has been using their stuff and has not mentioned having any issues with these. Definitely on my shopping list too.
Well, while that's true, that particular incident I got knocked off my bike. It was in a race at Texas World, going into turn 3. The guy I had passed coming out of turn 2 got all target fixated on me and T-boned me. :eek1
Ouch. I feel your pain but all of my wrecks can be 100% attributed to my own lack of focus. Lucky though I've walked away from all of them except for the last. A 100 mile ambulance ride and 8 hours in the emergency room with the worlds shittiest insurance. My credit card company was happy that day.
Since lots of you guys talked about getting your bikes ready for the riding season, I thought I'd give you a taste of my ride from Friday. It was too muddy around my place, so we headed about 150 kilometers south to the desert. Riding season? We call it a "year" around this part of the world.
Damn, you sure know how to win friends with thosemofmus freezing in this Siberian temperature and nothing but icy roads and cold garages
1) No question about the quality - it's My experience with TT HID (SCMR16's) was not good. "It's 2nd gen, we've fixed it" was flat out inaccurate. Three times tired of removing, shipping, waiting, hounding service, repeat. That spend is now sitting on a shelf headed for target practice. I know we are talking a different model but similar technology and matching sales pitch. ymmv. 2) Give LED a close look. I think the light quality of my HID's was somewhat better (SCMR16's really were fantastic light makers - just no reliability) but I'm getting a lot of light for low amps with new solution. I went with led aux lights (visionX) mounted on handle bars, cheap, simple and good redundancy to failure of main. VisionX, Rigid and Clearwater are some builders. LED is the future. 3) I've got the TT race light (halogen - not sure if you mean / they make HID.) Boatman sells a 7" conversion for high/low in vendors and it has worked out well for me. 4) Avoiding that thing you couldn't see and some more staples - priceless.
+1 one on the LEDs. Lot of pluses.... Low wattage, long lifespan, no warm up time, they can take major abuse and most importantly; very reliable. I suggest if you ride your 690 on the street at night go with a LED setup that can dim. During night riding when on low beam you can set the light level of LED so you won't blind on coming traffic. Then when on high beam it will automatically go to full brightness giving you tons of light. I went through the same crap with a HID setup that came with my fairing. I ended up trashing the whole setup and went back to a basic halogen. The worse part with the HID was when riding on the street you're thinking the light is on and then realize you been riding without out it for the past hour.:eek1 It hard enough be seen, especially without a headlight! It's just not safe!