2026 KTM 690 Enduro R Review

Welcome to the world’s most polarizing motorcycle. I say that in partial jest, but I dare you to find a machine pulling stronger opinions, both good and bad, from your riding community. My community is full of opinions—the strongest coming from yours truly—and my people either see the 690 Enduro with unmatched passion through modification-tinted glasses or think it’s the master of nothing.

Photography by Kit Palmer

Whatever camp you fall in, we must agree this is a fanatical machine. It has successfully refused to be put into a box for 15 years. And KTM has not left it alone. It’s been updated, upgraded and improved at regular intervals without being neutered. In fact, I’d say it’s more irresponsible than ever. It’s about as punk rock as dirt bikes get, unapologetically ready for you to make it your own.

For 2026, KTM significantly updated the “most powerful single-cylinder engine on the market” with more power, again. And not because it needs it. But simply because they can. It’s now pushing out a claimed 78 horsepower, adding four ponies to the previous generation. Torque output remains close to the older unit with 53.8 lb-ft claimed, but that torque is now delivered lower in the rpm range for access to more usable power thanks to revised valve timing upstairs. Oh, there’s also a new quick-throw ride-by-wire throttle grip to get you to the power faster.

These gains are thanks to over half of the powerplant being updated with new parts to help meet strict emissions standards and push power output higher. All of this comes with extended recommended service intervals to over 9000 miles between oil changes and more than 37,000 miles for valve-clearance checks.

The extended service intervals (and some power increases) are largely due to a new oiling system built around a single oil pump and redesigned oil passages that reduce drag on the engine by five percent.

A new airbox and exhaust sandwich the motor with a focus on emissions. This bike now meets the strictest Euro5+ standards, but KTM left the door open to more performance gains via slip-on muffler options thanks to the catalytic converter being upstream of the muffler. The airbox is somehow less complex but more emissions-friendly now, too, eliminating the secondary air system (SAS) required on previous generations. Finally, clutch system updates allow the Power Assist Slipper Clutch (PASC) to integrate with the optional Quickshifter+ and have a lighter pull at the lever.

All of that is good and well, but the headline here could easily be the electronics KTM crammed into the 690 Enduro R. Starting at the dashboard, KTM continues its fantastic display trend with a 4.2-inch TFT dashboard here, and I love it. It gives you direct access to information and is easy to read. It’s also mobile-friendly and can connect to your smartphone via KTMconnect.

Behind the screen is where the magic happens.

KTM now loads ride modes into the 690 Enduro R, and it has a memory function, so your settings are saved if you stop and turn off the bike—win! On the 690 Enduro R you get Street and Off-Road modes standard and you can fork over some cash for the rowdy Rally mode. Each of these will adjust the updated cornering traction control and cornering ABS settings appropriately. These really show up in Off-Road mode where ABS is limited in the front and turned off in the rear—a good setting. You can also turn it all off, if desired. If you run Rally mode, you get nine-level slip adjust on the fly and an all-new Dynamic Slip Adjust function. This tech allows the bike to slip more than its current traction control setting to move the bike out of soft sand or mud, for example, by letting the big girl eat more than you’ve limited via the TC setting. You also get Motor Slip Regulation (engine-braking adjustment) and adjustable throttle response in Rally mode. You should get the Rally mode.

The 690 Enduro R chassis is relatively unchanged save for a new skid plate, centerstand mounts and minor frame-flex tweaks. The bodywork gets updated, and there’s a new LED headlight, the same unit from the 390 family of enduro models. The suspension hardware stays the same with updated settings and added damping performance, pushing fork travel back up to 10.4 inches after a few generations of lower travel. Shock travel remains 9.8 inches.

Even with significant performance and durability updates across the board, the KTM 690 Enduro R is unchanged at its core, as polarizing as ever. It’s still a bike between segments, looking for a home. It is undeniably rowdy and blazingly fast, especially when you get the big piston singing in the mid-rpm. Here it simply takes off, and we’re along for the ride.

On the street, it sort of encourages you to jump curbs and act like an absolute hooligan. So, ripping around town or out to a fishing spot can be maximum fun. But for more serious off-road use, it commands some respect. This is due to the bike’s speed potential, for sure, but it also has to do with an odd balance. In slow motion, the bike is a boat, reluctant to turn with precision yet still feeling very heavy on the front wheel and with a high center of gravity. A seat height of nearly 37 inches enhances this feeling. The bike feels inherently top-heavy with vague handling.

Some enduro tires on an enduro bike can do wonders here, but they never eliminate the sensation you’re up high and along for the ride more than you’re in total control. This compounds at speed where you might hit something unpredictable. I wouldn’t trust the front suspension to protect me from a desert obstacle at speed. After all, it’s a 330+ pound dirt bike with nearly 80 horsepower, and while the suspension is adequate at a moderate pace, the reserve isn’t there to save your ass from the big hits when you run out of talent. So, the move here is to slow down and act like you’re on a huge bike (because you are). Enjoy the precision the chassis provides at reasonable speeds.

Thankfully, it’s crazy-easy to lighten the front end for upcoming obstacles with a truckload of power and torque on demand. That is, if you can get the bike to find traction. It’s simply overpowering tires most of the time. This is where Rally mode is a welcome addition. Dial in your preferred wheel slip and go. If you go full analog and reduce electronic intervention to the minimum, the bike will lose traction on acceleration every time you twist the throttle in loose conditions, but if you can resist the dirt biker urge to just crack it open, you can modulate the torque enough to ride technical terrain effectively. Just don’t get lazy. It takes a learning curve—and one with high consequences. If you decide to just grip-it-and-rip-it in anything technical, the bike will comply once it finds traction and put you on your ass before you can cover the clutch. Ask me how I know. But if you’re lucky enough to ride on a flowing section of two-track, or on clean mountain roads, you will experience a dirt bike feeling like no other. It’s a behemoth of acceleration. And when there’s traction, it has incredible manners.

For longer rides, the opposites come up. There is little comfort here. You’re fully exposed to the elements, and while you can squeeze 140-ish miles out of the 3.5-gallon tank being responsible, there will be little enjoyment out of those miles unless they’re all on awesome dirt roads. In this case, you will not be fuel-capacity responsible and will be looking for gas in a hurry.

Clearly KTM is not putting the big single to bed here and has done a lot of work to build confidence into the purchase of its massive single-piston machine without sacrificing performance. So, if you’re a 690 naysayer, your reasons for discounting this bike haven’t disappeared. But if you’re a dreamer envisioning your perfect adventure machine equipped with a catalog of rally bike-inspired additions for increased range, comfort and badass looks, you have a lot to be excited about.CN

2026 KTM 690 Enduro R Specifications

Click here to read the 2026 KTM 690 Enduro R Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.