I'm glad you decided to put out niche content rather than the usual motovlogger clickbait stuff. loving this series! its cool seeing nerbs point of view too in his videos too.
Ive lost count the amount of Adventure Videos i've watched where a KTM690 gave trouble and/or died on the trip. Great to see you got out, what an Adventure indeed.
manuel grohse If you can go on an adventure with 1- no broken bones & 2- no broken bike. the lack of power or performance & light weight is just trivial.
Just wanted to say these videos make my day, Tom! Can't wait for your next U.S. trip so we can ride again! I'm glad you made it home safely and are now enjoying an awesome Honda! Much love, brother.
When shit goes down and your sitting in a wet tent not knowing what the fuck to do next. You can count on Nerb to arrange a helo evac. That clearly took more than just hey go get my friend please. Great work Nerb. A real star I wanna buy him a lot of beers just watching this. You owe him Tom, great friend you got there. No flys on him man. Peace fellas.
+Sleepingdragon 1 Yeap Nerb is pretty awesome. Normally most girlfriends would worry about there boyfriends riding off into the desert but my gf knows Nerb will bring me back alive.
One hell of an adventure, though. One you'll look back on and wonder what drugs you were on in the first place! Great series - can't wait for the next episode.
KTM has to be just sick watching this series and last year's. I have totally written that brand off just watching your problems and seeing the same thing you do: Nerb's bike is reliable as a Toyota.
I rode bikes in this part of the country for years (Mt Isa) When you tow a motorbike feed the rope through the centre of the handle bars and just wrap it once or twice around the left hand grip. Don't tie it off. If things get out of control just let go of the rope and hey presto it comes loose. No crash. You can tow like this no problem at all.
little tip when being towed on a bike with another bike, loop tow strap around foot ped and have your foot pressure hold it on that way if get off like lift foot up and rope goes and you dont crash
First, I look forward to these episodes more than anything else on TV or the web right now. Nice work on documenting this and making it very compelling. Anyone from KTM reach out to you? I would guess not. They don't seem that PR savvy in these matters. But, you're right, for some reason the 690 Enduro is a bike that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in remote areas. And, if you're not a wrench, someone who is comfortable field stripping a bike to take a peek inside the engine, forget it. Yeah, yeah, you need to be self-sufficient and all that, but I'm a decent rider with not much experience on field (or garage) repairs. Again, nice work. Will be curious to see what you replace the 690 with for some of your long distance adventure rides.
+Patrick Nolan KTM did look after me. Both my rebuilds were 100% covered under warranty and KTM admitted the bike had a factory fault both times and the bike breaking was no fault of my own.
ive seen a tutorial on towing a bike with a bike. they said you should lightly wrap the rope around your footpeg and then stand on it so when you lose control of the bike, just lift your foot and the rope will fall off. maybe this helps next time
when you tow a bike, you wrap the rope once around the footpeg and then put pressure with your feet. Then if you get a big wobble on, you life your foot, the rope frees and you come to a stop and start again. Usisng the handle bars like that is instant injury waiting to happen (as you found out) as you can't steer or slow down........
I feel your frustration, but the 690 is the only bike that fits the 3 requirements you list (exactly the same ones I have). Fuel pump, injectors and rockers are its Achilles heels though. The KLR, DR and alike are a 100LBS heavier, have half the HP and aren't (at least my KLR) fast enough for freeways unless you're wound out in 6th on flatland to make 75mph. I refuse to go multi cylinder for Enduro.
Not the only. XR650R is lighter and same HP/torque. Only problem is the 5-speed but it's not often you need over 100 MPH. Too bad you can't buy new ones, maybe with a 6-speed (would add weight though).
I had a 650L, but like you say, they're not made anymore. The other 650's are gutless and are 5 speeds too. Traffic averages 80+ mph here in the states and they're blind to seeing bikes. I'm going on a 6000 mile ride through Europe and Africa next year that will be challenging for the KTM on the autobahns, but perfect in Africa off-road. Fully laden it'll be under 450lbs. No other bike can match its performance, its capabilities and weight. I'd love to take my WR450, but it again is a 5 speed and 70mph loaded down isn't possible. My KLR is very comfortable and can carry a ton, but it's a dog and frustrating off road. It too is a no go. I considered a KTM 500 exc, but again it's not as capable as the 690 and cost more!
The R is a 5 speed, kick start bike that isn't street legal. It doesn't compare with the 690 for those reasons. The L was street legal, had electric start and was street legal, but was air cooled and gutless just like the KLR and DR.
+Kartin' Steve $16,000 KTM and a flight home is a fricken big loss. Not to mention you can't just fly home from where we were. You can't just call a taxi either. There is 1 bus a week that goes to Townsville from that town. The KTM was fixed under warranty which cost me nothing and I sold the ute for the price I bought it so what I did worked out great.
Ok, I wasn't sure how invested you were in the KTM or if warranty would cover it, and you did well on the ute, so well done mate. Thanks for documenting it all, very entertaining.
hi Tom - all good Vids mate. sorry to see the trip went the wrong way - still got an adventure you won't ever forget seems. Q: have you considered that maybe the location of the 690 oil pick up and front filter may get staved when doing a wheelie, and the usual rpm you wheelie at is pretty high, that this may have added to the issue, long term? I have a 690 also so just wondering if you considered this at all, as i may have to stop wheelies ??? :(
Honda xr 650l that should be your next bike. they used to race the R version in Baja but Honda stopped making them because everyone who wanted one had one and they never broke.
bad idea ! towing the handlebars ! I'm sure you found tat out Tom 😛. anywhere in the frame would have been better idea I guess! love your videos. keep it up MATE!! 🤓
Peg to Peg - Tie the rope to the Right foot peg on the front bike, Left peg on the bike being towed, hold the rope by weighting it with your boot - NEVER tie the rope to the bike being towed !! That way if anything happens you take your weight off the rope to prevent being dragged. Ideally the bike being towed is the brake for both bikes so that way you can keep the line tight. Takes some practice to get in sync but safety first. Good videos crazy shit good on you guys !!
...so strong emotions in the beginning. Can you please tell me the name of the music? And yes ... Very beatifull when you wawed to the cows. God bless you
I blew up my yz125 in an Enduro a couple of years back. The back markers told me they would call for help 6 hours later I walked to the closet road (only about 12km) found a farmer and found out they realised I was missing and a full search party was out for me. Anyways, had to tow rope the bike out, and that's how I learnt always tow to peg to peg! Much easier!
Hi tom A few weeks back i sold my 500 Supermoto and had the Choice of Eighter an light Adventure bike or a two stroke I think you should consider buying the yamaha xt 660 I have read really good reviews of it (besides the suspension that can be upgrated) Btw i went for the 300 two stroke and i love it ;D Cheers from germany:)
On a paved road and towing bike to bike you LOOP rope (not tie) on to the right foot peg of lead bike and left foot peg of trail bike. Rope should be held in place with foot pressure for both bikers that way either one can bail out. Also the rope should not be more than a few feet long between the bikes when doing it. However, That would not work at all in the mud or grass or anything thats not hard and flat as pavement. In this case you tie the rope in a Y to the highest point of lead bikes frame. You take the other end under the trail bikes headlight and looped to handlebar that way you can bail and all braking should be done by trail bikes front brake.
Howdy Tom. Was it a good idea to ride the bike while it was running so bad - knocking etc? Anyway, you had a lot of fun on the steed, and made some good videos with her. Another great video mate.
+Dirtbike Downunder the knocking sound came through the camera sound a lot more then how we heard it. It didn't sound too bad after we flushed the oil so we thought it might be alright
Damn Tom, no idea what you guys are doing to your 690s lol. Mine's at 30k+ km and still running strong with proper maintenance and ridden hard. I don't know if you talked about what happened in a previous video though. My rockers at 20k still looked mint but will be replaced this winter. I'm just saying this because there's guys on Global Ktm 690 fb group with more than 100k km with minor maintenance not even a new pair of rings. Great adventure videos btw.
Yeah Im also interested. I have 2 friends with over 100000km of RTW travel and mine has 45000km of hard riding across West Africa with no problems. I stay on top of the maintenance myself. But mine is still running strong. BTW Tom great series!!
Nerb-san! A king among men. What a legend.
Now this is what you call an adventure! Great series mate, keep it up.
nerb1 you the real mvp, always good having someone like you on an adventure, cheers mate !
I'm glad you decided to put out niche content rather than the usual motovlogger clickbait stuff. loving this series! its cool seeing nerbs point of view too in his videos too.
Ive lost count the amount of Adventure Videos i've watched where a KTM690 gave trouble and/or died on the trip.
Great to see you got out, what an Adventure indeed.
There's always something that sparks my interest at the end! It's the best series I've ever watched.
I think, an adventure bike has to be one thing and one thing only. and that is relieable.
manuel grohse If you can go on an adventure with 1- no broken bones & 2- no broken bike. the lack of power or performance & light weight is just trivial.
Lee Bradley you must be pretty badass if you go on an adventure eventhough you have broken bones
Just wanted to say these videos make my day, Tom! Can't wait for your next U.S. trip so we can ride again! I'm glad you made it home safely and are now enjoying an awesome Honda! Much love, brother.
+Arthur Sperotto haha so you can scare me shitless again
hit me up i am in the US as well...with my 1200GSA so no mechanics issue here...LOL
love your channel mate!
vrauuuuuuuuu
When shit goes down and your sitting in a wet tent not knowing what the fuck to do next. You can count on Nerb to arrange a helo evac. That clearly took more than just hey go get my friend please.
Great work Nerb. A real star I wanna buy him a lot of beers just watching this. You owe him Tom, great friend you got there. No flys on him man.
Peace fellas.
+Sleepingdragon 1 Yeap Nerb is pretty awesome. Normally most girlfriends would worry about there boyfriends riding off into the desert but my gf knows Nerb will bring me back alive.
That ute is hilarious. Couldn't find a van with fur and dog ears on it?
I Love this episode. Everything just fluently. the pics the script. very entertaining
This is what we want deep inside while we go on adventure trips ! Great stuff!
One hell of an adventure, though. One you'll look back on and wonder what drugs you were on in the first place!
Great series - can't wait for the next episode.
Been waiting to see this xD
Donovan Rohaley same
Well this is a pretty good reality show so far haha. I read you got your bike fixed under warranty so good on ya!
Looking forward to the next part (:
These videos make me wanna move to Australia. Looks like y'all have the best adventures
Best Honda advert ever.
Bloody hell that fall looked nasty 😣
KTM has to be just sick watching this series and last year's. I have totally written that brand off just watching your problems and seeing the same thing you do: Nerb's bike is reliable as a Toyota.
This series is sickkkkkkkk 👌
I rode bikes in this part of the country for years (Mt Isa) When you tow a motorbike feed the rope through the centre of the handle bars and just wrap it once or twice around the left hand grip. Don't tie it off. If things get out of control just let go of the rope and hey presto it comes loose. No crash. You can tow like this no problem at all.
For lightweight adventure bikes ready to go check out the CCM 450 GP and the new AJP PR7 launching soon
so majestic, will you be doing another adventure trip once you heal up?
Is Nerb going to finish uploading his videos of the trip?
Yes... I just been busy with work. Will get to is soon. Hopefully I can show some differences of the trip from Tom.
Sweet
After watching all this i'm glad you made it back in one peace.
How was this 4 years ago damn
Will there be an Africa twin replacing the 690
little tip when being towed on a bike with another bike, loop tow strap around foot ped and have your foot pressure hold it on that way if get off like lift foot up and rope goes and you dont crash
you gotta keep that friend of yours Mr.Nerb he is THE MAN.
Finally! Been looking forward to this video!
thank you for showing me Australia from different point of view. ride safe
First, I look forward to these episodes more than anything else on TV or the web right now. Nice work on documenting this and making it very compelling.
Anyone from KTM reach out to you? I would guess not. They don't seem that PR savvy in these matters. But, you're right, for some reason the 690 Enduro is a bike that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in remote areas. And, if you're not a wrench, someone who is comfortable field stripping a bike to take a peek inside the engine, forget it. Yeah, yeah, you need to be self-sufficient and all that, but I'm a decent rider with not much experience on field (or garage) repairs.
Again, nice work. Will be curious to see what you replace the 690 with for some of your long distance adventure rides.
+Patrick Nolan KTM did look after me. Both my rebuilds were 100% covered under warranty and KTM admitted the bike had a factory fault both times and the bike breaking was no fault of my own.
That's something at least.
@@RidingWithTom what broke on it?
Hope you're fine Tom.. awesome Adventure series.. best I've seen... hope you make more... Cheers!
the best adventure series on youtube, youtube,
nice mate, wish i could have that tons of money to do the adventure like you
Such an adventure, I agree with the other guy, these videos straight make my day, thanks for making awesome stuff Tom.
I just watched this whole series yesterday and I love it!!!
This went from being a fun series of vids to watch to an absolutely epic story! Who the hell gets stranded for four days and rescued by heli,
Whats all that scuba diving at the end of the videos about actually?
+Iglo Backfisch I flew up to Cairns a flew days before we started the adventure and did some scuba diving
Mate $1000 for 2.6hrs of chopper time with a pilot is a bargain! Go ring a chopper place at Moorabbin and see what the going rate is per hr.
The first bit of the video I see your knees are really clean
I watched one of the "Popular" motovloggers on another channel put up wallpaper.. Then came here for the win. Keep em coming.
Again with the cliffhanger? Did nerb kill the tom? Will the UTE do mad sick smokies?
ute skidz are next vid
With that epic paint job it will probably do them for days on end.
Well you wanted a adventure, And i think you well and truly got it thats crazy man.
Watching whilst waiting for my tyre change on my bike, god bless you, Ridingwithtom
This was a great episode. What an adventure!!
I looked up Adventure in the dictionary and it had a link to this series.
Damn what an adventure, love the series!
ive seen a tutorial on towing a bike with a bike. they said you should lightly wrap the rope around your footpeg and then stand on it so when you lose control of the bike, just lift your foot and the rope will fall off. maybe this helps next time
love this so much keep up the good work tom! recommended a beginner bike?
Prash Karu s1000rr
Prash Karu any bike you want just uave good throttle control m
HP4
lmao
Awesome vids its like a good tv show waiting for the next episode!!
when you tow a bike, you wrap the rope once around the footpeg and then put pressure with your feet. Then if you get a big wobble on, you life your foot, the rope frees and you come to a stop and start again. Usisng the handle bars like that is instant injury waiting to happen (as you found out) as you can't steer or slow down........
I feel your frustration, but the 690 is the only bike that fits the 3 requirements you list (exactly the same ones I have). Fuel pump, injectors and rockers are its Achilles heels though. The KLR, DR and alike are a 100LBS heavier, have half the HP and aren't (at least my KLR) fast enough for freeways unless you're wound out in 6th on flatland to make 75mph. I refuse to go multi cylinder for Enduro.
Not the only. XR650R is lighter and same HP/torque. Only problem is the 5-speed but it's not often you need over 100 MPH. Too bad you can't buy new ones, maybe with a 6-speed (would add weight though).
I had a 650L, but like you say, they're not made anymore. The other 650's are gutless and are 5 speeds too. Traffic averages 80+ mph here in the states and they're blind to seeing bikes. I'm going on a 6000 mile ride through Europe and Africa next year that will be challenging for the KTM on the autobahns, but perfect in Africa off-road. Fully laden it'll be under 450lbs. No other bike can match its performance, its capabilities and weight. I'd love to take my WR450, but it again is a 5 speed and 70mph loaded down isn't possible. My KLR is very comfortable and can carry a ton, but it's a dog and frustrating off road. It too is a no go. I considered a KTM 500 exc, but again it's not as capable as the 690 and cost more!
Bill Ness XR650*R* is a completely different beast than the L
The R is a 5 speed, kick start bike that isn't street legal. It doesn't compare with the 690 for those reasons. The L was street legal, had electric start and was street legal, but was air cooled and gutless just like the KLR and DR.
some of them are street legal, ive seen more than one forsale for around 5 grand
Dude awesome videos! I felt so sorry for you when u fell :( . I'm glad that you are ok! . You've earned a sub !
lol i was lying in my warm bed thinking of how tough my day was today
With the cost of the engine repair and possibly losing money on the ute, would it have been cheaper to leave the ktm there and just fly home?
+Kartin' Steve $16,000 KTM and a flight home is a fricken big loss. Not to mention you can't just fly home from where we were. You can't just call a taxi either. There is 1 bus a week that goes to Townsville from that town. The KTM was fixed under warranty which cost me nothing and I sold the ute for the price I bought it so what I did worked out great.
Ok, I wasn't sure how invested you were in the KTM or if warranty would cover it, and you did well on the ute, so well done mate. Thanks for documenting it all, very entertaining.
i think the 690 would be reliable you have just had a bad run tom :(
Scruffybiggems everyone has a bad run with them, European lemons.
honda moto lol at that name and your saying ktms are lemons
Wow. Watched 3 videos and am subbing, great adventure snaps mate! Hi from an SA rider.
hi Tom - all good Vids mate. sorry to see the trip went the wrong way - still got an adventure you won't ever forget seems.
Q: have you considered that maybe the location of the 690 oil pick up and front filter may get staved when doing a wheelie, and the usual rpm you wheelie at is pretty high, that this may have added to the issue, long term? I have a 690 also so just wondering if you considered this at all, as i may have to stop wheelies ??? :(
Learn from your failures and make sure it won't happen
That's what an adventure teaches and fun
Love your videos Tom keep up the good work
Honda xr 650l that should be your next bike. they used to race the R version in Baja but Honda stopped making them because everyone who wanted one had one and they never broke.
Nerb = top bloke
So you left your bike just because it needed an oil change? What was the fault?
bad idea ! towing the handlebars ! I'm sure you found tat out Tom 😛.
anywhere in the frame would have been better idea I guess!
love your videos. keep it up MATE!! 🤓
Peg to Peg - Tie the rope to the Right foot peg on the front bike, Left peg on the bike being towed, hold the rope by weighting it with your boot - NEVER tie the rope to the bike being towed !! That way if anything happens you take your weight off the rope to prevent being dragged. Ideally the bike being towed is the brake for both bikes so that way you can keep the line tight. Takes some practice to get in sync but safety first. Good videos crazy shit good on you guys !!
Michael Glennon totally agree 👍 very good technique actually. It would be helpful. Thankyou
is it rude to ask how much you paid for that ute? i was expecting a half beat up hilux
...so strong emotions in the beginning. Can you please tell me the name of the music? And yes ... Very beatifull when you wawed to the cows. God bless you
Such a great series, makes me wanna come back to Australia lol
If there's one thing I've learned watching your channel it's that I will never buy a KTM...
love love love this series! its like the long way round but not really haha
ok, but why did you use a chopper anyway? :)
What was the problem with 690?
I like how the camera falls in the right place to see Tom in pain, thumbs up for the camera
+DAWNOFHAWKMOON haha yeah worked out perfectly
How many mi&hrs on it when it let go?
Nerb the legend to the rescue. :p
Before this video, I didn't even know what a UTE was. I was like you going to bring it back with a what?
nerb1 where are your footage????
Coming Oliver... Ive just been busy with work. Soon!
awesome!
did u ever get the bike back and or did u get a new one?
should have waited to comment....
Should have...
I blew up my yz125 in an Enduro a couple of years back. The back markers told me they would call for help 6 hours later I walked to the closet road (only about 12km) found a farmer and found out they realised I was missing and a full search party was out for me. Anyways, had to tow rope the bike out, and that's how I learnt always tow to peg to peg! Much easier!
how do you get the money needed for this?
How much was the ute?
OUCH .I'm loving these vids .
Does anyone Know the Name of the Music Used between 1:00 and 3:40
Hi tom
A few weeks back i sold my 500 Supermoto and had the Choice of
Eighter an light Adventure bike or a two stroke
I think you should consider buying the yamaha xt 660
I have read really good reviews of it (besides the suspension that can be upgrated)
Btw i went for the 300 two stroke and i love it ;D
Cheers from germany:)
awesome series Tom btw thanks for putting a cliffhanger lol
where in the world is that
dude this is freaking amazing!!!! you are one lucky bastard
Ya $1000 seems like a fair price for 3 hours. In the states an R22 with a pilot is about $300/hr USD.
how much are ute's?
Holy shit that must have been so frustrating.
It would seem Nerb's 1190 was quite a good purchase considering the lot you guys have had lol.
+Knife1437 1190 is fricken bulletproof
fifteen ?
On a paved road and towing bike to bike you LOOP rope (not tie) on to the right foot peg of lead bike and left foot peg of trail bike. Rope should be held in place with foot pressure for both bikers that way either one can bail out. Also the rope should not be more than a few feet long between the bikes when doing it.
However,
That would not work at all in the mud or grass or anything thats not hard and flat as pavement. In this case you tie the rope in a Y to the highest point of lead bikes frame. You take the other end under the trail bikes headlight and looped to handlebar that way you can bail and all braking should be done by trail bikes front brake.
Lol "Fifthteen"! It was in the title but got fixed, still in the actual vid
nice channel, nice videos. Greetz from an German 690 driver ;)
Howdy Tom. Was it a good idea to ride the bike while it was running so bad - knocking etc? Anyway, you had a lot of fun on the steed, and made some good videos with her.
Another great video mate.
+Dirtbike Downunder the knocking sound came through the camera sound a lot more then how we heard it. It didn't sound too bad after we flushed the oil so we thought it might be alright
Damn son! Subbed after watching this!
...and ordered a GS! :)
Tom man please make a video of your KTM getting fixed and cleaning it.please
TechPro that junk is long gone/ sold
I hope you dropped a set in that v8 on a quiet back road
Khartyfilms haha next vid
Damn Tom, no idea what you guys are doing to your 690s lol. Mine's at 30k+ km and still running strong with proper maintenance and ridden hard. I don't know if you talked about what happened in a previous video though. My rockers at 20k still looked mint but will be replaced this winter. I'm just saying this because there's guys on Global Ktm 690 fb group with more than 100k km with minor maintenance not even a new pair of rings. Great adventure videos btw.
Yeah Im also interested. I have 2 friends with over 100000km of RTW travel and mine has 45000km of hard riding across West Africa with no problems. I stay on top of the maintenance myself. But mine is still running strong. BTW Tom great series!!
I like these replies! I have a 690 as it was the only option that would replace my 300 but give me more distance and comfort
Maybe the new KTM 1090 adventure?
its safe to say u dont live a boring life mate and btw have u posted the video where you break your leg i hope you recover fast and well cheers