KTM 690 Rally 2026 Test: Rally Bike for Road and Off-Road

Riding alongside a big rally name like Meoni is not something to take for granted. His father Fabrizio - a rally legend - was one of the defining figures of the Dakar race, and now here I am in Greece, riding with the son through dusty gravel tracks around Nafpaktos, and the KTM 690 Rally does exactly what it should: it tempts you to go faster than you'd actually planned.

Nafpaktos sits right on the sea, and the surrounding area practically hands you the perfect testing backdrop. Day one greeted us with 25 to 28 degrees and brilliant sunshine. In the evening, rain rolled in, and day two belonged to wet asphalt, muddy tracks and dripping visors. That wasn't a problem, but a gift: if you really want to get to know a bike, you need exactly this range. Dry, wet, fast, slow, road, off-road - Nafpaktos gave us all of it in two days. And the KTM 690 Rally held its own in all these situations - sometimes brilliant, sometimes with noticeable quirks that you should be aware of.

The KTM 690 Rally positions itself as a street-legal rally bike for those who want more than a normal adventure bike - and less than a full-blown Dakar race machine. It's not a reworked enduro with a "Rally" sticker slapped on. The Rally Tower, the iconic navigation cockpit element, was taken 1:1 from the 450 Rally works machine. That's not marketing talk, you can see it and feel it. At the same time, it's not a machine only for the tightest tracks: it also wants to work on the road, wants to eat up kilometers and still make the rider's heart beat faster when a gravel section shows up. To direct competitors like the Husqvarna 701 Enduro, which is technically on a very similar basis, it makes a clear statement both visually and conceptually.

The single-cylinder engine of the KTM 690 Rally is not an engine for people looking for smoothness. It produces 73 Newton meters of torque - a figure you don't just see on the spec sheet, but above all feel when accelerating out of a tight corner and the engine pushes with brutal determination. On wet roads I came to appreciate this especially: shift up a gear, let the torque do the work, open the throttle early - the bike goes along with it, and with a sense of control that's reassuring. At the same time, there's this one quirk that belongs to the character of the single: in slow, technical terrain it wants to be treated with sensitivity. The clutch needs to be dosed with fingertip feel, because the flywheel mass wasn't increased on the Rally - unlike some other variants. The result: an engine that can stall if used too slowly, too low in the rev range. Anyone who knows this, who deals with it, finds no flaw in it, but character. At high speeds - around 100 km/h - the rally windshield provides reasonable wind protection, and the engine hums its typical single-cylinder tune. Unpleasantly noticeable? Really only in the very slow range. Otherwise it practically invites you to attack. That's exactly what it triggered in me. I wanted more - and that's the highest form of compliment you can pay an engine character.

This is where I was most surprised. The name "Rally" raises expectations of a taut, precise chassis geared toward fast track kilometers that shakes mercilessly on the road. The reality of the KTM 690 Rally 2026 is different - and that's actually meant positively. According to KTM, the chassis adjustments compared to the Enduro variant are manageable. You can feel it: the bike offers 265 mm of travel up front and 250 mm at the rear, and it makes generous use of this potential. Off-road that means comfort, absorption capacity, and the composure you need on loose, coarse gravel. Standing up - the natural riding position for this bike on such terrain - you feel noticeably safer than sitting down. When riding fast on country roads, however, the bike starts to noticeably wallow under load changes. Anyone expecting a taut KTM will initially be puzzled. But once you understand that the chassis was primarily built for off-road use, the logic becomes clear. The seat ergonomics suit riders of medium build well, as long as you sit centrally. Taller or heavier riders reach the firmer part of the damping faster while seated - an aftermarket taller seat would then be a sensible investment. On long off-road stretches you ride this bike almost permanently standing up anyway.

The KTM 690 Rally 2026 comes with ride-by-wire, traction control and several riding modes. Anyone who chooses the optional Tech Pack also gets a quickshifter and the Rally mode with Dynamic Slip Adjust. And I'll say it clearly: that's fun. Not because electronics impress for their own sake, but because they're genuinely useful here. On the last 20 kilometers of the second test day, conditions prevailed that I won't forget anytime soon: extreme rain, extremely slick asphalt, almost no grip. In Street mode, the electronics worked discreetly and defensively in the background - exactly what you need in this situation. Off-road mode provides maximum stability for more leisurely off-road riding, Rally mode offers maximum adjustability when you want the rear to step out slightly and want the system to play along rather than intervene. The ABS regulates early but sensitively on wet roads. Up front you can definitely feel it at the limit - two moments with wide eyes included. For truly ambitious use, the ABS on the 690 Rally can be fully deactivated. On the road I wouldn't recommend that. Off-road? That's up to the rider. Overall, the controls are intuitive - menu cursor instead of a separate cruise control switch, clear logic, nothing that requires the manual.

The 690 Enduro R and the Husqvarna 701 Enduro share the technical basis with the KTM 690 Rally - that's no secret. In wet, alternating corners on Greek asphalt I gained a clear impression: the 690 Rally feels noticeably more sluggish by comparison. But that's less down to the chassis itself and more to the tires. Our test bikes weren't fitted with tubes but with mousse inserts - and the added weight of this insert is noticeable in the handling. With classic second-generation Continental TKC 80s, which the bike harmonizes with perfectly, the picture changes considerably. The grip level on wet roads was surprisingly good for me. The engine delivers so much torque that on wet stretches you can easily ride one gear higher and thereby ease the situation. The chain rattles a bit more when used at too low revs - typical for this type of engine, but worth mentioning. The chassis of the 690 Rally surprises with more comfort than expected, which even gives it a slight edge over the 701 Enduro in pure off-road use.

Two days, mostly off-road, partly on gravel that didn't allow a second's lapse in body input - and I kept coming to the same conclusion: I prefer riding the KTM 690 Rally standing up. Not because there's no alternative, but because it simply works better. Over loose gravel, the standing position provides the sense of control and safety that's missing while seated. The knee angle in the seated position is pleasant, and the bike is also well manageable for taller riders. Seated: if you sit in the middle of the bike and aren't too heavy, you'll find a comfortable position. If you slide back or bring more body weight, you'll hit the firm part of the substructure sooner. An aftermarket taller seat makes sense here. The Rally Tower with integrated navigation system exceeded my expectations - no wobbling at touring speed, a stable mount, clear readability. The operating logic, which I already knew from the KTM Supermoto, made sense immediately.

The KTM 690 Rally 2026 is based on the proven single-cylinder engine of the 690 family with 73 Nm of torque and a displacement of 693 cc. The suspension travel figures are generous: 265 mm up front, 250 mm at the rear - a clear statement toward off-road capability. The Rally Tower was taken 1:1 from the 450 Rally works machine. Ride-by-wire, traction control and ABS are standard - the latter can be fully deactivated. The optional Tech Pack brings a quickshifter, Dynamic Slip Adjust and Rally mode. The 690 Rally comes from the factory fitted with second-generation Continental TKC 80 tires - a combination that convinces on gravel and wet asphalt. The seat height is well suited for medium-height riders; for taller or heavier riders, an aftermarket seat with more height is recommended.