KTM have officially revealed the 2027 690 Rally, the rally-raid machine spotted testing on European roads back in June. KTM are positioning the new bike as the spiritual successor to the long-defunct 640 Adventure , which ran from 1997 to 2007 powered by a 625cc five-speed single.
Power comes from KTM’s latest-generation 692.7cc LC4 single-cylinder engine, producing 79PS (around 78bhp) and 73Nm (54lb.ft) of torque, mated to a six-speed gearbox. KTM say the engine has been designed for long-distance riding and demanding off-road use, with extended 15,000km (9000-mile) service intervals.
It’s fed by a 20-litre fuel capacity, made up of the standard 690 platform’s usual 13-litre rear tank plus two additional 3.5-litre tanks mounted at the front, housed within a purpose-built rally tower that also carries an integrated windscreen for improved wind protection.
Other technology includes a 4.2in TFT display, a dedicated Rally ride mode allowing riders to adjust traction control and throttle response for different terrain, and Off-road ABS, which lets riders disable ABS on the rear wheel alone, or switch it off entirely via a dedicated button.
Braking is handled by Brembo calipers; a two pot biting a 300mm disc at the front and a single pot with a 240mm item at the rear, while the hydraulic clutch system is integrated with KTM’s Quickshifter+, allowing clutchless up and down shifts. LED lighting is carried over from the KTM 450 Rally Replica for improved visibility in poor conditions.
The chassis uses fully adjustable WP XPLOR suspension front and rear, a 21in front and 18in rear wheel combination shod in Mitas E07 tyres, and a seat height of 910mm, with rider ergonomics designed to allow easy movement between seated and standing positions.
Every 2027 690 Rally comes with KTM’s Premium Manufacturer’s Warranty, offering up to four years of coverage across the firm’s entire street-legal range, provided servicing is kept up at an authorised KTM dealer.
That LC4 engine has a lineage stretching back nearly four decades. Its roots trace to 1987, when the original 350 LC4 prototype carried Joachim Sauer to victory in the European Enduro Championships, before going on to power KTM’s Dakar-winning rally bikes until new capacity rules ended its competition career in 2011.
KTM describe the 690 Rally as designed to bridge the gap between lightweight enduro agility and rally-level endurance, capable of tackling everything from technical off-road terrain to high-speed liaison sections between stages. The claimed 161.5kg weight (without fuel) certainly backs that up.
The new 2027 KTM 690 Rally will roll off the Austrian production line in September, arriving at authorised KTM dealers nationwide from October 2026. UK pricing is yet to be confirmed.
This is a machine adventure riders have been calling on KTM to revive for years, many having spent that time building their own equivalent out of the standard 690 Enduro R . In fact, MCN’s Sports Editor Michael Guy – who has built his own 690 – previously described this format as a “unicorn” specification: a genuinely capable off-road machine that’s also happy to swallow motorway miles and carry luggage.
Ben Clarke began riding (legally) at 21-years-old when he passed his direct access one month before shipping his Yamaha XT660 R to Miami and embarking on a 13,500-mile tour of the USA and Central America. He's worked at MCN for the last six years, riding everything from super nakeds and superbikes to…