Britannia Composites the 690 Lynx Fairing Review - A year on.

Like any review when a product is new, it is almost not worth reading until you have used it in anger. So 14 months on how is the Lynx Fairing, fairing?

It is a big decision to start cutting off the original light on the KTM 690R and bolting on a larger after-market piece, but as I wanted to use the 690 as a travelling "dual sport" which would see small tracks, 4x4 track and the occasional Italian motorway, I wanted more wind protection, better lights and increase the visibility of the machine on the road.

Firstly the lights are amazing, the daylight headlight is effective bright and a good colour, the full beam LED is quite incredible, it has a huge reach,  absolutely no need for any other lights, total overkill for road riding but amazing off road.

There is a little perceived flicker caused by the normal knobby tire vibration and the suspension setup which I am told can look like it's flashing, but for me anything that makes car drivers a little more aware of you, is good.

Wind protection is good and although the adjustable screen system is simple and good, I find the best position up to 120KMph is actually in the lowest setting, the bike is more stable and wind buffeting is better (less). In the higher positions I find a bit more buffeting and more wind noise. This might be due to the screen material flexing a little at high speeds and the screen design, which slides up and towards the rider and my helmet combo but after a bit of experimenting, now I leave it locked low.

It may be a nice varient if a Lynx was made as a high solid tower, but that may add too much weight.

I have just recently used Sugru https://sugru.com/ moldable rubber glue on a couple of spots where the cables run through the fairing dash board, to reduce wear and vibration and this has eliminated an annoying buzz which appears at certain revs. Also I have  just recently mounted a Garmin Montana 680t and although a little tight for space, the dashboard is solid and easy to cut and drill as you add pieces to the dash.

Between the black dash and the white lighting forward facing panel, at the upper screws, I have damped the interface with a strip of inner tube, this takes the stress out of the system and helps reduce any vibration. It may seem a little hickey, but it is a simple and a logical farkle. There additionally is a small gap between the two fairing parts near the triple clamp and I have taped in another rubber gusset(s) make from inner tube so it protects the electrics from mud, dust and road rain. Amazingly even after riding in the heaviest rain,  mud, dust and dirt the inner tube which is held in with numberplate double sided tape and duct tape the fix still holds firm.

I have the early 2015 Lynx and have ridden 6000km with it on the machine and would recommend it wholeheartedly.

Pros
Lighting on and off road
Wind protection
Presence and visibility
Easy to drill and mount thorough the dashboard
Good looks
Great service from Britannia

Cons
Easy to over tighten the mounts and crack the surface
Some vibrations (Sugru and inner tube helps)







http://www.britanniacomposites.com/lynx-r-dual-sport-fairing-for-ktm-690/

#KTM #KTM690 #adventurebike #dualsport

Adventure Spec

When I bought the BMW F800GS 3 years ago, I went to one source for advise and bits. David Lomax at Adventure Spec can be trusted to give the best advise and to supply you with the best bits available. But, if Adventure Spec does not have the right bits for you, he will know a man who does. From the start of this adventurous journey he has always suggested it was a learning process.  Dave was one of the first to suggest that light was right. So when I told him I was selling the BMW and buying the KTM, he hinted I was in the now on right track.

Dave like myself is a climber, and at the start of this learning process he said "compared to alpinism, adventure motorcycling will be the easiest adventuring you will ever have". In a way he is correct. Compared to climbing through a storm with fading light, freezing hands and teetering above a dodgy piece of protection, way too far below you, knowing that if you fall, doom awaits. Or trying to calculate if the snow slope you are about to try and ski, is going to stay in place or trigger and leave you buried in a cold tomb, he is totally right.

As an adventure sport, "ABRing" between one campsite in Sussex to one in Somerset, on a big bike, with a heated vest covering your gut, leaves me cold. At best, its uncomfortable camping, at worst its fooling your self is somehow, adventurous.

So obviously I am looking for something else, mountains, skinny trails, distant horizons, solo expeditions and rough riding is what I am searching. Something with a fizz of excitement, something a bit more unusual, something sweaty, dirty and physical.

Hence the KTM and my return to the shelves of Adventure Spec to source the best bits for the best adventures.

McCallum Ice Climbing in the French Alps