Gear indicator for KTM 690, Husqvarna 701 & GasGas 700 – which gear sensor is fitted at the factory, and what can the CUMPAN show?
Whether the CUMPAN can show every gear or only individual ones comes down to a single component: the gear sensor fitted to the engine at the factory. The CUMPAN does not come with its own sensor – it reads the voltage signal supplied by a gear sensor that is already present. A factory-fitted gear sensor is therefore a mandatory requirement for the gear indicator, and which sensor is installed determines what can ultimately be shown.
Older 690 models use a gear sensor with a 3-pin connector that only detects neutral as well as 2nd and 3rd gear. This sensor passes its information to the engine control unit, which adjusts the injection in 2nd and 3rd gear. The CUMPAN can read these signals, but can then only display neutral and gears 2 and 3 – a full gear indicator is not possible with this sensor. For exactly this case there is the add-on gear indicator: it replaces the original 3-pin sensor with a gear sensor that detects every position of the shift drum. This makes a full gear indicator across all gears possible even on the older LC4 engines (2007–2013) – with an unchanged signal to the control unit and without any intervention in the original wiring harness.
The newer 690 and 701 models have a full gear sensor that outputs a separate voltage value for every individual gear. Here the CUMPAN displays all gears and only needs to be connected to the corresponding gear-sensor cable. A short calibration is also recommended so that the exact voltage values are assigned to the respective gear. These newer gear sensors have a 4- or 6-pin connector.
There are two ways to determine which gear sensor is fitted to your own motorcycle.
1. Via the connector or part number
The two sensors on the earlier 690 already differ at the connector: the older version has a 3-pin (triangular) connector, the newer one a 4-pin (rectangular) connector. So you only need to locate the gear sensor on the engine housing and follow its cable up to the connector. The sensor sits on the left-hand side of the engine housing, above the shift shaft – on the older models at position no. 32 (3-pin connector), and on the newer ones at position no. 32 (4-pin connector).
The EURO 4/5 models (KTM 690 from 2019, Husqvarna 701 from 2017, as well as all GasGas 700) also have a gear sensor that detects all gears. It sits at position no. 30 and has a 6-pin connector; the CUMPAN gear indicator is therefore fully compatible. As an alternative to the supplied branch connector, an optional gear signal connector can be used.
On all models the gear sensor’s signal cable is brown-green (between the control unit and the connector) – this is the cable the CUMPAN is connected to.
Important notes:
- Between the gear sensor and the 6-pin connector described above, the cable is white; the colour only changes to brown-green on the opposite side of the connector.
- On the throttle control there is a flat, single-row connector that also has a brown-green cable. This is not the cable you are looking for. The correct connector is double-row and sits on the gear sensor cable.
- Depending on the model, there is another 6-pin connector in the area of the steering head. This is not the gear sensor connector either – the brown-green cable colour is missing here.
- With the gear sensor connector disconnected, the ignition must not be switched on. Otherwise the gear sensor loses its position and has to be relearned by a specialist workshop. The fault can be recognised by the vehicle no longer indicating neutral.
2. Via the engine number
The engine number is stamped on the left-hand side of the housing and has the format x-xxx*xxxxx*. It breaks down into three blocks:
- First block – year of manufacture (in the example: 2018)
- Second block – engine type (in the example: 766)
- Third block – serial number (in the example: 54026)
The older 690 models come in two engine types:
- 760 – with ABS and a potentiometer gear sensor that detects all gears
- 765 or 753 – without ABS and with a gear sensor that only detects whether neutral is engaged or not
Engine type 760 covers the following models:
- KTM: Duke and Duke R (2012–2015), 690 SMC-R (2014–2017), 690 Enduro (2014–2018)
- Husqvarna: 701 Supermoto and Enduro (2016 only)
These details can generally be applied to all SMC-R, Supermoto and Enduro models from KTM and Husqvarna. With country-specific versions (EU, US or AU models), however, deviations are possible. For the GasGas 700 (on the market since 2022) this check is unnecessary: all models come with the full 6-pin gear sensor from the factory and are therefore fully compatible without any further checking.
Regardless of the year of manufacture, the decisive criterion always stays the same: which gear sensor is installed? If it has a 4- or 6-pin connector, a full gear indicator with the CUMPAN is directly possible. If a 3-pin sensor is fitted to the engine, the route to a full gear indicator runs via the add-on.
The technical background on the gear indicator and oil pressure on these engines is described in detail in the article Gear indicator & oil pressure on KTM LC4 and LC8.
