FIRST TEST KTM 890 DUKE R
Cornering perfection on KTM’s new 890 Duke R
On the face of it KTM’s new £10,399 890 Duke R is a slighter bigger, more expensive 790 with a few more bells and whistles. That is indeed the case, but it’s also one of the finest handling road bikes money can buy.
Former Grand Prix winner Jeremy McWilliams had a strong hand in its development, so it was never going to be a blancmange, but having a devilishly fast rider in your test team isn’t always a guarantee of success. Being given the keys to KTM’s toy cupboard and able to choose the best tyre, brakes and suspension is. The net result is a machine that will lean and grip in ways few road bikes dream of. Supermoto playfulness Weighing just 166kg (dry) the 890 is light with an engine perfectly complementing its sassy chassis. The new 119bhp 890cc parallel twin is shouty, but smooth and full of grunt, giving it the playfulness of a big supermoto on the throttle. Compared to the lower-spec £8999 790 Duke, it sits taller for improved ground clearance and agility (its 834mm seat is 9mm higher). But what sets the 890 Duke R apart from any number of road bikes with fancy suspension (like its close rivals: the Triumph Street Triple RS and Yamaha MT-09SP) is the way its new fully adjustable WP Apex forks and shock are set up.
They have the kind of sophisticated damping and perfect spring rates you’ll only ever find on a properly sorted race bike: firm and controlling, but still plush enough to suck up the bumps.
The 890’s only limit diving into corners is the rider’s bravery and with so much mechanical grip at the rear, friendly power delivery and traction control, you can pretty much accelerate as hard as you want from the apex. The bike does get a slight weave-on under hard acceleration at high speed, but that’s just what wide-barred nakeds like this do when you push-on.
Hitting 58 degrees of lean
New Michelin Power Cup 2 rubber also plays a big part in the 890’s sure-footedness. They have the grip and stability of slicks, which isn’t a surprise as there isn’t much tread going on, but unlike with racing tyres it doesn’t take much to get lots of heat in them. During development Jeremy McWilliams and the boys were getting 58 degrees of lean on track and struggling to get the tyres to break loose, which is impressive. Stylema Brembos, normally seen dangling from the front of the latest superbikes are things of wonder, especially on a bike so light and grippy. The span and ratio-adjustable lever only needs the lightest of brushes to get your triceps bulging and the back brake is nicely weighted, too.
What makes the 890 Duke R so appealing on the road, compared to a big bhp super naked or sportsbike, is you don’t need to be doing silly speeds to enjoy its cornering superpowers. It has all the power you need on a neckstraining naked, but on track you’re going to get monstered by 1000s on the straights before they hold you up in the corners. Split personality It can be an angry so-and-so when no one is looking, but the KTM is sweetness and light when you’re cruising. The throttle action is light, the ride-by-wire perfect and the gearbox and up/down shifter as crisp as a fresh tube of Pringles. For a parallel twin it has the character of a V-twin with its vibes in all the right places and an exhaust roar that has somehow slipped past Euro5 ears. Spacious for six-footers, its bars and pegs are perfectly placed but the 890 Duke R is a one-trick, ballsout-on-a-Sunday morning, pony. It’s an unashamed toy and its rivals will do distance, motorway runs and carrying pillions (the 890 doesn’t have a rear seat or pegs) better. As well as top-shelf chassis parts, you get the full brace of power modes, lean sensitive riders aids, LEDs and a colour TFT dash. Fresh out of the crate, the KTM is nicely finished and the bright orange wheels are fabulous, but our online owners’ reviews of the 790 Duke’s build quality and reliability are mixed, so let’s hope they’ve been addressed on the 890.
It’s also a bit plasticky around the edges, especially its switchgear, but that will be the last thing on your mind when you’re halfway around a corner, horizon at full tilt with a massive grin on your face.
‘The only limit diving into corners is your bravery’