KTM Duke 890 R
Punchy, engaging and a right old hoot, the 890 R was top of the pile last time we tested it. But while it’s still brilliant, others have caught up...
Today, in terms of pure, undiluted fun this Austrian twin wins hands down. Especially in the moment, when the sun’s out, you’ve got an hour or two to burn, and your adrenal gland needs a tickle. A day like today, in fact. But subtle it most certainly isn’t. The ferocity of its off-corner drive is on another level to the Triumph, as are its brakes – the same Brembo Stylema calipers as fitted to both the Street Triple and Monster, but with a pad compound that bites into the 320mm discs so hard that it can, at times, feel over-braked.
‘Proper nutter, that thing,’ offers Simon after a brain-out blast on the 890 R. ‘But I love it. That intensity and focus of everything from the power delivery, the steering, and those brakes encourage you to ride like a knee-scraping, wheelie-popping loon. Oh, and that suspension – best here, by a margin.’
The 890 R comes fully tooled up for the fight, right down to its Michelin Powercup II tyres that are effectively cut-slicks for the road. And they are only too happy to encourage enthusiastic throttle usage, last second braking and slider-destroying lean angles. All are fully part of the Duke’s gob-smacking repertoire. As is KTM’S lean sensitive traction control system, and supermoto ABS which allows rear wheel slides into turns. And as Simon pointed out, its WP suspension is sublime – the sporty side of firm, yet supple and progressive enough to isolate both chassis and rider from even the worst of surfaces. The spec sheets have the KTM at a similar weight and size as the others, but its slim, flat seat, tall tank and supermotoesque riding position make it feel more compact, particularly against the Triumph.
‘That intensity encourages you to ride like a wheelie-popping loon’
As a result the 890’s a perfect weapon for backlane hustling, ripping through its six gears (shame the up-down quickshifter is a £361 extra, though) like a mad thing. On a tight, twisty track like Three Sisters, Lydden Hill or Pembrey, this thing would be mustard.
‘But that’s the thing with the KTM,’ says Jon as we big-up its sporty intent. ‘It’s great fun for a quick blast or a trackday, but not a lot else. You’d have to own something else as well. The 890 R’s just too intense to have as your only bike – the seat’s too hard, the engine’s not that keen on pottering about and the whole package is constantly encouraging you to drop a cog and work it hard.’ KTM make no bones about the 890 R’s role, describing it as a ‘no-compromise mid-weight naked’. It’s not supposed to offer creature comforts or long-distance ability, and in true pure sports style pillions don’t even get a look in. This thing’s true purpose is to drain 14-litres of Super Unleaded from the tank as quickly as possible. And when it comes to that, the 890’s got that nailed because there’s only one way to ride it – head down, flat out.
That said, there are actually a few concessions to what we’ll call normality. The riding position is reasonably accommodating for up to 80 miles, the mirrors work just fine (good job too, because on this thing you want to know what’s behind at all times), the five-inch TFT dash is clear and easy to read, and LED lights make night riding bearable. There are four riding modes too: Street, Rain, Sport and Track, the latter being optional. Today, it’s too much of a hoot in Sport to even bother with Street. And as for Rain, why bother. Have you seen the tyres?
‘Surely Track mode would be a must-have for anyone looking at buying one of these?’ asserts Simon of the surprising optional extra. ‘By the time you’ve gone for that and paid for the quickshifter you’re well over £500 in on stuff that should really come as standard.’ Even the starting price of £11,599 is a lot of dosh for a such a focused one-trick pony. For all its bravado, smack-in-the-face acceleration and outstanding handling, the Duke 890 R only really does one thing. Admittedly it does that very well, but it’s got a face only a mother could love, is more expensive that the Street Triple and it won’t retain value like the Triumph either. But then, what price do you put on pure, undiluted fun?
‘Polished, competent and worthy of its position as the best midsized sportsbike of its era’