First 1000 miles on new KTM 890 Adv R proves revelatory
KTM’s new 890R has Michael fired-up and ready to roll...
Having done close to 15,000 miles on a KTM 790 Adventure R in 2019, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into with the all new 890… Yes I know an increase of 90cc, 9.4bhp and 8.8lb.ft may not sound much, but in reality it’s raised the already potent middleweight adventure bike to a whole new level. The revised graphics look sharper too, but what hasn’t changed is the stiff, focused chassis and aggressive power delivery when in Rally mode – traits I loved about the 790 which have been enhanced on the 890. I’m 900 miles into life with KTM’s latest adventure offering, during which time I’ve enjoyed a trip south to visit Durdle Door and headed east for an off-road lap of Thetford Forest. I reckon the next 900 are going to be even better.
Off-road pedigree
So far I’ve only done just over 50 miles off-road in the forest and while the riding there is relatively tame, as it’s flat with not many corners, it’s still a stiff test, especially for the suspension thanks to long stretches of random-sized whoops. I’ve ridden the same route on a state-of-the-art Yamaha WR250F enduro bike so I knew what to expect, but I could never have anticipated just how well the 890R would deal with it. You can’t get away from the fact that the 890 is an expensive bike at £11,999, but after a day riding it’s clear where the money has gone. The 48mm WP XPLOR forks are simply on another level and there were occasions where the big-travel, perfectly damped suspension saved my bacon. Due to the repetitive nature of the whoops it’s easy for things to get out of hand as the suspension does not have time to recover before the next compression. I’m not saying you couldn’t ride the route on a Yamaha Ténéré or Triumph Tiger but there is no way you’d be as fast or as confident.
Real-world fast
The extra bhp isn’t a huge factor off-road, but it is on the tarmac – especially if you’re loaded-up with panniers or have a pillion. All the circa-1000cc adventure bikes boast around the same 94bhp – Tiger, BMW 850GS, Africa Twin and all of them lack that mid-range grunt or urgency needed for A-road overtakes unless you’re riding solo. I honestly never expected an extra 10bhp to feel so good, but in reality it’s a 10% power increase which transforms the bike, making it a whole lot of fun. For the first time in years I’m searching for any excuse to just take it out for a ride.
Aero woes
If you spend any time on KTM forums the most posted topic is about replacement windshields on the 790. Bad aero, wind noise and buffeting are common complaints, which makes it even more disappointing that they haven’t been addressed with the latest 890R. From what I can see it’s the exact same set-up and while I haven’t found the buffeting too bad, even with a peaked Arai X4 helmet, the level of wind noise is incredibly high. There’s talk that swapping mirrors or removing the lower fairing can help, so I’ve got plenty of investigating to do because even though I’ll probably do fewer miles than I did on the 790R I’d like to improve the current set-up. One simple fix is to fit the standard 890 screen which is significantly higher, but it takes away from the looks of the ‘R’ version and is arguably too big for off-road riding.
What’s next
Having had my adventure wings clipped for the past year, I’m keen to get out so have a fourday trip planned this month where I get to ride the TET (www. transeurotrail.org) off-road route across Northumberland and Cumbria onboard the 890R and a Ténéré 700. Both machines will be fitted with off-road focused Continental TKC80s and I’m currently busy sorting luggage from Kreiga and setting up the satnav for route finding. It’s going to be a real test of the bike – a hefty road ride followed by long days off-road in what will almost certainly be mixed conditions. We have a few technical sections to tackle but with the heavier crank on the 890R, dedicated off-road mode, multi-level traction control and off-road DNA, I’m expecting good things.
‘I never expected an extra 10bhp to feel so good’