Essay – KTM 890 Adventure – exciting yet versatile

Two years after its launch, the 890 Adventure range received improvements. For now, we rode with the base version, a very important motorcycle for the brand in commercial terms and which received several improvements to facilitate comfort and usability. Only the weather conditions did not help at all in this international presentation in Óbidos, which on the one hand gave even more value to the word “adventure” that KTM so much addressed in the presentation.

TEXT: FERNANDO NETO PHOTOS: SEBAS ROMERO AND FRANCESC MONTERO

That’s right. Adventure and off-road will always be linked to KTM, with the Austrian brand considering the 890 Adventure as the motorcycle for traveling with the best off-road capabilities.

Just go to the brand’s website to see that KTM places its trail bikes in the Travel segment, which makes sense. Nowadays, the motorcycles with the highest suspension travel and off-road capabilities are the ones we see most on trips, even if sometimes they don’t even leave the asphalt. In the case of this brand, due to its glorious past in motocross, enduro, and especially in the Dakar, any trail model launched has excellent off-road capabilities. In fact, in this presentation, we heard a lot about adventure, about stepping out of the comfort zone, about setting off on a motorcycle without a destination, after all, what many already do and many others have not yet found the courage to do.

As for this 890 Adventure, two years after its launch it has now received a facelift, along with a series of technical improvements that place it among the best in its segment. It is worth mentioning that the more adventurous have the option of an R version, while a 790 Adventure version will be available in April, being manufactured by CFMOTO, with a simpler front suspension and the possibility of homologation for an A2 license.

IMPROVEMENTS

KTM motorcycles have always been considered quite radical and sometimes even a little uncomfortable, so this time the Austrian brand has opted for much more comfortable seats for both the rider and passenger, as well as a windshield with better aerodynamic protection. The changes are clearly visible in terms of aesthetics. The bike looks more modern, with lines inspired by Rally bikes, and the new instrumentation, consisting of a 5-inch TFT display, has also been modernized and is now much easier to read.

This is a motorcycle equipped with a parallel twin LC8c engine of 889 cubic centimeters and 105 hp for 100 Nm of torque, with maintenance intervals of 15,000 km and now with a different air filter box. Speaking of more news, it is a much more beautiful motorcycle due to the new fairings and windshield, with a now more rigid connection to the fuel tank, so that an instrument tower can be mounted, with GPS systems for example. In addition to the new seats, the rider’s seat is adjustable in two positions, it features a new engine guard and the front 43 mm WP fork has been revised, with new settings and regulation of compression and extension of the hydraulic in each of the stanchions. At the rear, the WP monoshock has tuning in extension and spring preload, and in the tire chapter we now find the Pirelli Rally STR, mounted on 21-inch wheels at the front and 18 at the rear. As for the instrumentation, the 5-inch TFT has been greatly improved and is now much more functional, easily showing the rider the different levels of adjustments used. With an optional connectivity unit, it will be possible to use the KTM Connect app with Bluetooth for turn-by-turn navigation, listen to music, and receive calls.

As for the braking system, this KTM comes equipped with two discs on the front axle, with 4-piston radial calipers and Bosch curve ABS for added safety. Among the 4 riding modes, when one of the two off-road modes is activated, off-road or rally, now the ABS is immediately adapted to these conditions, meaning disabled on the rear wheel and reduced on the front.

One of the features that remains in this model is the placement of the 20-liter capacity tank in a lower area, which ensures not only a lower center of gravity but also sleeker lines in the rider’s area. A novelty in this model is the Demo Mode, a service in which the rider can try out various optional features, such as the quickshifter+ and cruise control, during the first 1,500 kilometers and then decide whether to purchase them or not.

ROAD AND OFF-ROAD

During this day we covered 185 kilometers, in the beautiful central area around Óbidos, but always with rain and fog around us, so we never stepped on dry asphalt, but we were able to understand a lot. Above all, the riding position is very pleasant (we reached the ground well with the seat in the lowest position at 840 mm), we liked the aerodynamic protection and the seat, even though it is still firm, did not leave us tired. However, there are other seats in the optional range. We were frequently going in and out of the asphalt, in the Serra de Aire and Candeeiros area, and in that aspect there are not many bikes with such a good compromise between road and off-road. However, this is still a KTM, so always expect suspensions a bit firmer than the Japanese rivals (they would probably be at the top if we had ridden dry asphalt), and with an engine that is very strong in the mid and high revs, seeming to ask us to always ride fast. The gearbox is a bit rough, but it does not fail, and we used a quick shifter system that we liked. The feel of the levers is very good, the Pirelli tires are an excellent compromise for those constantly changing terrain, and even in the rain they are good.

We really liked the instrumentation, now much easier to read, but the commands to manage it require habit, and as for the driving modes, we always rode in Standard on the road and almost always in Off-road on the dirt, with which we felt quite secure and where the traction control allowed the wheel to slip enough. As for the Rally mode, it makes the 890 noticeably more aggressive, and although we can adjust the traction control on the go, it is definitely a mode for experienced off-road riders. At the end of the day, we achieved an average of 4.9 liters per 100 kilometers and didn’t even need to leave the central region of the country to have quite an adventure!

FINAL NOTES

This 890 Adventure showed just enough agility off-road in the twisty sections, but it was on the medium-speed dirt roads where we had the most fun and appreciated not only the characteristics of the engine but also the full potential of the chassis and electronics. And when transitioning from medium to high revs, after 5,000 rpm, this engine is truly thrilling, even reminding me of the “old” 950 Adventure with which I had the opportunity to ride many kilometers in the past. On a leisurely ride, we can cruise around 95/100 km/h in sixth gear – previously not so much – because even though this engine doesn’t “thump much”, it is still a twin-cylinder that needs revs to show its true worth.

This new KTM 890 Adventure will be available in our country in February, with a price that we will announce later, in two different color combinations. Also available are many Powerparts accessories, as is customary with the Austrian brand, as well as new Powerwear equipment so that the rider and passenger are always in tune with the model they have in the garage!

KTM 890 ADVENTURE
ENGINE	PARALLEL TWIN, LIQUID COOLED
DISPLACEMENT	889 CC
POWER	77 KW (105 HP) @8,000 RPM
TORQUE	100 NM AT 6,500 RPM
TRANSMISSION	6 SPEEDS
FRAME	CHROMOLY STEEL TUBULAR
FUEL TANK	20 LITERS
FRONT SUSPENSION	WP 43 MM UPSIDE-DOWN FORK, 200 MM TRAVEL
REAR SUSPENSION	WP MONOSHOCK, 200 MM TRAVEL
FRONT BRAKE	TWO 320 MM DISCS, 4-PISTON RADIAL CALIPERS
REAR BRAKE	260 MM DISC, 2-PISTON CALIPER
FRONT TIRE	90/90-21
REAR TIRE	150/70-18
WHEELBASE	1,509 MM
SEAT HEIGHT	840/860 MM
WEIGHT	215 KG (FULL TANK)
MSRP	TO BE DETERMINED