KTM 890 ADVENTURE (2020 - on) Review

The KTM 890 Adventure is the replacement for the 790 Adventure, which was only launched in 2019. The entry-level 890 will still sit in the middle of KTM’s 'Travel' range, between the A2 licence-friendly 390 Adventure and the 1290 behemoths.

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It’s festooned with mechanical and electronic upgrades not only for more punch, but to make the KTM easier to manage, more refined, safer and enjoyable on the long haul.

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Like the outgoing 790 the new KTM 890 Adventure is an accomplished soft-roader and offers a more real-world alternative to the big, powerful and sometimes unwieldy, full-blown adventure bike. Its pricey, but well equipped and its new engine mixes serious guts with a new level of refinement, making it easy to get on with, but it still has a tough edge.

It’s a fine handling, spritely tourer that will also breeze rocky trails, but it’s a little too heavy for anything more spirited, especially for the inexperienced. It’s slightly cramped for taller riders, but it’s comfortable and reassuringly low for shorter riders.

We’re riding KTM’s new 890 Adventure today. They say it has more oomph, is more refined and easier to get along with. Are they right? There’s only one way to find out... pic.twitter.com/YfvC0KTGZl

— Michael Neeves (@Neevesy33) October 22, 2020

KTM 890 Adventure video review:

Non-adjustable WP forks are unchanged from the 790, but the shock now has rebound damping adjustment and a remote preload dial.

An aluminium steering stem also replaces steel for lightness and extra flex. The 890 is stable, balanced and with its suspension sprung on the stiff side of plush, you can chuck it around with confidence.

New brake pads have extra bite and Avon AV53/54 Trailrider tyres give decent all-round grip. The 890 has gained 7kg (even with its new lighter subframe), which doesn’t make a huge difference on the road, but weighing well over 220kg with fuel it’s no lightweight enduro in the dirt.

What a cracker of an engine. It’s as exciting here as it is in the new Duke 890 R, but for the 890 Adventure it delivers even bigger dollops of usable low and midrange power, not to mention a healthy top end kick, too, where it yowls like a V-twin.

Fuelling is spot on, the gearbox sweet and our test at the world launch bike is fitted with an accessory Akrapovic end can, which gives the motor more urgency and a deeper bark, but it masks the actual improvement over the 790. KTM claim 63mpg, which is a theoretical 276 miles to its 20-litre tank.

It’s out with the 790’s slightly snappy power delivery and in with a mellower response thanks to a new crank with 20% more inertia. Now the KTM’s engine has more momentum on and off the throttle and while its main aim is to make it less of a handful in the dirt, it also makes for more fluid road riding.

The 890’s bored and stroked 103bhp motor not only has an extra 90cc, 9bhp and 8.8ftlb of torque, there’s a kitchen sink’s worth of upgrades including new pistons, balancers, conrods, valves, springs, oil cooler, knock sensor, clutch and gearbox mods.

With its newfound performance, fuel maps and traction control have been tweaked through the 890’s three riding modes. There’s now a six-axis gyro for more accurate cornering ABS and the system can tell an off-road wheelspin from a wheelie.

During our test the electronics always stayed in the background, but they’re reassuring to have when gravel and mud suddenly appear mid bend. In its optional 'Rally' mode the rider aids release their grip to let you slip and slide off road. The 890’s bright colour dash links to a KTM app via Bluetooth for calls, music and turn-by-turn sat nav.

On the plus side you get a two-year warranty, roadside assistance and wheel hubs are now anodised instead of power coated for durability. The 890 Adventure looks very well screwed together when new with great paint finishes and there are a lot of 790 Adventure owners who’ve enjoyed trouble-free ownership…but there are those who haven’t.

There still seems to be quality control issues and plenty of reports of leaks, failures and breakdowns, all of which KTM work hard to resolve, so if you’re serious about buying make sure you go to a reputable dealer.

The 890 Adventure isn’t cheap. With its capacity hike you can now talk about it in the same breath as machines like the BMW F850GS and Triumph Tiger 900, both of which are cheaper in base trim.

Although now much more powerful the KTM still rivals the Yamaha Ténéré 700, but the Yamaha beats it hands down on price, but comfortably undercuts Honda’s Africa Twin.

You don’t get fully adjustable suspension, or top-line brakes and tyres but the 890 Adventure comes with just about everything else, including a colour dash with Bluetooth connectively, a twin radial caliper set-up, three rider modes, traction control and cornering ABS.

As well as its racy Akrapovic exhaust can our test bike is fitted with selected optional extras from KTM’s accessory catalogue, including a superb quickshifter and autoblipper, Rally riding mode and cruise control (its switchgear button comes standard), but for the money you’d want them thrown in.

We also rode with the flatter, slimmer optional seat, which retains the 890 Adventure’s low 830mm height, making like easier for shorter riders, but it does away with the standard seat’s 850mm option, which we’d have liked to try, as the KTM is relatively small and cramped for a six foot MCN tester.