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Sir, you're something like the David Attenborough of motorcycling. It's a pleasure not only listening to what you say as one senses the motorcycle enthusiast behind it who knows what he's talking about and can convey it to the watchers/listeners, but also the way you say it is equally pleasurable. There're so many eager vloggers around comparably enthusiastic (albeit less experienced) but much less articulate. I ride a sports tourer and sadly, this KTM falls short -at least for me- on the touring part of the equation. Regards
SM-T , perhaps KTM forgot that 99% of touring riders are middle aged or older and won't be riding it like a thief. Hope you doing well Matt? God Bless.
Never underestimate KTMs tendency to build a bike down to a price & make up the difference with PR hype. Anyone who’s been a dirt or road KTM customer for over 10 years will know this. Thank you to Matt and the guys for not falling for the hype. And any Tubers that compare this bike with the genuinely multi-talented 990SMT simply haven’t ever ridden one.
As an owner of the old 990 SM R the SM trim is absolutely amazing for broken up mountain roads and even does well on dirt roads. I've even gotten mine airborne a few times. The suspension and up right dirt bike feel is much more than sport tourer.
I agree with this. I rode the 1290 GT and loved it! But I also never got it out of third gear in over two hours of riding. I mean if I wanted to decimate the law and lose my license and possibly my life, I could've gotten it into fourth. so an 890 Duke GT would be phenomenal. Having said that, I have this bike and I love it.
Nicely summed up Matt. As a 990 SMT owner I was eagerly awaiting this bike, looking for a modern take on the original. The test ride left me cold. Bike has little character unless hooning along and the quality of the finish is not a par on the Austrian built original. My test bike also showed a leak from the output drift shaft seal with only 250 miles on the bike. Weirdly the test did highlight for me that the bike I now need is not another SMT but in fact the 1290 SAS. I found this much closer to my 990 SMT than the new version. maybe I am just getting older. Either way, my 990 SMT is now up for sale - UK location if anyone is interested in the best SMT out there. Great to have you back ;)
Just been away for a 4 day break on my smt 890 ,with a tail bag for luggage.covered 1250 mile absolute fantastic bike, was in the company of a Ducati multi-Strada Pikes Peak v 4 .and bmw 1250 gs, and bmw 1000 xr. Bike was in its element in North Yorkshire. Also open to the borders of Scotland.. below 100 mile an hour. It had no problem with these bikes.! and none of them came close when it comes to the really twisty stuff. I had it flat out through the gears on many occasions, . And my overall mpg was 62 mpg. The multi-Strada actually run out of fuel at 160 miles , where the SMT with its 15 1/2 L tank would do 200 miles a tent quite comfortably .I did Own and original 990 SMT. Fantastic bike. Yes, I think I preferred the 990 between for the hooligan element.. I also own a KTM 1290 adventure s. Gen 3 With 37,000 miles on it. I’ve just come back for a ride on the 1290 as I wanted to do a comparison test., as I was thinking of getting a 890 adventure. But the 1290, just puts a smile on my face., as a big between can-do. In comparison, the smt for out right fun and really working the engine and gearbox. The 1290 fun, but using the brute force.. both really enjoyable. If I could only have one bike, I think the 1290 would just win by a nose.
Glad you made it through surgery and are back at it. I would love to see you get a hold of the old 990 SMT and do a comparison video. Considering most people were hoping they would release something closer to the old one with all the new tech and a slight facelift, I think they missed the mark.
As a Sport Touring rider on a 690 Duke R, I will certainly be upgrading to a new 890 SMT. The only reason I haven't upgraded to an MT-09, Z900, or Striple 765 is that they're all heavier and offer no real touring advantage over the 690. Yes they have smoother engines and better power delivery into a headwind than the big thumper, but lose their agility in the corners. I think the SMT platform retains more agility, yet paired with the 890cc twin it packs much more punch on the big roads. Added wind protection and luggage capability over other naked bikes really makes the SMT appeal as a tourer. Low weight, high riding position, and ground clearance are all big positives in a tourer for me, as I love to be able to jump off onto gravel or uneven ground when the opportunity arises.
With out a doubt KTM builds bikes with wonderful engines, amazing suspension, and the most frustrating electronics. Riddled with glitches, failures to function, resets requiring the key to be switched off multiple times during a days ride, and customer support that really doesn’t give a damn. After seven years and more than a couple of KTM’s, (One of which the importer replaced because their tech couldn’t sort out its problem.) I’ve given up on KTM entirely. Sad, because I do miss the engines and suspension 🙁.
Couldn’t agree more. Came here as a previous 990 SMT owner which was the best riding bike I’ve had in 15 years and interested in this one. SO engaging and seeps into your soul…. But unfortunately it wasn’t the only seeping going on… developed an oil leak that neither me nor the KTM dealer could fix in 3 visits, plus what appear to be standard electrical niggles, both of which led me to part ex it. Riding wise = unsurpassed Ownership wise = Abusive and disappointing! If they only worked on QC and longevity. Until then I’ll watch with interest and spend my money elsewhere, and hope I’m in an increasing minority feeling this way…
wishing you a speedy recovery Mat. Great review as always! A very interesting bike, although it seems to me that KTM have left plenty of room for a 'R' version with the full 120Bhp, more rider modes, better suspension and brakes.
Don't know why these OEM bags are so expensive? I was going to pull the trigger on a set of side cases for my XR but at $1500USD. changed my mind (and this was a discounted price from my new bike purchase) Jumped on the forums and stumbled on a thread about this topic- ended up ordering from Germany for just about half the suggested price here in the US... 3 week wait was well worth it... sorry for the O/T
It looks more suited to back street thrashing on the way to the office and home again? Just the top box for me would do though the 56 litre Givi on my Honda CB500F is much better finished and designed. As someone who gets lost easily and is very dependent on a reliable GPS, I don’t think we’d have a long ,happy relationship.
I'm trying to figure out if the SMT is a good fit for me. After decades of bike ownership for mostly urban use I have a excellent grasp of requirements for the city I live in. From the first generation of the GSXR 750 to a Yamaha Vino 125 scooter I've tried a vast range of different machines. I currently ride a KLX300SM with a top case. It's as near to a perfect fit for my needs as I could hope for. If I was to believe the marketing for these types of machines I should be very embarrassed that after more than 4000 km of use it's never fallen over and never received a ticket. It has however been parked on plenty of sidewalks and beside bicycle racks. I'm now retired and the highway beckons. On the Canadian Prairies the roads are straight and lightly traveled. Used touring behemoths seem to come cheap these days but something tells me that they wouldn't make me happy. Adventure bike? When I was a kid, I had motorcross bikes for trail riding. Been there done that. If I go off road today something's gone horribly wrong. Is it a good idea to raise the center of mass for something I'll never do? KTM marketing aside, the SMT does seem like a very good fit for the kind of riding I'd like to do plus it has cruise control.
The fact they don’t include luggage as standard like on the 2010-13 smt (even if those were crappy) validates your thought that it’s way more SM than T. Still, as a prior owner of a 2010 smt who sold it and almost immediately regretted it, I’m thinking of buying this new one.
Sounds like taking a few teeth off the rear sprocket would solve your main concern. Otherwise I’m sure a more powerful 990 version will replace this bike in 1-2 yrs after the 990 Duke comes out in the fall.
I think I am the niche customer type who this is for. This really seems the type of bike I've been looking for. I can't really ride any more my scrambler or 450 enduro due to nerve damage that can't take the vibration of single cylinder. SMT should be mostly vibration free with it's well balanced twin. For the same reason I really can't do off-road anymore so the adventure doesn't make sense for me. Adventure bikes are my go to when getting a rental on a holiday though. For my main choice of weapon I really can't have a boring bike that wouldn't make any sense for me. Since, I can't do off-road anymore I need to get my adrenaline from somewhere else. Been wanting getting back to race tracks but couldn't imagine getting another 600 rr bike. Again too much vibration also from the road surface. I really can't even drive a regular car without proper air suspension or thick rubbers anymore. And there comes SMT with it's comfy seat and long suspension but with some odd track day capability. SMCR would be better for track days but I suspect the harder suspension and seat could be too much. Again a regular sports tourer could do it but most likely not at the level I want ride on my track days.
As a current Duke 890R and a Tracer 900 GT owner . I was really looking forward to the SMT but was let down by the engine tune and ugly panniers which look like a 3rd party product. Im hoping they release an SMT R with the new 990 engine around 120 bhp and ill happily sell my 2 bikes for 1.
I am in the process of selling my 990 SMT which I have owned for a wonderful 10 years, due to age and medical problems which make it too tall for me. I didn't even consider an 890 SMT to replace it mostly because the advertizing put me off and the bike didn't look like it was going to be the swis army knife that the 990 was. So I have bought an 890 Duke after having worked out a decent luggage solution.KTM make many brilliant bikes but their marketing leaves much to be desired.
I think KTM missed the mark here. They should have made this a 1290 version or at the very least put the 890 R engine in it. That would have made the bike a bit more "mental" earning that super moto title.
At 17.000,- euro's it is 2000,- to much in my opinion. A new 1290 Adventure S is now (with end of the year discount) only 20.000,- (2000,- discount from KTM, 1000,- from my dealer) and for that 3000,- it offers more comfort, power and offroad/allroad capability that you will ever need.
No mention of the soft cams and low mileage 790/890 engine failures. Also KTM's lack of acknowledgement / denial. This is a serious omission. Are you captured?
For most average people who want that 10hp of magical sprinkles - they will go for 1290 SAS or, more likely, the big GS. THIS 890SMT is a niche version for people who want to thrash the canyon with rpm limiters... And when you cover all “comfort farkles,”... Plz... Just get GS or Goldwing, for the sake. Or 1290... This is SMT. This is somewhere between 690 / Hypermotard / and MTS-someone who wants somewhere in between. Actually, I can’t believe KTM puts this amount of marketing for this model.
@@tubejorrit You’re right. When “Money for More” comes into play, absolutely. I think Yamaha even beats BMW. I used to have MT-09 and Tracer-9 both. But “More for Fun” comes in; nothing can beat SMT in this category. (More for speed? Go to 1290) But tight twisties and hitting rev limiter kind of hill climbs - Let’s try this bike. This bike is definitely not for average riders but for a very specific audience. Almost purpose-built. The review of SMT shoyld mention this perspective. Check out Chris Northover’s review for example.
@@jun701 But for fun, tight twists and maxing out the RPM range I would rather have the Duke 890R, smaller, lighter, actual Brembo brakes! The previous SMT was more dual purpose build, just like the BMW and Yamaha. The price is also awful close to that of the 1290 Adventure R.
@@tubejorrit That’s a brilliant point. I was seriously considering the scalpel Duke 890r. I ended up with 701SM with little track prep. The thing is, 890smt would be a bit more suitable for a person who live around canyon from 100-200miles away or sometimes do 300+ mile travel. If live within 100mi (from canyon) / or one actually goes to the Track then 890r. One last thing If you like the feeling of SM, 890SMT is plus. 890r feels more like sports naked. KTM’s mid range bikes (890SMT / 890R / 690Enduro R) tend to be not for average riders but with bunch of experience and people who know what exactly they know. Until then buy Japanese or BMW.
Having bought the SMT 2 weeks ago, I am starting to get to know the beast. Yes, there are some small niggles, and if you are worried about money, then motor biking probably shouldn't be your hobby. What this bike does do is most things pretty well. if you never want to take your bike off road, then the smt is basically a GS that is affordable. It does it all, track days, shop runs, B road scratcher, tourer, commuter or even just posing about ( I think it is a pretty bike) I am in love with the bike and the format of the bike. If you dont like yamaha's then this is the best thing out there for a middle weight sports tourer at this price. If you have the money just get the new 1300 gs ( even if you will look like a GS rider when you are on one) ( I have owned 2 GS's in the last 20 years, and they are really great bikes.)
I have this bike. I love this bike. I feel like you had to dig pretty deep to find anything to complain about. You talk about horsepower like penis size. Who wouldn't want an extra 10% if they could get it? No one. But ask anyone on the receiving end: it's not about the quantity of horses. It's about how you ride them.
Don’t ever underestimate the crap customer service you will get with KTM either it is on an industrial level of shit and believe me you will come into contact with them for a warranty claim at some point good bikes bad dealers in my experience.
