Living With the KTM 890R | Lessons Learnt 

Finally an 890R review that doesn't fudge the suspension spec ... pretty much all the others mistakenly say 'fully adjustable front and rear' ... good on you for highlighting the lack of front pre-load adjustment

Hi all, Shawn here from Port Elizabeth South Africa. I owned the KTM790 duke for just over a year and then traded her in for the 890R about 6 months ago. After 1000 km I had her decatted and a Akropovic slip on without decibel killer. The 890R is a beast compared to the 790,longer legs through the rev range, the quick shifter is unreal, banging like gun shots up through the gears between 4000 and 6000 rpm. I have been riding bike all my life and at over 50 years of age the 890R still leaves the hands shaking after a extreme session through the Oliphants Kop Pass, novice riders could find themselves in a bit of a pickle when in sport or track mode in the twistys. Opinion over all, it is a beast a bike and great all round fun, smile a mile on the 890R.

Great review. Thanks. I was following a friend on a few Sundays ago that had bought one of these just the day before. He was obviously still getting used to it and running it in but on the tight, twisty little B roads he looked so 'planted' and confident and I also found myself having to work quite hard to turn my S1000RR often kicking it down an extra cog in order to keep with him out of turns. Later, when we stopped for a stretch I started to ask questions about this funny little twin with orange wheels. The next morning I read a few reviews, saw some youtube video's and then rang a few KTM dealers. By Wednesday I had ordered one and I picked it up a week later. I have had hundreds of bikes and currently own 32 mostly sports bikes and I must say that the 890 is the easiest to ride, most confidence inspiring and best handling bike that I have ever owned or ridden. It is absolutely spot on for our regular, brisk B road blasts. My only gripes have been the way that it was marketed ie much of what had attracted me to the bike was classed as an added extra which meant that the advertised otr price seemed a bit of a con and secondly after only 180 miles it haddeveloped a minor oil leak from the seal behind the front chain sprocket (part no 0005000092) something that has been so common that there is now a revised seal but I am told that dealers are still waiting for them. One owner apparently averaged a new seal every 10 days until the 5th swap was a success. Chains also require adjusting quite regularly (CZ are not the best) and so a new DID chain and sprocket set could accompany the new (revised) seal. Other than that..........Absolutely love it.

Thanks Tim, really like your posts and great content. I have the 790 Duke myself and agree that unless you are a die-hard trackday fiend the 790 is more than enough fun on British roads! I’ve owned a few KTM’s, two 690 supermotos and a 690 Duke and i still have an RC390 track bike which is hilarious but I must admit to having a few reliability problems with all of them, two speedo units on the supermotos, a cracked air box on the 390 and a knackered water pump and leaking radiator on the 690. So far, [fingers crossed!] the 790 has taken everything in its stride with no problems to report so hopefully they have finally got it nailed. To put it in perspective I’ve also got an Indian FTR 1200 base model and It refuses to start if I leave it for anything over five days without the Optimate connected!

Have owned an 890 for 4 months and no issues at all so far so reliability seems good (covered 2500 miles). Absolutely love the bike, great road bike and good in many conditions (fast road riding, town, commuting etc.). Recommend trying one for those tempted. Good review by the way. Cheers

well put together video! friendly personality, some funny lines and informative. subbed you deserve more views

RU-vid algorithm just sent me your way (poss as I just bought myself a new 790!), mint review - totally enjoyed your emotive discussion as opposed to just reading the spec sheet.

I did a 1600 km tour. Have the PP comfort saddle. After about 4 h in the saddle, my butt started hurting. A little stretching break dud help. Wind buffeting wasn't that much an issue (188 cm tall, Shoei GT-Air, textile suit), but after the Autobahn ride with avg. speed of 130 kph my neck hurt. As it probably would with any naked bike (except the Tuna😉)

I used to not be a big fan of the Dukes but they have really grown on me to the fact I actually want one now. Thanks for the review.

I bought a 790 Duke, granted it’s not as new as the 890. I’ve really enjoyed it. It has ample power for what I’m looking for. I am a new rider, this is actually my first bike. The driver aids give me more confidence to learn how to wheelie etc and also to ride while in the rain. It has ample power, good driver aids, it’s very light and for me at least it has monumental torque. I’ve really enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ll ever sell it.

A great video! Thanks for the review. I have ridden the 790 and the 1260 SD. For me the 790 was a little underpowered. I am anxious to try the 890.

Great humor and wit. Thank you

Always a quality review, thanks.

This is a great channel, deserves more subscribers

Good review! Thanks for taking the time.

Nice work- subbed! And thank you for making me feel more confident about my height and age 😆

I've done several 300 mile days on mine, and have no complaints about comfort, although my old knees are a bit sore by the end. I've always ridden supersports with clip-ons before owning the KTM, so by comparison this has a very relaxed riding position :) The fuel range was what surprised me the most about this bike, I easily go 240 miles to a tank at aggressive-ish street speeds.

We have the 790 here in India more than enough power for the street! Btw great review as always

Lovely review! I’m blown by 890r but I’m considering the 790 duke don’t think need this 890r it seems to focused as race bike whereas I prefer a commuter weekend blaster. I guess a normal 890 duke would do🤭👌

i've ridden the 1290duke R. that thing was mental. by far the quickest bike i've ever ridden. The torque down low is immense. It's probably the closest thing mankind will get to achieving Warp Drive. The 890R is imho better suited for public roads ;)

sounds really goooooodddd!!

Good review, thanks 👍

Nice review. Facts and rational opinions.Good point about the 790.

Great review!

Put the ktm fly screen on it , a ktm ergo seat and set the suspension to comfort and it's converted to a perfect touring bike , I do easy 500km trips on one day , and for track day's I just set the suspension to sport .

They do come with a pillion seat, grab rail and pegs. They're just not fitted from factory. They handle 2-up very well.

Excellent and honest recommendation right at the end of the vid. 890R vs 790, £11,055 vs £7,499 - (and 790 has all options switched on). Btw I just bought a new 790 for £6999 otr.

Love the humor.😆

Thank you for being honest, most people probably will barely be able to tell the difference between a 790 and 890 but save thousands of dollars,so many people fall for the hype and always recommend the latest and greatest model and trim,

Dude you’re hilarious, great vid!

I just put a deposit down on a 2022 890 duke R. Can't wait till it's home with me.

Best review Ive seen of this one. Im trying to decide between this one, Street Triple RS and Ducati Monster.

I can't believe parallel twins are making 120hp. That is insane

Nice moto... good review...

Vindicated my choice to get the 790 ;) thanks fella.

I like the exhaust look, always have.

Hope they will make a husqvarna vitpilen 901 with this engine, i really love the look of the vitpilen 701.but the 75 hk on it is a down step from my triumph thruxton r. And i tried the ktm 890 duke r the other day, and i loved it.

Spot on review Mate. I think UR right about the 790. Dropping the UK price to £7.5k is a bloody bargain, especially as all electronics are unlocked at no cost, after the first service. I was originally looking at a 390 to chuck around, but that's a lot of bike for the money. I think, I'm gonna buy a 790, & then upgrade the brakes, suspension & exhaust, bit by bit. A cheeky decat exhaust from Austin Racing saves several kgs &, with a piggyback ecu, you can hit the same sort of figures as the 890. Also, purely from an aesthetic point of view, the 2020 colourways on 790 look a lot better, than when you rode it. The matt grey & black with orange wheels looks the business & a lot classier, more like it's beastly big brother.

Very entertaining! Thanks for the great review. I want an 890 but I’m a whopping 5’5”. So, it’s still a little tall for me.

Great

excellent review!

Adjust adjustable master cylinder for desired front brake feel. No preload: Would just checking sag at your weight--and if off--get the actual right spring to remedy this?

been coveting a ktm since i sold my speed trip , kinda pricey at the moment tho . great review , subbed !

That exhaust looks way better than any of the aftermarket ones you can put on this bike.

Love the power in this bike. Wish it was red. Only thing that's putting me off. It's insanely fast for something so light.

It's rideable long distance. I've done a couple days with 8 or so hours of riding with breaks/gas/meals and wasn't sore. The seat is hard but very roomy and allows you to move around often. I have old knee and back injuries also. Neck does get a bit more sore though with all the bouncing around. Was yours running lean also? Mine was popping on decel right out of the box. Did a cat delete and it's a bit worse and much louder. Going to need a fuel controller if I do anything else to the exhaust or intake. Never had a bike where a fuel controller was almost a requirement.

Nice-looking bike. I wish that KTM still made the 690 Duke, though, as I always wanted one. Left it too late.

are these additional settings available only in the R version?

Sorry, I commented the wrong video previously, so I copy it here after some editing. Hi, this might sound weird but you are the only one - I know of - who has ridden both bikes that I have on my shortlist. The bikes are the KTM duke 890 r and the Moto Morini Corsaro ZZ. Shortly about my riding abilities and goals, which I hope explains these candidates that are pretty far apart. I used to be an amateur club racer and tracked an Aprilia RSV Factory (v2) for years until the kids came along. Nowadays, my riding is limited to one - hell of - a week in the Italian Alps (Dolomites) where I ride with local friends (you can imagine the tempo). Though, I have to add that we ride well within our abilities as those are public roads and wouldn't like to kill anyone (including ourselves). We take the bikes on a trailer or in a van to the premises, so the 6 days we spend in the saddle are practically pure canyon riding on mostly racetrack-like tarmac (one of my all time favourites is Passo Mendola, if you happen to know the place). That means that the only thing I am looking for in a bike is having fun in the saddle. Comfort is rather secondary, reliability is only important in so far as the bike should be OK for those 1K miles every year. Now, this might surprise most people, my wife loves riding with me as a pillion. She used to love the RSV that was professionally set up for track use and nowadays we ride on a Tuono Factory (also V2). Being a yoga instructor, she can cope with any bike and any position ;). She even liked my mate's Brutale 910 R and simply found the original Multistrada 1100 S boring being "too comfortable, and not sporty enough". I consider myself pretty lucky, in this respect, too. I am not a huge fan of electronic aids as on public roads they do not add much to the experience, if not take some away of it. I honestly think that I couldn't (or rather wouldn't be) faster on any bike than on my Tuono V2 in the twisties, simply because we ride on public roads. That is why I am looking for character, sublime handling etc. The fuelling (that is very important in the tight switchbacks or tornantes) on my race tuned RSV was phenomenal, but my old 999S was also exemplary in this department. However, I read so much good stuff about the 890 r that it really caught my attention. I am not afraid of eccentric Italian bikes after having owned and ridden older Ducatis, Aprilias, a Cagiva Xtra Raptor and some MVs. Still, I know that the Corsaro is a dark horse. My concern regarding the Corsaro is that it might be too much of a handful sometimes (if that makes any sense at all). On the other hand, the electronics may be so good on the Duke as they are, still I like to ride my bikes myself. Also, I am not sure if the bike's chassis can handle a pillion? So after such a long post, I wonder which would you choose if you were in my shoes (boots)?

High 790? The R or ? Help..can’t get demo in my city in the states. What would you get for fun riding..no touring, no commuting. Other brands?

Is it worth the money from something like a husky Svartpilen 701

KTM seems to be on the roll at the moment! I'm just wanna see their R&D learned in MotoGP in a Road going Sport bike! 1290 engine in the RC8 frame with all electronics one can wish for!! I recon it would fill a hole in the marcet for a big V2 since Ducati now is a V4 same like Aprilia. And the fact that I wouldn't have to any world superbike homologation rules would mean that 1290 would be able to have more cc then the usual 1000cc straight 4 or V4. I recon it would sell like hot cakes!

I Have a 790 duke and I have experienced the following issues: Radiator leak Left front fork leakage Indicator issue (This has not been solved after 2 years of ownership and biggest pain in the ass) Clutch cable broke open and was rusted Oil leak at valve cover Thats all until now... I even decided to buy the extended warranty cause it's not the most reliable machine. Even with these issues she is rideable as if nothing is going on. She has 30.000 km.

Does anyone know what is failing in the clutch’s????

Please also talk about service cost and type in every review you do. We usually see that first before choosing a bike.

I have a 2021 890 R at 275 miles the digital display went bad. The display turned blue green. clock and date quit working. Waited 4 weeks for a replacement which is being installed tomorrow. Not a very gratifying experience so far.

bro, u didn't talk about the quality and rideability and smoothness of the suspension u didn't also talk about the headlight visibility and throw that gives in the dark Do a video on WP suspension, should other manufacturers should adopt it.

Nice review. I do really like this bike but I don't think I could justify it if it was my only bike as it seems a bit too full on all the time. Must be getting old god damn it lol!

I just bought a 2021, rode it 38 miles, the oil light came on and the engine shut off. The dealer initially thought they forgot to turn off the immobilizer, but when they got it, they hooked it up to the computer and talked to KTM. KTM admitted they sent a bunch out with faulty fuel pumps. So my brand new $12,000 bike is sitting at the dealer, unable to be ridden until they get the new pump and replace it.

I'm waiting for a supermoto with this engine.

How is it for daily commuting through traffic?

I wish they did different colour schemes for this bike.

I thought the bike comes with both the rear seat and the cowl.

How does this compare to the street triple?

Yeah ive tried the 790 and its more rhan enough power for me for a daily

This is telling me I should get the aprilia tuono v4 & or 1290 duke 🤔

So it has been a month. Does she still run great?

How's the thrill compared to the MT 09?

I've heard that KTM's have problems with head gaskets and other reliability issues, anybody got any information on this?

Had both... never go back to the 790.

Vitpilen 901 i want🤙🔥🔥

Bike's perfectly fine for touring

Did you have any issues?

Midweight bikes in my eyes are 70-130hp, heavyweights are 150+. Some grey area in between

They are moving pretty much all their bike manufacturing to India and China. I think only the 1290 will be made in Austria. KtM cost way to much and more to own when you factor in they break a lot.

Is there any UNDERSEAT STORAGE on this thing? Enough for credible tool and flat-fix kits?

Like a review for a home vacuum!! No freaking emotions, just specs.

Nice hat, it's your logo?

It’s a 1980s Yamaha with advanced electronics and FI.

I am 6 feet and cant put both foot flat.

It is pretty 😅 ??? Not really - at least not in my eyes 😂. But a great fun bike, no doubt about it 👍🏻. I did a testride on the 890 GP and it's really enjoyable 😊

''it is very pretty''? How on earth do you look past the bug-eyes on this thing? Or is this one of those 'pretty on the inside' things?

The “pay for unlocks” thing pisses me off… for 1 reason; They’ve already manufactured every bike with it already installed. So their costs are covered & therefore paying extra is exactly that - extra money for he same damn bike.

I loved the idea of owning one of these until I sat on a 790, it's so small and cramped for me I was gutted 😭

790 with quickshifter/blipper as standard! 890 optional extra!👎

"perfectly normal height"

Only thing I'm left wondering is why KTM doesn't offer Cruise Control for all of their bikes at this point since they are all ride-by-wire, have the same TFT display, etc? I'm sure it's simply a software update and of course the combination control on the left. Why only being offered on their 790 Adventure bikes when all the lower end bikes could benefit, specifically the 390 Adventure? I don't understand this totally artificial gate keeping they are doing. Very annoying.

Are you near a gun range?

Mmm, all about the shoes eh!

You can change throttle response so it's essentially just on/off... lmao

How it is to live with Duke? I had the bike few days 🤦🤦🤦

This ain't the new daily right?

Damn I’m 6’1 you think I’d be to big for this bike?

So this isn't a bike to ride from Sunderland to London a lot? 🤣🤣

Its a nice looking bike, but it looks so cheaply put together compared to my street triple rs

Lessons learnt from 3 days?

Perfectly average height for a grown man in his 30s lol something about that cracked me up

well presented... she certainly is a tight little package hah

You have to make a video on top of the motorcycle, so it doesn't make sense.

Lol.. this bike is plenty for touring .. the colors sxxk that's all.