2021 KTM 890 Adventure First Look
Entry-level version joins R and R Rally models
After announcing the 2021 890 Adventure R and Adventure R Rally earlier this month, KTM revealed a third member of the lineup in the more street-biased 890 Adventure.
The 2021 KTM 890 Adventure shares much with the R and Rally models, including its 889cc engine and saddle-shaped low-slung 5.3 gallon fuel tank. The engine tuning is the same, claiming a peak of 105 hp at 8000 rpm and 73.8 lb-ft. at 6500 rpm while meeting Euro 5 emissions standards. Like the other two models, the 890 Adventure comes with a power assist clutch (PASC), which combines a slipper clutch with a lighter lever pull. The transmission is an identical six-speed gearbox, with an optional Quickshifter upgrade for clutchless up and downshifts. The frame is also a similar tubular Chromoly steel design, only it lacks the R model’s orange powder coating.
The differences between the 890 Adventure and the R model are fairly apparent at a glance:
Up front, the non-R model loses the beak, gaining a tire hugging front fender instead. The wheel set-up is similar, with a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel, but KTM opted for more road-biased tubeless Avon Trailrider dual-sport tires instead of the R model’s Continental TKC 80 adventure tires.
The suspension system is also different, with the 890 Adventure getting a APEX 43 fork and APEX monoshock instead of the R model’s higher-spec WP XPLOR-USD fork and a preload-adjustable XPLOR PDS rear shock. The APEX suspension offers 7.9-inches of travel, less than the R model’s 9.4 inches but sufficient for some off-road bumps.
The 890 Adventure does gain a taller windscreen, which is better suited for wind protection on highways. The non-R model also gains a height adjustable two-piece seat plus passenger grab handles.
The brakes are the same as on the R model, with dual 320 mm front rotors with radially-mounted four-piston calipers and a 260 mm rear disc with two-piston caliper. A disengageable Bosch 9.1 MP ABS system (including cornering ABS and an off-road mode) is standard, as are the traction control system and selectable ride modes. A Rally mode with crisper throttle response and nine levels of wheel slip control is available as an optional upgrade.
Other standard features include a five-inch TFT display, cruise control, a WP steering damper and an adjustable handlebar.
The 2021 KTM 890 Adventure will be offered in orange or gray paint schemes. U.S. pricing has not yet been announced.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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This seems to be as close as KTM will get to a street oriented 890 Adventure. I'll be very interested to know if it will work as well on twisty roads as a Triumph 900GT or BMW F900XR. I'd love to see more comparison tests of this class (essentially upright sport-tourers).
So, let's see. Where did we start? 950? The original was uniquely styled, and attractive to my eye. KTM have tortured it into something that is certainly functional.