Your thoughts have always meant a lot to me over all these years. Much appreciated.FWIW I'll offer my insights on the 890.
...and am satisfied (for now).
For starters I have the 890 Adventure not the R. The R has a much better suspension although I have no complaints about the suspension on the base bike. Other than that the bikes are the same. I also have the Rally mode installed which may or may not unlock some power but does give you the ability tp dial your TC as you ride. With the TC set down from stock settings I can break the rear loose at will. As far as wheelies go I don't do them on purpose. Old drag race habit, they're slow. Bike has plenty of power and goes great. You really need to sit on the bike and see if it puts a smile on your face. You won't be disappointed with the power. There are some European videos floating around of an 890 outrunning a 1290 for the first half of a drag race. Having owned both at the same time I would say it's definitely possible and probable.Question for Donk..
First, here is what generated the question..
Coffee talk this morning with DM
DM: blah blah 690 blah why am I blah
DD: blah 690 knobbies blah
DM: you should go to Larry's and buy a bike
DD: you are pure evil
Text with Larry (GM at KTM dealership)
DD: Morning buddy, do you have any dirt versions of the 890 in stock?
Larry: You mean the 890R? I sold my last 2 on Saturday. Don't have any '23s in yet.
DD: Thanks, you just saved me from an impulse buy.
So Donk, how's the power on the 890R. Will it wheelie at will with just a flick of the wrist in the first 3 gears?
I love my 690 in the dirt, but it gets pretty tedious on the pavement getting to those distant dirt areas. The 690 has a lot of dirt capability that, in my mid-50s, I'm just not interested in utilizing. I don't mind scraficing some dirt capability I'm not using and replacing it with added road comfort which I would use.
I'm not a rock crawler, it's just not what I enjoy. I'd much rather be doing 45 to 55MPH on some rolling dirt trails with lots of power sliding and wheelies at every hump.
So Donk...is the 890R a good fit for me?
Closed on Sunday?That's a very tall order to be more fun than the 1290. I'm willing to give it a shot.
My 690 temporarily died just .3 miles from a KTM dealership in PA this morning. The thought definitely flashed through my head if that dealership had the 890R in stock I'd trade them the 690 on the spot and ride the new one home.
Finally somebody who doesn't put music over their video so you can hear the bike !I decided to cut a few clips from the video shot during the ride yesterday. Really spectacular colors. All scenes are from the Pennsylvania section of the Romney Camp N Ride - Route sheet for "Breezewood." One of my all time favorite local rides, and perfect for celebrating the bike passing through 25K miles.
Turn your settings up to 4K:
Music is often the only available sound. Most camera microphones produce only wind noise.Finally somebody who doesn't put music over their video so you can hear the bike !
Continental Trail Attack 3 (rear): 5,533 mile just starting to touch the wear bar in the center. I see I did get slightly more mileage from the OEM Scorpion but not sure I'll go back. I was still learning the bike back then and I suspect I may be more heavy handed today. I did like this Trail Attack 3 and even at the wear bars it appears to have more tread then most tires at the wear bars. I had hoped the Trail Attack would make it to my 27K mile service, but I don't see it going another 1,500 miles. Just another chance for Larry (GM - KTM dealer) to say, "my god! you are hard on tires." It's not me, it's the bike....really...why are you looking at me like that...it's not me.This is going back a bit, but my current TrailSmart has only 4,300 miles and is dead now. Just made me think back to this post by Madhatter. I've learned some things about rear tires and this bike. The history:
OEM Scorpion: 5,791 - learning the bike, general riding. Rear was not totally dead, but replaced as a set.
TrailSmart(#1): 2,999 - replaced prematurely in prep for a trip
TrailSmart(#2): 6,782 - 4K miles trip out west to Tenere event last summer, plus general riding. Completely dead (and punctured) when removed.
TrailSmart(#3): 4,300 - dead - almost no off pavement, no power sliding - just the usual heavy right wrist activity this bike inspires.
TrailSmarts are no longer $100 per set, and my initial stock-up supply has been exhausted. I'll be trying a Continental Trail Attack 3 next. If that doesn't work I'll likely go back to the Scorpion.
Maybe it's all those wheelies? Ever see what happens to the tires when an aircraft touches down?I still don't fully understand why front tires go so fast on this bike. I don't feel like I use my brakes any more than I did on the Tenere, I fully endorse spirited engine braking. I try to give the front tire a rest reasonably often. The bike weighs less than a Tenere. Not sure there's a good explanation on why they go so fast.
take a look at the vibration of the front fork. If you have somewhere to see the front wheel axle…and compare it to some fixed point on the chassis, you will be able to see if it vibrates. If it vibrates, that is probably the cause of the most wear (compared to the use you gave the S10). On the S10, I see vibes. Another cause of front wheel wear could be the resistance to acceleration of the rear wheel, until they are equal in rotation, the front wheel must want to drag (perhaps hundredths/thousandths)...but enough to cause friction and wearTodavía no entiendo completamente por qué los neumáticos delanteros van tan rápido en esta bicicleta. No siento que use mis frenos más de lo que lo hice en el Tenere, apoyo plenamente el frenado del motor. Trato de descansar el neumático delantero con bastante frecuencia. La bicicleta pesa menos que un Tenere. No estoy seguro de que haya una buena explicación de por qué van tan rápido.