I’m sure every motorcycle enthusiast has spent more than a little time thinking about the “perfect motorcycle”. A bike that is not only a “jack of all trades”, but comes close to mastering them.
A few years ago, I was thinking about this very topic when I bought a KTM 790 Adventure S. I loved the motor, the upright riding position, the wind protection and the excellent feedback I got through the steel trellis frame. The bike handled so well with the stock 21″ front and 18″ rear wheels, I immediately planned to buy a 19/17 inch combination and get access to grippier, more road-worthy tires.
I still own the 790 Adventure, but I ran into some issues with the 19/17 wheel combo. I should have bought narrower wheels, supporting narrower tires, but the main problem was the ultra-low center of gravity created by the U-shaped gas tank design. I even took the time to raise the gas tank a few millimeters (that wasn’t easy).
It turns out that KTM was planning to introduce a bike that addressed all of my concerns, and then some. In Europe last year, the 890 SMT went on sale with the newer, more powerful 890 motor, slightly shorter suspension travel (by 20mm) and a smaller gas tank that carries its weight much higher than the adventure models. Oh … and it comes with 17″ wheels that allow the mounting of super-sticky sport rubber.
For 2024, KTM has brought the 890 SMT to the U.S. market, and MD has already tested the bike. Does it contain that perfect combination of attributes our editor was looking for when he modified his 790? Let’s get into our review.
Let’s go over the technical highlights. The same parallel-twin engine found in the 890 Adventure models makes its way to the SMT. The performance of this engine is almost universally praised. With a peak of 105 horsepower and a smooth torque curve that builds power very low in the rev range, the engine is flexible and fun. Note that the SMT does not get the higher horsepower version of this engine found in the Duke 890R, for instance, because KTM thought the torquier version of the motor better suited the purposes of the SMT.
Power is shifted through a six-speed gear box, and the front brake calipers are four-piston KTM-branded and radial mounted. They grip 320mm discs. A dual piston caliper squeezes a 260mm disc on the rear wheel.
The suspension includes front forks 43mm in diameter with 180mm of travel. The forks are fully adjustable for compression and rebound damping with simple, finger-operated clickers at the top of each fork tube. The shock features adjustable rebound damping and a hand-adjustable spring preload feature. The 17″ wheels are shod with sticky Michelin PowerGP tires.
A bright, colorful 5″ TFT display on the dash works with finger controls near the left handgrip to scroll through and select all the various features. Among those features are three standard ride modes, including Rain, Street and Sport. The handlebar position is adjustable over a 30mm range.
Aided by an IMU, the bike features cornering ABS and Supermoto ABS (which disables ABS on the rear wheel). The IMU also allows the bike to feature lean-sensitive traction control.
During the first 1,500 kilometers (932 miles), new owners can demo other features, including a Track mode (permitting the rider to select different throttle sensitivities and adjust traction control through 10 levels), a quick shifter, cruise control and adjustable “motor slip regulation”. Unfortunately, the demo of these features expires and you will then have to pay your dealer to reactivate them. We believe the price is $549.99.
Marketed as a “Supermoto Tourer”, you might get on the new SMT and expect it to feel like a traditional supermoto … a dirt bike with wheels and tires. It doesn’t. This is a much more substantial machine, both in terms of weight and features. It turns out that this is largely a good thing.
As one might expect, the upright ergonomics are very roomy and comfortable. Reminiscent of an adventure bike. The reach to the bars (which can be adjusted) is easy and falls to a natural position.
Firing up the bike for the first time and riding away, the familiar torquey, characterful 889cc twin brings a smile to your face. Engine response to the throttle is excellent (we preferred Street mode, as Sport mode made the throttle a bit more touchy than we prefer).
As delivered, the suspension felt a bit too soft, and spongy, for our 210 pound (with gear) rider. We were told it was set on the “Comfort” settings. KTM provides a guide under the seat to set the suspension clickers all the way up to Sport settings.
We didn’t follow KTM’s under-seat recommendations, but went by feel. Adding three clicks of compression and rebound damping to the fork, as well as three clicks of rebound damping to the shock tightened things up nicely for aggressive sport riding. We also used the remote, hand-adjustable shock spring preload adjuster to raise the rear end a bit. We ended up with settings that worked very well while attacking familiar, twisty roads.
The bottom line is that the suspension on the new 890 SMT can be dialed in to accommodate everything from cushy touring to the pace required for a track day. Good stuff.
As we noted earlier, the seating position provides the upright comfort of an adventure bike, with plenty of leg room for an average size rider. The seat comfort, even after a couple of hours in the saddle, was a much welcome improvement over the editor’s 2019 KTM 790 Adventure.
Handling is exemplary. It is not as nimble as a true supermoto, of course, but it still turns in with a moderate effort from the rider, and is very stable, both in a straight line and leaned over in sweeping corners.
The brakes appear to come straight from the latest 890 Adventure models, and they do a good job of stoping the relatively lightweight (at a claimed 427 pounds) machine with good feel. The transmission on our test bike, with the quickshifter in operation, changed gears with little effort. Some of the 890s we have tested have exhibited some knotchy shift action, but our SMT test bike was flawless in this regard.
The bike comes standard with very grippy tires, Michelin Power GP front and rear. These tires held tenaciously and provided good feedback to the rider. Combined with a balanced chassis, the new SMT can be ridden aggressively and pushed to change directions with very little drama.
In essence, this is a bike that is extremely fun to ride and is confidence inspiring. No, it won’t rip your arms out of their sockets with brutal acceleration, but the 890 twin provides plenty of performance on the street with decent peak power coupled with a very broad spread of torque that shoves you out of corners with authority. The flat plateau of torque frequently makes two gears equally effective on corner exits.
Things we didn’t like, or might improve if we owned an SMT? The throttle response in the Sport setting is a little too sharp for our tastes. Not terrible, and certainly useable on a race tract, but for day-to-day riding the Street mode was perfect. If you have the options enabled (which we did on our test bike) you can go into Track mode and select Street as your throttle response setting. This is exactly how we rode the bike most of the time, but we also dialed down traction control on dry asphalt to level 3 or 4 (of 9) for a bit stronger acceleration.
Other than the throttle response issue in Sport mode, the 890 SMT is difficult to criticize. Of course, it doesn’t offer the wind protection of a full-blown touring bike, but that’s not what you would be looking for if you bought a bike like the SMT.
Frankly, in our opinion, even a fast track day rider could enjoy the SMT with just a couple of changes. Depending on their weight and speed, they might want stiffer springs in the fork and shock. Aggressive track riding would also benefit, in our opinion, from a radial front brake master cylinder (such as a Brembo unit). That’s about it.
So what you have in the 890 SMT is a fun, versatile motorcycle that can provide good comfort for commuting or a short tour, while being a blast to ride on the weekends on twisty roads.
How does the 890 SMT compare to Dirck’s modified 790 Adventure? Not much comparison, really. The handling and performance of the 890 SMT are a big step above the modified 790, and the 890 SMT even has a much more comfortable seat.
The 2024 KTM 890 SMT is currently available in U.S. dealerships at an MSRP of $13,949. For additional details, and a look at the many parts KTM offers to modify the 890 SMT, take a look at KTM’s website.
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