REVIEWED: 2021 KTM 890 ADVENTURE R

KTM’s first adventure bike to use a parallel twin engine configuration, the 790 Adventure R, redefined the off-road capabilities of adventure motorcycles back in 2019. KTM proudly called it, “The most performance-oriented mid-weight travel enduro on the market”, and they were dead right about that.

Two years down the track, having listened carefully to feedback about the 790, the Austrians have significantly raised the bar with their much-updated 890 Adventure R. Packing another 90cc, the 2021 890 Adventure R comes with extra power and torque, a more sophisticated electronics packages, plus refinements to suspension, clutch and brakes.

After sampling the all-new 890 Adv R for three days and 600km of epic terrain on the western slopes of NSW’s Blue Mountains, Transmoto’s Andy Wigan offers an insight into how this new model improves on its predecessor, and why it’s likely to be on the radar for a broader cross-section of adventure riders…