The guy I taught to ride a few months ago bought the new (2021) Monster - I'd give that a test ride. I rode his and it's a hoot.
I have a 2019 790, luckily has had no issues. Unfortunately miles are lower though, i think 3200? I really like it, especially at the price point and my use which is almost all back roads riding for the hell of it. My only really complaint is its very touchy at low speeds. < 30mph it can be really twitchy with the clutch/throttle; picture right hand turns in residential neighborhoods. Im pretty sure this is from tune for emissions. Other than that for what it is I like it. The motor is sweet, transmission is slick, handles really well. I havn't gotten it on the track but for sure makes more power than my SV and FZ-07 race bikes (no surprise)
I have a 21 890R Duke. I bought it used with 1200 miles, fun as shit. So far in my 1000 miles on it, I love it. 3 trackdays and I have found no faults other than it's a "rattley" motor in comparison to the 1290 series. One track day was the long track at Brainerd, it was pulling high 140's on the straight indicated. I find the riding position as comfortable as the new 1290, but not quite as comfy as the older 1290. I'm a samsquanch for size comparison, 6'3, 275lbs. I also have a 2015 1290 SD with 15k (nearly) trouble free miles, it feels every bit the extra 100ish lbs it weighs more than the 890, but is far nicer on the highway. 890 is so crazy quick steering at the track it's kinda hard to adapt to. KTM fork seals are shit, I've put 3 sets in the 1290, and have a new leaker even with the "improved" skf seals.
They are great bikes. But the naked segment is owned by the street triple 765Rs. Street/Track/Hooligan the ST3 spanks that ass in every segment. wish I had more in stock. if you’re set on the hyper get the pre liquid. The liquid has zero soul and countless issues.
I have a 14 FZ09, I just did Traxxion Dynamics fork cartridges/ Penske rear, and had the ECU flashed by VCyclenut (to smooth out the jerky throttle response) and it is a completely new motorcycle. I rode it stock for years and just thought that I needed to ride better. Then I picked up a 21 MT10 and in direct comparison the little FZ was sucking big time.
I ended up getting an 890 R a couple months ago. Absolutely love it so far! I plan to do some track days. One major difference from the R6 is finding information on setting up for the track. For those who have track time on the 890 is there anything you feel needs to be improved, or any mods that make a big difference? I’m an intermediate and just looking for a competent and comfortable feel. I do wish the forks had adjustable preload. I don’t know yet if it’s actually an issue, some hard braking on the street is getting close to using all the travel but not bottoming.
The only thing I'd do is stiffer fork springs (155lb fast expert). Other than that it's a great bike for track days right off the show room floor. Just ride it first and see if you need to change anything. You can look up Andy Dibrino, he's been racing and developing his a bit
With any bikes in that class get one that fits you!!!!! They can be really shitty if they don’t and you will hate it. The Hyper fits me perfect.
I have been following Andy and what he’s been doing both with suspension via Solid Performance, and engine performance with Rottweiler. Good to hear the front suspension functions well as-is. I had not heard any first hand experience. Andy has the WP Apex Pro 7500. Cha ching…. I was hoping to not feel the need to go that route. Solid performance said they can add a preload capability. That, and the proper springs may be the way to go if the internals are workable otherwise. I’m certain I’m not nearly as fast as you, but I do weigh 180+. I am being drawn like a sailor to the sirens to the benefits of a mid pipe (decat) and a Power Commander V. They have charts showing solid mid range power gains and show how much cooler the engine runs due both to the air/fuel mixture and to the lack of a cat. And the cat is a lot of weight… I should just focus on riding, but can’t help myself when it comes to tinkering with bikes.
My cousin has the original non-R version and absolutely loves it. He's got 25 000 trouble free miles on it and doesn't plan on selling it anytime soon.
The stock shock and fork work real well, even at my "advanced" weight - once I got proper springs in both ends. Seems like it has enough damping range to cover. Crazy fun bike, I'd like to do some fueling/cat mods too, but so far, it runs well enough I'm not too motivated to deal with the extra noise - I have an AR slip on now, and it's about the right amount of bark. A non-cat link pipe will probably make it loud as f**k.
Thanks. I have a request in with suspension gurus to find out if the stock springs will work for me. Good to hear you felt the forks worked well otherwise. I listened to many slipons before going with the Yoshimura. The AR definitely seemed loud! Im hoping the Yosh is tolerable with a mid pipe.
Stock, the 890r works really well. On Q4s, with stock suspension (with a setup) I came within a few seconds of SS qualifying time at The Ridge. At that pace, yep, soft fork and the ABS holds you back, but man does it come off a corner and so much more more potential. I’d love to see this bike added to the New Gen SS class.
Thanks! I heard your review on your podcast. I’m looking forward to getting this to the track. If you had to guess, do you think a 180lb intermediate rider would benefit from a slightly stiffer fork spring? Note: I’d also like to add preload to help with fine tuning.
Caveat - I know you asked Ken and please defer to his thoughts but as a previous owner of an 890R, former racer who ran just a smidge faster than Ken's time there on the 890 streetbike while on my 600, and top of Advanced group TD guy who just happens to also weigh 180lbs - I thought the fork and shock were both sublime and had no need for dialing in or out any preload on the forks. I only did one TD on it in Advanced group and the feel from the front end was on par with what I had on my Gix1000 Race bike which was high end Ohlins spec stuff. Softer yes but man the feel (which is usually lacking in nakeds like my FZ09) was right on the money. For an Intermediate TD guy - I'd worry more about coaching, seat time, and decent rubber once you're done with the awesome Cup 2's it came with stock.
Really appreciate the first hand experience. Great to hear, yet again, that the forks were fine. No doubt I’m the weak link in this system. My first time to bet this bike on the track will be three days of instruction. Just doing my due diligence on the bike to avoid any glaring issues. Seems there are none. I used Q4s and Power Cup 2s on my R6. Ended up preferring the Power Cup 2s only because they seemed less sensitive to psi.
Just a follow up, I was remembering what we did to the bike setup wise - - Raised the front (I can't remember how much, 4mm?) - Added quite a bit of front compression and rebound to slow the fork down (I don't know the settings, not my bike) - Added rear preload and also added quite a bit of compression, not too much rebound. The only issue was riding the bike slow, the front was pretty stiff at the top of the stoke and that made it hard to turn in, hauling ass, it was good, but then the rear starting to be an issue mid corner...Still, for what it is, super impressive. Andy Dibrino is one of my instructors and his is build is a big step up. I stoked to see what he can do with it this yea run SH. Off topic a bit, I think the Ducati V2 street fighter on paper has the potential to be the one and the 765RS Street triple has huge potential as well. EDIT - Here's an updated GPS speed graph from the Ridge last June between the 890R on Q4s vs a nice club SS Zx6 that I rode..... Ken
Thanks Ken. That seems to follow what KTM has in the manual, and on this handy reference under the tail fairing. I’ve adjusted it all to the Sport setting. Much stiffer on the road than stock (Standard).
