VOLUME 58 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 P89
W H A T D O W E T H I N K ?
lb-ft torque. With that extra
power, the KTM will run away
from the Yamaha on the road.
All this tech on the KTM also
comes with a hefty MSRP of
$14,199 versus $9999 for the
Yamaha.
The big questions for me
and anybody considering
these two options is which
one is the better bike and is
the KTM worth over $4000
more? Unfortunately, my
answer is not clear cut. In
terms of pure performance
on the street, the KTM has
an advantage. The additional
power, better brakes and
predictable chassis makes it
an incredibly fun street bike.
And the optional quickshifter
and cruise control ($350 to
get the dealer to unlock these
features) widen that gap.
If you have never ridden a
bike with a quickshifter, you
will be blown away by how
much fun it is to bang through
the gears without touching
the clutch, and it is almost as
much fun to use it downshift-
ing into corners as well. And
the cruise control is also a nice
feature for long road sections.
The Tenere 700 is much
better than any dual-sport or
off-road bike on the road but
compared to the KTM, it is
basically a big dirt bike that
will be fun for exploring, but
it does not have the kind of
power that will get you really
excited. If you don't compare
it to the KTM, or are not into
going fast on the road, then
the Yamaha will be fine. The
motor is fun and smooth.
Riding the bikes off-road,
the gap becomes a little
narrower for me. The Tenere
motor is ultra-smooth and
does not require a swap in
engine maps (which it doesn't
have, anyway) to tame it
down in the dirt. And a quick
push of a button turns off the
traction control while the KTM
requires coming to a stop and
thumbing through the maps
and ABS on/off option. If you
are transitioning from street
to dirt a lot, it is perfectly fine
to leave the ABS map in the
more off-road friendly settings
and this is what I did.
As far as the chassis feel
off-road, the 890 Adventure
carries the fuel much lower,
and this lower center of grav-
ity is noticeable compared to
the Tenere but not as much as
you might think. The Tenere
caries 1.1 gallons less fuel
and is 20 pounds lighter with
full tanks (about 6.4 pounds of
that coming from less fuel on-
board). But the tradeoff on the
lower fuel tank on the KTM
is that the bike is really wide
down low, and it makes the
bike feel bulky, especially in
some narrow trail conditions.
Both bikes are very fun and
capable in the dirt and can
take on pretty technical ter-
rain. The suspension settings
and slightly more travel on the
KTM help it work a little better
if you really push the pace, as
the Yamaha suspension is a
little softer, which is great for
slower speeds, but you will
find it bottoms sooner. But in
terms of fun and capability,
they are close.
Which one would I buy?
Since the two bikes are rela-
tively close in performance
in the dirt, I could be happy
with both bikes and keeping
$4000 + in my bank account
tips the scales towards the
Yamaha Tenere. But if money
is not part of the equation
or the street performance is
more important to you, then
the KTM 890 Adventure R is
the winner.
