2023 ADV GUIDE P69
ride. The 890 Adventure is very
comfortable and stable on the
pavement due to its low center of
gravity, which also shines through
when you get into the twisty stuff.
It turns like a dream.
The parallel-twin, 889cc
DOHC engine with dual bal-
ancer shafts and slipper clutch
is delightful when you open the
throttle up. It has plenty of mus-
cle (105 horsepower) to wheelie
on demand from any gear, and
depending on which of the
three—or four (optional)—modes
you choose, the rear wheel will
slide only as much as you want
and no more, depending on
where you have traction control
set. I liked Rally mode with MTC
set at 4 (levels 1–10; the higher
the number, the more interven-
tion), and I rode in that setting for
most of the day—even when we
were on the road. Another new
update related to the motor is
that the throttle bodies are now
equipped with integrated knock
sensors for handling varying fuel
quality if you find that your global
travels take you to places where
the fuel is questionable.
The ABS system on the 2023
bike is now linked to the ride
modes, so there's no need to
fiddle with that anymore. Once
you set your ride mode, the
ABS automatically adjusts to off-
road or on-road—whatever the
case may be. Front-wheel ABS
is always active; frankly, there's
no need to turn it off. It's better
than you, me, Chris Birch, or
any other incredible riders who
all agree that leaving it on is the
way to go. You can still slide the
rear around for directional con-
trol in off-road mode, so leave
the front alone—use it to control
your speed and slide the back
as needed. The ride modes
are amazing, allowing even an
average rider to go beyond what
they've ever imagined possible.
I purposely tried to trick the
front-brake ABS to make it jerk
or slide while off-road, and it
simply wouldn't do it. That gives
you so much confidence when
riding this 440-pound machine
You have a new dash to look at.
