VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P89
to the brilliant power balance
out of the parallel twin. It is
grunty, with torque on-tap but
really has the heart of a high-
revving superbike and loves
to rip through the upper mid-
range. If you catch the Easy
Shift (factory installed quick-
shifting) just right, you can rip
MotoGP-style gear-ascensions
on the regular. You can slightly
short or over-shift the revs and
enjoy a nice steady pull into the
next gear. It's not a picky mo
-
torcycle. Just give it the beans
and crack through the gears at
will. Likewise, the somewhat
docile and smooth low-end
means traction is plentiful in
varied terrain.
Chassis balance on this plat
-
form is still very good thanks
to the stiff trellis frame and
low-slung fuel tanks holding the
bike's total weight very low. It
has small-bike feel with big-bike
attitude. And the final suspen
-
sion spec/settings are consider-
ably more comfortable for rough
pavement and broken asphalt
than any of the orange bikes.
Most Adventure rides are done
on mixed surface roads and,
usually, sort of crappy roads. So,
the increased comfort is very
much welcomed at moderate
pace and for cruising.
As the pace picks up some
inconsistencies arise with
front-end bobbles and head
-
shake through road condition
transitions. The Norden 901
Expedition and I had a few mo-
ments together as I approached
irresponsible pace and bumps.
This isn't something KTM 890
Adventure Rs are immune to,
either. But their stiffer spring
rate and valving spec seems
to keep the shakes away more
