P102
PROJECT BIKE I 2024 KTM 890 ADVENTURE R RALLY
When we started this build,
the first thing we changed was
the tires, and the Dunlop Rally
Raid D908 rear and D606 front
were the correct choices. They
offer amazing off-road perfor
-
mance, are DOT-legal, and last
much longer
than traditional
dirt bike tires when traveling on
pavement.
With 10.6 inches of travel,
the Rally is a tall motorcycle,
but even the tallest of bikes
still gets beaten up underneath
when you take them through
serious off-road terrain. So, we
ditched the stock skid plate and
reached out to AXP Racing for
something more suitable. They
sent us their second-generation
890 hard enduro skid plate. This
new version covers more of the
underside of the bike, which
offers better protection for the
fuel pump—and it comes up a
bit higher on the sides of the
tank versus the previous gen. It
also has a new mudguard at the
front to keep debris from the hot
area of the header pipe.
An upgraded seat was the
next thing we needed to outfit
this dream bike. While the 890
a legend in rally racing and the
man behind Rebel X Sports.
Manuel and his team build what
are arguably the best rally towers
in the business. They're strong,
lightweight, easy to install, and
offer not only a place for your
navigation components but also
a super-slick way to power them.
The tower even incorporates a
handy digital readout that tells
you how your battery is holding
up. We told Manuel about our
dream bike build, and he was
gracious enough to send us a
complete rally tower. This $3500
kit was by far the most expen
-
sive single item that we added
to
this bike, and we could not
have done it without Manuel's
help. After a couple of hours of
Rally comes with a KTM Power
-
Parts Rally seat, it's simply too
tall for anyone shorter
than Sha-
quille O'Neal. Fortunately, Seat
Concepts offers multiple seat
options for this model, and they
sent us their version of a rally
seat for the 890. If you've never
sat on a Seat Concepts seat, you
owe it to your butt to try one.
They're simply the best seats on
the market. And they look cool.
Once we had the height
situation sorted, we wanted to
address the fairing, lighting, and
controls. Our idea of a true ad
-
venture machine requires room
for navigation
components and
a source to power them. While
at a recent press intro, we met
Manuel Lucchese, a guy who's
(Above)
Rottweiler is
the KTM
whisperer; they
know how to get
the most out of
a KTM motor.
(Right) Rottweiler
Performance had
a lot to do with
this KTM 890
Rally build
