New Ride: KTM Duke 890 GP

No, I haven't got rid of the Ducati Multistrada V2 - that's my main ride, this is my new side ride 😉.

As I mentioned in my short writeup about Motorcycle Live, I was thinking about buying a new KTM Duke 790 but having looked at the 790 and the 890 side by side, I decided that I actually wanted the KTM Duke 890 GP.

There's a grand off the Duke 790 and 890 bikes until the end of December 2023 and I also picked up a £500 PowerParts and/or PowerWear voucher from KTM at MCL for use with the purchase of a new 2023 KTM.

I was planning on pulling the trigger on a Duke 890 GP from SMC Bikes in Sheffield until I stumbled upon a listing for a 2022 Duke 890 GP with Akrapovic slip-on exhaust, tail tidy, exhaust mount (to delete the pillion pegs) and also the Tech Pack, with only 125 miles on it for a terrific price. So, it's mine!

Tech Pack

OK, so, the Tech Pack. This is something that annoys me, and I'm sure I'm not alone. The bike I've chosen has the Tech Pack already so I'm really happy about that, but, usually it's an option.

A £723.97 option (at the time of writing).

Yes, that's over SEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS. Sure, you get Quickshifter+, MSR and everything in the Track Pack, track mode, anti-wheelie off, launch control, MTC spin adjuster and engine map selection.

That sounds like a lot, and it is, but... all of that stuff is already on the bike! It's just turned off.

For your £723.97 the KTM chap won't be getting out a bunch of parts and all his tools to fit them, he'll just plug in and unlock the software that controls it all.

So, the Tech Pack is cool, and I'm glad I have it (even more glad that I didn't have to pay for it), but it does seem a bit of a "KTM Tax" to me.

Rubber Johnny

The bike has exactly what I would want already on it, apart from the mirrors. The Duke 890 R has much nicer mirrors on it and it's a shame that the Duke 890 GP has the absolutely horrid, "Rubber Johnny" mirrors. Having looked at the options, I think I'll get the KTM PowerParts bar-end mirrors for it as I really like the look of them.

The mirrors are the only thing I'm going to immediately change on the bike, there are some other parts I rather like the look of but I'll get those over time. I really can't live with these mirrors, they're shit.

Exhaust

If I bought the bike new, I wouldn't have specced the exhaust but it would be on my wish list. The standard exhaust looks good and sounds good too but you can't beat an aftermarket can IMHO and the KTM PowerParts Akrapovic looks really good and sounds a little better than the stock can.

It's a nice addition to the bike, I'll take the DB Killer out and see how it sounds.

Orange is the New Black

There you go, I said it. I was on the fence when it came to the colour choice, the black bike looks fantastic but I REALLY like the orange and they’re supposed to emulate the 2022 Tech 3 MotoGP bikes.

After looking at them both, down at SMC, I decided that I wanted the orange one, then I was lucky to spot this one and pulled the trigger.

Sorry SMC, I'll buy some gear from you though, and I’ll be using you for servicing, you can count on that.

Future Changes

My wish list isn't very long, I'd like to get:

• Ergo Rider's Seat
• Fly Screen
• Front Spoiler
• LED Indicator Kit (maybe)

That's it, but maybe heated grips as well, I'll see about that. I had heated grips on my Scrambler and really liked them.

I'd get the integrated ones, not the option with an external control box. Urgh.

Why another bike?

Why have I bought this? Sure, the Multistrada does pretty much everything but I've been missing my Ducati Scrambler a bit and wanted something smaller, that I can throw a leg over and pootle about the city and then wring its neck through some twisties when I fancy a change.

The Scrambler did all of this but was lacking when it came to the twisty stuff, don't get me wrong, it's a great bike and is certainly quick enough but I fancy something a bit more of an animal, a hooligan machine for when I'm feeling mischievous. The KTM Duke is certainly that bike.

Why KTM, Ducati boy?

This was a tricky one for me, I've never really liked the look of KTM bikes. I feel a little too old for a KTM if that makes sense. After thinking about things long and hard, reading reviews and watching YouTube videos, the KTM Duke is very highly regarded and I couldn't ignore it.

Having looked at the alternatives, I decided that I should give the KTM a look over. I did have a quick ride on an older Duke 790 and was very impressed. Then, with the deals on offer by KTM at the moment (until the end of December 2023) the Duke 790 seemed like a bargain (and it is).

I do really like the Ducati Monster but it's more expensive and I fancied something a little different anyway, maybe it's the midlife crisis.

890 Duke vs 790 Duke

So, before I found this particular bike, I was looking to buy a brand new 790 Duke or an 890 Duke GP. Both bikes have £1,000 off (until 31st December 2023) and the PCP deals available are very good.

The 890 Duke GP was £20 extra per month with £1,000 extra as a deposit, so there's quite a difference overall.

The 890 Duke GP has 20 hp more than the 790 Duke, has better tyres and slightly better suspension, has the pillion seat cover and looks a lot better in its GP-inspired livery.

When looking at the bikes side-by-side, the 890 Duke GP looks like a better machine, the grips are much nicer than the ones on the 790 Duke for example, it's the little things and the attention to detail. The 890 Duke GP looks more like a premium machine.

Don't get me wrong, the 790 Duke is a cracking-looking bike and doesn't in any way look cheap or badly put together, the 890 Duke GP just looks a bit better and with the extra power and so forth, to me, was worth the extra money.

In the end, I didn't spend that much extra for the 890 Duke GP as I found this bad boy. Win-win.

Why not the Duke 890 R?

I did really think about this, the R is the one to have, isn't it? Not really. If I was to do a few track days then I would have probably looked at the R a little more seriously but, as it's mainly for use in the city and on some twisties, the GP certainly seems the better, all-round option.

Winter is Coming

It's not coming, it's here. Not the best time to pick up a bike, when most people are safely tucking their bikes away until the spring, I'm pulling the trigger on another set of two wheels just as I did last year.

To be fair though, last year I did get out a fair bit before the weather made the roads unrideable so I do hope that the roads will clear up and I'll have some fresh days out on the new KTM and my existing Ducati.

More on that, and the bikes to follow...