21" spoked wheel on twisties?

[NoobCorpse]

Just got back from the KTM Demo Ride at Alices.
Rode the 890 Adventure S, we went down 35 to Page Mill, then turned around and came back.

Not impressed at all with the 890.
Coming from my FZ8 I4, with a +3 rear sprocket, the 890 was like driving a tractor. Engine was not smooth at all, rough, vibrations... sounded like there was gravel in the crankcase.

Acceleration was just meh.

Ride was smooth and stable, but not really "fun".

I'm doing that Intro to Dirt course next month, so I'll see if I like dirt or not, but right now I think my best option for a next bike would be @Roundboy's FZ09.

Glad you tested it and confirmed and saved yourself a bunch of money, time, and disappointment.
If you have a fun time at that intro to dirt course, I'd highly suggest you start budgeting for a way to haul a dirt bike and get a little 250 enduro (or plated ktm enduro) and go have fun and learn dirt techniques - IMHO way more fun than trackdays and builds better overall riding skills.
Once you have a good toolbox of dirt skills, then evaluate if dualsport / BDR / etc would be your cup of tea.

 

[Wolf]

Glad you tested it and confirmed and saved yourself a bunch of money, time, and disappointment.
If you have a fun time at that intro to dirt course, I'd highly suggest you start budgeting for a way to haul a dirt bike and get a little 250 enduro (or plated ktm enduro) and go have fun and learn dirt techniques - IMHO way more fun than trackdays and builds better overall riding skills.
Once you have a good toolbox of dirt skills, then evaluate if dualsport / BDR / etc would be your cup of tea.

Yeah, rather than making a big change to dirt/adventure, I think the better option is to take what I like and make it better. So I'm looking at RoundBoy's FZ-09 instead.

 

[Gary856]

Just got back from the KTM Demo Ride at Alices.
Rode the 890 Adventure S, we went down 35 to Page Mill, then turned around and came back.

Not impressed at all with the 890.
Coming from my FZ8 I4, with a +3 rear sprocket, the 890 was like driving a tractor. Engine was not smooth at all, rough, vibrations... sounded like there was gravel in the crankcase.

Acceleration was just meh.

Ride was smooth and stable, but not really "fun".

I'm doing that Intro to Dirt course next month, so I'll see if I like dirt or not, but right now I think my best option for a next bike would be @Roundboy's FZ09.

Riding that stretch of Skyline (smooth and flowing) behind a demo leader is hardly a good place to demo the 890 ADV's strengths. What you wrote about the engine is more like the general character of any twin compared to I4s. If the priority is power and pavement riding, the 1290 ADV and the R1250GS are better choices.

It's not hard to find out if you like dirt. Go down to Gilroy/Watsonville area and there are many dirt paths along the open fields/farms. If you find that fun, go ride Summit Rd (graded dirt/gravel, relatively gentle hills) between Mt Bache Rd and Mt Madonna Rd. That'll give you a good intro, doable on any street bike if you can handle a little gravel; I did it on my Suzuki GS500 when I was almost brand new to riding.

About FZ09 - I rented a FJ09 for a day to see what the big deal is with the engine. It's indeed very powerful when blasting up a freeway on ramp or at high speed, but in terms of character I found it frantic/busy and "tinny/thin" feeling, like a buzzy humming bird. In comparison, the twin in my Multistrada 1200 feels much more relaxed (again, in comparison) with a "broad/thick" strong power pulses.

 

[Gary856]

Procycle full monty with high compression piston, flat slide carb, aftermarket shock, upgraded fork internals, full exhaust, tank, rack, supermoto wheels... etc..etc..etc...

I get nauseous just thinking about it... at each stage I would think "no, I just don't love this bike yet... If I just do this last upgrade I'll love it"

It didn't work out.

That's a lot of goodies you put on the DR. A DR is like a GS in that respect - some guys go nuts with upgrades. A guy on YouTube said he spent $16k upgrading his DR to be the best ADV bike ever. What did you expect from the DR, and why didn't it work out for you? Do you still have it?

I rented a modded DR650 (carb, exhaust, front/rear suspension, bars/controls, etc.), not quite extensively as yours, but I like it a lot right away, on both pavement and some dirt roads. I liked how it's much torquier than the DRZ400sm I had, and seems to be lower/smaller than the DRZ.

 

[chrisweir.com]

That's a lot of goodies you put on the DR. A DR is like a GS in that respect - some guys go nuts with upgrades. A guy on YouTube said he spent $16k upgrading his DR to be the best ADV bike ever. What did you expect from the DR, and why didn't it work out for you? Do you still have it?

I expected the ravings of people who had already done all the same mods to be accurate, not the fantasy of folks who had already spent the money. I think a stock DR with pipe and jetting, nobbies, and suspension upgrade makes sense and will be fine. I was expecting the bike to come alive a bit more and it simply never handled well. Replaced it with an FE501 which was amazing mostly stock.

What didn't I like? It was too heavy, too slow, suspension too shitty. Sold a long time ago...

 

[anytwowilldo]

Just got back from the KTM Demo Ride at Alices.
Rode the 890 Adventure S, we went down 35 to Page Mill, then turned around and came back.

Not impressed at all with the 890.
Coming from my FZ8 I4, with a +3 rear sprocket, the 890 was like driving a tractor. Engine was not smooth at all, rough, vibrations... sounded like there was gravel in the crankcase.

Acceleration was just meh.

Ride was smooth and stable, but not really "fun".

I'm doing that Intro to Dirt course next month, so I'll see if I like dirt or not, but right now I think my best option for a next bike would be @Roundboy's FZ09.

You are correct. A parallel twin is not as smooth or powerful as an inline 4 from a street bike. To people that ride off road, the 890 is a big dirt bike or smaller ADV bike. If you are going to only have one bike, it appears a street bike may be a better choice for you.