[J D]

I recall one of you 890 owners mentioning the shifting was a bit notchy?
After viewing the MO vid, he mentioned it as well.

Do you believe this to be a mere gearbox break-in scenario or a minor potential issue?

Would you say it’s more apparent with the QS or without?
Thoughts?

 

[YoungLion]

I read last night that the gearbox is actually different than the 790 - the throw is shorter and according to Rennie Scaysbrook who I respect as a top level moto-journalist and racer - it's damn near spot on and one of the best he's experienced.

"As for the transmission, this is another area KTM has paid close attention to. The throw (how high the lever moves when you shift gears) has been shortened dramatically, which, when combined with the optional Quickshifter+ system from the KTM PowerParts catalog, makes for incredibly short, light shift action. We didn’t ride the 890 without the Quickshifter+ system, but the gearshift was so good we’d insist if you were in the market for an 890 Duke R, shell out the extra $ and have KTM turn the system on. "

Sounds divine to me....

 

[Pgm]

In the vid didn’t he say first to second wasn’t good ? Isn’t that the case with most quickshifters Seeing as you go through neutral?

 

[Skyway]

1st-2nd and even 2nd-3rd with the quickshifter is a little notchy and sudden (as with most quickshifters). The only way it's an issue is when your cruising at lower speeds in town and you want a smooth shift from 1st-2nd or 2nd-3rd. I just clutch them like normal in that instance. When I give it some throttle to accelerate quickly, it's not an issue imo. I think one of the reasons is the factory shifter arm has a round piece of metal that is stationary when going through the detents. There is factory pro shift kit that has a roller wheel with a bearing for the detents and it's supposed to alleviate issues like notchiness, false neutrals and mis-shifts. Here's the install video:

At 9:02 is where he shows the difference between the two

 

[Blwnbyu]

After swapping back and forth between my 790 and 890, the 890 gearbox is definitely tighter, in a good way.

 

[J D]

In the vid didn’t he say first to second wasn’t good ?

He only said it was notchy

 

[EvansB2]

Remember, he was also riding a preproduction bike that, I suspect, needed a little more setup love.

 

[John San]

I agree that the notchiness (?) is only apparent when using the QS+ and I only find it when going from 1st to 2nd, which is pretty much the same on the other two bikes i own with quick shifters. It may be a little more pronounced on the 890, but I have found that by just using a little bit of clutch between 1st and 2nd smooths it out immensely. Otherwise the quick shifter seems fine as long as the transmission is under an appropriate load when using it. One other thing I have noticed is that the ignition cut out is pretty sensitive. I have an old habit of lightly loading the shift lever before actually shifting and a few times it triggered that ignition cut before I actually committed to the next gear. That has never happened on my Tuono or Daytona, but I believe it's just something I have to get used to. Will ask my dealer if there's any calibration that can be done at the first service...

 

[michaelnel]

I had a Tuono 1100 that had both QS and CC. I thought the QS worked well enough, it's just not my style, and the CC worked well too but I ride 90% of the time in mountain twisties so it was not useful to me.

 

[Lonster]

Don't knock it till you try it. The QS+ and other electronics on this new 890 are better than ANY other bike I have ridden. The IMU (an Inertial Measurement Unit ) makes all the difference. The 890/1290 have it, and almost nothing else does.

 

[murp]

Checking the parts fishe for 790 and 890 the only difference is the detent spring.... I suspect the 890 spring is stronger..... you could always swap out the spring to make the790 shift tighter.... what do you think

 

[Superscalpel]

Throws are shorter as well. Technically 1-2 is when starting out, slow speed in town use only. Never need “quick” shifter use on those, always old school shift. The rest when actually riding “quick” has been smooth. Again like John I am coming from tuono factory whose electronic package is sublime.

 

[Rick]

Will ask my dealer if there's any calibration that can be done at the first service...

That's part of the 790's first service, so I'd hope so!

 

[John San]

Throws are shorter as well. Technically 1-2 is when starting out, slow speed in town use only. Never need “quick” shifter use on those, always old school shift. The rest when actually riding “quick” has been smooth. Again like John I am coming from tuono factory whose electronic package is sublime.

Yeah, the shifter on the Tuono is amazing. Not to take anything away from the 890 but I think the Aprilia is smoother. Of course, my Tuono has over 7k miles on it and the 890 hasn't even been in for the first service yet, so not exactly apples to apples...