[YoungLion]

Happy, and sad for you! Thanks for the review!

Question - are the lower bars and higher pegs noticeable on the 890R or is it a very minor change?

 

[YoungLion]

Any chance you can measure the height on both from the triple area to the top of the rise?

 

[YoungLion]

I have been waiting for the 890 to show, considering it for mostly track day events. I do very little Street riding now. Any opinion on how this would be on the track? Concerned about the lack of fairings on longer/faster tracks.
I may however try to mod this with some fairings and clop-ons. I like projects.

I agree with Blnbyu - if my intended use was a dedicated track only bike, the 890R wouldn't be on the list UNLESS I had the time/budget to do a full conversion with clip ons and bodywork - in which case I'd likely just go buy a Kramer GP2 and be all set.

If it was a more even split of street with track days thrown in and my local track wasn't super fast, the 890 would be ideal in that scenario IMO.

 

[YoungLion]

Yes! Would love to see an RC890! Aprilia has the RS660 now, so maybe not such a stretch for KTM....

Aprilia has sent out emails to Ape buyers that the RS660 is now "on it's way" to American dealers.

I'm curious what Aprilia was able to squeeze from the 1/2 Tuono engine they tossed in there. HP/cc ratio compared to KTM will be interesting. Early reports are 90+ which would be crazy.

 

[YoungLion]

Let me began by stating your post bears a lot of responsibility and you have handled that duty with flying colors. What responsibility? As you are aware,there are many who have the 790 and pondering if they should lose money on trade in and fork out the difference. That is a tough decision. You have been kind enough to take your time uploading pictures of comparisons because of the inquiries of others.--not once but several times on this thread. I replied with a quote of your initial post because you went to the heart of the matter---to the main question other riders would want to know---- Is the torque andHP difference noticeable? This was based on your first day of riding then you unfortunately had the overheating issue and thermostat. However, now that you have likely gotten more miles on the 890R, tell those of us, who are stuck in the quandry about switching bikes, 1) how do you feel now about the difference in torque now-- would you pay for that difference alone? If not track riding, would you have gotten the 890R? Why keep the 790--- is there a feeling or experience you get from it not present on the 890R? You mentioned the tires, suspension and brakes, and that great, but I think the more you could expand upon the torque and would you recommend the upgrade would be of great additional value and , of course, discuss why you would ride one bike vs the other if you went to your garage and could pick only one for ride . Lastly, and again, it is unique having both 790 and 890 R still in your possession so early in the release of the new bike. Hence, I would really encourage you to post a youtube video about your experience-----you would get tons of views -- and really help the first time buyer chose since its not easy to test ride both bikes. You have been invaluable to many and I hope you are rewarded with a bike that is trouble free and makes you happy many times over. Any hey, What dealership are you raving about? Regards

THIS!!! All of this above!!!!

 

[YoungLion]

I'm shocked at how much larger/taller the 890R is over the 790 - wow the tail, tank, bars all tower over the 790 - crazy.

Blwnbyu - gotta say - I kinda hate you right now, so jealous.

 

[YoungLion]

View attachment 4288

Yup, that rear is officially scrubbed in!

 

[YoungLion]

Anyone with an 890 - whats the consencus on the PP heated grips from the 790 now that the 890 has the grips icon on the dash - it appears they are listed as the same part number so does the 790 grips work on the 890 and if so does it still need to have that ugly little controller on the bars or are they now run off ana arrow button on the left bar assembly?

 

[YoungLion]

I hope the 890 heated grips are more effective than the OEM heated grips on my SDR. Those were the wimpiest (in terms of heat output) heated grips I have ever had. The best ones I have ever had are the Oxfords, which on HIGH I could not even hang on to.

The PP heated grips aren't bad for heat output. I usually keep them on level 3 of 4 and that seems to be the best blend of warmth and comfort. I just wish the damn things had a better display box - it's so small and hard to read the little LED'S.

 

[YoungLion]

@Blwnbyu - how many miles on the Power Cup 2's now and how are they holding up?

I put 700 miles on mine so far and they are still looking good - hoping for 2500 from them but who knows...

 

[YoungLion]

Any update on the PP heated grips? Can't seem to get a real answer from my local dealer

I'm not sure what update you may be looking for but the PP heated grips unit for the 890R is the same part # as the 790 was - it's about a 40 minute install and uses the same small black controller mounted to the left handle bar with 4 levels of adjustability and gets wired in behind the headlight.
I had them installed a few weeks back - they work great. There was chatter about the 890R having heated grips activated as part of the toggle switches on the left bar however that isn't the case - same unit as the 790 uses.

Hope this clarifies what you're looking for and welcome to the forum!

 

[YoungLion]

Thanks, was hoping it was possible to avoid the extra controller.

We ALL were trust me! LOL....

It's actually an ugly little thing and added wiring with replacement grips that can't be changed once they wear out (grips component costs almost the same as entire new assembly - brutal) so having some sort of built in units would have been nice.