Austrian firm reveals hardcore rally variant of 890 Adventure machine
KTM has loads of options for the dedicated adventure touring fan, from the small-bore 390 single cylinder models up to the full-fat 170bhp 1390 Super Adventure V-twin range.
It’s also got plenty of proper hardcore off-road machinery in the enduro and MX line. So, this ‘Rally’ version of the upper-middleweight 890 Adventure R tourer makes a lot of sense from the firm.
The foundations are from the ‘standard’ 890 Adventure R, with the same LC8c 890cc parallel-twin DOHC 8v l/c engine, which makes a healthy 105bhp and 100Nm of grunty torque. KTM’s sharpened things up with a 1kg lighter slip-on Akrapovic titanium silencer which looks the part.
And the Bajaj-owned company has also given the Rally the full ‘Tech Pack’ of rider aids – which means a ‘Rally’ offroad riding mode, up/down quickshifter, cruise control and engine brake control, as well as the usual traction control, colour LCD dash, switchable ABS, and IMU assistance for all the rider aids.
The real meat of the new 2026 890 Rally isn’t in the motor or electronics though: rather, it’s the running gear which sees the most change in terms of performance upgrades. KTM has chosen full-on race suspension it says, rather than adapted road bike parts, so the front end features a WP XPLOR PRO 7548 cone-valve fork, while the rear shock is an XPLOR PRO PDS 6746 fitment.
There’s full adjustability for spring preload, compression and rebound damping at both ends (with separate high/low speed compression adjustment on the shock) plus an impressive 270mm of wheel travel. Brakes are superbike-spec, with a brace of 320mm discs up front, clamped by two KTM-branded radial-mount four-piston calipers. Tyres are from Mitas: the firm’s Enduro Trail+ fitment in 90/90 21 front and 150/70 18 rear sizes.
The main frame is KTM’s familiar chrome-molybdenum steel tube trellis design, with the engine as a stressed member and the usual cast aluminium rear swingarm. All-up weight is a decent 200kg wet with no fuel (215kg fully fuelled), and there’s a capacious 20-litre fuel tank as part of the updated bodywork package.
Heavy duty Excel wheels, carbon tank guards, Supersporx rear sprocket, rally seat and factory racing footpegs round off the spec, and it looks great with some sharp Red Bull race graphics.
Fancy one? Well it’s a little salty price-wise: RRP is £19,299, and production numbers are apparently limited, so you’ll maybe need to speak nicely to your local dealer as well as the bank manager. You’ll also need to be on the tall side to sit comfortably, with a giraffe-spec 910mm seat height in the spec…
2026 KTM 890 Adventure R Rally Tech Highlights
- 889cc parallel twin engine (106 PS / 100 Nm)
- WP XPLOR PRO fully-adjustable suspension with 270mm travel each end
- Akrapovič Slip-on Line exhaust
- Rally seat and Factory Racing Footpegs
- TECH PACK including Rally Mode, Quickshifter+, Cruise Control and Motor Slip Regulation
- Offroad ABS and multiple Rider Modes
- Five inch TFT LCD dashboard with Turn-by-Turn+ navigation
- Heavy-duty wheels (2.15×21”; 4.00×18”)
- Carbon tank guards
- Supersprox-Stealth rear sprocket
- New Rally CTG with two-colour fuel tank design
- KTM premium manufacturer’s warranty up to four years