Sport Tourers with upright, adventure-bike ergonomics and 17″, tubeless cast wheels are becoming more popular. BMW already makes two of these (including a 900cc twin and a 1,000cc four-cylinder), and Triumph has joined the party with a 660cc triple in theirs.
Upright ergonomics with reasonable wind protection, slightly long suspension travel and 17″ wheels that accept modern, sport rubber seem to answer many riders’ needs. Touring, sport riding and commuting can all be done comfortably on such a bike.
It looks like KTM is about to join this party with the SMT model it plans to announce on April 24. Teasers do not disclose the exact displacement of the bike, but it is generally believed to be the same engine found in the 890 Adventure models. Here is a post on Reddit with a purported screenshot from a dealer presentation. This reveals that the 890 SMT model will displace 889cc and make 103 horsepower and 74 foot/pounds of torque. It also says the new bike will have 7.1″ of suspension travel at both ends.
Officially, this is all KTM says about the April 24 reveal, but it references KTM’s previous SMT model, which was discontinued in 2013 and was powered by a 990cc v-twin:
Put your credit card back in the wallet. Don’t click on that “BUY” button. Hold that order a little longer. We’ve got a treat planned.
24th of April 2023, sees the return of the popular KTM SMT.
Unique character. Addictive power. A Sport Tourer with a throttle-blast. KTM is proud to have taken the SMT, shaken the formula and added some READY TO RACE magic. These Adventure motorcycles and Naked bikes have had their own way for far too long. It’s time to turn over the tarmac once again with a classic.
It’s not fake news, the SMT is coming back, hell yeah!
I most certainly love my 2020 Husqvarna Vitpilen 701. I know that it was made in Austria. Cleared up the fueling with a simple dongle from Rottweiler Performance along with a cat by-pass and removal of the airbox lid. I would swear that Husqvarna designed this bike to be so easily corrected. I have yet to check if my 2022 Norden 901 wears the Made in Austria badging or not. Could it be possible that a Chinese built engine was shipped to Austria for assembly of the motorcycle? Back to the main subject, with roads becoming more in a state of dis-repair, these longer suspension travel bikes make more sense. They’re also more visible while providing better visibility from a higher seated vantage point.
Yikes, I didn’t realize KTM was involving China in 790 or 890 production.
I’m glad I got my 2018 690 Duke. It’s still one of the favorite bikes, of over 20, that I’ve owned.
The purchase, and easy installation, of a fueling dongle cleared up my early issues.
Totally enjoy my (Austrian built) 2018 690 Duke as well. I got lucky somehow because mine did not have any of the fueling issues that some owners have reported. I did buy the dongle too but it just made the bike run rich and slightly worse so I took it back off.
The past 2 (or 3?) gens of 690 Duke, were some of the awesomest bikes ever. With the brakes from the overseas R model, it may have been just about the crispest handling bike ever pointed down Tuna Canyon in anger…. Lucky bstrds you for not having sold yours…..
With the mid displacements now caught in the same displacement one-upmanship as many a class before (790-890, STR 675-765, SV650->GSX-S776…..), one would think there is room for a hot, high spec, un-cheap 690 single again.
If I were ever to consider amateur racing, I’d want to do it in a series with the new Kawi 400/4, 450 triples, 550 twins and 690 singles. Or something like that. Basically a bunch of bikes, all around the same ultimate power, hence cost of consumables, as early SV650s, but with different personalities and advantages/disadvantages on different tracks and in different sections of each track.
Mick—-THE ULTIMATE HUMBLE BRAGGER!!
I have never ridden a KTM but have scoped them out at shows and the dealer I visit. The 890 Adventure R and 1290 Adventure both had me curious. The visuals are trendy maybe beyond my eye appeal. A previous poster still liked his KTM after poor fuel injection headaches and high oil consumption leans towards dedicated brand loyalty. The move to production in China is a tailspin business decision and platform sharing with CF Moto is stupid. CF Moto will undercut KTM on price and many people wil choose dollar savings.
What makes me sad isn’t the demise of sport-tourers. It’s the rebranding of the term instead of simply acknowledging reality and replacing it (e.g. ATP – adventure tour pavement)
Pedantic much?
I had a 2010 990 SMT and really enjoyed everything about it except the horrible fuel mapping and the high oil consumption. I still can’t believe KTM released it with fueling that way. The ergos for me were great (6’3″ 230 lbs). I ended up putting over 40K miles on it. Mine was one of the ones that had the dead pixels in the dash display and had it replaced under warranty and it never gave me any problems after that. In fact I never had any electrical/electronic problems. Wait, I did have to replace the fuel pump. I was lucky and it died in the garage and didn’t strand me out in the middle of nowhere.
I rebuilt the suspension with stiffer springs front and rear and it handeled great. The WP forks and shock were fully adjustable and once dialed in worked fine. The Brembo brakes were also fine. I did know about the gas cap problem with the tank swelling up from ethanol fuel but it never happened on mine.
All in all, a very nice bike. Simple, no complicated electronics. Fairly easy to work on, (taking the tank off to service the air filter was a pain though). It also only liked very expensive Motorex oil. I tried every other oil under the sun, but the gearbox only liked the expensive stuff. Weird.
Did you ever rectify the feeling problem? That would completely drive me nuts and ruin the motorcycling experience for me. I’m surprised you got 40000 miles on the bike you hadn’t fixed it.
I owned a 2013 KTM 990 SMT. It seemed to be the perfect bike (on paper) for me. The seating position was comfortable, it handled well, had completely adjustable suspension, and the luggage rack and quick release saddle bags were great features. However, the fuel injection mapping was very bad. Snatchy on / off throttle response and a lean surge at constant throttle settings ruined the experience for me. I was unable to find anyone in my area who could reflash the ECU. The poor aerodynamics resulted in turbulence that a taller windscreen did not cure. I ended up removing the windscreen in attempt to clean up the airflow. The engine tended to run hot as well. Over time. the gas cap become very difficult to remove and replace. The marchesini forged wheels with right angle valve stems were a nice feature. The front Brembo brakes were very good but the rear brake would howl when engaged. It was a nice looking bike. I don’t like the looks of current KTMs.
Nice. But. And this is coming from a KTM fanboy even. Will it be made in China like the current 790s? If so, no thanks. KTM now nearly have a reliability problem reputation which is in stark contrast to the strictly V-twin bikes that were and remain nearly crazy reliable for miles upon miles. Bad early 390 engines, bad cams on 790/890 engines, wonky dashes, it goes on and on with the new bikes and it’s kind of a shame as they still make some of the most characterful, distinctive bikes on the planet.
So long as the tank is of sufficient capacity, cruise control is STANDARD) the brakes are triple in number with ABS, has a centerstand and it does NOT look like something out of the original film “The Fly”, I will happily consider this new KTM.
As previously stated, I have an excellent KTM dealer in my area but I have to be realistic, if the bike is too much for my seasoned citizen strenf (LOL!) I will continue to save up for a smaller displacement motorbike to share room in the garage with my Sportster 1200 Low with quick release bags and windshield. You know, the Sporty with the 4.5 gallon tank not the 2.25 or the 3.3. 😉
One side of the garage is a (nearly!) fully equipped weight room (DBs from 5lbs. to 95lbs.) so that (unlike some here… 😉 )as my dotage approaches I can throw it through a wall rather than whine about weight on a motorbike.
The “adventure” is in the ride and its pilot, not the bike.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
ORT
What a bold new world we live in. Announcement announcements.
I would like to have confidence in KTM. They are the last bunch of guys that I bought a new motorcycle from.
But will this bike appeal to my wife, who selected the two up bike that she loves. A four something gallon tank, upright ero, 17 inch sport rubber shod, centerstand equipped bike with additional suspension travel. You know, the 2003 European and the 2004 American Ducati Multistrada that we have been riding around for the last nineteen model years. I have my doubts.
How about the bike she bought me for my 60th birthday? The 2012 Hypermotard 1100 SP Corse. For a street bike, it’s a little more my speed. It doesn’t have a centerstand. But oddly enough, the one on the Multistrada bolts right up. It has more suspension, less fuel capacity, and a whole lot less weight. Much of the needless garbage has been removed, leaving it a bit lighter and more ready to party.
The new KTM certainly won’t be nearly as competitive in actual supermoto racing as the heavily modified supermoto street bike that shares the garage with the above Ducatis, and the Ski Nautique during the winter.
The real fly in the ointment is that the KTM will be ride by wire. That’s full stop for me.
My DBs are in my office back home. I’m out skiing in Colorado for the winter. Then dirt biking in Utah come April. Keeps me sharp. Muscles come in handy for more than just throwing things through walls.