REBOOTED RENEGADE KTM 890 SMT

It’s been 10 years since KTM dropped the SMT from its range, but now it’s back – with more bling, more attitude... and more reasons to own one.

- BIG MAC 

I get nervous when I hear a manufacturer seemingly create a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist – or, at least, one I wasn’t aware of in the first place. Who knew that the world needs a Supermoto Tourer? KTM did, evidently, and the 890 SMT is proof that all along, the world has been missing a motorbike with words in its description that couldn’t be more diametrically opposed if they tried. I freely admit to making an inevitable comparison in my head between the KTM 890 SMT and the Ducati Hypermotard, so let me tackle this straightaway… there isn’t a comparison. Put that out of your head now, because while the SMT does have the same fundamental architecture as the Hypermotard, it is far more versatile.

For a quick refresher, the SMT isn’t a new concept by KTM, but it has been absent from the range for a decade, so you could be forgiven for not being aware that it has dabbled with a Supermoto Tourer before. The 990 SMT used the 990cc V-twin engine from KTM’s 990 SuperMoto, allowing KTM to have a go at the adventure market, but with a different slant. After all, why does ‘Adventuring’ have to mean 19-inch wheels, sometimes knobbly tyres, panniers, and enough excess weight to make having any actual fun on tarmac – as well as mile munching – physically impossible?