Author Archives: Jean Le Motard

Review: KTM 890 SMT

Posted on by

SMT. Supermoto Touring. Or in other words: a playful long-distance bike. Sounds good, right? And yet, the KTM 890 SMT is currently the only bike in the SMT segment. Ducati has its Hypermotards, but those only check the “SM” box, no “T” in sight. Whether that means the other brands don’t see value in the category or avoid it for other reasons, I can’t say. But it sure made me curious to find out how KTM defines those three letters.


So here’s the question: should you look at the SMT as a sport-touring machine (like the ones we see plenty of these days, think of the recently tested Suzuki GSX-S1000GX, the Triumph Tiger Sport 800 or the more adventure-styled Ducati Multistrada V4 S)? Or is the SMT simply in a class of its own?

If it’s up to KTM to decide on that matter, it’s definitely the latter. Unlike the trio I just mentioned, KTM’s focus is a lot less on the “T” and much more on the “SM.” The sporty Michelin PowerGP tires and the chopped windscreen make that clear instantly. Add the white beak to the mix and the 890 SMT ends up with a pretty “different” look. It’s a bit of an odd bird. And as we all know, whether you fall for a bike often comes down to looks.


At first glance the 890 SMT might look like an 890 Adventure on street tires, but it’s actually quite different. The SMT rolls on 17-inch wheels, has a shorter suspension travel and swaps Continue reading →

Review: Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST

Posted on by

Three years ago, I tested the Harley Street Bob and I have to say, I was pretty smitten with its cruiser vibe. At the same time, it left me itching to try a Harley with more long-distance DNA (read: fairing and saddlebags), without having to climb aboard one of their weighty Touring models.


Enter the Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST, the fairing-and-bagged version of the Low Rider S and a proud member of the Cruiser lineup. The ST doesn’t hide where it got its looks. It borrows a hefty scoop of design sauce from the iconic FXRT of the eighties. Retro vibes galore! In fact, with those red letters on gray paint, my test bike looked like it could cameo in Stranger Things.


One walkaround of the ST and I’m already nodding in approval. The fit and finish are solid (with a special mention for that classic yet beautifully designed taillight) and in this blacked-out trim, the bike just looks plain cool. Worth noting: the ST comes standard in chrome (starting at $24,199), and if you want it murdered out, that’ll cost you an extra $1,100. Most paint options also come with a surcharge.

Not exactly cheap, but the ST isn’t some bare-bones, tech-free entry model either. Harley-Davidson is (finally) rolling out Continue reading →

Review: Yamaha XSR900

Posted on by


It might seem like the Team Throttle editors have a soft spot for adventure bikes. But appearances can be deceiving because over the past few years, my personal preference has slowly started to shift. Why? Until 2020 I commuted 200 km by motorbike every day, rain or shine, summer or winter. Back then, a comfortable ride just made sense.

In recent years, however, I’ve been working much closer to home. Lane splitting seems useless because it hardly saves any time (though I must admit I still do a bit of it). The result? I’ve become a fair-weather rider, and a comfortable bike doesn’t feel quite so “essential” anymore. Fun and looks can carry a bit more weight now. Not that I find my Ténéré ugly – far from it – but a custom chopper or a cool naked is always welcome in my garage too.


Enter the Yamaha XSR900. Built around the well-known and widely praised CP3 engine. The XSR is part of Yamaha’s Sport Heritage line-up: modern tech wrapped in retro aesthetics. For the XSR900, Yamaha drew inspiration from the 1980s, more specifically from the Deltabox frame that it introduced on its sport bikes back then.

That doesn’t mean the XSR900 is a racing machine, but it definitely Continue reading →

Travel report: Picos de Europa

Posted on by


Going on a week-long motorcycle tour in June has become a tradition, here at the Team Throttle headquarters. And a second tradition seems to be emerging: making last-minute decisions about our destination. Last year, we headed to Norway because the weather gods thwarted our plans for Spain and Italy. This year, it looked like all of Europe would turn into one big rain zone during our planned week off. Luckily, two days before departure, the Spanish weather maps cleared up a bit, so off we went!

We, that is Jan_F on a Triumph Tiger 900, Shih on his KTM 890 Adventure and myself on a BMW R 1300 GS. Our destination: Picos de Europa, the mountain range in northern Spain, roughly to the southwest of Bilbao.


We had already planned the routes last year, and after a final check this year, our plans looked as follows: Continue reading →

Review: Ducati Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour

Posted on by


Those folks at Ducati are something else. If you were considering a Multistrada not too long ago, you would have had to choose between six models (V2, V2 S, V4, V4 S, V4 S Rally, and V4 S Pikes Peak). But hey, the more, the merrier, right? So, Ducati added two extra models in 2023: the V4 S Grand Tour and the V4 S RS.

Let me help you identify the different family members. The V2 is the twin-cylinder, with the V2 S as its more luxuriously equipped counterpart. On the other hand, the V4 is the standard four-cylinder. Wheelie control, cornering ABS and traction control come standard on the “regular” V4, while the V4 S offers more options, including electronic suspension, a larger display with smartphone connectivity, a quickshifter and cruise control. The V4 S Rally is geared towards off-road enthusiasts, the Grand Tour for the travel-hungry, the Pikes Peak for the sporty riders, and the RS for the even sportier ones.

I had the chance to test whether the Ducati Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour truly lives up to its promise as a touring bike and took it for a weekend ride all the way to Normandy.


The Grand Tour comes with a bundle of options on top of the V4 S equipment: side panniers, heated seats for both rider and pillion, heated grips, fog lights, adaptive cruise control (instead of non-adaptive), blind-spot warning, tire pressure monitoring and a center stand. These options can also be ordered on other Multistradas too, but on the Grand Tour, Continue reading →

Travel test: BMW R 1300 GS

Posted on by


2023 must have been a very anticipatory year for BMW Motorrad. Because when you replace the most popular steed in your stable, you obviously don’t want to make a poor impression. Moreover, BMW didn’t settle for a cautious facelift and a few small technical tweaks, but pushed itself to a major makeover. I had the opportunity to test the new 2024 BMW R 1300 GS for a week during a trip to Spain with two friends. The report of that trip will follow. For now: my findings of the GS after 4300 km in the seat.


To illustrate the importance of the GS for BMW’s business figures: in 2023, BMW sold a little more than 209,000 motorcycles worldwide. More than 60,000 of those were accounted for by the ‘big GS club,’ namely the 1250 GS, the 1250 GS Adventure, and the new 1300 GS (which has been on the market since the fall of 2023). You can safely say it’s BMW Motorrad’s cash cow.

I also want to mention upfront that I’m not a member of the GS Haters Club. Okay, it seems like everyone has a GS, making it feel somewhat ubiquitous. But after testing the 1200 GS Rallye and “needing” a new motorcycle myself, I almost bought a second-hand blue 1200 Rallye. Yes, I chose Continue reading →