Last Updated on: November 24, 2023

Luggage solutions exists in plenty. A choice is about preferences, compromises, and a few other important things. 

Weight matters, plus size and volume. My previous bike, a 2019 KTM 1290 Super Adventure, came with panniers included. On that bike the set of panniers neither felt heavy or in the way. On the 890 however, it could be a different story.

Choosing a solution is also about price and of course, quality. Often these go hand in hand, but not always.

Softbags on the 2023 KTM 890 Adventure

Luggage considerations

Being undecided about the luggage solution I ordered the bike from the dealer with nothing. One reason was that I had an extra KTM top case, or “pizza delivery box”. It was bit battered after a drop but fully usable. The next question was if the corresponding mounting plate would fit on the rack of the 2023 KTM 890 Adventure.

No documentation suggested it would.

Fortunately, and despite a (historical) reputation for changing standards like people change undies (e.g. often), KTM hadn’t gone that far. The 1290 top case is identical to the one sold with a different item number for the 890 Adventure. So the mounting plate fit as s glove.

May 2023: first ride with the pizza…er top case

Tank bag

Buying a new motorcycle sometimes means you won’t have many choices, in the beginning of its lifecycle. GIVI and SW-Motech both came out with their KTM 890 Adventure tank bag pretty quickly. The KTM Powerparts tank bag was the cheapest. It was also the simplest with regards to internal design. You get what you pay for, a least in this particular case.

KTM Tank bag fitted on the bike

There are no pockets or compartments inside the tank bag, like on SW-Motech’s and, I think, the GIVI one. Guess that’s why the difference in price. Material-wise it looks up to par. I plan to modify the interior, with some small bags/pockets and Velcro. The KTM Tank bag comes with almost an identical locking system both GIVI and SW-Motech are using.

Guess everyone copies GIVI these days.

The tank bag can be locked to the motorcycle by drilling a hole in the bottom which consists of a block of Styrofoam glued to the bottom. Then drive a bolt through, into the locking mechanism. There’s a hole specifically for this purpose.

The bolt didn’t come with the bag, so I used a screw. Size wise the KTM tankbag is ok, 16 liters but expandable. Maybe the expansion will add another two liters. Not sure. The bag does not get in the way if you’re standing which is quite common. A good fit for this motorcycle I would say.

Soft luggage or panniers?

In the end I decided that panniers was out of the question. They add too much weight to the relatively speaking small motorcycle. More if you include a rack. In the soft bags department there’s a lot to choose from. Kriega, Enduristan, Mosko Moto, Giant Loop, GIVI, to mention some. You get them with rack and without rack.

All nice, great quality and pretty pricey.

Looking for alternatives I stumbled across  Rhinowalk. An American brand I think. Had heard and read about their products. Mostly good reviews. Price-wise they were cheaper than any of the alternatives. So ordered a set of 2×14 liter bags. Not from the US, freight would be horrible, but from their Aliexpress store.

Smart move to have a second store, especially when/if serving the Asia Pacific or Euro markets.

Unpacked, the 2×14 liters Rhinowalk bags

The bags turned up after 2-3 weeks. They looked very well made, and came with lots of straps. But the first fitting attempt was not a success., primarily because of the bull horn size passenger grab handles on the motorcycle. No matter what I tried, they got in the way.

Removing them would require spacers. If you buy Kriega  you get spacers in the package. Guess other manufacturers supply spacers as well. With Rhinowalk I got nothing. Fortunately a colleague had bought something off an internet store and thought he’d seen spacers there. Success! Ordered a set of spacers from Perunmoto and postponed the project till they arrived.

Luggage fitting

A couple of weeks later the spacers arrived and all was set for mounting. But the instructions that came with the Rhinowalk bags were minimal. Just some images printed on a cardboard box. This, combined with a lot of straps and locks, meant quite a bit of trial an error in the beginning.

Grab handles removed and fitting commencing

Step 1 was to remove the grab handles and fit spacers. With these out of the way fitting could commence. Now things began to look promising! One of the most important factors was to find the right height of the silencer side bag.

I had ordered a heat shield with the package but hoped to avoid having to use it. it would scratch up the silencer no doubt. Something that, especially in a trade-in situation, would influence the value of the motorcycle.

Straps Galore! Options exists in plenty!

Fortunately, much thanks to a lot of straps and enough height difference between the seat and the silencer, it was possible to get decent clearance. But would it be enough?

The right side bag, but is it enough clearance?

Result and test ride

Finally I had it all pieced together. The bags were firmly attached to both the rear foot pegs brackets and the rear rack. So minimal flopping. For me it was necessary to stuff the bags when fitting them. It made all the difference being able to attach them while full/filled up.

Luggage solution for my 2023 KTM 890 Adventure. Ready to ride!

It took some hours but it was time well spent. Once all done I took the bike for a ride. Just to get a feel for the setup. Stopped several times to gauge the heat situation.  No issues with regards to the right hand side bag riding height. It has more than enough clearance to the silencer. Result!

The Rhinowalk bags comes in different sizes. I don’t think it would be possible to fit the biggest option on this motorcycle. But perhaps it would work, with a heat shield. The bags appear to be very well made. Only time and use will tell if that’s the case.

Grab handles replacement

Losing passenger grab handles changes how you move the motorcycle. And how you get it on a centre stand, if mounted. I’ve not found anything made of metal that would fit. I am sure something does exist. If you know about some, drop me a line!

Kayak grab handles as a substitute

Did some searching. In a forum I found several who’d used Kayak grab handles with success. I never travel with passengers so for me not so important. But I’ve ordered a set of grab handles so we’ll see how I get on!

Luggage update November 2023

I’ve used the Rhinowalk soft bags on a few longer trips. They work very well. Because they are significantly smaller than what I’ve been used to, the change has forced me to pack more efficiently. Which is, not the least with regards to weight, a good thing. Especially since I now have a smaller motorcycle.

The heat shield I bought with the soft bags has not been needed (on my motorcycle). The clearance between seat and silencer is enough. Also, the silencer on the 2023 KTM 890 Adventure don’t get very hot.

The shield might be needed on other types/models. It will depend on the height difference between seat and silencer. Plus of course, heat.

My impression this far is that these, even if being more affordable than competitors, are well built. How they’ll hold up after longer usage of course remains to be seen. But impression so far is very good.

The tank bag works well too. Lack of compartments is a downside. I’ve not yet been able to find a smart way to add those.