Up, up and away! You may not want to jump your $14,749, 468-pound adventure bike, but if you do, the WP XPLOR suspension ensures a well-controlled landing. KTM brings its ?ready to race? ethos to bear on the new-for-2021 890 Adventure R. Whatever you dish out, it can take it. (Photos by Kevin Wing)

There are motorcycles that make us better riders. Some strike such an ideal balance between fit, feel and poise that they become part of us. Riding them is easy and intuitive, as second nature as walking. Others possess a synergetic combination of engine and chassis characteristics that seem to give us superpowers. They trigger something deep within our limbic system that heightens awareness, perception and readiness.

And if we?re lucky, a motorcycle does both.
Then the magic happens. Confidence rises. Senses sharpen. Fear, doubt and distractions fade away. Time loses meaning. Welcome to the flow state, being ?in the zone.?

Despite its 21-inch front wheel and Continental TKC80 knobbies, the KTM 890 Adventure R handles confidently on pavement.

Deep immersion in the riding experience ? being out in the world, on a motorcycle, for the pure enjoyment of it ? is what makes our shared pastime so addictive. It?s why racers race and tourers tour and Iron Butt riders go the distance (and then keep going). It?s why a Sunday morning ride is so restorative and members of our tribe joke that ?you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a psychiatrist?s office.”

Which...