Will KTM be making a smaller version of the SAS ?
It's called the 890 Adventure. Other members here such as Donk and TNWalker have it or had it. Heck, Donk has had both the 1290 and the 890. He loves the 890 so much he kept it over his 1290. His
positive talk of the 890 was ringing in my ears as I researched the 2023 Adventure R as my next dirt bike.
Well I don’t think KTM or any other manufacturer sell you a bike with all options working then shut them down unless you pay! Yes, a lot or all of the electronic options are in there, (it’s cheaper to build it all in then activate things like quick-shifter, etc.), but they don’t sell you a bike with all options working then pull the plug after a few weeks unless you pay.
After reading DDs account, that is fine but I think cyclemike has the wrong end of the stick.
From the KTM site.
If I were a first time KTM buyer I might be interested in the Demo mode. But as someone who purchased the full "Tech Package" on my last bike, I already know I want everything except Hill Hold. Buying the package was cheaper than buying each individually and leaving out the HH.
I may have miswrote my statement somewhat. Yes KTM is selling a bike with all the bells and whistles in tact and after a 1000 miles the bike looses all the bells and whistles unless you pay extra. But what I was getting at is every single thing in the world now is out for a monthly subscription of some kind it seems. I can see manufacturers selling a car or a bike or a tractor and saying you do not own the software and must pay a fee every little bit to keep all the bells and whistles working. It is possible and if they condition the consumer just as KTM is doing with this demo thing at some point people will accept a monthly payment for software. Or at the very least every couple years would require a software update that you would have to pay for. It is not a new thing. In the industrial world this has been going on for years. It just has not trickled down to the individual. Back to the KTM thing. For me anyway it would really rub me wrong that KTM would put hardware on the bike to do all the things they are supposed to do but then I would have to pay extra for the software to make it work. the hardware is the expense. It is an expense on every single bike but the software has been developed and cost basically nothing to put in every bike but they charge for it? That just seems wrong to me.
It is a one time purchase and not a subscription.
Everyone has their own perspective. Should people have to pay for technology they don't want or that they even consider undesirable, or could they pay less to have the basic bike they want?
In the end, these are software updates. There is a cost to develop software. I've made my living as a software developer for over 20 years, so I'm very aware of this factor. Quality software that works correctly requires a massive investment in both time and money. I find it impressive that KTM has the confidence to allow the bike to be competitively priced with lower featured bikes, and also provide the ability to compete with high-end, full feature bikes.
For me, I recognize the value of the software update to my riding satisfaction. I have zero hesitation, and no ill feelings about paying for the features I want. It's another reason I find KTM to be the #1 manufacture of high performance bikes that the average guy can afford.
But, I've always felt that the reason BMW, KTM, and such, were more expensive was because of their features. Whether I was going to use them or not, they were there for the use. But now they still cost more, the same, and then you have to pay more for those features. 
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