A “Dakar practice bike” is/was not the first thing that comes to mind when you see a 210+kg, limited edition 2021 KTM 890 Rally. However, when you start paying attention to the details, you realize you’re looking at something very special. One of only 700 produced worldwide, KTM say it’s “a specialized motorcycle for a hardcore adventurer.” They reserved 200 units for North America and the rest of the world had to share the remaining 500.

They sold out in 48 hours.

This bike started life as a rare but impressive bit of gear at Future Sport Motorcycles in Townsville, QLD, Austrailia. Andrew Houlihan, at 52 years old, had just finished 50^th outright at his first Dakar Rally and with his KTM 790 recently written off in a crash (something he seems to be making a habit of), he was on the hunt for a new ticket to adventure. After a few calls to brands he’s worked with in the past, the mad scientists in the Future Sport workshop set about turning this unusual bike into something even more amazing.

With his sights set on Dakar 2022, Andrew needed a bike he could spend thousands of hours and tens of thousands of kilometers training on, then jump back on the KTM 450 Rally Replica he uses as a race bike without too many problems adjusting. Straight out of the box, the KTM 890 Rally is impressively equipped. The narrower wheels support 48mm WP XPLOR PRO cone valve forks and shock that are only slightly different to those the KTM Factory Rally team use. The Akrapovic exhaust is claimed to be 35% lighter and the bike comes with a quick-shifter and carbon fiber tank guards as standard.

The centerpiece and most striking visual change were the Aurora navigation tower and rally roadbook with Baja Designs headlights. The kit uses a combination of OEM and aftermarket CNC components in a rugged, bad-ass design. With it, Andrew can operate any number of electronic mapping devices, or his old-school paper roadbook as seen here.

The standard 20L fuel tank provided approximately 215 km range when practicing in the deep sandy deserts of northwest Victoria, and Andrew has a variety of options to extend his range, including bolt-on twin Ryan rear tanks and hooks to strap fuel bladders to. Just like his race bike, Andrew’s used every available space to store spare parts and tools so he’s self-sufficient and can carry out repairs if he or one of his riding buddies breaks down or cops a flat in the remote areas he likes to ride.

Luggage is taken care of with a Kriega rear platform that can accommodate several different size bags depending on his specific needs. Owning an online company called RallySpec.net that sells all this gear must provide some pretty good opportunities for product testing!

Western Sydney graphics designers MotoKit created a near-perfect copy of his KTM 450 Rally Replica stickers complete with corporate signage and sponsorships. Considering his race bike is currently in Switzerland, and they only had photos to work with, they did a great job.

The seat was raised and re-foamed locally, and underneath the horribly inadequate paper air filter was switched to a full intake and foam filter replacement system. Rottweiler Performance quote a 10 hp increase in performance on the stock 890R, add a custom tune and the dyno figures are significant.

Once they were done building it in Townsville it went on a truck to Brisbane where Andrew had flown in to meet it. He had all his gear in a shopping bag, unloaded the bike on the side of the road, got dressed and set off for Albury with a plan to avoid sealed roads as much as possible. Of the 1,400 km journey, 1,100 km was dirt roads, forest trails and farm tracks.

In the 12 weeks since he took delivery, Andrew’s already clocked 10,000 km on the 890 Rally and as his training ramps up through to Dakar, he’ll ride at least 2,500 km every weekend and spend a further seven hours a week studying and building practice roadbooks.

At the time of writing this, the KTM 890 Rally was entered in the Local Legends Sunraysia Safari, a four-day, 1,200 km navigation rally held in September at the Wentworth Shire of southwest NSW, and depending on COVID-19 lockdowns, the Condo 750 Rally would be a goer as well. I can’t imagine there’s many out there crazy enough to line up next to 450cc and 500cc enduro weapons on a 200+kg twin-cylinder adventure bike, but it would have been awesome to watch!

Unfortunately, Andrew was involved in a huge stack while on a training ride and managed to break his bike IN HALF after hitting not one, but 2 kangaroos. He’s currently in hospital with several broken ribs, a punctured lung, a couple broken fingers, and a whole lot of stitches.

While checking up on his recovery, I offered him the use of my Yamaha Ténéré 700 as a training bike after he’s discharged but warned him it wasn’t anywhere near as insane as his KTM 890 Rally. Turns out he’s wasted no time in hospital and is putting the enforced rest to good use, says that although there’s no 890 Rally bikes left for sale, he’s already put the Future Sport team to work sorting a suitable replacement. Andrew won’t tell me exactly what he’s got planned just yet, but he did say it’ll be something truly diabolical. Maybe we’ll have to do another of these features in the future?

Our thoughts are with Andrew and his family, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

You can follow Andrew’s journey to Dakar 2022 on his webpage RoadToDakar.com.au or via social media.

Aussie Bryn Rogers lives in northeast Victoria at the gateway to the spectacular Vic High Country. To make a full-time living as a writer you need to be highly motivated and incredibly talented with both a camera and keyboard… that’s why Bryn only writes for fun. Mad-keen on anything off-road orientated, in his shed you’ll find mountain bikes, a Tenere 700, his trusty 13-year-old WR450 and a 4x4. Meeting interesting people and sharing their stories sure does make for an enjoyable hobby. You can follow some of Bryn’s other stuff @whatthehellisabryn