[Hammerhead]

Very slick.

 

[Hammerhead]

I rode lots of dirt bikes as a kid. And small street bikes up until 1990. In 2021 I bought a new 2020 Duke 390 to get back in the game. I did some upgrades and sold it in a year with 2k miles on it. At first, I was really excited with its acceleration/pull. After that year I wanted more. I now have an 890 GP. And I love it!

Any pics of an 890 GP?

 

[Hammerhead]

Having just ridden one recently, I would not recommend an 890 as a first bike. A 390 would be a great learner or even a 70-hp 690, if you really need something you can roll on the Interstate with. The 890 has as much power as my old Suzuki GS1100, and not a lot of weight. Unless you shoot squirrels with a .45, stick to something more inline with your needs, transportation-wise and learner-wise. Try to snag a demo ride on a 390 or a 690.

 

[Hammerhead]

Unless you're King Kong, you might want to do your learning on something smaller and less powerful. It's not that you couldn't handle it or could do something stupid, it's just that your learning curve will flatten and you'll never be able to take full advantage of the bike's abilities. Learn to outride 60 hp before you get on 120, which is substantially more than "a moderate amount" for a bike of this weight.

I wish I had started younger and learned to ride smaller bikes. It would have saved a lot of the re-learning I went through later.