Adventure R - KTM 790

Adventure Rider Magazine travelled to Morocco to ride KTM’s newest adventure bikes. It was worth every minute and every kilometre. Both 790s are awesome. The Adventure R was the one which got us really excited, though. It was totally at home in the fesh-fesh, rock and sandstorms of the Sahara, and seems to be an ideal fit for Australia’s toughest riding.

Probably one of the most eagerly anticipated bikes of recent times, KTM has finally pulled the covers off its new 790 Adventure R. The liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor with its 270-degree firing order is incredibly compact, as is the whole bike, and the electronics and suspension put it right at the very forefront of the midweight adventure-bike class. Maybe even adventure bikes of all classes.

Better than all that is the way the thing feels to ride.

This bike is really something special.

Highlights

A chromoly steel frame and steel trellis subframe support fully adjustable WP suspension front and rear with an 18/21 wheel combo. The motor pumps out 94 horsepower through a six-speed box and chain drive, and of course, there’s electronics up the wazoo. Traction control, ABS, various ignition maps, phone connectivity, a TFT dash, ride-by-wire throttle, cornering ABS, LED lighting, quick-shifter…you name it, the 790 has it.

In other nice touches a 20-litre fuel cell is expected to give a range somewhere over 400km of mixed riding, and KTM has acknowledged the necessities of real-world adventure riding and kept air filter access simple, fitted good footpegs, a screen and the dry weight, measured at the brochure, is 189kg.

Best friend

Our overwhelming impression of both the 790 Adventure and 790 Adventure R is just how friendly they both are in performance terms. The motor doesn’t rip a rider’s arms out, both have manageable seat heights with plenty of adjustment, braking is superb, handling is sharp and, typically of KTM, the suspension package is exceptional.