KTM 790 Adventure review
I don’t get to ride a huge variety of bikes so my notes below are very much a comparison of the 790 Adventure to my current KTM 690 R Enduro.
Any bike by definition is a set of compromises, especially in the long distance comfort vs off-tarmac choices. The 690 is one of only a few bikes that you can stick 50 kgs of luggage on, ride 1000+ km, and then head off over a ploughed field or sand dunes. Whilst not particularly comfortable, it swallows long distances and motorway speeds—I’ve ridden my London-based 690 from Aberdeen to London in a day which is 880 km (550 miles). In a 20-hour period I rode my Spanish-based 690 from Marrakech to Tanger, took the ferry to Spain then rode on via Granada to our cave in the mountains which was 1100 km (690 miles).
There are lighter (i.e. better) bikes for off-tarmac adventures, but they can’t carry sufficient luggage, would be excruciatingly uncomfortable for long distance, and have a service interval measured in hours rather than 10,000km. There are better (invariably much heavier) bikes for distance travel but unless you are an off-road god they are impossible riding in loose sand—I’ve been there and done it, with a BMW 1200 GSA, and have no wish to revisit the nightmare.
When I’m in Morocco I normally ride solo, often in very remote places, sometimes in 40ºC heat with no shade. Getting a puncture in tubed tyres in those conditions is a real downer so at the moment I run the Spanish 690 with mousses, an expensive solution as the mousses cost as much as the tyres and need replacing as often. Consequently the tubeless tyres on both models of the 790 are a huge positive as far as I’m concerned.
So… getting on with the mini review… The UK has basked in unseasonably warm sunshine for the last week with record temperatures of over 20ºC (70ºC) and there’s the danger of rose-tinted glasses when riding a bike in such conditions. But no worry, I woke to cold, grey, overcast sky and the promise (duly fulfilled later) of light rain. Jason Jones at The KTM Centre in Hemel Hempstead had the 790 Adventure waiting with only 40 miles on the clock. Trade plates were fitted as the ’19’ plates are only legal from tomorrow (1 March).
To differentiate the models I would have liked to refer to the non-R version of the 790 as the 790S but ’S’ is reserved in KTM nomenclature for alloy wheeled models. So I will call it the 790B (basic).
Looking at the paper specs, the 690 has a 910 mm high seat, the 790R has 880 mm and the 790B has 830-850 mm. But this takes no account of the seat curvature and the reality is that the 790B with the seat in the low position feels almost the same height as my 690. I have a 30-inch inseam and on the 790B am only touching the ground with the balls of my feet. I suspect there will be a lot of potential 790R customers out there who will either move to the 790B or have to do some form of lowering.
The extra 50 kg of weight over the 690 wasn’t particularly noticeable when moving the bike around and it felt lovely and light on the road, very balanced. The fuel tanks look rather bulbous in photos but you don’t notice them. Much of my riding in Morocco is at ‘bumbling along’ speeds and I often get 300 km range. Similar riding with the 790 would allow a 470-km (290 mi) range which is really impressive.
The first thing that will impress everyone is the TFT instrument panel which in addition to the usual rev counter, speedo, warning lights, also shows multiple trip odometers, ambient temperature, battery charge condition, fuel range, fuel consumption, ride mode, ABS mode, traction mode, and so on. The various bike settings are controlled by a four-way handlebar switch. Thanks to the intuitive software, when it started to rain, I was able to switch the ride mode from ‘street’ to ‘rain’ without even having to slow down.
The noise from the standard silencer is quite muted. Riding the bike with ear plugs it was hardly noticeable. I have a Wings exhaust on the 690 but this was fitted primarily because the standard 690 can/CAT runs so hot it melts plastic roll bags! The 790 cat is under the engine and I would probably run the 790 with the standard exhaust.
I took the bike north on the M1 motorway seeing what it was like at high cruising speed. The airflow over the windshield was fine and I rode for some time with my visor up. The windshield is adjustable and could be lowered by maybe 25mm to ensure the helmet is in clean air. Also the much lower R windshield could be fitted.
The engine has ample power, feels more like 1000cc, pulls well from under 3000 revs in 4th, feels very happy at high revs. The fueling is spot on, no hiccups in traffic, the engine is smooth with no vibration, and a constantly clear image in the rear view mirrors (vibration-induced mirror stem failure is common on the 690).
I meant to take note of the seat comfort but forgot to, which says something quite positive about it. One major advantage of the 790 is that it can definitely take a pillion. I have ridden the 690 with my wife on the back but it’s only viable for short distances, it’s cramped and one’s gonads are rather squashed.
Having ridden north for a while, by now I was well and truly lost so I thought I would use the bike’s simple navigation facility to route me back to The KTM Centre. I had the 790R owners manual on my iPhone so I stopped to read this to check how to link my phone to the bike’s TFT screen. First of all, I had to download KTM My Ride from the Apple App Store (£7.99). I got it linked and then set up a route in the KTM app back to Jason, but couldn’t work out how to display the app on the TFT screen. I was a bit exposed sitting by the side of the road, so I skipped that and used Apple Maps on my Watch instead.
I took a twisty route back through the Chiltern hills. By now the bike and I were firm friends and I was really enjoying myself. I probably didn’t go over half throttle the whole journey but loved the way the bike reacted.
One unsung aspect I really like are the twin storage compartments either side of the bike, one holds the tool kit, the other could be used for chain lube or other needs. I didn’t think The KTM Centre would thank me for take the bike off-tarmac in the rain in what are half-half tyres (Avon Trailriders) but I did try standing on the pegs and everything felt good. Yes, it’s not as light as the 690 but then I’m often off-tarmac on the 690 with 50+ kg of luggage and the 790 sans the luggage would be about the same.
What didn’t I like? I thought the side stand foot should be bigger so it doesn’t sink into mud or sand. I never understand why they are invariably so small. I couldn’t think of anything else I didn’t like.
I would probably fit a louder horn and like the idea of fitting Barkbuster hand guards with built-in LED running lights so oncoming traffic in Morocco realises I’m not a moped.
