KTM 790 ADVENTURE LANDS
One of the most hotly-anticipated
models in recent years has finally made
its way to New Zealand, with KTM dealers
taking their first shipments of the new
790 Adventure and 790 Adventure R this
month.
Demand has been high for this
adventure class machine, which is priced
from $21,999, with all but two units of
the initial NZ Shipment being spoken
for at the time of writing.
KR was present at Hamilton’s Boyd’s
Motorcycles for their launch of the
790 Adventure and Adventure R
which included Q&A sessions with
KTM Ambassador Chris Birch, and 790
Adventure R racers Elliot Kent and
Kevin Archer who represented NZ at the
Merzouga Rally after winning the right at
last year’s KTM NZ Adventure Rallye.
With over an hour and a half of stories,
from the small hand in the development
and early test rides from Birch to the
harsh realities of racing in the Morrocan
desert from Kent and Archer, it was a
fascinating night for the 80+ crowd who
took the time to attend.
Needless to say, with a first hand look
at the latest KTM adventure machine
we were thoroughly impressed. As Chris
Birch noted, not only does the bike feel
great from a rider’s perspective, the
suspension KTM is leagues ahead of the
competition.
Sadly for fans of the 1090 Adventure,
the arrival of the 790 signals the end of
the line for the 1090 with KTM deciding
the 790 Adventure R more than stacks
up against the older model, making it
obsolete. See our first ride thoughts in
the video below and check out our test in
the coming issue of Kiwi Rider...
KIWI RIDER 87