ADVENTURE
RRRRRRR…
So many people have been waiting for this bike
it’s not funny… but it’s finally here. Dirt and
road we’ve given it a thrashing to tell you all
about KTM’s all-new 790 Adventure R.
A
ny rider who likes real adventure
and is keen on getting dirty will
have been eyeing the new KTM
790 Adventure R very closely –it’s the
most hotly anticipated bike of the year in
these circles. Worldwide, riders are lining
up in droves, keen to get their hands on
this eagerly awaited new model. Whether
it’s the chance to emulate Dakar hero
Toby Price or big bike rally star Chris
Birch, is hard to say. Perhaps on our own
shores they just sense it could be the one
bike which will nail down NZ adventure
riding conditions like no other.
Honestly, for manufacturers this is a
very difficult market segment to actually
get right. Everybody seems to want a bike
that behaves like a 450 enduro machine
in off-road conditions, and yet be a bike
that purrs along effortlessly like a multi-
cylinder 1200 on road. I’m sorry to be
the bearer of bad news… there is no
silver bullet. A 110kg, 110hp and 1000cc
production adventure machine isn’t
going to happen anytime soon.
So… compromise is the name of the
game for any factory wanting a crack
at this market segment. But of all
the manufacturers out there, surely
KTM must be the one most capable
of hitting the sweet spot that riders
claim they want. However, with the 790
Adventure R KTM appears to have made
102 KIWI RIDER
few compromises and used plenty of
innovative thinking in its pursuit of a truly
effective, all terrain adventure bike.
Now, it is my job at KR to test the result
of their efforts. Tough, I know. But before
I leap in to the test, I’ll share a little of
my background with you, so you can
see where I’m coming from. I have won
NZ Enduro titles, have stood on the top
step of all the major NZ 100-mile cross-
country races, am a multi-time NZ team
I4DE/ISDE medalist, and was also a top
10 ranked MX 500cc class rider, back
when they raced two strokes… which I
only rode in a casual way because short
circuits never really interested me. I’m
not tooting my own trumpet here, I just
want to share that my riding heritage is
pure dirt, but with age and KR duties I
have progressed on to adventure and
road riding. So personally, I really want
an adventure bike that works in the dirt,
but also know that big road distances on
buzzy single cylinders isn’t my thing. If
that’s you, great. It’s not me.
So, that said, bring on the 790 R…
I know beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, and on beholding the KTM
for the first time… I was not particularly
enamoured. That thought has stayed
with me. The KTM is a slightly odd mix
of hard straight lines and soft rounded
ones – to me it’s just not a very cohesive