Looks don’t matter so much
if the ride is amazing...
looking design. It is wide and bulbous in front
of your feet where much of the 20 litres of
fuel is stashed, while the top of the KTM is all
straight lines similar to its dirt bikes. Maybe
a little more colour would help it look more
dynamic, as much of it is black. But… as we all
know, the proof is in the pudding. Looks don’t
matter so much if the ride is amazing - so I
heard somebody say once.
ENGINE
Before I even rode the 790 R on the road I
took it to the Sandpit in Woodhill forest, with
its genuine off road trails, deep sand and lots
of whoops. I was keen to try the bike but not
so keen on the standard road-ish-orientated
rubber. It’s not full road but it’s not dirt knobs
either. Anyway, it was going to be a great test
of the bike either way.
Ok, so rear traction was pretty good with
104 KIWI RIDER
decent drive considering the tyre… and
once the traction control was turned off.
With the TC on it was hopeless, it simply
could not generate any worthwhile drive in
the sand. Interestingly, I asked Elliot Kent
which TC setting he used for the Rally Raid in
Morocco. Elliot is a multi-time NZ Trials and
Enduro champion, knows his stuff and has an
incredibly tidy, fast and smooth riding style.
So, what did he say? Well… “KTM pulled the
TC fuse on all the 790 Rs prior to the start of
that event!” Yep, it’s definitely fair to say that
traction control is not helpful in sand – full
stop. I rode in the Rally mode which turns the
rear ABS off while leaving the front ABS on
– but calibrated with dirt settings. With this
selected I had no trouble blasting around, but
steering grip was limited with the standard
front tyre.
In off-road conditions the ergonomics feel
very good straight out of the box, I never