VOL. 56 ISSUE 12 MARCH 26, 2019 P85
road adventurers because KTM has mapped
their 790 so well you don't miss the power a
bigger motor would give you at all. Throttle
response is both delightfully smooth and
immediate in the Rally mode, which is where
I spent most of my time after sampling the
other three modes of Street, Rain and Off-
Road. Street will give you all the fruit under
acceleration, but I liked the ability to vary trac-
tion control independently of rider map, so
I left my test bike in Rally mode most of the
day. I used Street throttle, anyway.
We ran the optional Quickshifter+ system
for clutchless shifts and the terrain at the
start of the day in Morocco was a mix of hard
packed, scorched desert, intertwined with
sporadic sand pits you'd hit almost before
you'd see them at 60 mph. Two factors stood
out here: the first, how good the traction
control system is when set to level three or
below; and the second, how fine the work
carried out by Quinn Cody and company on
the 790's suspension is.
Cody's work in creating a fork that soaks
up pretty much anything I could throw at
it shouldn't be underestimated. The Xplor
48mm fork has a beautifully clear and con-
cise feel to it, with superb high-speed com-
pression damping one of its strong points. A
well set-up, conventionally adjusted fork is
almost always better than an electronically-
adjusted unit, and the two legs holding the
790's front wheel are proof of this. Electronic
suspension is getting very, very good these
days—especially on sport bikes—but KTM still
feels old-school is the way to go, and I must
agree with them.
The Apex PDS shock likewise works
exceptionally well. Under acceleration over
sharp edges when flying through the desert
and at the opposite scale of slow speed,
technical terrain like when climbing rocky
inclines, the 790's chassis remains poised
and balanced, always letting the rider know
precisely where everything is. Road comfort
Headlights and taillights are LED, of course.
The first thing you notice is the 790 is
pretty tall with its 34.6-inch seat height, which
is an excellent thing if you're over six feet.
Taller riders will feel immediately at home on
the 790 R, and when you stand on the pegs,
you're the centerpiece of that ideal dirt bike
ergonomic triangle. It just feels right.
The 95 hp on tap is about the ideal amount
for a real adventure bike. The big bike arms
race for power north of 140 hp might now be
a pointless exercise for anyone other than
The mix of excellent
chassis balance,
the right amount
of horsepower and
great ergonomics
makes the KTM 790
Adventure R
a blast to ride.
