2019 K TM 790 ADVENTURE AND 790 ADVENTURE R
FIRST REVIEW
P86
could be a little better with the 790 R, but that's
because the overall suspension package has
been tuned for superior dirt performance—it's a
tradeoff I think most 790 R owners will be willing
to make. Besides, you're running knobbies any-
way, so you can only ask for so much on the tar.
Remember when I said the bike was good be-
cause it had next to nothing to do with the elec-
tronics? That's not to say they don't play an essen-
tial part in the machine's overall performance.
Level 3 was a nice and safe MTC number to
cruise most of the day on, allowing me to drift
the back end around without the feeling of im-
minent launching. Its intervention is exceptionally
smooth—you can feel it working if you really thrash
the throttle, but it's in no way intrusive, like what
you'd find on an earlier 1190 R, for example. You
can really lean on the 790's system in the dirt,
the bike giving you that safety net and keeping
you from hitting the deck.
However, where the MTC system really shone for
me was climbing a gnarly, rocky hill at the midpoint
of the day. The hill didn't look like much, but imag-
ine riding up a 50° incline covered in golf balls.
Hitting the hill with Level 2 MTC, I got about 2/3
of the way up before spinning out. The rear wouldn't
grip, and I didn't have the deft throttle touch re-
quired to keep everything on track and moving.
