2019 K TM 790 ADVENTURE AND 790 ADVENTURE R
FIRST REVIEW
P82
ression) and right (rebound) fork
legs. The front-end also houses an
unadjustable WP steering damper.
At the rear, the SPEX PDS
shock also has 9.4 inches of
wheel travel and is fully adjustable
with separate high- and low-speed
rebound and compression damp-
ing circuits. The shock lays at
near 45° and mounts directly to
the swingarm with a wheelbase
of 60.2 inches. Like the rest of
KTM's PDS systems, the shock
doesn't need to run linkages, with
bottoming resistance provided by
a second piston working together
with a closed cup at the end of the
stroke, supported by a progressive
rate spring.
The spoked, tubeless wheels
are 21 inches up front and 18
inches at the rear and come stan-
dard with Metzeler Karoo 3 tires;
however, on the launch, we ran
Continental TKC 80s to handle the
rough Moroccan terrain better.
Brakes are dual radial-mounted
four-piston calipers clamping down
on a pair of 320mm discs up front
and a twin-piston caliper biting a
260mm disc at the back. KTM is
using its own Cornering ABS that's
lean-angle sensitive and switch-
able on the 790.
(Left) Mission
control for the
KTM's electronics
suite. (Below)
Dune bashing has
never been this
much fun on a big
adventure bike.
BODYWORK AND
ERGONOMICS
The single biggest thing anyone
will (or should) notice when look-
ing at the bodywork of the 790
Adventure is that gigantic 5.2-gal-
lon gas tank. The tank's volume
is kept as low as possible in the
chassis, by running down both
sides of the engine, giving a low
center of gravity and ensuring the
fuel mass stays centralized as
the tank progressively runs out of
fuel. Keeping the CG low gives
the 790 a nice, light feeling at the
bars and allows the engineers to
run a lower seat height—some-
thing you can easily change if
you're longer legged.
KTM USA's
Quinn Cody
and company
have a lot to be
proud of with
the new 790.
