HONDA AFRICA TWIN VS. KTM 790 ADVENTURE R
COMPARISON TEST
P90
KTM's finally
created a modern
version of the
legendary 950
Adventure with the
new 790 R.
about size five to actually lift
the lever. Both Jesse and I got
incredibly frustrated in that—as
owners of big-ish feet—the gap
from the peg to the gear lever
was way too close.
Build quality on the Honda
is outstanding, with plenty of
places to tie down luggage and
more than enough space for two
people to tour comfortably on.
The dash is a little old school.
In fact, it's very old school com-
pared to the KTM's, but it's easy
to navigate once you get used
to it. It is, however, near impos-
sible to read when you have the
sun behind you.
STEP FORWARD,
KTM!
Once you're off the road, the
ethos of the KTM shines bright
like a diamond. This is a dirt
bike turned into an adventure
bike, not a street bike turned
into an adventure bike. As
such, you can get away with
things on the KTM you simply
can't do on the Honda.
Yes, the KTM weighs 46
pounds less than the Honda,
but it's the way it carries its
weight that makes all the differ-
ence. The KTM carries its fuel
down low by the sides of the
motor, about where your shins
are. And because the tanks are
not overly wide, you don't even
know they're there.
Combining the excellent
manner in which the KTM car-
ries its weight with my favorite
part of the machine in the 48
mm WP Xplor fork, you have a
machine you feel you can do
literally anything on.
From low speed, snotty
downhills, to wide, sweeping
fire roads, the KTM just takes
everything in its stride. There's
greater ground clearance at
both ends of the KTM, and the
overall suspension action is
much more planted, despite
being stiffer overall, when rid-
ing off-road.
The KTM is not as good as
the Honda on the tar, but it's
not far from it in comfort and
performance. However, it's a
dramatic improvement when
the pavement disappears.
The 790 motor is livelier than
the Honda's—a given, really,
when you consider the capacity
difference. The KTM's internals
are much lighter, and the motor
spins up with an intoxicating
velocity that makes you want
