Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1162518
HONDA AFRICA TWIN VS. KTM 790 ADVENTURE R COMPARISON TEST P92 to wick it up and cut all kinds of funky angles with that forgiving chassis. There's more than enough power, in fact, it's as much power as I'd ever want for an off-road specific motorcycle (no one, ever, needs 150 horse- power for an adventure bike), and the KTM's electronics give more freedom to the rider than the Honda's traditional TC and ABS algorithms. The off-road mode in the 790's ECU allows you to tailor the machine to your specific needs a little a better than the Honda, which, it must be said, will enable you to vary TC and engine maps in almost the same fashion as the KTM's. Traction control intervention is smoother on the KTM in the lower modes, and allow you to hang the back- end out and feel like a hero more than the Honda, and once you know how to navigate the modes, the TFT dash is a delight to use compared to the Game- boy appearance of the Honda. AND THE WINNER IS… The KTM. And you knew that before we started, right? However, we have to admit that Jesse and I were surprised at just how close it really was. It all comes down to what makes your ideal adventure? If you're one who has grand visions of loading up for days and searing across this great country, taking in dirt and fire roads, the Honda will give you a more enjoyable journey. It's designed half as an adventure bike, and half as one that can tour with the same level of comfort as nearly any real touring bike. If I were riding to Africa tomorrow, I'd take the Honda. But the KTM takes the cake as it's everything a good adventure bike can be, and then some. It's a stupendous off-road machine and utterly crushes the larger/older 1090 and 1190 KTM ma- chines in terms of overall performance, and it's better at nearly everything than the Honda. Again, road performance is the KTM's sore point, but it's not a big gap between the two. Get off the road and really go ADV riding—up and down tight hills, fire roads, rocks, open desert as we did in Morocco— and the KTM makes you glad you got your motorcycle street license all those years ago. CN 2019 KTM 790 ADVENTURE R ($13,499) ENGINE: .....................DOHC parallel-twin, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke DISPLACEMENT: ..............................799cc BORE X STROKE: ................88 x 65.7mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................... 12.7:1 CLUTCH: ........................... Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION: ...........................6-speed CHASSIS: ................. Tubular steel trellis, engine used as a stressed member FRONT SUSPENSION: .............. 48mm WP Xplor fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: .......WP PDS shock, fully adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL: ................... 7.8 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL: .......................... 9.4 FRONT BRAKE: ......... Dual 320mm discs, dual four-piston radially mounted cali- pers, Bosch Cornering ABS as standard REAR BRAKE: ............260mm disc, 2-piston caliper, Bosch Cornering ABS as standard FRONT TIRE: .........................2.50 x 21 in. REAR TIRE: ..........................150/70-18 in. STEERING HEAD ANGLE: .................. 63.7° WHEELBASE: .................................. 60.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ............................... 34.6 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ............................5.2 gal. WEIGHT (WET, CLAIMED): .......... 460 lbs. S P E C I F I C A T I O N S You have two adjustability options when it comes to Honda's ABS system— on or off.