R O T T W E I L E R P E R F O R M A N C E K T M 7 9 0 A D V E N T U R E R
R I D E R E V I E W
P36
THERE ARE RALLY BIKES, THEN THERE'S THE ROTTWEILER
PERFORMANCE KTM 790 ADVENTURE R—THE MOST MACHO
MOTORCYCLE THIS SIDE OF THE DAKAR RALLY
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK I PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
A WOLF IN
BEAR'S CLOTHING
R
icky Johnson once said, "when you look up macho in the dictionary, there
should be a picture of a trophy truck." But what happens if you're looking
for the two-wheel version of those desert destroyers? In that case, I think
I have the bike for you. This is the Rottweiler Performance KTM 790 Adventure
R—a purpose-built, custom race machine designed to take on and beat bikes
half its size in some of the world's toughest rallies.
In the hands of the burly Wes Vannieuwenhuise, the Rottweiler racer finished
fourth in the 2020 Sonora Rally, won by current Dakar Champion Ricky Brabec
on the factory Monster Energy Honda. The only riders in front of Wes besides
Brabec were fellow Dakar racer Skyler Howes and rally veteran, Bill Conger. And
Wes was just 90 seconds off the overall podium. On an adventure bike.
