There’s More Adventure Coming to KTM With New 790

Adventure is now more accessible.

By: Sabrina Giacomini

Nov 6, 2018 at 4:12pm ET

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KTM motorcycles are generally not afraid of a bit (or a lot) of dust and even though the orange brand has added a few road-friendly options to its lineup over the years, the Austrian maker dominates in all things off-road. With the dual-sport segment more popular than ever, the company has decided to diversify its adventure/travel-ready lineup with the addition of a middleground player and showed the all-new 790 Adventure and Adventure R at EICMA.

Borrowing from KTM’s other Adventurers, but also from the Duke, the new 790 bridges the major gap that existed between the smaller 450 Rally and 690 Enduro and the bigger 1090 Adventure and 1290 Super Adventure models. It fits in nicely as more accessible enduro and travel machine with all the capability of its bigger brothers, but with a less daunting stance.

Both the 790 Adventure and Adventure R receive the 799cc parallel twin used in the standard 790 Duke. The block has been tuned, however, to match the Adventure’s wilder personality and deliver lower range power which facilitates accelerations and provides and efficient power band at lower speeds. KTM also promises that thanks to this tweak, riders will easily get 280 miles out of the 20-liter tank.

Thanks to its customers input, but also to the contribution of seasoned enduro riders and of the Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing Team, the company was able to develop what it describes as a well-balanced and efficient bike with a sturdy chassis and low center of gravity. A flight of rider assist technologies has also been thrown into the mix since we’re not all “seasoned enduro riders”. All the settings can be adjusted via the color TFT cluster display.

The 790’s big brothers has also been shown a bit of love for 2019 with new paint colors and graphics.