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Review: KTM 790 Adventure (Baujahr 2019)

Curve scratchers with nightlife qualities

29.04.2019

Without adventure bikes in the program, a manufacturer today needs little hope for a bigger market success. But where do you come from when you are actually travelling in completely different market segments?

In addition to Ducati, KTM also has the problem of developing an all-rounder from curve artists with power-oriented customers. Is that going well? We test the KTM 790 Adventure.

Far away

Imagine if you were wearing the Terminator. What would you not say to him? My favorite would be: "Man, Arnie, do half-length. Tomorrow is another day." Yes, and those of KTM, they now want to do just that. Form an adventure bike from her curve scraper KTM 790 Duke for the big tour. A 180-degree character swing. From the Duke an adventure bike ... They have a sense of humour, these Austrians.

From a usually well-informed source, we know from a KTM insider that this moped producer at duke originally wanted to mount the seat directly on the handlebars instead of the instruments. Only in this way, that was the thought of the engineers, would allow the driver to be in the middle of the action and take full advantage of the Duke family's willingness to corner. Whatever the reason for this idea(the driver still sits very far ahead), it shows the dilemma: To be a success, the Duke would have to be extensively domesticated.

The first round

Let's have a look. It stands well, nicely wide-legged like all KTM. Somehow KTM always seems as if they would like to make Rabatz - this is clearly a prejudice that is confirmed every time in the most beautiful way. Different benches with seat heights from 80 centimetres would be available, it usually fits with the middle one.

But what is it? Only at second glance does it be noticeable that the adventure reminds a little of a - sorry - hanging belly pig. The tank, because this is the matt black bulge in front of the driver's feet, can be hung low. Good for the center of gravity (says KTM), needing to get used to the optics (say I).

I think it's nice to have every KTM, that you know how it's going to sound the same - after Rabatz, after that. Here, however, a trick helps, which is now far from new. If you only have one row twin, but you want it to sound a bit like V2, how do you do that? Exactly, one asks the Terminator if he can turn this around for a short time. Alternatively, as Arnold Schwarzenegger is not at hand, one takes an unusual lifting pin offset (in this case 75 degrees), then works with the ramshackle sound.

Now a beautiful tone is important, but more important is who produces it with its other qualities. The Duke engine received a different mapping for its outdoor use in AdventureLand, which reduced the power from 105 hp to its 95, while at the same time increasing the torque to 88 Nm. The adventure engine is ready. Will it work? Helmet on, let's take a look.

On to the Adventure Land

The short answer is: it doesn't really work. Objectively speaking, there is hardly anything to blame for the engine. You can't make one mistake: Before the 790 Duke drive. Its engine operates under 3,000 rpm what Harley drivers would describe as a refusal to work, but goes upfor an 800 like the famous sow.

In the Adventure now you can drive the row twin with 3,000 revolutions, but he still doesn't like it. But he's missing something up there. I would love to have the adventure with the Duke engine. Doesn't fit perfectly, but it would be more scrubbing. Have you ever heard KTM drivers rave about the torque of their machine? Just. After all: The Rabatz factor goes perfectly fine and accordingly on the ears. Sing my song, the V2 screams from the garage next door.

Perhaps the remodeling with the Note1b is so noticeable because the engine sits in the middle of a first-class environment. The chassis alone: a force (which the engine misses a little, but I repeat myself). Comfortable yes, but it has one thing above all that I absolutely need on a motorcycle in order to be fast: precision. With a smaller than the standard 21-inch front wheel, there would certainly be even more manoeuvrability, but hey: The 790 Adventure weighs only 209 kilos, feels only 150 kilos. How the tricked into curves is just great. We were naturally unable to test how much of this goes back to the hanging belly tank. But if it's even a little bit, it's worth it.

Conclusion - buy or not?

Sun. Just take a look at the basics. KTM-typical just as well processed as KTM-typical with 12,399 Euro rather not quite so cheap, comes here with the Adventure 790 a bike, which seems to belong to a new subgroup of adventures. These, namely, who have obtained their racer DNA, but do not want to stand out negatively in terms of comfort or transport capacity with the wife of the buyer /purchases*rin (where does this "*" belong again?).

The Ducati Hyperstrada or the Yamaha 900 Tracer GT compete for the same audience. If you like this, with the Adventure you get a bike for exactly these moments in life, where you might need a mummy, but you prefer not to drink to do another round. Thumbs up, then.

We thank M.A.S. in Wilster for renting the test bike.

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