Sheer Joy to Ride
By Tristan Foley
Not so long ago our friends at KTM asked if we’d like to ride the new 790 Adventure, umm yes? And let’s start off by saying that the guys who hadn’t ridden the bike before were more impressed than we thought they’d be…
With the 790, KTM has found the perfect balance between a bike that you can rip around while still being able to run with the dreadnaughts on a trip through the Karoo.
It bridges the gap between dirtbike and adventure, really making it a motorcycle for anyone anywhere.
There’s nothing worse than everyone waiting for you on a big adventure trip because your bikes are too slow, but, there’s also nothing worse than dropping your nice new adventure bike on the offroad trails because it’s too big and heavy, especially for those of us who suffer from short leg syndrome. The 790 solves this dilemma.
But that’s enough about where the bike fits.
What makes the 790 so well balanced?
Firstly it features a 6 speed, 799cc, 2 cylinder parallel twin engine. This puts out 87nm of torque and 95 metric horsepower. In other words the bikes got a lot of poke considering it only weighs 203kg dry.
Comfort wise the 790 features WP suspension front and rear. Both fully adjustable with 200mm of travel. It has a wide, comfortable seat, wide footpegs, a well designed screen and a very cool TFT display.
The bike has a 21inch front wheel along with an 18inch rear, tubeless and spoked, paying homage to the bikes offroad focus. The 20l tank allows the bike to travel the same distance as most adventure bikes however, this will be difficult because behaving yourself is a problem on the bike.
The 233mm of ground clearance is enough to ensure that riders don’t bash into any rocks or debris – and just in case, KTM has fitted a monster of a skid plate. The seat height is adjustable between 840mm to 860 mm allowing most riders to comfortably put their feet down. Well, most riders anyway. The big brakes work perfectly.
Just because the 790 isn’t necessarily one of KTM’s flagship bikes that doesn’t mean they’ve skipped out on any extras. For the road the bike features many rider aids, this helps ensure a safe ride for all riders while barreling down the tarmac. Firstly they’ve included MTC (Motorcycle Traction Control) using an improved 6D internal measurement kit, the new traction control doesn’t only control the slip of the rear wheel but also prevents the uncontrolled lifting of the front wheel. This tech combined with the lean angle sensors on the bike ensures controlled power wheelies with stable and soft landings. For those of us who aren’t super confident in our cornering capabilities, the 790 also features cornering ABS allowing you to grab a full hand of brakes without fear thanks to the bikes 9.3 MP ABS unit.
Not necessarily a tech extra but certainly a must have is the comfortable 2 piece seat that comes with the 790 which has been designed with the rider and pillion in mind. This allows you to pop your Mrs on the back quite happily. Or not.
What about the offroad extras? The 790 naturally also features offroad ABS that reduces the ABS on the front wheel while completely disengaging it on the rear wheel. Allowing you to slidy slide around corners. The bike also comes stock with Pirelli Scorpion STR rubber, one of our favourite DP tyres, helping to keep you firmly attached to all surfaces across all conditions.
Apart from this the 790 boasts a plethora of rider modes from rain, to offroad, street and rally allowing you to fully match the bike to your preference. The bike also has cruise control, a quickshifter and the new introduction of demo mode, allowing riders to test the new tech for the first 1500km free of charge. All this information is relayed to the rider with a state of the art 5inch TFT display which features smart phone connectivity and scratch resistant technology.
All these extras and features are good and well but how well do they all work together in unison and is the bike actually any good?
The title of the story may give you a hint to that question.
The bike is fantastic and I totally get why my dad gushed about at the launch in Morocco all those years ago – and since then – the bike has been developed further.
I’ve ridden nearly every adventure bike that comes through our office big and small over the years, some have been hits and some have been misses.
The 2026 790 is a definite hit.
No matter what I put that bike through it took it and took it well. I had it on the back wheel on the road, no problem, actually surprisingly easy to wheelie compared to most bikes, even for me.
On the dirt I’ve never had so much fun and it was a few days after some heavy rain which usually makes off-roading a bit more sketchy. Not with this bike. There was not a single close call or moment where I thought “Hang on the bikes not really made to do this.”
Across every offroad terrain that I rode, mud, meallie fields, gravel and light rocks, I felt safe, stable and – well… pretty smug under my visor.
It’s just so much fun – and yet less intimidating than a bike like KTM’s 890. I was able to hoist it sideways around every corner, throw it over the jumps and wheelie with ease everywhere, there was a smile on my face for the whole ride.
I will mention that the bike did bottom out on one of the jumps. Two things: I did zero setup and rode the bike as it arrived and the landing was quite flat and rough. I’m not going to fault the bike – It’s usually set from the factory for road and gravel and not necessarily MX.
With some proper suspension adjustment and, perhaps some flying lessons this can be fixed. Apart from that the suspension handled everything super well even on patchy grass and light rocks the bike felt comfortable and didn’t bash around.
Usually when a bike is so good offroad it means that road riding isn’t going to be great or the bike will be slow. Fear not for the bike is fast as… ja. In an ideal world where there are no speed limits and you can ride as fast as you want, I can confidently estimate that this bike would do exactly 202 kilometers an hour with a full tank on a slight uphill.
But honestly, that’s just a guess.
Apart from the speed on the tar, the screen is a big win you don’t get blown around and the wind noise is relatively low. In the corners on tar, the cornering ABS was great allowing me to confidently keep the speed up around corners.
For street riding the bike is perfect because it is quite low allowing you to put your feet down comfortably at traffic lights and you can filter without worry.
All in all, as I’ve made clear throughout the story – in my opinion KTM’s made a perfectly balanced bike for all kinds of riding. Sure you won’t be doing 250KPH on those long Karoo roads,but she’s quite happy and not straining up to speeds well in excess of the national limits.
At the time of writing, KTM SA is running a special on the 790 Adventure for R189,999 and that includes the KTM tech pack
Get down to your local dealer and take one for a spin. Even if it’s not necessarily what you want I guarantee you’ll have a great ride.
Deon says:
The boss and I made our way to the KTM head office to collect the 790 Adventure. We were in the bakkie with the ramps and straps ready to load, but I had a plan…
When it was time to load the bike, “Oh! Wait! I have my helmet and gear in the bakkie, why don’t I just strap up and ride it back?” I said with a grin on my face.
And, you guessed it, I rode the 790 Adventure to RAD KTM for a quick visit, and from there I jumped on the highway as I headed back to the office. My smile very nearly disappeared when I realized it was after 16:00 and as always the traffic sucked!
It turned out to not have been a major pain in the derriere, the KTM chose a path and just kept going. Once you are rolling the bike feels surprisingly light and agile, with enough power to get you going and get you going quickly. I rather enjoyed myself weaving through the traffic. I took an early offramp and took some of the back roads, you know, I had to test the bike.
I left the dirt riding for the professionals and just had a blast on the tar.
It’s a cool, comfortable, fun, nippy, fast machine. Go and ride on for yourself!
At the current price, it’s a no brainer!
