So I found myself reading a ton of reviews and impressions praising KTM’s new 790 Adventure R and since I never got around to actually own an “R” from their lineup, I waited for a reasonable deal and just got my hands on a used one of those, to add to my stable, thinking I can trim it later, after I ride them back to back and figure out which ones suit my needs better.
My other bikes at the moment are, after selling the 390 S:
First impressions: it doesn’t look as funky as I thought it would, with that low hanging tank. But it makes a big difference indeed. Maybe not as much in the garage, but while riding it feels much lighter. Also it is quite taller than the 1190 S, feels as tall as the 690 R - the ground clearance difference from the S is visible. So butt shifting is the way!
I don’t like the clutch. I don’t like the clutch. It takes up very abruptly and short and has the feel of… well, clunky mechanical thing, not the smooth and light hydraulic clutches that were a big part of what made me stick with KTM over the years… Does it work? Well, yeah. I am not used to pulling in the clutch much, I only lighten it a bit while shifting and not always use it on upshifts and I do my own rev matching on the downshifts, so it’s not a big deal. Also, I guess if you buy the Quickshifter+ it’s even less of an issue - but still. I don’t like the feel of it. I put up with the clutch from the 390 because it’s meant to be a cheap bike, but this one is far from cheap and it’s meant for technical riding where slipping the clutch is the way! Hmm!
Brake lever’s fine, although I prefer the thin dirt bike levers, but the pedal takes forever to engage and it’s weak. In fact the brakes are weak overall. The front brakes don’t work as crisply as on the 690 which has magic braking. Even the 1190 monster’s brakes feel more crisp. It takes more effort to get a good braking effect and the feedback is muted. It may be an issue specific to my second handler, but it’s got only 13k and pads look ok etc. It doesn’t feel mushy like it needs bleeding, but I may just play with it some more, to see if it’s something simple like that.
I tried to take the play from the pedal and we’ll see if that made a difference. While it’s not crazy difficult, you have to take off the cylinder and its cover, then put back the cylinder, then adjust it, then take it off again and put it back with the cover. There is no way to do the adjustment with the plastic cover on, as the book means you to. Not a big deal, we adjust these once or twice and then leave them and the cover fits very well and it’s not the stupid spiky design of the 390. Don’t forget some Loctite.
The shifter is nice and smooth. I like them adjusted just an hair above default to allow for a standing position with MX boots and this is easy to adjust. My bike didn’t come with the Quickshifter enabled, which I’l add if I decide to keep it.
The seat is nicer than the 690’s seat, shaped like the SeatConcepts version: narrower at the front and wider as you slide back - but much stiffer than the nice SeatConcepts. It should work I think although it could be softer in the back, where you sit while commuting to the woods.
The motor… doesn’t sound as lame as in the videos, at low revs. The sound is decent. The ride modes make a big difference in response - it is definitely not lacking in power say below 100 km/h. There is a flat spot around 4500 revs. I have to play with it some more, but it definitely performs.
It really fits right between the 690 and the 1190, in so many ways - it makes getting to the woods much more comfy than the 690R and it is more capable on dirt than the 1190 S. Actually this is the reason I started looking for another bike: I love the 1190, but the S of it shows it’s limitations off-road in both tires (not knobbies) and suspension. This 790R is setup with knobbies and the suspension… i have to do more off-roading but feels better albeit stiffer.
It’s also more confidence inspiring than the 1190 for sure - I am short, at 5’7” (171cm) and light at 145 lbs (65Kg) so handling these monsters takes a bit of effort and thinking. The 790R feels much lighter but it’s quite taller… so in the long run, we’ll see. It definitely takes the edge off the 1190 going to fast into a dirt corner, raising all the hairs on your back while counting the ABS vibrations coming from the front lever - but the mushy non-feedback brakes mute that so I don’t know if it’s better in the end. I’ll follow up after a couple weeks or months of riding them back to back.
Right now I know the 1190S is here to stay. It is still much more comfy for longer rides, freeway etc. And competent enough for the off-roading I would do in this typical, although rare, long trip. THat’s not to say that it could be a one bike solution though. It is smooth enough around 120 kWh, with a longer screen and some softer padding for the seat, I can see it taken on longer rides, but then you’ll change the tires every whatever. I think having two, one setup for longer trips and one aggressive for the local dirt loops makes more sense.
My typical ride is 40 minutes to, 2 hours off-roading and 40 minutes back, I think the 790R is perfect for that, although the 690 has no problem with that either: 40 minutes is not enough to have enough of sitting on it and the two hours are a big smile with the thumper. Occasionally longer trips and sometimes just a quick stroll through some backroads between meetings. The tire choice makes probably a bigger difference than the bike itself.
I’ve taken the 690R on tight single track (eastern pine forests), where it surprises with how able it is - you can keep up with slow paced beginner and maybe intermediate groups. The 790R is not something you want to take in a tight single track and the 1190 does not even enter this equation. I will definitely take the 790R there and update later.
Technical fire roads - rutted, rocky or steep? 690R is a hoot although with my light weight a little bouncy from the harsh suspension. The 1190 is surprisingly competent even with the 80/20 tires, but its limitations become evident when you bog down or get going too fast over rocks and boulders. The 790R may be just a hoot - didn’t take it there yet.
Road? The 690R can do like 3 hours with the concepts seat… it can go over 120 but not for long. The 1190S is a Cadillac. The 790R is right in between. Taller screen is the first thing it will get. But it will stay on knobbies and the seat is meh, so…
——-
So I was thinking it’s got decent power and the response is nice and reasonable and then I found the Rally Mode! About 30kmh, play with the menus, select Rally Mode, close throttle and when opening the throttle again, it jumped like a horse bitten by a… something that bites horses! The throttle response becomes much more instant, meaning way more power per millimeter of throttle, almost like the horse powers double!
Problem is that it’s very twitchy at low revs, under 4K rpm - to the point to which it becomes unusable. You can’t really lug long in second gear - so I ended up setting the throttle response to “Road” and that gave a usable second and third gear.
I need to have words with whomever placed the footpegs on this bike. They are exactly in the way of my legs reaching the ground and this is a tall bike and I’m not - so reaching the ground is a big deal for me! Not only are they in the way, but they also get tangled up in the various weird shapes the boot people (seriously, Leatt?) put on the outside of them boots, so your hair grows white just trying to reach down at a stop. Not as bad as the 390 sharp rear cylinder cover grabbing your pants, but close! I assume then all Austrians are tall and have their legs in the wrong place?
I still have an MX reflex to get the leg out and in front in some turns, but the tank this time gets in the way of that… so I have to give that up. It is kind’a pointless on bike bikes, granted.
The brakes are decent. For some reason they decided to put the street levers on instead of the regular dirt levers from the XCs and even the 690R - which make them harder to use. They’re further away from the grips, are bulky and have much less of a shape to them - I think this is responsible for me not liking the brakes much! I much prefer the shorty dirt levers.