ALL THAT GLITTERS IS ORANGE

The 790 occupies an interesting space in the market. Classifying it on CCs shows it’s not really alone with BMW and Triumph both running engine sizes very similar, but the engine will only be a part of the story with the 790 — and not necessarily the thing you should be concerned with.

The complete package has no direct competition. The closest we could point to would be the Africa Twin but as we’ll explain, there isn’t much in that either — KTM has redefined the adventure segment with the 790 Adventure R and that can only happen if they got it just right. As it turns out, they hit it out of the park.

PLEASE, SIT DOWN

An adventure bike has to be comfortable and the only accepted exception to that rule is the DR650, which has a seat made of petrified wood. But as a point to begin your evaluation, you need to be sure you’re comfortable on a bike you may spend days or even months on. The 790 not only has a comfortable seat but it’s height-adjustable without the need for tools. At its lowest point I can touch the ground with both feet — that’s almost unheard of on an adventure bike. At its highest I had no trouble with both tiptoes or one solid foot down (for reference I’m 5,11").

The handlebars have six different mounting options to go up, down back or forward. I left them at the standard setting which I’m pretty comfortable with from my experience on the EXC range.

The gear and brake levers are set a little high for me but aside from that I didn’t touch a thing.

The main point here is that the 790 doesn’t feel