KTM 790 Adventure R: Real World Review

Every Tuesday arvo, a bunch of two-wheel tragics rocks up at the NSW Central Tablelands property of enduro icon, Geoff Ballard. They come for two reasons: One, a wholesome Tuesday night feed that’s washed down by a few cheeky bottles of red, plus hours of bench racing and bike tinkering in the workshop for dessert; and two, to head out for a ride together on the Wednesday. And with many of these former MX or enduro champs getting on a bit, that Wednesday ride is increasingly done on adventure bikes. Between them, there are a few bastardized BMW 1200s, a newish Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR, a Yamaha Tenere 700 and a KTM 1090 Adventure R.

So when we discovered that none of these blokes had ever thrown a leg over KTM’s 790 Adventure R – a completely new offering for the adventure bike segment – it sparked an idea: Why not throw the 790 into the mix and give them a crack aboard the thing in a broad variety of terrain? Why not put the new orange cat among the pigeons, if you like, and then ask these guys what they thought of it; how it fits into the existing bike line-up in the adventure bike segment; what they felt its strengths and weaknesses were.

After a day-and-a-half of road and off-road riding under their belts, Transmoto’s Andy Wigan sat down with Geoff Ballard, Jeff Leisk, Michael Heaton, Andrew Hamilton and Peter Salter and peppered this experienced adventure riding posse with precisely those questions…