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Recently at the launch of the BMW F 850 GS, we were shown a slide of market growth from September 2017 to September 2018. The real standout on the slide was KTM (Husqvarna included), which grew their street-legal segment of bikes 73 percent last year. With a total of 9,102 units sold compared to 2017’s 5,255, KTM nearly doubled their market share in the United States, and that number doesn’t included their non-street-legal dirt segment.
KTM’s recipe for success stems from a constant push to be a performance leader while maintaining a competitive price point. While you could argue that their bikes are still pretty damn expensive, I would counter that bikes like the 790 Duke, 1090 Adventure R, and 1290 Super Adventure R (or S), give you a lot of bang for your buck when compared to the competition. I think the recently released BMW F 850 GS and updated Triumph Tiger 800 line showcase this point quite well.
But apparently KTM isn’t planning on slowing down. Today at EICMA, the Austrian manufacturer announced two new models that have the potential to completely disrupt what folks have come to expect from the middleweight adventure segment. Welcome the 790 Adventure R and the 690 Enduro R.
2019 KTM 790 Adventure R
This has easily become one of the most talked about bikes over the past two years. Much like the Yamaha T7, which was announced yesterday, there have been a lot of folks clamoring for a production version of a lightweight adventure bike with more off-road performance.
After yesterday’s announcement that the T7 wouldn’t be coming to America until the end of 2020, all eyes were on KTM today to see when we could expect to see a 790 Adventure R. Released as a 2019 model, my sources tell me we could expect to see this bike on dealership floors as early as June of next year. Nearly a year and a half sooner than you’ll be able to buy a Yamaha Ténéré 700.
But that’s not even the half of it.
The 790 Adventure R is powered by the same 799 cc parallel twin that was developed for the Duke 790. Bore and stroke remain unchanged but top end power has dropped to 94 horsepower. No word yet on torque numbers, but based on my time with the 790 Duke (which delivered most of its power in the top half of the rev range), I’m guessing this engine has been retuned for better bottom-end performance.
Dry weight is claimed to be 416 pounds with a fuel tank that can hold 5.3 gallons of fuel. I’m guessing we’ll see a real world wet weight come in somewhere around 470 pounds for this bike, which is not nearly as light as I was hoping for. That being said, it should be around 35 to 65 pounds lighter than any of its competition. And by the look of the fuel tank, weight is kept low and forward, which should give the bike a very balanced center of gravity.
The front fork is the WP XPLOR 48 mm unit with 9.5 inches of travel. It gets adjustment for preload at the top of each fork leg as well as independent compression and rebound. The adjuster for compression damping can be found on the top of the left fork leg and rebound is located on the right. There is also a WP steering damper and a sealed hydro-stop, which KTM claims will help against the fork bottoming out.
The rear shock is a WP XPLOR PDS unit that features a progressive damping system as well as a progressively wound shock. This is customary on KTMs that mount to the bike without using linkage. It also offers 9.5 inches of travel and features independent adjustability for preload, high- and low-speed compression damping, as well as rebound.
This will give the KTM 790 Adventure R 10.4 inches of ground clearance with a seat height of 34.7 inches. By comparison, my 1090 Adventure R only features 8.7 inches of suspension travel, 9.8 inches of ground clearance, and has a seat height of 35 inches.
The 790 Adventure R is also going to receive a sophisticated electronics package similar to what we saw on the 790 Duke. An IMU allows for lean-angle-sensitive Cornering ABS and Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC). There is also Off-Road ABS, which allows riders to leave ABS activated at the front wheel but disabled at the rear. Whereas the Duke received a “Track” rider mode, the Adventure R gets a “Rally” mode. This allows for nine levels of slip to be adjusted into the MTC system. Setting “9” offers the most engagement similar to “Rain” mode whereas setting “1” is just a step away from disabling MTC completely.
For riders who want more technology, both electronic cruise control and Quickshifter+ can be added from KTM’s Powerparts catalog. The quickshifter should be the same as what we saw on the 790 Duke, which allows for both clutchless downshifts as well as upshifts. I am also interested to see what will be available in the way of crash protection, as some people have been know to break things off of these bikes.
2019 KTM 690 Enduro R
While everyone, myself included, was looking at the Yamaha T7 and the 790 Adventure R as the two main contenders for the off-road middleweight crown, it looks like there might be a dark horse in this race.
KTM decided to release an updated version of their 690 Enduro R with some real significant changes that will help it compete more closely with Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 than I had previously expected. The main change is that its 690 cc LC4 gets the same dual counterbalancer setup found in the Husqvarna 701. This translates to a much smoother ride out of the big thumper.
KTM is claiming 74 horsepower out of this new engine. And while there is no official word on the torque figures, if it is in fact identical to the 701’s engine, we should expect peak torque somewhere around 52 foot-pounds at 6,750 rpm. Both numbers are slightly better than what we saw from Yamaha yesterday.
It is also getting the 48 mm WP XPLOR inverted fork. Like the 790 Adventure R, it will have independently adjustable compression and rebound circuits but with the ability to add a preload clicker from the Powerparts catalog. Travel is increased over the 790 to 9.8 inches out of the fork as well as the rear shock.
The rear shock is a WP XPLOR unit but it mounts to the bike via a progressive linkage design. It also has adjustments for preload, high- and low-speed compression damping, and rebound damping. Ground clearance is now 10.6 inches and seat height remains the same at a prohibitively tall 35.8 inches.
The electronics package is also upgraded on the 690 Enduro R. It to gets-lean-angle sensitive Cornering ABS and MTC, both of which can be completely shut off. It also receives KTM’s Quickshifter+ as standard equipment, along with KTM’s Motor Slip Regulation (MSR) technology, which works as an auto blipper to match engine speed during aggressive downshifts.
KTM is claiming that the entire package will tip the scales with a dry weight of 321 pounds. With fluids added and the tank topped off with 3.6 gallons of fuel, I would expect to see a wet weight between 360-370 pounds. That’s roughly 80-90 pounds lighter than what Yamaha is claiming we’ll see with the T7. And the best part is still the fact that you’ll be able to buy this bike within the coming year.
Conclusion
Instead of narrowing their focus to compete solely with Yamaha, it appears that KTM decided to go for the jugular of the entire middleweight segment. While KTM hasn’t officially announced pricing on either model, I expect to see the 790 Adventure R come in between $12,500 and $12,999. The 690 Enduro R will probably see a bump to somewhere just north of $11,000.
If I am correct on the pricing, the KTM 790 Adventure R is aiming to outperform Honda’s Africa Twin, BMW’s F 850 GS, and Triumph’s Tiger 800 XCa and undercut them on price. Unfortunately, the 1090 Adventure R will most likely also be collateral damage. I expect this new bike will destroy what’s left of the resale value on my 1090 (I’ve already done quite a bit of damage to it on my own). It even looks like KTM will have a more street-oriented version for folks looking for a sport-touring bike with ADV style.
Meanwhile, the 690 Enduro R appears to have gotten smoother and more comfortable on the street, while simultaneously improving upon its off-road pedigree. Depending on the price difference, I would expect this to be the real competitor for the Yamaha T7
I’m withholding final judgment until I get a chance to ride these bikes for myself, but I’ve already talked to Mike Lafferty, who was lucky enough to ride a preproduction model of the 790 Adventure R. According to what he’s told me, it’s as good, if not better than what it looks like on paper. And if that’s the case, I expect to see that big green line on the chart above only continue to grow.
