KTM 790 ADVENTURE (2023 - on) Review

In a bold move by KTM, the new 790 Adventure (and 790 Duke) is built in its entirety (including its engine) by CFMoto in China and not KTM in Austria like their other adventure bikes.

This cost-saving decision has seen KTM able to offer the 790 Adventure at under £10,000, putting it head-to-head with the new breed of middleweight adventure bike rivals from Japan.

Not only that, as the 790 engine makes less power than the 890, it can be restricted down for A2 licence holders where the 890 can’t, expanding its potential customer base. Is KTM’s decision to outsource the production a smart one? On the evidence of the 790 Adventure, you have to say so.

A really impressive middleweight adventure bike, the 790 Adventure comes with angle-responsive electronics as standard, something all its Japanese-built rivals lack, as well as the option of adding cruise control, again a feature noticeable by its absence on the Yamaha Ténéré 700, the new Honda Transalp and the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE.

Great fun to ride with excellent suspension and a strong motor, there is little to dislike about the 790 Adventure and lots to really admire. Does it matter who actually built it? Not really, the world is now a global marketplace and what’s more important is its fundamental design and ensuring the quality of the final product doesn’t slip.

If KTM can keep a tight rein on these aspects, and there is no reason why they can’t, the 790 Adventure is a really good middleweight adventure bike with an impressively high spec list and very competitive price tag that just happens to be built in China and not Austria. The ‘demo mode’ will inevitably lead to disgruntled customers but that’s a small black mark against an otherwise very good machine.

Despite the WP APEX forks and shock being a generation behind the units used on the upgraded 2023 KTM 890 Adventure, on the road they perform excellently.

The forks lack any adjustability and the shock only gets adjustable spring preload with but the quality of the damping is so good you don’t really feel the need to fiddle with settings. Delivering just the right amount of travel to absorb bumps but lacking any pitching sensation unless you are really upping the pace, the 790 is beautifully composed on its suspension and a joy to ride with a really agile chassis.

It’s also nice to see KTM have armed it with twin four-piston radial brakes, braided lines and quality Pirelli Scorpion STR tyres, an area they could have skimped on to save cash but haven’t. With a 20-litre tank, the 790 Adventure should be good for over 200-mile stints between fill-ups and ergonomically it is a comfortable bike.

The 790 engine is not a lower-capacity 890 motor, it is based around the previous generation of parallel twin’s architecture, however KTM have upgraded it for use in the new 790 models.

Now featuring a 20% increase in rotating mass, reworked throttle bodies and revised ECU settings, these small refinements have had a significant effect on its character. Far more refined than the rattly old 790, the new motor still has a bit of welcome KTM spirit but it is less mechanically noisy and much smoother to ride. And fast.

More powerful than all of its middleweight rivals, the 790 drives strongly from everywhere in its rev range with lots of low-end grunt where the Honda Transalp can feel a bit lacking, more excitement than the flat-feeling Yamaha Ténéré and even better performance than the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE.

For slow speed work the 790 features an updated clutch, which is lovely and light in its action, and the improved Quickshifter+ system has a positive action in both directions. But you need to pay extra for the downshift function, which is annoying...

The obvious question is whether the 790 looks or feels a Chinese-built product compared to an Austrian-built one (all 890s are built in Austria, including their engines) and the answer is simple – no. The 790 Adventure looks, feels and rides every bit an Austrian-built model.

There are no visible stickers signifying its origin, the finish appears good and it has neat touches such as span-adjustable brake and clutch levers, a proper tool kit, Pirelli tyres and an adjustable seat height that makes it feel a high quality product with no corners cut. Unless you know your KTM models, you would assume it came out of Mattighofen and not Hangzhou.

It is worth also noting that KTM have been working with CFMoto since 2013 and in 2021 CFMoto opened a dedicated KTM production facility in China, which aims to produce its 350,000th bike this year! And CFMoto are hardly amateurs when it comes to building vehicles as they make over 600,000 of them (motorcycles, ATVs and side-by-sides) a year! But what of reliability?

Owners report that KTM’s vehicles aren’t the most reliable and that is a bit of a worry. As KTM have upgraded the 790 engine you have to assume they will have also addressed any known issues with the motor but reliability is a bit of a concern. A two-year warranty is standard.

At £9999 the 2023 790 Adventure is £2000 cheaper than the KTM 890 Adventure and also very comparable to the Japanese-built middleweight adventure bikes.

The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is £111 more than the 790 and lacks most of the KTM’s electronics while the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE is £666 more but comes with up/down shifter as standard.

The Honda Transalp is the cheapest middleweight at £9499 but a quickshifter (up and down) is an extra £240, although connectivity is standard. None of the Japanese bikes have angle-responsive safety systems or the option of cruise control.

When it comes to running costs, the 790 Adventure has long 9300-mile service intervals with a valve-clearance check at the 18,600-mile service.

The 790 Adventure comes with KTM’s ‘demo mode’, which will cause issues between customers and dealers. As standard you get cornering ABS (with off-road mode) and angle-responsive traction control as well as three rider modes (Road, Rain and Off-road) and an upshifter.

But ‘demo mode’ gives you access to all the optional extras, which include cruise control, a downshifter, Rally power mode and MSR– but only for 930 miles until it automatically turns off.

After this point, you need to pay extra for either each function separately (cruise control is £252.79, Quickshifter+ is £361.51, etc) or buy the £859.87 Tech Pack. These hidden costs do tend to stick in the throat somewhat.

Also, adding connectivity to the TFT dash is £144.96 extra. A centre stand is a £180.36 extra. On a positive note, the KTM arrives on quality Pirelli Scorpion STR tyres, has braided brake lines with radial four-piston calipers, adjustable span brake and clutch levers, a comprehensive toolkit and adjustable seat height.