KTM Twins - Road to Dirt

KTM calls the new 2019 690 Enduro R the Ace of All Surfaces, and that may be true but where does it land between the 500 EXC-F and 790 Adventure R?

So we ham-fisted it, called on non-existent talent reserves and came up short! My progress abruptly halted as I high centered on a rock then watched my buddy (a very talented rider) unceremoniously dump his bike twenty feet farther up. So now we were both stopped on an extremely steep hill with no energy and no other option than to struggle on.

Day four dawned with another batch of new experiences and epic riding. I have spent a lot of time outdoors, but making camp, sleeping and having breakfast all in the backcountry of Death Valley was one of the most satisfying feelings I’ve ever had riding motorcycles.

On the first day of this adventure, I woke up pre-dawn on a concrete garage floor in Encinitas California surrounded by the most dialed in ADV Motorcycles I have ever seen. The day had finally come, embarking on a 2000+ mile off-road expedition through California’s desolate backcountry.

DAKAR RALLY | BAJA 1000 | DIRT RIDER EDITOR | TEQUILA CONNOISSEUR a real man’s man. Jimmy Lewis needs Little introduction as he is widely known throughout the Off-Road community as a living legend.

After much speculation, KTM North America has released pricing for the full 2019 street lineup including the 790 Adventure and 790 Adventure R. We got our sweaty hands on an official price sheet and have broken down the numbers below. 

The new KTM 790 Adventure R could very well be the best dual sport motorcycle ever brought to market. To say that we here at KTM Twins are a little bit excited for its release would be a gross understatement! We recently got the chance to see the production model (European Spec) 790 in person at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show, and we wanted to share our impressions.

I hadn’t planned to find myself flying through the air, passing over cactus shrubs as my body careened towards the 300ft drop down into what would surely have been a helicopter ride home just yards off of one of the hardest sections of the Baja 1000 (mile 720). But then again, this was Baja, and the desert always seems to have her own plans in store.