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KTM 790 Adventure R

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Lol...Leave @MacDaddy alone. He's going as slow as he can. :)

Having said that.... a few months ago I was following him downhill on really loose gravel and over cooked a corner. I tried to slow it down but I was on the GS with ABS enabled and it wasn't really slowing down so I was headed off the trail and into the trees.

And then...

I remembered to just ride the bike and trust it. I let off the brakes, looked where I wanted to go and just turned the corner. It was rather uneventful as the bike just tracked around the corner like it normally does.

Sometimes you just have to trust the tires to hold and keep riding the bike.

Having said that...lighter is definitely better for that situation. We rode that same downhill 2 weeks ago on dirt bikes and it was much easier.

All in all, a bike like the 790R goes a long way towards handling like a much smaller and lighter bike. However, if you are downhill on loose gravel, weight is weight and a 400 pound bike is less capable of stopping than a 250 pound bike. I have to remember that when I ride as that is one situation where you shouldn't ride a ADV bike like a dirt bike.
 
Related side note / question...do most ABS pumps actuate front and rear separately or are they combined?

I ask because it's obviously easier to engage ABS on the rear before the front. If applying rear brake that would lock up the rear, and if engaging ABS on the rear affects the front, it occurs to me that you really shouldn't use rear brake in that situation as the front will have more available traction.

The answer probably varies from bike to bike and obviously doesn't apply to bikes with off road ABS system that turns off rear ABS.

I'll have to test it on my GS to see how it works. Understanding it might be helpful in maximizing the ability of any given system.
 
2WheelNut said:
Related side note / question...do most ABS pumps actuate front and rear separately or are they combined?

I ask because it's obviously easier to engage ABS on the rear before the front. If applying rear brake that would lock up the rear, and if engaging ABS on the rear affects the front, it occurs to me that you really shouldn't use rear brake in that situation as the front will have more available traction.

The answer probably varies from bike to bike and obviously doesn't apply to bikes with off road ABS system that turns off rear ABS.

I'll have to test it on my GS to see how it works. Understanding it might be helpful in maximizing the ability of any given system.
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I've been kinda testing this on the 790 R lately. I've been riding on gravel roads with the ABS on Street mode. I've just found on the stuff around here and even the stuff in Arkansas, I didn't need to turn off Street mode ABS.

Street mode means ABS on in front and rear. Offroad means more slip allowed in front and no ABS in rear. Then there is an Off mode that turns the whole system off completely.

Sometimes I've found when I'm going down a steep decline with pea sized gravel over the top of asphalt, like where a gravel road meets a paved road, the front ABS will kick in and let me roll down the hill a little farther than I wanted, but it will still stop. But if when this happens, I also get on the rear brake at the same time, it doesn't follow the front ABS pulse and the bike will stop really quickly. This lead me to believe that the systems are independent.

When you posted this question, it prompted me to look in the manual and I found this, "The ABS operates with two independent brake circuits (front and rear brakes)." Which confirmed what I was feeling.

I'm actually surprised at how well the 790 R stops off pavement compared to other bikes I've ridden. On the street, the brakes feel a fuzz soft, but off pavement they feel better than anything I can remember riding in the past which gives me a lot of confidence to pick up the pace a little off pavement, especially now that I've gotten the suspension dialed in a little better.
 
2WheelNut said:
Related side note / question...do most ABS pumps actuate front and rear separately or are they combined?

I ask because it's obviously easier to engage ABS on the rear before the front. If applying rear brake that would lock up the rear, and if engaging ABS on the rear affects the front, it occurs to me that you really shouldn't use rear brake in that situation as the front will have more available traction.

The answer probably varies from bike to bike and obviously doesn't apply to bikes with off road ABS system that turns off rear ABS.

I'll have to test it on my GS to see how it works. Understanding it might be helpful in maximizing the ability of any given system.
Click to expand...
It seems some of the newer ADV bikes have a off-road mode which turns off ABS entirely or just leaves the front engaged. The more intricate(expensive) packages have modes of rider configuration. Where you can choose what you want and level/amount of system intervention.
 
synthlegend said:
By the way, who is this mysterious @MacDaddy that apparently only shows you guys roost and dust trails?
Click to expand...

He's a man of myth and legend. Only to be spotted at the beginning of rides and at various intersections along the way.

He possesses the uncanny ability to roost a perfect arrow symbol on the trail depicting which way he turned as he was sliding sideways around a corner on a 600 lb Adventure bike with bald street tires installed.
 
258258


Lol!
 
synthlegend said:
By the way, who is this mysterious @MacDaddy that apparently only shows you guys roost and dust trails?
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He's actually a cool guy that can ride the wheels off a Tenere, amazing. And that's straight up the truth. The Legend part is people fall chasing him thinking they can match him. Be smart, very smart.
 
Hey Ron, maybe that's who flew past us that day and dissapeared...:shrug::hail:
 
my6 said:
Hey Ron, maybe that's who flew past us that day and dissapeared...:shrug::hail:
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Possibly.... possibly. I didn't get a good look. The shockwaves from the sonic boom made my face shield vibrate and distorted my vision. Plus the 100 yd roost at 90mph was difficult to see thru. šŸ¤Æ
 
2WheelNut said:
Having said that...lighter is definitely better for that situation. We rode that same downhill 2 weeks ago on dirt bikes and it was much easier.

All in all, a bike like the 790R goes a long way towards handling like a much smaller and lighter bike. However, if you are downhill on loose gravel, weight is weight and a 400 pound bike is less capable of stopping than a 250 pound bike. I have to remember that when I ride as that is one situation where you shouldn't ride a ADV bike like a dirt bike.
Click to expand...





Dave, I think you put perfectly in words what I was feeling.

The 790 feels super light and I would be inclined to ride it like a 450 dirt bike.

It is easy to forget the 790 still weighs 460 lbs. the Africa twin never lets me forget it weighs over 500 lbs. so therefore I tend to keep everything in check and adjust my speed.

So after your post helped me put my thoughts in words here is what I am saying.

I would probably live to ride another day on the Twin. I know it is heavy and it reminds of that fact constantly.

The 790 would make me think I am back on my motocross bike. Because I am thick headed the 790 would probably put me in a sudden death situation. [emoji23]
 
I have to admit, I do ride the 790 R way faster in the dirt than I ever did my AT.

But that said, my fast is still pretty slow. I've crashed enough times going too fast in the dirt to know I don't want to do it anymore, if possible.
 
Jarrett said:
I've learned this cool technique for when riding with @MacDaddy off pavement.

It's called Slow The F*** Down. I couple that with another technique I like to call Ride Your Own Ride.

Pairing these two techniques works great and has greatly reduced the amount of crashes I've had in these situations.
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I'm not sure I've ever ridden with this guy before, but I've chased Sander a few times. He's just a little faster than I was comfortable with when I was in my DR. He'd probably just leave me now that I'm on the Twin. But that's ok. I don't need to ride like that. I'm broken enough already!
 
William Wolfen said:
I'm not sure I've ever ridden with this guy before, but I've chased Sander a few times. He's just a little faster than I was comfortable with when I was in my DR. He'd probably just leave me now that I'm on the Twin. But that's ok. I don't need to ride like that. I'm broken enough already!
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Yea, he is one of those lifelong Rider types that have just perfected what I call that kind of poetic flow handling corners at high rates of speed. But of course he is dead serious about motorcycle safety. He rides his pace and expects everyone to ride their own ride. Just like a lot of the veterans on this forum.
 
Jarrett said:
I've crashed enough times going too fast in the dirt to know I don't want to do it anymore, if possible.
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What was I just saying? At least I was going slow this time though.

OK, maybe the stock tires aren't good in Texas mud :)

1586129099954.png


But did run into a couple of more 790 R's on the ride though:

1586129127832.png
 
Jarrett said:
What was I just saying? At least I was going slow this time though.

OK, maybe the stock tires aren't good in Texas mud :)

View attachment 258445

But did run into a couple of more 790 R's on the ride though:

View attachment 258446
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No tire is good in mud like that. The knobbier the better, but they all suck. The most important thing is that they clear the mud out once you're through.
 
Oh by the way, the 790 R is surprisingly easy to pick up.

I remember having some hard times trying to get my Africa Twin up by myself and having to take multiple stabs at it and being whipped by the end.

Yesterday was the first time I've tried to pick the 790 R up by myself and even with my non-exercised lockdown bod and so so technique, it popped right up first try.
 
One of my 2 riding buddies has had the standard and R version in last 6 weeks. Just sold the R to a guy in NY today, weird! he just didn't like either one. He's pretty fickle and has the funds. Plus is always blessed in selling bikes. The R wasn't even listed yet and sells in NY. I'll get the full story after lunch, lol.
 
What were his complaints and what bike did he replace it with?
 
Jarrett said:
What were his complaints and what bike did he replace it with?
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He's got a full stable so probably nothing now. he'll ride his 500 EXC.

As said he's fickle and has bladder problems, on the R biggest thing was stiffness in the suspension hurt his bladder. He told me on the standard, I don't recall. I'm pretty sure he bought bikes not really needing or wanting them. He already has something that covers everything the 790 does, must be nice!
 
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