KTM 790 Adventure (2025 - ) review

If you’ve got 10 grand to spend on a mid-sized adventure bike with an engine of up to 800cc and bona-fide off-road chops you’re hardly lacking in choice, whether that be established names like the Honda Transalp or cheaper Chinese newcomers like the impressive looking Voge DS800X Rally. The 790 Adventure comes out swinging by virtue of its typically angular KTM aesthetics, nifty engineering like its saddle-style fuel tank and high-quality suspension from partner brand WP. For 2025 has been upgraded with fully adjustable forks and shock since the last update for the 2023 model year, though the foundations are otherwise the same. If not pretty – none of the bikes in the class exactly are – the 790 Adventure certainly stands out as distinctively KTM, which is an attraction in its own right while build quality and detail is certainly up there. A long-travel R version is also available if you really want to send it in the dirt.

With its 21-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear the 790 Adventure has the lofty, off-road inspired riding position you would expect, even if the seat is lower than many in the class at 840mm. This and the lower centre of gravity from the clever fuel tank arrangement help build confidence in shorter or less experienced riders, the relatively slim frame also helping on that score while still maintaining decent ground clearance. Taller, narrower bench-style seats are also available if you’re serious about off-roading. Or you can go the other way with a more comfortable ‘ergo’ option for racking up the miles.

Of the bikes in its class the 790 Adventure definitely skews to the off-road end of the spectrum, and while it’s still a perfectly viable road machine with all the adventure bike pluses like visibility over cars and hedges you sense it’s keener than most to get mud on its tyres. Which is fine, and totally appropriate to KTM’s heritage. But if you’re after something a little more all-round there may be better options, while commuters and city riders might be better off with something like a Suzuki V-Strom 800 RE with its smaller front wheel. Like any KTM there’s huge scope to configure the 790 to your requirements via the huge range of accessories and luggage and if you genuinely crave adventure it feels up for the challenge. The looks and character might be a bit full-on if you just want to go with the flow, though.

Built by CFMoto, the 799cc parallel-twin is typically KTM punchy and right up against the 95 horsepower ceiling for restricting to A2 licence trim for younger riders. The 88Nm of torque is also strong for the class, beating even the muscular stats of the Honda Transalp. Increased internal inertia as part of tweaks for the 2023 model year help smooth things out but it’s still a crisp, characterful engine, with eager throttle response and a suitably aggressive bark through the high-level silencer. Louder options from Remus or Akrapovič are also there on the official options list if you want more of that, too. In the KTM style there’s also an impressive array of configurable rider modes for things like the IMU-controlled cornering traction control. Braking is also suitably powerful and confidence inspiring, with Offroad ABS reducing intervention on the front wheel and turning it off at the rear as required via the relevant rider mode.

For all the up-for-it KTM looks and attitude the 790 Adventure is a more accessible and easier bike to ride than you might have expected. Even with that big 21-inch front wheel it turns in surprisingly keenly on the road and feels light and agile for a machine with such obvious off-road ambitions. We didn’t have long enough with it to feel motivated to play with the adjustable suspension, but the fact you can adjust rebound and compression damping independently of each other on the fork will please the fettlers, the shock tweakable for preload and rebound as well. Even just ridden as supplied the WP suspension has a sophistication and quality about it you don’t get on the Transalp, though the likes of the Ténéré and V-Strom 800 DE do have equivalent levels of manual configurability. It’s testament to the quality of the chassis and handling that even on a damp day we felt comfortable winding the throttle out to the stop, all this suggesting the KTM is as happy getting a wriggle on as it is cruising.

The upfront purchase price for the 790 Adventure is there or thereabouts comparable with its mainstream rivals, though you can save if you opt for one of the Chinese alternatives like the Voge or the KTM’s CFMoto relative. Given the power output and engine size insurance costs should be manageable for younger riders while wear and tear for consumable components should also be relatively reasonable unless you’re ragging it through the mud every weekend.

Reliability concerns about the LC8c engine have been rumbling away for a while, and KTM was forced to address them while simultaneously battling for its financial survival. Charitably you would hope it literally couldn’t afford to sweep these well-documented issues under the carpet and newer bikes will be more reliable, but the stigma lingers and could steer you back to more proven Japanese rivals. At least with the wider business secured there will at least be ongoing support if any issues do crop up, which was an additional worry for existing owners when the future looked less rosy.

Perhaps mindful of the above reliability issues KTM does at least offer up to four years of manufacturer warranty if you commit to servicing at an authorised dealer, which is confidence inspiring. After the initial 620-mile break-in check service intervals beyond that are an impressive 9,300 miles or annually, whichever comes first.

Build quality, finish and parts are all impressive on the 790 Adventure, and KTM is similarly assertive when it comes to tech with an impressively easy to use connectable TFT screen and the many and various features it contains. IMU-controlled lean-sensitive ABS and traction control is also impressive, and something many rivals lack. Beyond that there is additional tech like cruise control, an additional Rally mode, quickshifter and greater range of adjustment for the traction control that you get to try out for the first 900 miles or so before they then disappear behind a ‘paywall’ requiring further expenditure to access. KTM’s argument is this gives you the opportunity to try the features before then choosing which you actually need, but there’s no escaping it feels a little sneaky even if it’s a business model increasingly seen across the automotive and motorcycle world.

KTM buyers are very brand loyal, helped by the fact the bikes combine genuine off-road credibility with an unmistakable style and attitude that stands out from the crowd. All of which you get for an impressively competitive starting price with the 790 Adventure. In a crowded market of otherwise very similar looking bikes that’s a real selling point, and if reliability wobbles prove to have been addressed this is a very strong player in an incredibly competitive field.