Unveiled to the world along with the production-ready 790 Duke at the 2017 EICMA, KTM gave us goosebumps showing an enduro motorcycle underpinned by the same mechanicals as the Duke. The 790 Adventure R.

It is the lightweight enduro motorcycle the adventure community has been waiting for. Unfortunately, the wait is not just over yet.

Developed along with their 16 consecutive years of domination at the Dakar Rally stage, the 790 Adventure closes the gap between KTM’s enduros and their Adventure series.

The 799cc mill developed by KTM is their first parallel-twin engine on any machine coming out of their Austrian endorsement. Running first on the naked streetfighter Duke 790, KTM has wrapped around it the 790 Adventure R enduro model too.

With the bike, KTM believes they've got the most “performance-focused mid-weight travel enduro of its class, with a dynamism and power-to-weight ratio normally found in larger displacement bikes.”

It's coming in a space enjoyed by the Triumph Tiger 800 and the BMW F 800 GS for their practical accessibility and outstanding cross-country ability. Although these contenders are getting heavily updated for the 2018 lineup, the 790 Adventure R will hit the streets only in 2019 and will have even more oomph than what it carries now.

For now, its all in there. The Dakar-inspired bodywork, beefier swingarm, larger spoked wheels, skid plate, hand guards, high-mount exhaust and stubby tires developed for ADV customers who are looking at getting something with seriously rugged looks and off-road capabilities.

It will also come packed with all the features included on the Duke 790 including the TFT screen with KTM MY RIDE, cornering ABS, Supermoto mode, lean-angle sensitive traction control, quickshifter, riding modes and launch control.

What we haven't figured out yet is that bulbous undercarriage seen flanking the bash plates. Are they hiding some new ingenious piece or tech? Or are they auxiliary fuel tanks to increase the bike's range?

We'll never know until KTM gives us a production model same time next year. Until then stay tuned, and we will update you with fresh new information on the 790 Adventure R.

Reference

Triumph Tiger 800

BMW F 800 GS