KTM unveils the Rally version of their 790 Adventure R
Sometimes the R suffix is not enough when it comes to bikes, so how about a KTM 790 Adventure R Rally?
After showing off their KTM 790 Adventure R last autumn in Milan, House Mattighofen decides it’s high time to take things to the next level by introducing a Rally version of the said machine. Itself a step up from the (now) leisurely 790 Adventure, the R version receives some extra feats aimed at pleasing the most discerning off-road riders.
The 2020 KTM 790 Adventure R Rally brings the same 799cc, 94 hp parallel twin mill to the game, sitting in a chrome-molybden steel trellis chassis. The cast aluminium swingarm seems to be unchanged, too. The Austrian house also throws in an Akrapovic exhaust ex-works, carbon fiber tank protectors, the Quickshifter+ technology and exquisite graphics. The footrests are wider and a flatter seat is also on the list.
The biggest changes are in the suspension department, as KTM revamped both fore and aft for the 2020 790 Adventure R Rally. A new fork is present, equipped with WP Xplor Pro 7548 shocks, a special cone valve that brings “unlimited damping” and which provides a maximum of 270mm of travel. In the rear, KTM uses a WP Xplor Pro 6746 shock with progressive damping system (PDS) derived straight from its rally racing line.
The new suspension prompted KTM to raise the seat height to 909 mm, making the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally one of the tallest bikes money can buy.
Asked about the reasons behind building this new bike, Hubert Trunkenpoltz KTM CMO answered smiling: “Quite simply, we've built the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally because we can! We have the equipment at our disposal and we know how to make a truly special bike for our hardcore customers.” As for the new suspension, he added: “[We are] close to the same level used by the Dakar-winning Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Rally team on the 450 Rally".
No price tag yet for the 2020 KTM 790 Adventure R Rally but we can expect it to run a couple of grands more than the R version. And with only 500 units available worldwide, we guess nobody’s going to bat an eye. The new 790 is scheduled to hit the dealerships in spring next year.