Nice! You will definitely have to buy your Buddy a brew:) That would not be a cheap upgrade. Glad to hear the bike is still working as it should with the 5600 miles you now have on it👍
haha yep! I was kind of surprised it made that much of a difference, but it's difficult for the general owner of this bike...all suspension upgrades even just springs are relatively expensive. As I said in the video it's not an essential upgrade by any means...but still!
don't think anyone will be 100% certain on that one, but my personal bet is that yes, this is very much a V2 of the original model, and they knew what needed fixing coming into the project. I hear echoes on them basically admitting the cam issue is basically known for certain older models, which they probably fixed in 2022. Probably the only one I can speak to with 5+k on the clock is that mine starts every time, no delays, no workarounds, and I haven't noted any issues with brakes or leaks, apart from a little bit of coolant loss which I've since fixed myself.
Man that was so painful to watch, most of us have been in the same situation as you but i was hoping you would get her up the hill. I could see how steep it was and those rocks are never easy even on the flat. When see started to go I felt so sorry for you, new bike and all that. Great videos and I’ve subscribed 👍🏻
Thanks a mill for the sympathy! I actually struggled more than the video shows in the interests of the edit...I almost couldn't get it lifted after the drop, and took my last reserve of strength to finally get it upright after the 4th or 5th attempt. Could have been worse though, at least I only dropped it once and that wasn't even while I was riding it! After the fact the bike only had a few tank scrapes so not too bad on that front either. In hindsight I think maybe I should have reset sooner and got it turned lower down to focus on having a clean run, although that gate being where it was really threw me. As I heard Chris Birch say at an event recently, you have to really visualise yourself at the top, otherwise just don't do it, which is what I opted for in the end.
@@nomading_in I’m a complete novice at the Green Laning stuff but have plenty of off road experience from years ago when I used to race. For me it’s slow and steady, think of the film Driving Miss Daisy and hope for the best. Just watching episode 3 of you adventures 👍🏻
@@MrSTAdventures one good bit of advise I got recently is find a place where you can ride the same section multiple times rather than always riding something new to help dial in your skills and build confidence.
@@nomading_in Cheers for this, its something Im trying to do as we are quite limited on where you can ride off road down here. Are you going to the Lightweight Adventure Festival in a couple of weeks?
Yeah, the standard offroad mode is actually pretty good on this model, but it seems to cut in a little aggressively once the bike starts moving around.
@@nomading_in yes the new 790 is awesome I recently bought one and love it, I’m new to adventure biking and am still learning about this bikes options and have found that I really enjoy the quick shifter and the traction control maybe you can try the rally mode and setting 7 it has just enough slip/traction and you definitely would’ve benefited but having off road tires. Thank you for your video it’s nice to see people’s adventures in other lands.
Didn't watch the whole video, but it seemed you were going too slow over the rock sections. If you have no momentum, you are stuffed on that kind of terrain. It's best to bounce over it.
Yep for sure, although each time I got going on this specific section the suspension felt like it was getting a bit overwhelmed and starting to lose traction from skipping or coming back down awkwardly on the bigger rocks. I also should have at least tried rally mode to back off the traction control a little as that was interfering a little at times. Good experience though, I reckon if I tackled it again tomorrow I'd give it a decent run.
As always, one never gets a true appreciation for how steep the terrain is on video. I’m sure it was much more challenging than it looks. Here in Canada we call those kind of rocks “baby heads” and I have found reducing tire pressure on both ends (tubeless +-20psi) helps considerably. Just have to be careful not to hit anything solid too hard as not to bend a rim or pop a bead….or both. Riders choice but I have much better control on the pegs as opposed to the seat. You know what free advice is worth:) Good job, enjoyed the video and look forward to more.
Sound advice! I actually thought about an hour after I'd come down about lowering tire pressure. It wasn't actually *that* challenging if I'm honest. It was fairly steep but totally doable, I just lost my confidence the further up I went. Should have been up the pegs once I got going for sure. Got to love hindsight!
I would say always stand on the pegs in most off road situation - your center of gravity is lower than with you bottom on the seat. More throttle at the bottom of those steep hills and then control with the clutch. Try ride 5-10 mph faster when you get more confidence ,you will have more momentum to get to the top and I found when riding a bit faster its easier for me to keep balance. I have been to the Lakes couple of weeks ago its great fun.
hah yeah, another fella came up that route shortly after I abandoned it and managed to go all the way up, and I would say he was around the same level as me. Looking back on the video myself now I think I could have made it, I was just being a little too cautious (not standing up, going too slow).
I've put on the NICECNC rear rack and larger pegs. Real happy with them. Next will install the Garmin Zumo XT2. Cheers from California. Loving my new 2024 KTM 790 Adv.
Hah for sure. It's funny how scratches etc seems to happen at the very start of something new, but then it might not happen again until for ages after! (since this video I've dropped it maybe 2-3 times where it actually added a few more scratches but that's about it).
Which quadlock mount is that? I haven't seen one with that blue collar, all of the mounts I've had have a lever to release the phone which protudes out slightly to one side of the phone. Not enough to be obtrusive in any way but makes it really easy to depress and release the phone; you basically just grab your phone and can depress the lever with the backs of your fingers at the same time. In terms of the misalignment - I also striggle with that sometimes when the mount is new (I've had 3) and the lever is still quite stiff but after 2-3 weeks of regular use it's softened up slightly and much easier - although after 2 years of use hasn't softened further so not a concern for longevity.
It's actually the cycle mount, mainly just for illustrative purposes of the twist action, but yep definitely see your point, the moto mount is more practical than this one.
Hi 😊 I’m very curious about the suspension part, as I would LOVE better and adjustable suspension on my 790. You say from the Norden? What is the price on how? 🤩
Yep, off the standard Nordon 901. Bit of luck on my part, as a friend of mine happened to upgrade his suspension and offered me them for free 😬 I'm interested to see what difference it makes, will share results in a few weeks.
Many thanks for the encouragement. I covered it very briefly in one of my shorts, but yep I would definitely like to have a more real world representation. I was planning a video similar to the brilliant @motogeo who does a great job of capturing exhaust audio (as you only really hear the difference when you're riding). Probably overkill for your question, but that's the plan!
Nice! Just to clarify, this is the AXP Gen 1 bash plate? No issues installing? Which length Black Widow pipe did you use, and again any issue’s to look out for. Thanks for posting, bike looks great.
Thanks! Yep, gen1, and no issues installing. Saw some noting it's a bit of a tight fit against some things on the front, but I can't see anything that'd be an issue. The bolts you need to remove on the foot peg mount is on there really tight out of KTM factory so that took some work (not the bashplates fault!). Black Widow Exhaust model is "KTM 790 Adventure 2019 - 2023 Exhaust Silencer 300mm Hexagonal Brushed Stainless". Putting it on will void your engine warranty technically speaking though, so best be aware of that.
got the Acerbis x-factory. I liked how they looked! They're a little small but they do fit fine. Held up so far, but only really had 2 or 3 small impacts so far.
ah yes, and I have encountered the 890 bug I've heard mention where the indicator "sticks" and it suddenly flashes a theatrical warning on the dash and you have to turn it off and on again to reset. Only happened once so far.
I’ve been considering trading my KTM 390 Adventure in for the 790 Adventure to get better highway riding, however I am concerned about the extra weight off road and its reliability. At 65, I chose the 390 Adventure because of its light weight, but I miss the extra HP of a bigger twin.
totally understand, I made exactly the same transition, having the 390 before this one. Can only speak from my own experience of course, but with 3000+ miles on the clock I've yet to see any cause for concern reliability-wise. Of course I can't see into the engine etc, but in terms of early signs such as changing noises, loose parts, electrical instability etc it's all clear, and I'm spot checking fairly regularly. Weight is equally subjective, but offroad I would say the 790 is generally more manageable (if you're intermediate or upwards). It's a little harder to pick up and turn 360 on a track (of course), but the very long second gear is much more forgiving than the gearing on the 390, and the low slung tank is very clever in terms of how you feel the weight. I can alternate from fast to slow offroad in second gear, whereby on the 390 is was less stable at low speeds, and I'd be changing from first to second to third, which was fine but more complicated to manage. It's also a lower seat, which is noticeable. Ultimately, they're both great bikes, I really enjoyed the 390 and would be happy if I owned one again, but overall I definitely enjoy the 790 more...it's such a beast when you want it to be!
That's ok! Since then I've changed the exhaust (shown in one of my shorts), and was going to put on lower crash bars but opted not to in the end because of the weight. Next will be more off road biased tires. Great that you don't really need to mod that much on this one.
How is the heat from the engine? I have an aprilia tuareg and the heat is my only real complaint. Can you feel a lot of heat coming off the engine while riding? Cheers.
I occasionally noticed it a little in the summer, but don't remember it ever being distractingly hot. You do get a little heat in the seat and the leg as you'd expect. I do use a cheap gel seat which creates a little air gap, which basically removes it completely. I'd say the difference between the Tuareg is that it isn't really a high revving engine (unless you choose to ride it that way).
I did give it a go but I couldn't quite get the balance right with it facing uphill, so it kept wanting to fold. In hindsight I might have been able to get a rock under it to level it out.
pretty impressed thus far, it's been put together well, and I can't see any major signs of them skimping on inferior quality parts and nothing has shaken itself loose. You're asking a lot of bike to run it over a UK winter, but I see no signs of corrosion. I did have one small intermittent issue with the ignition system, but that's now been fixed under warranty without any dramas.
just a fairly cheap Amazon mesh version. It doesn't add a huge amount of softness comfort, but it does create airflow, which does add comfort on longer rides. I think I'd notice the engine heat a little more if I didn't have one. I originally got it for my 390 and it made even more of a difference there...that seat is pretty hard! I'd say the stock seat comfort on the 790 is pretty good (I've heard complaints about most of the other variants).
Thanks! They're the TOURATECH adventure mirror. You have to find the right thread adapter but otherwise I've found them to be really good. Don't move around when you don't want them to, and the folding mechanism is useful when you park up and put a cover on.
Two things: between your wonderful Irish accent and mic feed breaking up I didn’t pick up every word, though I got the jest which was plenty enough. Those headlights are astonishing and that alone ticks an extra box in the 790’s favour before I decide which mid size ADV to go for.
Yep! the SCORPION RALLY STR to be exact. I think they actually did really well as I typically don't fully lose the ability to move forward, just the same issue as most of these road biased versions...they get overwhelmed by mud pretty quickly!
