All Klim, Enduristan, and AltRider equipment featured in this article is provided by Most Wanted Warehouse, Sales Agent of all these brands in Greece. It delivers enough torque to wheelie when it is required and produces minimal vibration, contrary to BMWs boxer engines. It was the end of … Its 21" front wheel, relatively lightweight and use of chain instead of shaft drive made it ideal for off-road adventure. The std setting was adjusted to comfort setting and immediately the 790R felt more friendly both on and off the road. From the first few kilometers, the KTM feels super stiff and stopped to check the std suspension setting that the bike was delivered with. A second side effect of the same problem is that even though it feels comfortable at low speeds, as soon as speed rises above 50-60 km/h every generated force is poorly damped and directed to the entire front system and your wrists. Kawasaki Unveils 5 New Bikes (At The Same Time). On the other hand, it’s clear that the KTM won the hearts and minds who favor outright performance over all other categories, particularly in the off-road capability category, where it bested the BMW by over 4/10s of a point. Thanks to everyone who participated in this Reader Shootout. More opinions give more accurate results. Honda CMX1100 Rebel uses the Africa Twin’s engine! The front suspension keeps bottoming out as soon as you hit something hard, making the need for engine protection a true necessity since it keeps hitting every extruding rock. You instantly get reminded that the "ready to race" motto is more than a catchword. So when all is said and done, the BMW F 850 GS is the winner, with an average rating of 4.234. Maybe this is an effort to make the midrange parallel-twin a true protagonist in BMWs future. We addressed that with the built-as-a-tank construction of an AltRider skid plate. Exclusive Lee Morrison Interview: Stunt Coordinator for No Time to Die (James Bond 007). Brakes are fairly good with strong initial bite and can handle very well the excess heat generated in adventure riding conditions. Rs. Where the F 850 GSA is pleasant and cush and capable of crushing long days in the saddle, the 790 ADV R begs you to explore off-piste every chance you get, from fire roads to single track, the rougher the going gets, the better the KTM performs. But the KTM had some obvious losses in the other categories losing the weather protection and styling categories by nearly 3/4s of a point as well as the comfort category by more than 1/2 a point. KTM electronics work and in the 790R work very well. The last thing to consider is history if anyone is interested in that in an age where we keep swapping motorcycles faster than helmets. And this says a lot about the future of adventure motorcycles. Riding both bikes on the tarmac has a similar feeling since both bikes feel light and agile. You were asked you to rate the KTM 790 Adventure R and the BMW F 850 GS in ten different moto areas and also to provide an overall rating. When riding conditions deteriorate or when you start asking for more, then the orange beast leaps away howling at the mountains. It is stable in all speeds, has moderate wind protection but zero helmet buffeting and is one of the most comfortable bikes we have ever ridden, with the optional comfort seat. Regarding electronics, even Chris Birch told us when we met him at the KTM Adventure Rally Bosnia that he keeps his bike electronics "on". Yamaha Tenere 700, KTM 790 Adventure S, and BMW F850GS Adventure. The F850GS is a fantastic motorcycle to ride on the tarmac and feels like a proper street bike making you feel very safe. He did order whatsoever one of the first European limited production 790R Rally models, so we will be making a future test of the updated suspension kit. Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure vs. BMW F850GS – Real-Life Review. The KTM 790 Adventure R was not far behind with an overall score of 4.159. Time to go back for another Mythical Routes adventure. Triumph Street Triple R. Ducati Monster 821. The ergonomic characteristics of the 790R are great since you fell "on" the motorcycle and not trapped "in" the motorcycle as per all GS designs. If the KTM 790, rumored to become an 890 next year, make such a long-lasting impact as the 950/990 did remains to be seen. Yamaha XT1200Z SuperTénéré owners: Show Us Your Bikes! Only weird thing is that the position of the footpegs is a bit back from its ideal position, so you keep adjusting your foot every time you place it on the pegs. When riding the middleweight beemer off-road in a seated position, or with slow sub 45km/h speeds, it performs flawlessly. The BMW gained the win by winning 9 of the 11 categories, sometimes with a very significant margin. Thank you, and please remember to share our other shootouts as they are posted. Compare BMW F 850 GS vs KTM 790 Adventure at Zigwheels based on Price, Specs, Performance, Features, Safety, Colours & Reviews. Typically KTM, power and throttle response was there to help you pass anything on your way. Which one is the best? This time we are moving down the size category a bit and ask you about two well-loved “middleweight adventure bikes; KTM’s 790 Adventure R and BMW’s updated F 850 GS Adventure. Even though electronically aided riding is the only way forward, many KTM purists insist that it takes all the fun away. So when all is said and done, the BMW F 850 GS is the winner, with an average rating of 4.234. The BMW gained the win by winning 9 of the 11 categories, sometimes with a very significant margin. For 2019-2020 we have ordered a couple of KTM 790 Adventure R since we were pretty confident that the ingredients for success were there. Since you were not required to rate both motorcycles, and more people rated the KTM 790 Adventure R than the BMW F 850 GS, we weighted the averages to make sure our comparison was “apples to apples.”. Both feel too small for your average north European rider (I am 1.88m tall) and for tarmac-only riding we would rather choose their bigger equivalents. It's better than the old std 950/990, but not as precise as the 990R was. This KTM is basically the anti-BMW. Also if you are using the S model taller screen as we did, the bike gets higher overall wind protection, but helmet buffeting is very annoying, so we ended using the stock smaller R screen. BMW F 900 R. KTM 790 Duke. We wanted something easy to ride, comfortable enough and able to carry our luggage. Our 790R is fitted with almost every available from the KTM Power Parts and we added the AltRider 1" bar raisers and swapped the pegs for a set of 3" wide PivotPegs for added rider comfort. Nevertheless, the F850GS has a cleaner helmet airflow. Road of Bones, Pamir, The Balkans. The brand new 790R is behaving completely different from what it looks and it is the first time an adventure bike ever looked that weird! Results similar to our previous shootout. The BMW F 850 GS priced at RM 69,900 while the KTM 790 Adventure motorcycle has a price tag of RM 78,800 . We will be sticking with both brands for the near future, using them more according to their design. Ultimately 66% of participants chose to rate the KTM while 34% decided to evaluate the BMW. A possible reason for this is that your toes keep touching the lower part of the tank, especially if you are an 11+ US size boot. Another suspension problem emerger when the terrain became hard with planted rocks and the ESA equipped GS makes it impossible to find traction because of its very slow, non-adjustable, rebound setting. As per engine management, there are many settings to choose from, but when chaced by two Super Enduros, maybe you should stick to "Rally Mode". The suspension is typical KTM. Perfect and precise transforming any gravel road to smooth tarmac. We also installed the optional BMW rally pegs since the OEM are not suited for riding in a standing position and AltRider 1” bar risers to help handle the many kilometers in standing position. In our opinion, if BMW had raised the bar on the F850GS suspension system we would be talking about a completely different motorcycle, very suited for all purposes and possible best adventure middleweight contender. The midrange BMW, on the other hand, will not last in time, since it is always growing under the heavy shadow of a bigger brother. Also, since we ain't getting any younger, cruise control, heated grips and electronic assistance was welcome.