KTM Adventure Comparison - 1090R vs 790R (vs 990)

[ScottRNelson]

TL;DR: Go back to twitter, you don't belong here!
I've put headings in so that you can easily skip stuff you don't care about. And I've cut it into sections to make it easier to quote or ask questions about something. I'll be happy to answer questions about areas I've failed to cover here.

Introduction and Background

In 2008 I took a KTM 990 Adventure for a test ride and immediately knew that I had to have one. It moved to the top of my "next bike" list. Two years later after selling one of my Ducatis I bought that same demo bike and enjoyed it for the next eight years. There were things about it that I didn't like, but they were all minor compared to what I liked about the bike. I put a few thousand miles of dirt riding on it of the 24,000 it had when I sold it. The main reason I sold it was so I wouldn't have to move it to Idaho. I would have kept it if I hadn't found a buyer for it at a reasonable price.

Two months after selling it, I gave in and bought a 1090R. Details here. I really wanted a 790R, but they weren't available anywhere yet and the local dealer implied that I would have to wait about a year and a half before I could get one. The law of supply and demand - big demand, short supply. I seriously considered other adventure bikes, but was sure I would be disappointed with pretty much any of them compared to the 990 Adventure that I had enjoyed for so long. When I found out I could get the 1090R for less than an Africa Twin I signed up. It was always rated above the other adventure bikes in comparison tests or ten best bike lists.

Less than a year after buying the 1090R I put a $100 deposit down on a 790R. I had been reading about them and was sure it would be better for the type of riding that I do. I didn't expect to be able to buy one until late spring or summer of 2020, but I got a call in early December of 2019 from the local dealer saying that they had my bike. I went right over, worked out a trade in of the 1090R, and bought it.

What I want to do here is explain what I liked and didn't like about each of these three KTM adventure bikes, comparing them where possible. I'll keep adding stuff about the 790R for the next six months or so, until I've done everything on it that I've done on the other bikes. If you're considering owning any of these models, hopefully this can give you a better understanding of what they're like from the point of view of an experienced rider who likes to ride on dirt, but has never claimed to be an expert rider in any particular area.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Engine

The 990 is a water cooled 75 degree V-twin. I've always loved the feel and the sound of a good V-twin. To my ears, it doesn't sound quite as good as a 90-degree V-twin like in a Ducati or Moto Guzzi, but good enough. I never felt the need to make it louder. The 1090R is based on the same engine, so it has the same V-angle.

The 790R is a parallel twin, but the crank pins are offset 75 degrees - KTM says it's a 435 degree firing order, but that's really the same as 75. I can't tell from the sound or the feel that it's not a V-twin. A parallel twin can be made quite a bit lighter than a V-twin and it takes up less space in the frame, so that's all good.

The 990 had high compression pistons, but I don't know what the compression ratio was. It was supposed to have 91 octane fuel. The 1090R was 13.0:1 compression. The 790R is "only" 12.7:1 compression. Gotta pay a bit extra for fuel for these bikes. Actual engine sizes for the three bikes was 999, 1050, and 799. KTM rounds off the engine size to the nearest *90.

Power

The 990 had great power. It was more than I needed, but just a little more. The bike was not smooth at low speeds, like going into a 20 mph corner with the throttle off and wanting to feed in a little bit of power. I got in the habit of slipping the clutch to smooth it out in that situation. After a tune up it was better for maybe a thousand miles, then it had a hesitation there again. I liked the power band on that bike.

The 1090R just plain had more power than I needed. I rarely ran it to redline with full throttle. But the power was smooth everywhere and very good low down. Like every V-twin that I've owned, it wasn't really "happy" below 3000 rpms in the higher gears, but on dirt it was fine even under 2000 rpms. I would often chug along on tight stuff in second gear around 2000 rpms and it still had all the power I needed at that low engine speed.

I'm still breaking in the 790R, so I'm not supposed to exceed 6500 rpms. I could happily live with the powerband I have below that speed. It definitely has enough power for what I want. It also doesn't seem to like running below 3000 rpms, or maybe 3500. But off road it's totally happy under 2000 chugging along and if anything, feels more lively in the dirt than the 1090R did. I can't tell from the feel or from listening to the engine that it isn't a V-twin. In neutral, the engine seems to rev up quicker - or maybe "easier" - than any of my previous bikes. I'm sure I'll adjust to that over the next few hundred miles.

Suspension

After I got the 990, I adjusted the suspension to the settings recommended in the owner's manual and was happy with the behavior for all types of riding. I occasionally bottomed out the suspension when riding 60 mph on a dirt road with a dip, but "just barely".

I also checked the suspension settings on the 1090R to make sure they matched the recommended settings in the owner's manual. The suspension felt rather firm off road, especially compared to my XR650L (which is quite soft), but it worked well, so I didn't really try to mess with it.

The stock suspension settings on the 790R are definitely softer than the 1090R, but feel right to me. It's quite easy to get to the adjusters with the fork compression at the top on one side and rebound at the top on the the other side. I'm always of the philosophy that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", so I don't know if I'll mess around with the suspension settings or not. One of the reasons I got the "R" model is for the better suspension, and it makes a difference in my riding. Plus it has about an inch more suspension travel and ground clearance.

Handling

The 990 works well off road. I've ridden with a guy who has a 2008 990 Adv just like the one I had, who rides it like a big dirt bike. I would have to be a lot stronger and have more riding skill to get away with that. I rode it on a lot of dirt roads and some single track trails and it handled them well. But the weight was always obvious.

When I bought the 1090R, I was expecting to adjust to it right away. On the street it felt right to me from the beginning and there was really no adjustment period. It was a lot like the 990, but slightly better in most ways. However, off road I had confidence issues when I first got it. Part of the problem was that I hadn't ridden off road much in the previous year, so I wasn't feeling very confident in the dirt. I might have been the same on the 990 at that point. After a few hundred miles in the dirt the confidence returned and I rode many hundreds of miles all over the southwestern part of Idaho and enjoyed how it worked in the dirt. But I was always aware of the weight.

In the first 100 miles on the 790R, I was able to ride maybe 15 miles on familiar dirt roads. I also did a little bit of single track - just because. It might be that the dirt had been wet, then packed down so that there was no loose stuff on top as is normal around here all summer, but the dirt road handling and traction felt just great. Until I tried the little bit of single track riding, I was starting to wonder why I still need the XR650L. On the tighter narrow stuff it was clear that the extra 70-80 pounds compared to a dual sport still made a difference. I'll have to report back next spring as I get out more, so far the 790R feels way better in the dirt than the other two KTMs I had before it.

The riding position on the 790R, after adjusting the handlebar forward all the way, feels very natural to me. The riding position just feels right. The bike and I are one when I'm riding it.

 

[ScottRNelson]

ABS and MTC

All three of the KTM adventure bikes have Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS). The 1090R and 790R also have traction control (Motorcycle Traction Control = MTC). I think the 990 ABS was a bit too agressive. I would often feel it working at the rear when hustling along on twisty roads and I know I wasn't on the verge of locking the rear wheel when it would kick in. It could be turned off by stopping the bike and holding a button under the speedometer for a few seconds. It turned back on when the bike was turned off and restarted. Forgetting to turn off ABS before going down a somewhat steep loose dirt or gravel road could be a problem because the rear brake wouldn't do much to slow the bike. I'm sure I did that more than half a dozen times.

The ABS on the other two changes depending on the ride mode. I can't complain at all about the ABS on either of them. I did check that in off road riding mode, the ABS does something if I try to lock the rear wheel at 35 mph on a dirt road. That's something I need to look into a bit more.

Ride Modes

The 1090R has four ride modes: sport, street, rain, and offroad. I wanted it in sport mode on pavement because the throttle was a little bit more direct. I never actually figured out what the other differences were between sport and street. Switching to offroad mode was just right in the dirt. It reduced power to "only" 100 hp and not so abrupt. It also changed ABS so that the rear brake worked better in the dirt. I can't remember if it would let you lock the rear wheel, but I think it allowed that. Riding on dirt in sport mode actually worked reasonably well and it wouldn't spin the rear tire. It took about 10 seconds to switch modes and you didn't even have to slow down, just use the up/down arrows to find "Drive Mod", go up or down to the desired mode, hit set, shut the throttle all the way for a couple of seconds and you're ready to go.

The 790R also has four ride modes: street, rain, offroad, and rally. It's about as easy to change modes as the 1090R was, just different. Rally mode is supposed to let you tweak throttle response as well as ABS and MTC settings. I don't expect to fool around with it for a long time, though. The other modes meet my needs pretty well in general.

Height

The 1090R is definitely taller than the 990. I can flat foot a 990, but come up about half an inch short on the 1090R. I can flat foot the 790R too, and it might be the same height as the 990 was. It's not significantly shorter than a 1090R - less than an inch difference.

Weight

The 1090R is definitely heavier than a 990, but only a little bit. It felt a bit bigger in general. The 790R is way lighter than either of them. And it feels lighter than the published difference in weight would suggest. It make the handling better in the dirt and on the street. I haven't been able to do any serious cornering, since it's cold around here, but the 790R feels more like a sport bike on twisty roads then either of the other two, and both of those felt really good on twisty roads.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Instrument Displays

The 990 has an orange display with tachometer and speed, engine temperature and ONE other thing. Take your pick between time, total miles on the bike, trip 1, trip 2, or fuel mileage since low. I usually kept it on trip 1 so I would know how soon I needed to get more gas.

The 1090R has a tachometer and two displays. The one on the right shows fuel level, engine temperature, speed, which gear it's in and time of day. The one on the left is programmable and can show five of whatever you want. I set it to show the trip odometer, the bike odometer, fuel range, outside air temperature and battery voltage. I probably didn't need voltage, but the 990 had had battery issues and I wanted to be sure the 1090R didn't.

The 790R has a single display that is a lot like an iPhone. It normally displays a tachometer, speedometer, fuel level, temperature, ride mode, time, outside temperature, and a few other things that you can select. All but the tach and speedometer are smaller than on the 1090R. The default setting is a white background with black numbers and text. I don't like that. At least you can change it to a black background which I like a lot better. Initially it was set to show the date as one of the four items you can see. That's one thing I won't ever need on the motorcycle display. I switched it to trip 1, odometer, current mpg, and battery. I would like to show miles to empty, but can't find that in the choices.

Both the 1090R and 790R have some extra warnings I've never seen on another bike. Once the temperature drops below 39 degrees it puts up an ice warning. You have to acknowledge it to make it go away. The 1090R, at least, also puts up a service warning if you've gone 9000 miles since the last service (I'm unlikely to do that) or it's been more than a year (yep, done that). Once you get the warning it will come on every time you turn the bike on until you get it serviced. So basically it annoys you into getting it serviced sooner than you might otherwise once a year has passed.

Speedometer

Why oh why can't KTM make an accurate speedometer? The 990 read way high, although the odometer was still relatively accurate. It turns out that you could go through a series of button presses and "lie" to the computer that the bike had a 19" front tire on there and the speedometer was now accurate. But then the odometer is off, showing less miles than actual. Oh well, I would rather know how fast I'm going.

The 1090R was off by a solid 5%. If it said 100 mph, you were really going 95. I haven't spent a lot of time checking, but the 790R looks like it's off about 4%. I have a 2014 Ford with a speedometer that is right on. Matches my GPS exactly at all speeds. Why can't KTM do that?

Windshields

The stock windshield on the 990 had terrible buffeting. I noticed this on the test ride before I bought it, but figured that it was something I could put up with. The AdvRider forum had long threads on different ways to fix it, but there was no standard solution that everybody agreed with. I eventually cut off two inches of the windshield, and it helped a little bit, but it still wasn't that good. I just made sure I had good earplugs and tried to ignore it.

The windshield on the 1090R was totally wonderful compared to the 990. It could be adjusted up or down a couple of inches and at the top position the angle could be adjusted so that the top part moved about and inch and a half. After moving it around for a while I finally settled on the top position forward all the way. It worked well and I was happy with it.

The windshield on the 790R isn't as good as that of the 1090R, but way better than the 990. It has two positions up and down about an inch and a half and you move it by taking out a screw, switching positions, then putting the screw back. I kind of miss being able to change adjustment while riding like the 1090R could do. Since the windshield is quite a bit better than on the 990, I'll just ignore it. Maybe after a long 300 mile trip on it I'll have a different opinion about it.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Clutch

Both the 990 and 1090R have hydraulic clutches that use a special mineral oil, not brake fluid like the Ducati hydraulic clutches that I'm familiar with. Never had any issues with either of those clutches. The clutch on the 790R uses a cable, like all the rest of the bikes that I've owned. It has a nice wide engagement and is very easy to use. Not grabby like my XR650L. In the first hundred miles, I managed to start out in second gear more times than I'm willing to admit to. Starting out was so smooth that I only realized I was in second when I didn't have to shift as soon as I expected. Clutch behavior should help a bit on slow tight uphill rocky sections in the hills.

Shifter

I was able to find a few false neutrals on the 990. I found at least one on the 1090R as well. Haven't managed that yet on the 790R, but I seem to be "skilled" in that area, so we'll see. The Ducati Monsters and ST2 were full of false neutrals, so KTM is definitely better in that area. The shifting on the 790R is lighter than any bike I've owned recently. It's easy to adjust to, though.

Wheels

All three bikes have spoked wheels. The 990 had tubes in there, but both the 1090R and 790R are tubeless. And the wheels aren't those weird ones like BMW and Ducati use with the spokes attached at the side of the rim - the spokes are in the middle where they're supposed to be. There is a rubber piece in the rim down the center that seals it.

The front wheel of the 1090R never felt quite right to me. When I took it in for the first service they trued the front wheel and rebalanced it. It felt okay at slower speeds and at freeway speeds, but in the middle, around 40 mph, it wasn't as smooth as it should have been. It still never felt completely smooth and I didn't know if it was the TKC-80 front tire or something else. I have the same TKC-80 on the front of my XR650L and that one is smooth. By contrast, the front wheel of the 790R is absolutely smooth at all speeds.

Tires

The 990 came with Pirelli MT90 Scorpion tires. They were worn when I got the bike and never felt quite right to me. I later tried Continental Trail Attack tires, which were better on the street, but not great off road. I got those because I didn't expect to ride a lot of dirt. But then I moved from Pleasanton to Folsom and there were lots more dirt opportunities. After the Trail Attacks I went with Heidenau K60 Scouts, which felt great on the street and did well off road if you let some air out of them. I eventually went back to the MT90 and they worked well enough as new tires.

The 1090R came with TKC-80 tires which were pretty good at everything overall. The rear only lasted 3200 miles, so I replaced it with a Shinko 805. I couldn't tell a real difference with that rear tire and the TKC-80.

The 790R came with Metzler Karoo 3 tires, which I like so far. But I haven't pushed them yet. They feel good on the street and the little bit of dirt I've tried them on.

Mufflers

The 990 has two mufflers up by the rear fender. Each one by itself doesn't seem too big, but together they are quite large. And heavy. The 1090R just had one big muffler. It didn't look bad like big mufflers on some other bikes, but it was definitely large. The 790R has a much smaller muffler. The part at the rear looks like it's about 1/4 the size of the one on the 1090R. However, there is another piece of muffler behind the engine, most likely with the catalytic converter there.

Chains

The two bigger bikes have a 525 chain while the 790R uses a 520. The chain and sprockets on the 990 were still good after 24,000 miles. Chain guides on the 990 were similar to other motorcycles that I've owned. The guides on the 1090R and 790R make it hard to even see the chain except where it goes around the rear sprocket, so it's kind of a trick to clean and lubricate it. The chain goes about half way down into the chain guide along the top of the swingarm. Kind of hard to clean dirt and mud out of there. At least we can be assured that the chain is unlikely to derail on the newer KTMs. I've had that happen on bikes from the 70's and 80's.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Side Stand/Center Stand

The 990 was the only one of the three with a center stand. But it was difficult to use because it lifted the rear tire about two inches off of the ground. I had a Ducati ST2 with a center stand that was easy to work, just kind of roll the bike back as you're pushing down on the center stand with your foot, lift a little bit and it was up. For the KTM 990 it was some heavy lifting to get it up there. So I didn't use it very often. Probably most often for lubricating the chain.

All three have sidestand switches that will kill the engine if it is in gear with the sidestand down. I got in the habit of killing the engine when parking the bike by putting the sidestand down. That had the added benefit of being sure the bike was parked in gear, which I now always do.

Power Outlets

The 990 has a power outlet next to the tachometer, but you need a special plug to use it. That's where I powered my GPS. It was powered all the time, not just when the key was on. The 1090R has no power outlets. The 790R has a regular lighter socket right under the instruments where you can plug any standard electrical device you would use in a car. Thank you KTM.

Fuel mileage

The 990 got terrible mileage. Typically it was around 30 mpg and I never got over 35 no matter how I rode it. The 1090R would easily get 45 mpg for all types of riding and 50 if I took it easy. It has a readout showing current mileage as well as miles to empty. The one thing I didn't like was that it took eight to ten miles before those showed other than zero after filling the tank. A minor annoyance. So far the 790R is showing more than 45 mpg too.

It was kind of cool to see a miles to empty of 260 on the 1090R. And that wasn't optomistic, I've gone past 250 on one tank more than once. That kind of range is valuable on an adventure bike that you're riding to the middle of nowhere. Once I got to about 130 on the 990 I started worrying if I could make it to gas before running out. The 790 doesn't read the full range of the gas tank, so it shows 99+ until you've run though half a tank or so. The 990 had a low fuel light and in addition to two trip odometers, a miles-since-low counter that would count up to show how far you had gone since the light went on. When it was new to me I went 28 once without running out. It became less accurate later on and I once ran out of gas within about five miles of the light going on. Only had to push it about 100 feet, since I was headed to the gas station when that happened.

The 990 held 5.1 gallons of fuel, the 1090R 6.1, and the 790R 5.3. The 790R still easily has a 200 mile range, but I doubt it will go 250.

Filling with gas

The 990 had an annoying fuel tank. You had to fill both sides like some of the Harleys do. Typical gas stop was to open both sides with the key, stick the key back in the ignition, fill the low side, close it, then fill the high side. If you fill the high side with the low side open, the fuel flows from one side to the other fast enough for it to overflow.

Both the 1090R and 790R have a single filler in the middle, as all motorcycles should. However, you can't close it without the key, so you open it, leave the key in there, fill it, shut it, then stick the key back in the ignition.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Battery

The battery on the 990 is in front of the engine right behind the front tire. Right at the point that would get smashed by a big rock if you're not careful. I have lots of experience getting to that battery, because my 990 had battery issues. Undo two screws and the cover drops down on a hinge. I had to jump start it multiple times and bump started it a few times too. I put a less expensive battery in there, it died in less than a year, so the local shop gave me another one. That started dying too in less than a year, so I just replaced it with a Yuasa AGM battery and had fewer issues. Still, if you left the key on when it wasn't running for ten minutes you were risking not being able to start the thing. Unlike other bikes, like my Honda XR, if the bike decides it doesn't have enough battery power it doesn't even try to crank over the bike.

The battery in the 1090R is buried somewhere deep in the body work. I never looked at it and never had issues.

The battery in the 790R is right at the front of the seat and easy to get to. Take off two screws and pop off the battery cover that is right at the front edge of the seat and you have full access top it. Thank you KTM.

Tools

All three bikes come with fairly complete tool kits. When I bought the 990, Tri-Valley Moto found me a tool kit to some other KTM. Almost nothing useable in there. I later got the correct tools from them. There is a slot under the seat that you can squeeze the tool pouch into if you put them into it in exactly the right order. The tools that came with it were enough to remove both wheels and all of the bodywork.

The 1090R tool kit was fairly similar to that of the 990, but there was nowhere on the bike to put it. Some riders remove the evaporative cannister at the back of the bike and put them there. I kept them in my tail bag.

The 790R tool kit is smaller than the other two, but still seems to have everything necessary to work on the bike. There are multiple spots under the seat to store the tools. Thank you KTM.

Storage

Other than a place for the tools under the seat, the 990 doesn't have any place to store stuff.

The 1090R has a tiny compartment in the fairing on the right side that is big enough to hold two or three pairs of earplugs - maybe. No other storage at all.

The 790R has room under the seat for a few things, like the tools, if they aren't too big. And both side covers can pop off and they have little compartments in there where you could store some rope, maybe some gloves, and who knows what else. My registration is in one of them.

Little Things

The 790R has a different start button. Instead of one for off/run and one that you push to start, there is a single button such that up is off, middle position is run, and down is start.

Both the 1090R and 790R are ride by wire, the 990 has a throttle cable.

I used to be of the opinion that a motorcycle doesn't need an indicator for what gear it's in. But now that I've tried it on the 1090R and on the 790R as well, I like having it. It definitely saves me trying to shift to seventh a few times out on the road and is occasionally useful when I'm im 5th but should be in sixth.

Getting into the bike - taking the bodywork off - was difficult on the 990 and on the 1090R. There isn't as much bodywork on the 790 and some of it, like the rear side panels come off without tools. Plus, the stuff you normally need to get to, like the battery or the air filter, are under the seat and easy to get to anyway. Thanks for that, KTM.

 

[Harvey_Mushman]

Excellent comparison, Scott. Thanks for taking the time.

I picked up my 790 a couple days ago. Once I have a few miles on it, I can weigh in. My initial (11 mile) impression is :thumbup

 

[budman]

Good stuff Scott. :thumbup

Springtime should enlighten the 790's talents.
Being a knee challenged dude... I look forward to sitting on one soon.

 

[norcalkid]

Good stuff Scott. :thumbup

Springtime should enlighten the 790's talents.
Being a knee challenged dude... I look forward to sitting on one soon.

There was a 790R on the floor at Chico Motorsports today. So I guess their available everywhere now?? I was surprised how tall it felt.





Great review, THANKS!!

 

[SFMCjohn]

Great review, THANKS!!

+1! :ride

will be interesting to me to see if both the 1090R and 790R keep space in the garage, or if keeping both winds up not making sense ...

def thinking about maybe taking on a monthly payment for a 790 ... arty

 

[ScottRNelson]

More impressions about the 790R

I've finished running through the first tank of gas. It went 204.4 miles on 4.371 gallons of gas. With a calculator, that comes out to 46.76 mpg while the trip computer figured 48.2. That tells me that the dealer didn't fill it up as full as I did by a tiny bit.

I got the first low fuel warning somewhere around 175 miles, at first indicating that my range was 27 miles, but a little later the range showed 68 or so. Range to empty was down in the 20's when I finally filled it up, but I didn't get a photo of the range before putting the gas in, so I can't be sure what it was. Since it is supposed to have a 5.3 gallon tank, I still had almost a full gallon available when it wanted me to refill it. That means that there is a possibility of going 250 miles on one tank, although I don't expect to push it that far. I do expect to regularly go past 200 miles on a tank, though.

The fuel gauge, now that I look at it more closely, is a gauge showing from half full down to empty, it doesn't cover the whole range. So I'm guessing that when it says Fuel Range +142mi, that means 280? I dunno. :dunno

Random odds and ends

The 990 had a separate low beam/high beam switch and a flash to pass thingy you can grab with your left index finger. Both the 1090R and 790R have an all-in-one switch where you push the flash to pass button away to get high beam. It's real easy to accidentally bump the one on the 1090R and I was often having to switch back to low beam when I had unintentionally bumped the thing. The one on the 790R is much less likely to get bumped by accident, although I've still managed to do it once.

I mentioned sometime in the past that the self cancelling turn signals on the 1090R was an extra feature that I didn't really need. Well, the 790R has to be cancelled by pushing the button, like most other bikes, and I'm regularly leaving it on quite a bit longer that I should. Maybe the self canceling feature was a good thing after all. :laughing

After accidentally riding the bike in some sticky mud, I've determined that the Karoo 3 tires are not great mud tires. They tend to hold the mud in the tread so that even when you're back out of the mud it steers like you're still in the mud. I was worried about dropping the thing once or twice in the mud sections.

Once I got home, it was a lot of work getting all of the mud back off of the bike. Besides the normal underside of fenders where any other bike is going to collect mud, it really packs it in around the rear shock and along the chain guard. The bash plate, or whatever that metal thing under the engine is with all of the performations in it, also had quite a bit between the plate and the engine. I'm thinking that every two or three visits to muddy roads will require taking that off to really clean in there.

 

[Cabrito]

Awesome write up and observations there Scott.Thanks for taking the time to put all that together. It took me and my short attention span forever to finish reading it :teeth

I also went from a 990 to the 1090, and thinking about the new Yamaha T7 Tenere as a replacement to the 1090 (Maybe) I really like the 1090, but miss the size of my KLR.

I rode a 790S, but wasn't really sold on it so it's nice to get all your comparisons.


Power

I'm with you, the 1090 just has way more power than I need. My 990 was just about right for me.

The 790 I rode was about right, but I'm worried that the 1090 has spoiled me.

I'll be interested in hearing how you adjust.


Suspension and handling

Your comparison of the 790 and your 650 is real interesting to me. I was hoping you would see it as a perfect compromise with the good characteristics of both bikes combined, but it sounds like the 650 wins out in single track for now. I don't see myself ever running much single track on the Tenere if I get one though, and I still have my XR400 for the Desert riding and more tame dual sport stuff. I just want a bike that can peel off long pavement miles, and then be fun in the back country on fire roads for camping.


Ride Modes

I fucking love the ride modes on the 1090. The 990 didn't need them because it felt so light and manageable to me in all conditions. The 1090 is hard for me to tame. I like Rain Mode in loose dirt and hill climbs. The Rear wheel just won't spin. I can still barely control it in Off Road mode without spinning the rear wheel. I need more time on it for sure. Rain mode is great on my commute when it's wet out too. I never use street mode. The throttle response sucks to me in Street Mode.

The Tenere doesn't have any modes (I think) so it would all be throttle and clutch like the old days I guess.

Looking forward to more info on the 790 modes from you.


Tires

I got about 3500 out of my Karoo 3's on my Wee-Strom FYI


Filling with Gas

I hate the 1090 because you can't put the nozzle all the way in so I have to hold the boot up and fill carefully. This is hard since I'm only 5'6" and short. Did you notice this about your 1090 or was it an issue?


Random odds and ends

I realized recently that my turn signals had the "self cancel" feature while I was waiting for a long time before merging over in heavy traffic and they turned off... I was like WTF, and then though I was going crazy until I checked the manual.


Can't wait for more updates from you.

 

[ScottRNelson]

I'll be interested in hearing how you adjust.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no adjustment period. I've felt adjusted to the 790R from day one. Everything that I've done on it just feels right to me.

I hate the 1090 because you can't put the nozzle all the way in so I have to hold the boot up and fill carefully. This is hard since I'm only 5'6" and short. Did you notice this about your 1090 or was it an issue?

I've only ever filled up the 1090R in Idaho and Oregon. What is this "boot" that you're referring to? :laughing

 

[two wheel tramp]

Scott, I definitely just clicked with the 790 as well. It's super easy to ride.

@budman you can ride mine any time.

 

[norcalkid]

More impressions about the 790R

I've finished running through the first tank of gas. It went 204.4 miles on 4.371 gallons of gas. With a calculator, that comes out to 46.76 mpg while the trip computer figured 48.2. That tells me that the dealer didn't fill it up as full as I did by a tiny bit.

I got the first low fuel warning somewhere around 175 miles, at first indicating that my range was 27 miles, but a little later the range showed 68 or so. Range to empty was down in the 20's when I finally filled it up, but I didn't get a photo of the range before putting the gas in, so I can't be sure what it was. Since it is supposed to have a 5.3 gallon tank, I still had almost a full gallon available when it wanted me to refill it. That means that there is a possibility of going 250 miles on one tank, although I don't expect to push it that far. I do expect to regularly go past 200 miles on a tank, though.

The fuel gauge, now that I look at it more closely, is a gauge showing from half full down to empty, it doesn't cover the whole range. So I'm guessing that when it says Fuel Range +142mi, that means 280? I dunno. :dunno

Random odds and ends

The 990 had a separate low beam/high beam switch and a flash to pass thingy you can grab with your left index finger. Both the 1090R and 790R have an all-in-one switch where you push the flash to pass button away to get high beam. It's real easy to accidentally bump the one on the 1090R and I was often having to switch back to low beam when I had unintentionally bumped the thing. The one on the 790R is much less likely to get bumped by accident, although I've still managed to do it once.

I mentioned sometime in the past that the self cancelling turn signals on the 1090R was an extra feature that I didn't really need. Well, the 790R has to be cancelled by pushing the button, like most other bikes, and I'm regularly leaving it on quite a bit longer that I should. Maybe the self canceling feature was a good thing after all. :laughing

After accidentally riding the bike in some sticky mud, I've determined that the Karoo 3 tires are not great mud tires. They tend to hold the mud in the tread so that even when you're back out of the mud it steers like you're still in the mud. I was worried about dropping the thing once or twice in the mud sections.

Once I got home, it was a lot of work getting all of the mud back off of the bike. Besides the normal underside of fenders where any other bike is going to collect mud, it really packs it in around the rear shock and along the chain guard. The bash plate, or whatever that metal thing under the engine is with all of the performations in it, also had quite a bit between the plate and the engine. I'm thinking that every two or three visits to muddy roads will require taking that off to really clean in there.

That 1/2 fuel gauge and mileage range thing is WEIRD. Why in the world would they do that?

 

[ScottRNelson]

That 1/2 fuel gauge and mileage range thing is WEIRD. Why in the world would they do that?

It may have something to do with the height of the tank. It's approximately 26 inches from the bottom to the gas cap and it's not a straight line from one end to the other. Very difficult to get a fuel level sensor to cover the whole range.

 

[Ride_on]

I also went from a 990 to the 790R and had a 1290 SAR in between.

Great write up -

As for fuel range... I did a 262 mile, most street ride over the Sierras (average 50mph, 4000 feet up to 9000 down to 5000 and back up to 9000) and had almost 0.75 gallon left in the tank on my 790R.

Previous tank was all street and I hit 250 miles before reserve light came on.

 

[ScottRNelson]

A few more details to share

Fuel mileage is surprisingly good out on the highway. I rode 35 miles north from where I live, across town, on some highways where traffic was over 60 mph, and on a few farm roads to where the dirt roads start. It was over 57 mpg after 30 miles of dirt. Here's the reading before I started that dirt road:

It looks like I could easily do 250 miles on a tank if it's getting mileage like that. The 1090R would occasionally show 50 mpg, but was usually closer to 45.

I've been having a hard time keeping under 6500 rpms when I pass people. I probably hit 7500 passing a couple of cars on the highway when I ran it up to 97 mph (according to my GPS). I figure at about the 300 mile point that's not really going to hurt anything. I don't feel the need to go over 6500 except while trying to make a quick pass. Power on the dirt roads I was on today felt really good.

The stock seat appears to only be good for about three hours of non-stop riding before my backside wants to get off for a while. I'm not sure either of the other two KTMs were any better in that area. I would never make it on an Iron Butt ride.

 

[cwanger2000]

I'm loving my 1090 and I was thinking of going to a smaller 790 or T7 but am addicted to the power of the 1090. Tallest bike I've ever owned