KTM 790 Adventure R vs. 990 / 950 Adventure | Finally a Worthy Replacement?

Many of us loved our 950 and 990's and many still are riding them and won't give them up! For good reason. However in this video I am talking about why I think the 790R is finally a worthy replacement, and I review all the benefits it has over the 950/990, plus one or two things that are not as good.

Let us know below, if you are a 950 or 990 rider, will you upgrade to a 790? Why or why not?

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[chaddthompson]

The 950 was designed from the ground up to be a Dakar bike, it wasn't the most friendly bike to work on for sure. I had a 2005.5 950 and really liked it once KTM got all the bugs worked out. I always used to joke it was the best bike I had ever ridden and one of the worst I ever owned. I sold my 950 quite a few years back and have had a few bikes since then. I picked up a 2018 Africa Twin Adventure Sports and just recently the 790 Adv R. I am still on the fence about the 790, it's a good bike but nothing about it really excites me so I am not sure if I will end up keeping it long term. I had hoped that it would be good enough on the street to take the place of the Africa Twin so I could sell the Honda but it is nowhere near as comfortable as the Africa Twin. It is also kind of sad that the 790 feels "cheap" to me when compared to the 950 and sadly even to the Honda. A lot of plastic parts, poorly designed "fairing", cable clutch, and just non premium parts all around. That being said there are a some things I like about the 790, the fuel mileage is unreal, it is definitely capable off road, it has plenty of power and I do like the Cruise control even though you have to pay extra for it. Just need to decide if it's a keeper or not.

[CO_EVO_]

The 950 was a dream bike for me till a few days ago when I picked one up. So excited! This bike will be staying with me for a long time.

[onesharpboradhead]

I have 3500 miles on my 2020 790R. I had a few issues - the clutch failed at 200 miles, there is an oil port/jet in the clutch that was blocked with locktight from the factory - ktm made good on it. I also had a slight coolant leak - hose clamp needed tightening. I ride mostly offroad, so the stock tires were not great for that. I replaced the stock tires with MOTOZ Tractionator RallZ - these are by far and away the best adv tires I have ever owned. I have 2500 miles on them and they have more tread left that TKC 80s do when brand new. I LOVE THIS 790R. We just finished a weekend ride in a mix of very muddy rutted up/ rocky ATV Trails in northern Wisconsin - putting about 70 offroad miles on each day (would have done more, but our wives were riding in UTVs behind us, slowing us down at every intersection waiting for them to catch up). I never even came close to dropping this bike - it handles everything I throw at it offroad and on the highway it rides awesome.

[tolgacool]

The 990 has character that this one is lacking. It has Dakar heritage. It is really strong in the looks department as well (if you like Rally bike styling that is). The raw feeling LC8 is also great.

While the new one is objectively better in every way, the old bikes are just by far the more special bikes

[faniesmith]

I sold my 2007 KTM 990 Adventure S after 90 000 trouble free kilometers (56 000 miles) and bought the 790 Adv R. I am very happy with my decision so far. I do miss the sound and bonkers torque of the 990, but the 790 is just so easy to ride in tricky situations.

[miradockal]

Thanks so much for shearing. I think I wait for 890 adventure. My 950 ADV S is still runing strong. Take care from the CZ

[jeremysoltow]

i’d keep my 990 and spend the other $7000 on fuel, mountain house and beer. or id get a t7.

[manybikes]

The 790 can never replace my 950
Super Enduro!!! It might join it in the garage... but I’d push comes to shove... the 950se will remain.

[SWTrailsAndWheels]

"Long Term Ownership Experience"? I'm not sure you know what that means! ; ) But it is to our benefit as your quick turnover lets us see your experience with many bikes.

[kjonasson]

I have a 2007 990 S (longer travel suspension) with cans, rottweiler intake and a decent map. Love the torque, stability at high speeds and the powerslides it can produce. I´m 6´8 and bike fits me very well. I sat on a 790 R once and i just felt to small for my parts. It was on my upgrade list before I mounted it. Went off it afterwards. I would have upgraded to a 1090R if KTM wouldn´t have stopped making them. I guess it´s a 1290R then as I reckon the Husky Norden 901 and the KTM 890 adv will be based on the 790 chassis.

[McDaidVideo]

I had a 950r for 10 years, my only real complaint was small tank, I never felt the need for any electronic controls, cruse control or traction control, I considered the 790 R when it first came out, but was not impressed, now the 890 Adventure R is here I am all in..

[ronmorris]

I still have my 950, it still puts a smile on my face, unequal to anything else I've
Ridden

[progammler]

just came back home on my 790R and did 6000km in 3 weeks and have a total of 20.000km now in a little over a year. I have had so many issues already but I still love it. It's so much fun no matter what you do. You can chase street bikes in the alps or jump over logs in the woods.

[adityapoojary]

Just wating for 890 to be reviewed by you Sir. 🙏

[freidrichnietzsche]

Ian is the accountant-motorcyclist friend that we didn't know that we needed in our lives. Another great video Ian! Keep up the great work!

[mojoriden]

Happy with my 1190. Gets me into enough off road and is a great touring bike. Some say 150hp is too much for the dirt, it is, but its great for the road and the offroad 100 hp setting is perfect for dirt. My friends had a 690 and a 701 for the utah bdr with me on my 1190. Except for the death drop in at lockhart I had no fears and was happy for the on road comfort and speed. I think they are both great bikes.

[DirtChimps]

I have a 790 Rally and just picked up a pretty mint 990 R today as a back-up bike. My local shop has a bit of a 950/990 love affair going on. As it happens, my 790 is in there for a second time this year getting valves replaced. We figured it was dust the first time, but now it has happened again and dust was not the culprit. If you have any reports, please let us know!

Love your channel. Recently found. Binge watching!

[johnt.saylor]

My biggest disappointment with the 790 was the low rpm torque. I hope the 890 adv will have more torque below 3800 rpm.

[mrcreative]

Thanks Ian, I just completed 2000 km across the Scottish highlands on my 790R. Very happy with the performance on the motorway and on the green lanes, of which there are many in Scotland. My milage was much better than the other bikes there. I had a 990 adventure and really loved it, however the 790 suits me a lot better in terms of its lightness. The only one complaint I would say is that the seat is very hard compared to the seat on the 990 that I had, but I am too get that improved while keeping the original cover cos I like it . The one thing I can’t figure out is how to keep the screen in dark mode black all the time. It changes from white to black depending on the light outside prefer to have the black screen all the time. I recommend you take a trip to Ireland as some of the scenery is breathtaking around the coast. I’ll be your guide and if you want to Scotland let me know next summer.

[austinjones]

On a full tank i got 270 miles. When i got to the gas station i had less than half a gallon of gas left in the tank. That ride was on pavement, dirt roads, and single/quad track trails.