[ZZZ]

Yeah, but I'm sure at some point I've been thought as a-hole so I will keep it zipped lol. Mostly I find a ton of great info online, with a good clean hot air filter 🤣.

I found the front end on the 850GS was its greatest weakness, and had a hard time believing BMW didn't at least offer an upgraded version with a quality adjustable front end. It was easy to take that bike up to the limit, but with the 790advR, I tend to run out of talent way before I can blame the bike for any shortcomings or lack of performance. So it'll probably be a while before I look for any upgrades.

I like the tire changer setup in the link, very nice and one stop shop! Do it right and once. Looking back now I'd have paid extra attentions to brake rotors, and probably removed them completely to avoid the expensive bent rotor issues. Having the setup is indispensable especially when time becomes a factor. They almost pay for themselves in short order if you factor in dealing with shops and such. Some made me feel like they were doing me a favour. Dude, get over your bad self, we are all hos' working for money.

I use the Napa Auto parts tire bead lube, you can make your own or use other brands, but in cooler season they really make a difference, and you'll probably run into that one bead that refuses to take a seat. I've actually gone up to 65psi a couple of times with those bastages - valve removed to get a good rush of air in. Good luck with the new toy, you'll be impressed me thinks, and maybe I'll see you at the trails.

Nah, you're cool, I can't see anyone other than an @$$hole thinking you're an @$$hole! LOL

While I've ridden any number of pure dirtbikes and streetbikes, this ADV thing will be totally new to me, so, I'll be a total noob, and am relying on outside info for how the bike will feel, tips&tricks, and riding gear. I have all the riding gear except the a-stars Toucan boots I want. I got a duo pack of Cardo Packtalks, one for my street helmet and one for the ADV helmet, and just got a Garmin Zumo XT. I already have aluminum panniers and just need the rack for it, and I'm planning on a SW-Motech ring-mounted tankbag since I've had great luck with them on another bike. I like having bikes where their limit is higher than mine, as this will be. I don't get bored, and I can learn more.

Yeah, my buddy had a No-Mar, but he bought one of the lower-level ones, and sometimes he had issues breaking beads and suck. Of course, it didn't help that he was 100lbs soaking wet, but I like the really beefy look of the professional model, and, if I can do tires on it for a side-by-side, or even the Bronco I'll be getting, it'll be worth spending the extra money. I have a 27gal 200psi compressor so that helps. For me, getting to a place to change tires is a haul, so, if I can just have tires shipped to my door, and me doing them, it's worth it to me in time savings alone. Plus I can do friends tires for bourbon!

Definitely hope to see ya at the trails!

 

[ZZZ]

Got word the bike should be at the dealer probably tomorrow, or Wed. Hopefully my house refi will happen this week, maybe Friday, and I can get the bike loan set right after that. Looks like after the "loan" from myself TO myself from my 401k, and with cash on hand, I'll only need to borrow a couple grand, and should have that paid off in a couple months for a clear title! WooHoo!

 

[netaron]

Enjoy! You won't be disappointed and you may even be surprised at its tracking ability, especially the front in tough terrain.

 

[ZZZ]

Enjoy! You won't be disappointed and you may even be surprised at its tracking ability, especially the front in tough terrain.

Yeah, I'll be especially curious to see what it's like trying a 110 wide front instead of the 90. I think I'll go right to that with the Mitas instead of trying the 90 first, so I won't have a direct comparison, but, I think that's the way to go. A 90 seems WAY skinny to me, and I think the slightly wider tire on the OEM rim will accomplish the same thing as all the guys spending big $$ to put a 90 on a new, narrower rim (to protect the rim from rocks), and have more tire for grip. Hell, it IS a 465lb bike with full tank!

EDIT: Damn, it appears the Mitas is only made in a 90 width for the 21" front, whereas the 19" front you can get in a 110 or 120. Ah well, looks like my choice is easy then! LOL

 

[netaron]

This may be of interest:

I rode the newer Honda Rebel around a training circuit once, I hated it. I rarely hate a bike. The wider front tire ruined that experience as I really liked the previous Rebels for training purposes. On dirt, a wider front would scare the crap out of me lol. YMMV, I personally would try the 90 first since it's already mounted to establish a baseline, and if a wider front accomplishes my goals, then I know what handling characteristics have been influenced, for better or worse.

 

[ZZZ]

I rode the newer Honda Rebel around a training circuit once, I hated it. I rarely hate a bike. The wider front tire ruined that experience as I really liked the previous Rebels for training purposes. On dirt, a wider front would scare the crap out of me lol. YMMV, I personally would try the 90 first since it's already mounted to establish a baseline, and if a wider front accomplishes my goals, then I know what handling characteristics have been influenced, for better or worse.

I'd definitely love to try out both sizes back to back, but unfortunately, it's a moot point with the front being available only in a 90 width. Ah well, 90 it is!

Actually, it was probably the Rebel you hated, not the tires. The Honda Grom basically has the same size tires front and rear (120/70-12 and 130/70-12, and people absolutely LOVE them and Hoon those things everywhere. I'll bet the geometry or something else was the reason the Rebel sucked.

I'd love to try one of those Yamaha BW 200's, just to see what it felt like. I'll bet it was awesome in the deep sand or mud!

 

[ZZZ]

Well, it's here! The dealer will have it ready tomorrow sometime. Got to look at it, sit on it (I peed on it to mark my territory...LOL). Signed papers tonight, and the good thing is, with taking the "loan" from myself from my 401k, I walk out tomorrow with the title in my name only, no lien. Yay!

This is gonna be good...

 

[netaron]

Looking forward to the ride review.

 

[ZZZ]

Looking forward to the ride review.

The dealer finished it up after 1pm and it had 1 mile on it! Got it home about 2, had to eat something, then adjust the shift linkage (WAY too high), and the clutch and brake levers. Then got it out maybe 3-ish, and put 131mi on 'er, mostly in the foothills, and got back a little after 6pm.

For my height (6'1) the wind noise was pretty bad at anything above 50mph, though, strangely, while it did get worse at higher speed, it didn't get a LOT worse than it was at 50mph. That really surprised me. I'm not going to call if "buffeting" like those who whine about it on the ADV forum mistakenly call it, because my head wasn't being tossed around by it, there was just a lot of wind noise. Nothing I can't handle, but something I definitely want to lessen. As the miles rolled up, the suspension definitely loosened up and got more compliant, quite noticeably, especially the forks. The motor definitely got a lot looser, and feels strong, even with the 6,250 RPM limit I kinda self-imposed (the tach flashes at you) until the 600mi break-in. It can cruise 85-95 easy, no sweat. With an over 200mi range and the comfortable position, this thing is going to be able to eat serious miles. The vibration thru the bars is minimal, but you feel just a little thru the seat, but it's never intrusive. The riding position is great, although I found I really need to get a bar with less pullback, more like a MX bar, for my long ape-like arms. The seat, as I understand ALL KTM seats are, is an upholstered 2X8, but hopefully the seat will break-in and soften up. Had a weird glitch where the quickshifter stopped working at about 45mi and I got a warning thru the dash. I thought maybe I FUBAR'd something when I adjusted it, but I stopped and all was tight, and after cycling the key (which didn't initially work) and riding a mile it started working again and stayed working. Weird. I ran up into the hills until I got an "ice warning" on the dash (kinda cool), then turned around as it was in the high 30's and I didn't want to chance ice. I like the LED headlights, but, as seems to be the case with newer bikes, there is a definite cutoff on low beam....and it's far too close to the bike. Anything beyond that sees no light at all, which makes turns on a dark road...ahhh, a mite interesting. I may just have to run the high beams and, well, tough luck if you're coming my way. I'm sure it's some stupid regulation that does that, but on a bike especially, it's dangerous. No wonder it seems EVERY guy that has one runs ancillary lights. I'm not, if I can't see, I'll just use the highbeams, which are actually pretty good.

I really like it, and think that if you could only have one bike, this would be a great one. With bags you can cross the country comfortably, it gets 40+mpg, has over a 200mi range, (though the absolutely bizarre thing is the fuel gage ONLY shows from 1/2 tank on down -WTF?), has great power for what it is (i.e. NOT an 'RR), AND it'll do pretty much the craziest stuff you can think of offroad (thought a true dirtbike will do it a LOT easier). It seems, just form the miles I put on, to be a great all-around bike. It fits perfectly in the middle of my 2 others.

Gonna ride tomorrow, weather permitting, and I'll post more feedback. In the meantime...

 

[netaron]

Ha! Congrats, and great photos. Yes, the windscreen, which looks identical to the 790 is not the greatest at providing wind protection, but it's not horrible as I found the 850gs to be even worse. The higher position changes the deflection to a different spot so to speak. For me, it did not work, so I keep it on the lower bracket. There are some decent looking after market models, and again if it's like the 790, the 890 Adventure's (not R) taller screen will fit. The only issue is off road as you know, the taller screens do present a slight risk to the rider. The other issue that may add to the problem is the actual windscreen thickness. It seems very thin and flimsy which may cause other unwanted byproducts.

As for the seat I think it's just made from run of the mill foam material. Not great. I modified mine as I do most my bikes and I'll be also making a windscreen for it, but not in a huge rush. I'm not sure if you got the quickshift+ as an added extra, but mine came from the factory with quickshift (only upshifts) the up/downshift is extra hence the "+." But if the dealer services your bike and have to apply a software update, you'll loose the complimentary quickshift since KTM wants more of your moola. And from memory, the up-only quickshift did have a few coughing fits at first for me as well.

Suspension wise it is amazing. The factory setting on my 790 was literally "ready to race." The Dakar. It was setup to go over rough terrain at 70mph. In the manual, they provide a few options. After setting the springs up, I adjusted front and rear to 1-2 clicks in from KTM's soft or comfort recommendation. They may have changed it on the 890. First I checked to see which setting was on the bike, took notes (created a simple chart on my phone) including original sag height and then started going in/out for more compliance.

I did install auxiliary lights, mainly to be more visible on the trails, but they definitely help at night, and agreed re weak low beam beam pattern/quality. I turned off daytime running lights so the low beam can stay on during the day, it's the brighter of the two.

The way the tanks are designed just makes for a strange fuel gauge. I just reset my trip counter at fill up; the range on this bike is amazing, and the mpg will improve with break-in. And agreed, of all the bikes I've had, if I could just choose one, there is no contest!

 

[col-s1krr]

Enjoy your new bike in good health. I do seem a few mods in the nearby horizon.

 

[ZZZ]

Thanks guys! Just waiting for it to warm up a little before I head out this morning. I want to break it in as fast as possible, get that 600 miles in, then take it to the trails. I've got a nice road in mind now with little traffic so I can ride at my own pace, vary the throttle etc. without annoying traffic. I figure if I went dirt riding as the dealer guy invited me to today ("JT" - we've become friends) I wouldn't be putting many miles on, and might get into a situation where I needed full throttle and so I thought street rides were better until break-in.

I was thinking about this windscreen, but, I already have the Vanasche GPS mount so I don't want to buy this if I have to use their GPS mount. I agree on the taller screen being a hazard to the rider, I've seen vids of people faceplanting into it as they go over the bars!
US KTM 790 rally windshield - Rade Garage
Or this screen
790 ADVENTURE /R - Sport-Screen "SPN" 2018- | BJ 18- | Adventure 790 | KTM | Model-based products | MRA Shop

For seats, if Sargent would make a 1-pc seat, I'd most likely get that because I have one of their seats on the '15 RR I picked up and love it. I don't want a taller seat, this thing is tall enough!

I bought the Tech Pack, so I have Quickshift+, hopefully it's little glitch is over! The heated grips and centerstand are coming. I've paid for everything so I just show up and they install it. Cruise control works fine.

Yeah, I always have used "Trip 1" for determining range once I knew it, for some reason, I've never really trusted fuel gages on bikes like I do cars. I guess it's because motorcycles lean! LOL JT assured me that he looked and it was topped off, so, I'm gonna run this first tank dry, and then tank up. First I have to make sure the dealer made sure BOTH fuel petcocks (feeding the balance tube at the bottom) are open! I've hear of people "running out of gas" when the petcock on the side of the tank without the fuel pump was closed. So, because the sending unit is on that side, it still shows fuel but the side with the fuel pump is sucked dry! That's kinda stupid, but, it wasn't going to prevent me from buying the bike. Besides, like you, I always use Trip 1 instead of a gage anyway.

Yeah, just from my street rides, the suspension feels very high quality, I can only imagine how it will be when I get it on the dirt! Like I said, the forks were initially a little "sticky" (with 1 mile on it), but they REALLY loosened up and are way better now. I've never actually adjusted the suspension on anything I own, I was always too afraid to FUBAR things. And, honestly, it just seemed to work for me, so why mess with it? Maybe I just don't know how much better it could be? I DEFINITELY am going to have JT's buddy help me set the sag correct and help me tweak it if needed. I guess he's really good at suspension. I'll probably have him help with my KX too down the road.

I really don't think I'll monkey with adding lights, I really don't like to ride at night, and I figure if I've got to use running lights to see and annoy oncoming traffic anyway, why not just go the simple route and use the OEM highbeams? No muss, no fuss, no extra wiring and lights as an extra failure point, or something else to get smashed falling over on a trail. I think it really is the rules/laws giving us kind of useless low beams with the razor sharp cutoff. My old '01 Gixxer had great "analog" halogen headlights. Yeah, they were a little yellowish but there wasn't this super sharp cutoff where everything ahead of that (you know, the important stuff) was completely in the dark. The dual beams for both high and low had a really nice, big, bright, useable, broad spread of light. Ah well. Hmm, thanks, didn't know the "DRL" turned off the lowbeam, I agree, I want better visibility during the day, I think I'll turn mine off. I thought "Off" mean the headlight itself was off.

All these years, I only had one street legal bike at a time, maybe just a sportbike and my KX, so, my sportbikes were always my "sport-tourers" when I wanted to go on a long ride, but now, it's nice to have a choice, and like you, think this is pretty much the perfect all-arounder. Hell, if it's really that good in the dirt, I may sell my KX. For a pure dirtbike, what I REALLY want, is for KTM to make a "Banshee"-type 2-stroke parallel-twin out of 2 of their 300cc fuel and oil-injected 2-stroke single motors. 600cc of 2-stroke badness/lightness without having to dick with premix? Where if you're out riding somewhere and need gas, you just go to a gas station? Or borrow a gallon of gasoline if you're oout in the boonies without needing to put oil in the tank? Sign me up!

 

[ZZZ]

For performance, I'll probably get one of these cans and a decat pipe, and I'll definitely get a Rottweiler airbox.
X-Plorer II Exhaust (KTM15-121) (sc-project.us)
Pro Edition Full Intake System - 790/890 Adventure (ALL) - ORANGE (rottweilerperformance.com)

The HP gains thru the midrange just with the airbox and tune are amazing (check the dyno chart), and I would have them do a custom map with the exhaust installed as well.

Might be something for you to think about! Moar Powah!

 

[netaron]

Yeah, my current plan is to go for a +3 sprocket on the rear as it's easier to change out for the low RPM stuff, but if I ride across state line, I'll go back to stock, easy swap and the chain looks like can handle the diameter. I did install an Akra exhaust, but TBH, it made very little difference compared to other bikes (no map though), the stock KTM exhaust is pretty light and tuned well for the engine map, but not for low end, but from the marketing and reviews of your bike, it's one reason it's an 890 now.

As for suspension, this is my own experience so take it with an advil , but it could be a quick job or a black art lol. Having the whole suspension set to my weight and riding style is like receiving the keys to my dream bike. As for the springs, they have to be set first for the rider's weight, IMO it's more critical than anything else as every other adjustment depends on it. If the shop sets that up first, I suggest riding it in conditions you'd spend most of your time in if possible and leave everything else stock to feel the difference. You don't need to know much about suspension if someone knowledgeable helps you, but if you can keep track of how it felt before and what it is you'd like it to do after, it will make a world of difference in your confidence. Keeping track of all the settings is also critical as they may compliment certain conditions (twisties), you can make notes on what settings work best for that type of riding or condition and change them accordingly. I try to pay attention to traction feel, and how much confidence it provides. Also how harsh or soft the overall ride is to include rough sections, it's giving up a little of this for that....Suspension can be very convoluted and scary, but the thing to remember is to find out if the bike tracks well over your chosen terrain, and do you have confidence when approaching obstacles and turns.

 

[ZZZ]

Put another 235 miles on it today, got like 365 so far in 2 days, hopefully I can get it broken in (600) by next weekend! I tell ya, for a big dirtbike, that thing hits 100mph easy. Got up in elevation today, ended up being 30deg (!!!) at the top. Took some pics, and headed back down. Kinda sketchy as the road back down was covered in snow and ice for 100' in several locations because it was in the shade. Luckily there was no traffic coming down so I just rode around all that in the oncoming lane.

No glitches with the quickshifter today, and man, got AMAZING mileage on such a brank new motor: 51.74! The fuel gage was a little wonky, the "low fuel" warning came on just down from the top, which I was expecting, but it only took 4 gallons when I got to the bottom! @07.7mi on 4.014 gallons I think, and the tank is like 5.6 or something. Amazing. Really digging this thing, and haven't even got it in the dirt...yet...