KTM debuted the 890 Adventure and the performance-oriented 890 Adventure R in 2021. Team Orange’s shiny new toy effectively rendered the existing 790 Adventure lineup obsolete. As a result, the Austrian OEM discontinued the middleweight series in favor of its heavy middleweight successor. That 890 dependence didn’t last long, however.
In 2023, KTM revived the base model 790 Adventure as a budget-conscious alternative to its big-bore cousin. This time, the adventurer returned with Euro 5 approval and new styling. That refresh prioritized the 790’s touring capabilities, though, with WP APEX suspension and Pirelli Scorpion STR tires. KTM also priced the resurrected ADV competitively, thanks in part to China’s CFMoto taking the lead in production.
Now, it seems the Ready to Race brand will put that same model to use when it brings up-spec 790 Adventure R back into the fold. According to type-approval documents filed in China, KTM and CFMoto plan to partner on the project. While the filings don’t indicate the model’s performance figures, we anticipate the R trim to retain the standard model’s 94 horsepower and 64 pound-feet of torque.
Given previous iterations of the 790 Adventure R and the existing 890 Adventure R, we expect chassis and styling accommodations to set the off-road-biased variant apart. An image included in the type-approval documents confirms those suspicions, with the potential 790 Adventure R sporting robust 48-millimeter WP XPLOR suspension, a high-mounted front fender, and aggressive semi-knobby tires.
However, the pictured prototype doesn’t look 100 percent complete either. Without its windshield and a KTMR2R sticker plastered to its front panel, the project looks very much in progress. As such, KTM and CFMoto could still make changes before the 790 Adventure R returns to the market. For that reason, we'll have to wait for Team Orange to officially unveil the model before we can truly celebrate the 790 Adventure R's return.
