It seems that, for 2023, things are staying pretty much the same at KTM, with no major updates of existing models which is no surprise as how do you improve on the already near-perfect?
Having said that, there are one or two pieces of news that have come through that will be of interest to South African motorcyclists.
The first concerns the fantastic little 390 Adventure, a bike that punches way above its weight and further strengthens the argument against large and heavy adventure bikes. When launched, it was equipped with cast alloy rims which many adventure riders will happily tell you, are inferior to spoked rims for serious off-road work.
KTM has obviously been listening as the 2023 390 Adventure is now available with spoked rims, making it just that little bit more practical off-road. Alloy rims are great but, hit a rock and there is the chance that the rim can crack or chip, making further progress difficult, to say the least. A steel rim will bend and can be bent back with little risk of cracking, while with spokes there is just a lot more give in the wheel as a whole.
The KTM 390 Adventure with spoked rims will cost R123,99 and the alloy wheel version is still available for R114,999.
A surprising – and welcome – piece of news is the return of the 790 Adventure. Quite where this fits into the range with the presence of the 890 Adventure is not clear but KTM has obviously been listening once again and has determined that a gap in the range had appeared when the 790 was quietly dropped. Perhaps customer demand was high enough to justify bringing it back?
The bike differs very little from the 890 Adventure, which will make it a formidable off-road tool in any hands. Where there is a big change – a most welcome change for many customers – is in the asking price for the 790 Adventure. Would you believe that KTM is pitching it at a frankly unbelievable R53,000 less than the base 890 Adventure? As far as we can make out, there is little or no difference in the electronics package and the engine loses a marginal amount of peak horsepower – 70 kW down from 78 kW.
This is a huge move for KTM and an acknowledgement that they recognise that people just don’t have as much money swilling around as before.
For more information contact your local KTM dealer.
